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BTCC 1999 - Round 3/4 Rounds 3/4
Rounds 5/6 - Thruxton 3 May 1999
Rounds 7/8 BTCC 1999 - Round 7/8

On Sunday last (2 May), the 1998 BTCC champion, Rickard Rydell drove his way to pole for both rounds at Thruxton. The 5th and 6th rounds were held at this, the fastest track of the series, and it appeared to suit Rydell's Volvo S40, and the Swede's driving style. It was not exactly a walkover though, as only 0.879 of a second separated 1st and 5th place on the grid for round 5, and only 0.781 seconds for the same gap in round 6. Qualifying for a round of the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship is now becoming as fraught as Formula One!

Rickard used his pole position to good effect - securing 2nd place in both races. He did expect to beat the Nissan Primeras, but Aiello spoiled his day!

Rydell leads Leslie and Aiello away at the start - soon to be caught! Photograph provided by Sutton Images
Aiello had not previously raced at Thruxton, but managed to be fastest on the track in the sprint race, taking victory with 6 seconds to spare. The gap at the finish of round 6 between himself and Rydell was also 6 seconds. A mean feat for the ex-Le Mans winner. His team mate, David Leslie was not so charmed. He was on the pace, as you can see above. He chased Rydell hard, but it was Aiello who finally made the overtaking move that would give Nissan the lead. Leslie managed to get past also, but he spun off soon after with a puncture. Even though Leslie nursed the car back to the pits, he only finished 11th - behind the privateer Honda of Lee Brookes.

In the feature race, his luck did not improve. In an attempt to prove himself against his team mate, Leslie ran wide and took the Ford Mondeo of Anthony Reid with him - finishing their race. Aiello was left to fight Rydell to the end. An overtaking manoeuvre up Woodham Hill gave Aiello the lead, and his pit crew then managed to get the Nissan back out in front of Rydell's Volvo again. The race was then won.

Matt Neal's private-run Nissan Primera starred in the sprint race, with an almost unexpected 3rd place, beating Radermecker's Volvo by only 0.4 seconds. Radermecker pulled out the fastest lap in the feature race as he got to grips with the S40 at speed. He even harried his team mate all the way to the flag - intimidating him as if he were an opponent! The difference between them at the end of lap 32 was 0.412 seconds. It certainly looks like he enjoyed himself...

Race report by S.O' (Email)
Rydell claimed two 2nd positions and beat his team mate Radermecker fair and square Photograph provided by Jakob Ebrey Photographic
Plato managed 4th place for the Renault team Photograph provided by Jakob Ebrey Photographic

Round 6 - Feature Race - 32 laps
  • 1 - Laurent Aiello (Nissan Primera GT) - 42:51.245
  • 2 - Rickard Rydell (Volvo S40) - 42:57.010
  • 3 - Vincent Radermecker (Volvo S40) - 42:57.422
  • 4 - Jason Plato (Renault Laguna) - 42:58.357
  • 5 - Peter Kox (Honda Accord) - 43:06.360
  • 6 - Alain Menu (Ford Mondeo) - 43:12.597
  • 7 - Jean Christophe Boullion (Renault Laguna) - 43:14.972
  • 8 - James Thompson (Honda Accord) - 43:23.934
  • 9 - John Cleland (Vauxhall Vectra) - 43:31.127
  • 10 - Lee Brookes (Honda Accord) - 43:32.352
  • 11 - Yvan Muller (Vauxhall Vectra) - 43:54.377
  • 12 - Mark Blair (Honda Accord) - 44:18.093
  • 13 - Paula Cook (Honda Accord) - 44:31.449
  • 14 - Russell Spence (Renault Laguna) - 44:35.773
Fastest Lap - Vincent Radermecker (Volvo S40) - 1:17.488

Manufacturers' Points
  1. Nissan: 105
  2. Honda: 78
  3. Renault: 74
  4. Volvo: 64
  5. Vauxhall: 44
  6. Ford: 25
Round 5 - Sprint Race - 16 laps
  • 1 - Laurent Aiello (Nissan Primera GT) - 21:09.493
  • 2 - Rickard Rydell (Volvo S40) - 21:15.692
  • 3 - Matt Neal (Nissan Primera GT) - 21:17.802
  • 4 - Vincent Radermecker (Volvo S40) - 21:18.182
  • 5 - James Thompson (Honda Accord) - 21:24.704
  • 6 - Peter Kox (Honda Accord) - 21:25.192
  • 7 - John Cleland (Vauxhall Vectra) - 21:35.688
  • 8 - Anthony Reid (Ford Mondeo) - 21:36.317
  • 9 - Jean-Christophe Boullion (Renault Laguna) - 21:36.723
  • 10 - Lee Brookes (Honda Accord) - 21:37.471
  • 11 - David Leslie (Nissan Primera GT) - 21:53.523
  • 12 - Mark Blair (Vauxhall Vectra) - 22:00.947
  • 13 - Russell Spence (Renault Laguna) - 22:06.550
Fastest Lap - Laurent Aiello (Nissan Primera GT) - 1:17.044

Drivers' Points
  1. Laurent Aiello: 52
    James Thompson: 52
  2. Jason Plato: 50
  3. Matt Neal: 41
    Rickard Rydell: 41
  4. David Leslie: 25
    Jean Christophe Boullion: 25
    Peter Kox: 25
    Vincent Radermecker: 25
  5. John Cleland: 22
  6. Yvan Muller: 18
  7. Alain Menu: 17
  8. Anthony Reid: 7
  9. Lee Brookes: 5
  10. Russell Spence: 3
  11. Paula Cook: 2

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