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Local hero James Thompson delighted the Yorkshire fans by qualifying his Honda Accord on pole position for both rounds 13 and 14 at Croft. Rickard Rydell was also a surprise at the front of the grid with 4th and 2nd starting positions. This ensured that the Volvo was ahead of current championship leader Aiello, who seemed to be off the pace at Croft. His team mate, David Leslie, proved to be the quicker of the two Nissan drivers in qualifying - posting 2nd and 3rd on the grid. The Vauxhall team were bitterly disappointed at their poor showing, while the Renault Lagunas and Mondeos fought out the centre of the pack. Independent Matt Neal managed 5th for round 14, but last on the grid for round 13.
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Drawing provided by PA Graphics
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Thompson retained his advantage in round 13 to sprint to the chequered flag after 15 laps in front of David Leslie's Nissan Primera. There was less than a second between them at the end. This, coupled with second place (less than 0.5 seconds behind!) in round 14 earned James 30 drivers' championship points, taking him very close to Laurent Aiello's total. Rydell's 4th and 1st have boosted the Volvo driver to fifth in the championship.
The Renault team were not as competitive as hoped. Jason Plato came to Croft with the intention of gaining some points. Starting 7th on the grid for both races made this possible. He drove brilliantly to secure 6th in both races, passing Radermecker on the last corner of the last lap of the feature race. Jason is now in a solid 4th position in the championship. The same can not be said of his team mate though. Jean-Christophe Boullion only managed 11th place in the sprint race, followed by a disastrous feature race where his left front wheel fell off after making his mandatory pit stop. He retired instantly. It is thought that Renault's recent showing in the BTCC has contributed to the announcement that they are quitting the series at the end of this year. Read more about that in this week's motorsport news.
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Photograph provided by Volvo
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The mid-way point of the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship proved to be a hard day for the Vauxhall drivers. Both Cleland and Muller suffered misfortune. In the feature race, John Cleland's Vectra went straight on at Barcroft at about 130mph. This was due to damaged steering caused by a coming together with Peter Kox earlier in the race. Luckily, the Scot was unhurt but was unable to continue. Claland said:
"There was nothing I could do. I turned in to the corner but the car went straight on. It was a big impact but I'm OK. The steering was damaged when Kox, Menu and I were fighting at that first corner, there was nothing malicious in the contact, it was just one of those racing incidents."
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In the sprint race Cleland had clutch problems, causing him to have a terrible start. He did, however, regain his lost positions and went on to finish in the points in 9th place. Muller's bad luck involved an unintentional shunt from Jason Plato. This put Muller's Vectra off the track. He rejoined in 16th place and fought back to eighth place - his second of the day. He was disappointed though:
"The spin in the second race was frustrating because I think we could have finished fifth or sixth. I don't think Plato mant to hit me, I just think he didn't see me, but it sent me to the back while he went on to finish sixth. The car was working really well but when you have to fight your way through the field from the back, it is very difficult, especially in this championship."
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Rounds 11/12
