Vauxhall Top the Tables at BTCC Test and Media Day

13 March 2007

Vauxhall’s new S2000-spec Vectra, driven by Fabrizio Giovanardi, has topped the times in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship's first official test. The time of 1:24.806 on Rockingham's International Super Sports Car Circuit put him only 0.066s ahead of Mike Jordan's Team Eurotech Integra, with Colin Turkington next on 1:24.938 in the new Team RAC BMW 320si E90. They were the only drivers in the test to break the 1:25 barrier around the circuit which will host the championship's second event rounds on 22nd April.

Also joining Vauxhall in the move to cars meeting the WTCC-alike S2000 regulations were Team Dynamics and reigning champion, Matt Neal. After two years in the highly successful Integra Type-R, the change in championship regs means a jump to the dramatic, new Honda Civic Type-R which, like its predecessor, will be devloped in-house by Team Dynamics.

The team were at Rockingham to launch the Civics, once again sposored by Halfords, but they were not running in the test, prompting a note of caution from Giovanardi: “I’m really confident because I feel a really good car. I don’t care about the time too much… what I’m more impressed about is that the drop-off in performance over longer runs is nowhere near as bad as the Astra we raced last year. That is a good sign for the races. Team Halfords has not even run its Civic today and we know that Team RAC is only just beginning with the BMW[so] today is only really an indicator of what might happen."

BTCC Series Director, Alan Gow commented on what will be one of the biggest and most diverse seasons in the recent history of the series. "This is a truly fantastic line-up of cars, drivers and teams for the public to savour in 2007... Our move to S2000 has brought an additional fresh impetus into the BTCC which was already riding high following thrilling 2005/6 seasons."

Indeed, the series this year will feature a huge variety of machinery within its 27-car grid. Six BMWs, six SEATs, five Hondas, three Vauxhalls, three Alfa Romeos, two Lexus and two MGs will be lining up on the grid in two weeks time. Included is the championship's first diesel entry since the BTCC's formation in 1958 in the form of newcomer Rick Kerry's BMW 120d. The two MG ZSs of Jason Hughes and Fiona Leggate will also buck the fuel trend by running on environmentally preferable bio-ethanol.

The first round of the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship gets underway on 1st April at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent.

DS

See series calendar for British Touring Car Championship 2007

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