BTCC Croft 2014
Posted on: 08/07/2014With this year's BTCC season now in full swing, rounds 13, 14 & 15 at the north east's Croft circuit were set to provide another entertaining day of racing for the fans with plenty of action in store.
The circuit itself has been hosting the Touring Cars since 1968 and is seen as a crucial point in the season, marking the half way point and held just before the "summer break" which allows teams to commence with their mid-season testing. Always a popular venue, Croft hosts a welcoming atmosphere and attracts large crowds of over 40,000 on race day. The circuit is also considered very demanding by the race teams, requiring an aggressive suspension setup which often has detrimental effects on the tyres. All this allied to the region's typically unpredictable weather and the day promised some exciting racing.
Driver of the eBay Motors BMW 1 Series Colin Turkington once again qualified in pole position on Saturday and for the 2nd year running and managed to beat his own record lap time, proving to the rest of the pack that he was the one to beat on Sunday. Behind him Plato, Shedden, Neal and Jordan made up the top 5 positions, all hungry for a good start and a trouble free race.
After a delayed start in race one due to a faulty gantry light, Turkington and teammates Foster and Collard in the BMWs had a great start off the line with Turkington shooting off into the distance and leading for the duration of the race, leaving his rivals behind him to battle out for the remaining positions. Shedden in the Yuasa Honda team took advantage of a smooth start to gain a position on Plato and managed to hold it there until the very end. Once again BTCC provided bumper to bumper close racing which many fans now come to expect. With Rob Austin and Adam Morgan coming together on lap one; there was plenty of fibreglass flying around the place (which was later auctioned off to raise money for a local hospice by Austin's team!).
Race two saw Turkington once again showing his dominance on this circuit, managing to lead from the start to finish with Honda teammates Shedden and Neal coming in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Neal's 3rd place came as a result of two very similar but daring manoeuvres through the fast Esses corner which saw him gain a position on Collard and Plato. MG Team's Plato seemingly struggling with tyre grip and having to race a very defensive line throughout the race, making his car very "wide" when needed. Something that old rival Alain Menu experienced with one of the day's more spectacular coming together of the two cars, resulting in a DNF for Menu and a ten place grid penalty for Plato in the next race. The fans were once again not disappointed with the amount of action on track! The final BTCC race saw yet more close action with the safety car being deployed after a spin early on. With Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan in the Honda Civic denying Turkington a hat trick of victories, taking a well deserved win ahead of BMW's Rob Collard and Mat Jackson in the Focus ST to round off this weekend's BTCC racing.
In addition to the Touring cars, a number of supporting races are also held during a BTCC race weekend which keeps the crowds entertained. These include the highly popular Renault Clio Cup, Porsche Cup GB, Ginetta GT Super Cup, Ginetta Juniors and the Formula Fords, with all series showcasing a large number of racing talent, in particular some of the youngsters in the Ginetta Juniors who may only be around 14 years of age but are all aspiring to compete in the big leagues in future. All races once again provided plenty of wheel to wheel racing. With all the cars technically nearly identical, the only main difference being the driver's ability the excitement was all in keeping with the expectation similar to the bigger races. What was also great to see was the level of support and dedication from the fans as they cheered their favourite drivers around the track.
There was also plenty of action off track to keep the crowds busy. This included a high level of pit access to the teams and drivers in the morning with a 1 hour dedicated autograph signing session which is open to all ticket holders. Additionally a number of opportunities were available throughout the day to get close to the drivers as they make their way around the hospitality suites and garages, with most drivers more than happy to stop for a photo and a few quick words. This is certainly a contrast to other forms of motorsport such as F1 where such access is only available to the super wealthy VIP guests, which makes the whole weekend an overall friendlier place to be with a warm, family friendly atmosphere.