Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan was the fastest driver on the fastest circuit on the BCC calendar as the third BTCC meeting of the year got under way with the first practice session.
It’s looking like Yvan Muller’s long standing qualifying lap record (1:16.369) from 2002 may finally be beaten in qualifying as Andrew’s time is already down to a 1:16.818 and is confident of finding more time.
Gordon Shedden was four tenths back from Jordan in second, the biggest gap so far this season. Colin Turkington looks set for a good weekend as he set third fastest time in the session in his Ebay Motors BMW and Alain Menu was fourth fastest and also looks set for a great weekend unlike his team mate Aron Smith who was down in nineteenth and then ended his session in the barriers just after the first corner. The car has heavy front end damage and also some in the rear too as Smith bounced down the barriers. The team has a lot of work to do to try and get the VW CC fixed for Qualifying.
Mat Jackson was fifth and will be hoping his difficult start to the season is finally starting to turn around. Team mate Fabrizio Giovanardi was back in tenth but only two tenths of a second off his team mate. Sam Tordoff was the best of the MG’s in sixth with team mate Plato in an uncharacteristic twelfth place although he likely to be right on the pace by the time qualifying starts.
Matt Neal was seventh with Adam Morgan again in a top ten position in eighth. Tom Ingram was ninth.
After the crash at Donington between James Cole and Robb Holland, both United Autosport and Rotek Racing had a lot of work to do to rebuild the cars. United Autosports have performed miracles and have rebuilt Coles car around a new shell but sadly things didn’t go so well for Rotek who haven’t managed to finish the car in time and so will miss the weekend. Cole ended the session in 28th place with Aiden Moffat and Chris Stockton behind him. Stockton was unable to complete a flying lap in the session.
AMD were seventeenth with Dave Newsham but are hoping to move up the order in subsequent sessions. By Marc Waller
