1985

Donington

The first Donington round of the season had been a treat for Tin Top fans as the championship shared the bill with the ETCC. In the European series Tom Walkinshaw and Win Percy had taken the home spoils in the three-and-a-half hour enduro for TWR Rover, who filled the podium with three machines. Jean-Louis Schlesser and Armin Hahne took second with Jeff Allam and Pierre-Alain Thibaut third. Volvo took fourth and fifth with Gianfranco Brancatelli and Thomas Lindström, who’d lost any chance of victory after pitting for wets on a dry track, finished ahead of Ulf Granberg and Ingvar Carlsson. In sixth place Michel Delecourt partnered Frank Sytner in a BMW 635 CSi – with Sytner the only driver to compete in both races.

In the British championship Andy Rouse really got his title aspirations on the go by sneaking a tight win against Dave Brodie. The Sierra racer pipped the Colt driver by three-quarters of a second with Neil McGrath bagging a fourth consecutive podium in his Rover. Double duty Sytner finished fourth ahead of Class B racer Graham Goode, who was looking at this point of the season as being the championship favourite in his Nissan Bluebird.

Thruxton

The second Thruxton meeting of the season looked like it could have been a chance for Barry Sheene to build on his podium at the ultra-fast track earlier in the season, but fifth in qualifying and a heavy hit from Chris Hodgetts on the opening lap at Allards made sure that wasn’t to be. The shell of his Toyota Supra was a write off. The damage had the entire right-hand side of the machine caved in directly at the door. Sheene had been lucky to escape with nothing more than bruises, a broken bone in his foot and ligament damage. He was even able to leave the circuit under his own power, via a hospital visit for an x-ray. The accident wiped out half of the field, leaving 10 cars to stake the restart. Even then the argument over how many laps, the ability to change tyres and grid spaces confused the field, apart from Andy Rouse on pole. While everybody else contemplated wet or dry, the Ford Sierra driver went down the intermediate route to take a third victory of the season ahead of Neil McGrath – giving his Rover a fifth consecutive podium finish, and Dave Brodie in his Mitsubishi Colt.

1995

Thruxton

James Thompson became the youngest pole sitter in BTCC history at Thruxton – and race winner, but the Vauxhall Cavalier racer had to let Alain Menu get the first pole for Williams – as the official Renault Laguna team – and first their win. After a supposedly staid Donington opener and a rain infused Brands Hatch, Thruxton with its high speeds probably still wouldn’t display if the new BTCC aero era would promote ‘better’ racing. Menu jumped into the lead at the start of race one with John Cleland (Vauxhall) and Paul Radisich (Ford Mondeo) in pursuit. A bump between Radisich and Rydell allowed Thompson into fourth on the first lap, with the young charger getting into third a lap later. The Vauxhall pair started catching the leader, but a puncture put Thompson out, elevating Patrick Watts, who’d gotten through the field to score a rare Peugeot podium. Will Hoy was supposed to line up beside Thompson, but repairs left him off the grid as the lights went out for race two. Thompson made the most of it, but it didn’t last long. An accident featuring Charlie Cox having multiple rolls in spectacular fashion at the chicane halted proceedings. Thompson eased lights to flag win in the restarted race to become the youngest driver to jump up to the BTCC top step. Menu picked up second after backing off with Kelvin Burt bringing his Mondeo third. Cleland rescued fifth after a poor start. Leaving Thruxton Alain Menu was on 76pts, eight ahead of Cleland.

Silverstone

Rickard Rydell once again didn’t take advantage of his pole position. The Volvo driver would see Ford Mondeo racer Paul Radisich sail past into the lead at the first turn in the Silverstone opener. The pair glued themselves to one another for 21 laps, with Radisich leading out of the corners, and Rydell catching on entry. It took that long for Rydell to squeeze past at Brooklands to grab the win. Behind the pair Will Hoy was on form in his Renault in the early running. The former champion was holding off Cavalier racer James Thompson, who made a lunge at Brooklands on lap 11, he made the move, but in doing so he left his own door open for teammate John Cleland to nick the place and eventual bottom rung of the podium. Radisich, with teammate Kelvin Burt chasing, got the ace at the start of race two, but as seemed to be the norm for early 1995 races there was a red flag. On the restart Radisich had Rydell behind him through Copse with Burt in third. Radisich played a tactical game. Out front in clean air he rolled around with a gap behind, knowing Rydell would induce tyre wear in catching him, it went to plan in the latter stages the Ford driver was able to run the car home for the win with Rydell four tenths behind. Tyres falling off in the other direction left Burt open to attack. Menu found a gap, but as in the first race a three wide moment saw Tim Harvey trump the pair for third in the other Volvo, leaving Menu to be followed to the line by Cleland as Burt fell to seventh.

Brands Hatch

Red flags. Again. Derek Warwick and Daid Leslie clashing, sending their Alfa and Honda off, forcing a restart. Rickard Rydell led away the restart with John Cleland, Paul Radisich and Alain Menu (Vauxhall, Ford and Renault) on the chase. Menu took a couple of laps to clear the Ford, which was retired with damage a few laps later. Cleland was in the faster machine, but he just couldn’t find a gap on the thin track, meaning it was an ‘after you, Sir’ attitude for the remainder of the race. Julian Bailey scored a solid fourth for Toyota with Giampiero Simoni placing defending champions Alfa in fifth – his highest placing of what would become a shortened season in the Prodrive run 155. To add to the predictability, it was the same top three – in a different order in the second race. Menu grabbed the lead and pulled away with Rydell. Kelvin Burt initially ran third in the Mondeo before losing power and surrendering third to Cleland. James Thompson didn’t challenge his Vauxhall team leader, nor was he really challenged by Paul Radisich coming fifth.

2005

Thruxton

Thruxton saw the first expansion of the season with the return of Tom Chilton in his Lego Star Wars Honda Civic. With the collapse of MG meaning the closure of the company, his planned works season in the DTM was done, so it was back to the grid with Arena, and a pole position. A bit of an elbows out with VX Astra racer Colin Turkington at the start let Seat driver Jason Plato into second, with the Hinda pairing of Dan Eaves and Matt Neal pushing on behind. Eaves moved to third on the third lap, which became second at the halfway point as Chilton pitted from the lead with a puncture. Eaves made a clean move for the lead on Plato at the chicane at two-thirds distance and ran on to take a first BTCC win with Plato second and Neal third. Eaves from pole launched at the beginning of race two, Neal and Plato tapped one another around the early part of the lap, but Astra driver Yvan Muller took advantage of the bashing to grab second. Neal fell into the pack before climbing back through to second with Muller crossing the line third. Eaves took a third victory from the three races in the last contest of the day. From tenth it would be a hard task, but he put in his best drive of the day, and was helped a little from some door bashing at the complex on race one. Seat man Luke Hines led at the restart after the safety car, but Jason Plato took the lead on lap six. The problem for Plato was that he was third, behind his arch-enemy Muller when the safety car came out but went past. Plato tried to slow and let him back through, but the Frenchman declined the offer. From that point on it was obvious Plato would get a penalty. Eaves dispatched driver after driver. Muller, Turkington and Hines (roughly) were easy meat as Eaves did the triple with Turkington and Muller Neal next, the pair mugging Neal at the final turn. Eaves took the championship lead, the only time during the season where Neal wouldn’t top the table.

Silverstone WTCC

An Alfa Romeo 1-2-3 in qualifying wasn’t the start that home fans wanted for the British round of the World Touring Car Championship. The Silverstone meeting saw former BTCC champ Gabriele Tarquini monster to pole for the opening race ahead of reigning BTCC title holder James Thompson, who’d made the switch at the end of 2004. Brit Andy Priaulx grabbed fourth in his BMW. Jason Plato, racing alongside his BTCC commitments for Seat, lined up seventh with Rob Huff down in 18th in the Chevrolet Lacetti. Tarquini made sure that home fans wouldn’t get a home winner. Although Priaulx jumped to second at the start, he was down to third by the end of the opening tour. Tarquini would run away with the win with Thompson, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Augusto Farfas making it an Alfa 1-2-3-4 at the line. Priaulx finished fifth with Plato eighth on his debut and Huff down in 13th. For the reverse grid Plato was on pole, but at the start Priaulx was straight through into the lead from fourth. The Guernsey driver would lead until three laps were left on the board with a puncture denying him a home win. 1998 BTCC champion Rickard Rydell would take the win for Seat with teammate Plato in second. Thompson and Huff would end their days in the gravel.

2015

Thruxton

One big news item in the BTCC was that the NGTC cars that raced in the series would not be heading around the world to race in Macau. The brand new TCR machines in the far east would take their place instead, with logistical problems ruling out the UK based cars. Back in Hampshire Aron Smith plonked his VW CC on pole at Thruxton, outshining his more famous teammates Jason Plato and Colin Turkington. The Irishman’s getaway however, wasn’t good. Struggling to see the start lights his foot slipped causing wheelspin that allowed Gordon Shedden to jump into the lead in the Dynamics Honda, with his teammate Matt Neal following him through. Tyre preservation was the main focus but for Smith that became a moot point after 12 laps when he lost pressure after hitting a kerb hard and dropped from the order. Adam Morgan followed the Honda pair onto the podium. In the second race Jason Plato took career victory number 90. From pole he was outdragged by Rob Collard, but the double champion took the lead from the BMW racer on Lap two as the pair circulated to the flag in tandem. Shedden joined them in third. For the final race of the day Adam Morgan took his second victory in the BTCC, and his first on the road (his previous win the year before came after the winner was booted from the results.) MG racer Andrew Jordan and BMW pilot Jack Goff followed him home. Lando Norris grabbed another MSA Formula win as future Touring Car racer Ash Hand took both wins ahead of Ash Sutton. Future F3 and Le Mans racer Sophia Floersch became the first female to win in Ginetta Jrs in taking both races in the category.