[woodcote]

       

Qualifying for the BTCC race was exciting as ever. Alex had done a great job scrutineering all eighteen BTCC cars during the rotation and they were ready to go in three groups of six. Some track familiarisation and then a handful of quick laps makes the session a high-pressure three minutes. For Stephen and Dean, it was particularly tough - both ending up at the foot of the table with less-than-happy cars and given dispensation to work on them before the first of the step-up finals. At the top, Gary pipped Alex to pole by 51 thousandths of a second - they were they only two under thirteen seconds, with Andy third and Ed fourth. They would be racing in the A final - everyone else had work to do to join them there.

   

The D final was scrappy and exciting. Both Stephen and Dean had qualified out of position - and it was Stephen's MG6 that took the 16-lap race by the scruff of its neck. Dean had all sorts of drama and an incredibly frustrating time - finishing on the same lap as the winner, but in fourth place. Stephen and Terry stepped up to the next final, Duncan and Dean missed out in third and fourth, Kevin valiantly hung on in fifth - he and Isaac a bit shell-shocked by their first experiences of WHO BTCC mayhem! Jean and Matthew had things under control from the start of the C final. They kept their heads and finished 1-2, a lap ahead of the following pack. Terry drove well to take third, Mark was fourth - and Stephen beat Ash to fifth place in their MG6 contest.

       

The B final was the closest and cleanest of the four races - and it was Ryan who led the train of six cars after five laps. Could he hold on? At ten laps, Oliver had taken the lead, ahead of Ryan and Mike - Simon, Jean and Matthew formed a second group about half a lap behind... As the race reached its business end, Ryan and Mike traded places, Oliver still leading and Simon and Jean managing to hang on not far behind... Any of them could still win it. Lap fourteen and Mike passed Oliver for the lead - and he would keep it to the end, Oliver eventually finishing three seconds ahead of Ryan to grab that all-important second step-up spot. Simon wrestled fourth from Jean in the closing stages, both finishing on the same lap as Mike. It had been quite a race.

The battle for the overall race win started with an excess amount of adrenaline contributing to some early carnage and a disastrous Stop-Go for Ed after jumping the start. The top three was Alex, Gary and Andy with ten laps to go - Alex driving at his very best to keep Gary behind. Mike came back to capitalise on some errors from Andy and take third place. Ed was ruing that early penalty - surely he'd have been in the fight for that final podium step. Alex and Gary finished ahead of Mike, Andy and Ed, with Oliver a lap further back. Huge congrats to Alex on a sensational drive and for grabbing a prestigious BTCC race win.

       

Here are all the stats from the finals - Gary capturing extra championship points for pole position and fastest race lap. The grid for Round 2 in October will be the finishing order from this race - with Alex, Gary, Mike, Andy and Ed all receiving success ballast penalties.

   

That was time for a late lunch - packed lunches and trips to the chippy - while Race Control prepared for the afternoon session, starting with a 45-minute GT team race...