The countdown has begun: there are now less than three weeks to run before Britain's biggest motor racing series - the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) - headlines at the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire on Sunday 4 June.
Thruxton is the fastest circuit in Britain - with top speeds nudging 150mph - and so the BTCC's annual visit to the famous airfield venue is always one of the highlights on the calendar. A thrilling, action-packed race meeting is guaranteed as the BTCC's teams and drivers battle for the UK's most prestigious motor sport prize.
After Sunday's latest rounds at Oulton Park, Cheshire, reigning champion Matt Neal in his Team Halfords Honda will arrive at Thruxton leading the current standings, but chasing him hard will be the likes of SEAT's Jason Plato, Team RAC's Colin Turkington and Vauxhall's rising star Tom Chilton. Also among the front-runners will be two local drivers to Thruxton - Hook-based Robert Collard, in his Team RAC MG, and Southampton's James Kaye, in Swindon team Synchro Motorsport's Honda Civic.
Thruxton's BTCC event never fails to draw a huge race day crowd for several reasons: it is steeped in BTCC history; it is the South-West's only chance of the year to see the stars of the BTCC in action; it is ideally located next to the A303 dual carriageway and is accessible from cities in a huge catchment area that include Andover, Basingstoke, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Reading and Southampton. The circuit is also popular with many fans travelling down the M3 from the London area.
Thruxton's owner, the British Automobile Racing Club, has already reported that pre-event ticket sales are significantly up, even by previous years' high standards - and part of that is down to the increased television coverage the BTCC now receives. All ten of 2006's championship's race meetings, including Thruxton, are shown live on ITV1, the UK's most popular commercial terrestrial TV channel.
Race day admission for children aged 15 and under is FREE and adults can still book tickets in advance at the discounted price of just £20.00 via Thruxton's website barc.net or the ticket hotline 01264 882200. That includes access to the BTCC's star drivers for autographs and giveaways during the hugely-popular morning Pit Lane Walkabout session. On Sunday, the BTCC will be in race action three times. And there will be a further seven races from supporting series put on by high-profile manufacturers BMW, Porsche, Renault and SEAT.
"Thruxton is always one of the BTCC's most exciting race meetings," says BTCC Series Director Alan Gow. "The circuit's high speeds make it a fearsome place for the drivers and its lay-out is a classic. The drivers really need to take a ‘brave pill' before racing around there.
"For the spectators, the viewing areas are second to none - there's nothing quite like being in the grandstands watching the front-runners trying to out-brake one another at 150mph into the chicane. Or, particularly for the many families who attend, finding a spot on the huge grass banks that overlook a large part of the circuit, notably the opening sequence of corners where's there's always plenty of drama. Thruxton is a terrifically exciting sporting venue and the BTCC always looks forward to racing there."
Click here for the Tom Chilton web site - designed and built by Racecar
