CLAIMS CROFT CIRCUIT BOSS

Croft motor racing circuit chairman Peter Gaydon believes the track's forthcoming Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) rounds on Sunday 16 July will be "far more exciting" than a Formula 1 grand prix.

Croft's BTCC fixture is annually one of the North-East's biggest sporting events and never fails to draw a massive race day crowd - last year's attendance was the biggest for almost a decade. Croft chairman Gaydon says the public is in for a major treat when the BTCC arrives in less than two weeks' time when the crowds will be able to meet the top drivers before they race live on national television on the ITV1 channel.

Gaydon said: "Croft's BTCC fixture is the most important motor race meeting of the year for the North-East of England. The BTCC is great whichever circuit you visit as you always see close and spectacularly competitive racing, but it is particularly special at Croft. Once a year we host Britain's premier race series and never do we see anything other than brilliant racing from highly professional champions and eager, ever faster young drivers new to touring cars. It is the perfect combination for the best racing and the circuit staff put in a huge effort to give everyone a great weekend.

"How often have you watched an F1 GP then seen the BTCC? What comparison do you make? F1 is very special, but the BTCC is far more exciting - three starts and finishes and the reversed grid for the last race always provides bonus extra action. It is not just the approachable drivers and the hectic racing that makes the atmosphere at this meeting. It's the people who come to watch who create the atmosphere. It is those people who make the event special."

‘Home heroes' Jason Plato and James Thompson will be among the star names doing battle in three BTCC rounds at the Darlington venue. Plato, who hails from Newcastle, and Harrogate-based Thompson are sure to receive a tumultuous welcome from the spectator banks when they take to the track in their SEAT Leons. Significantly, Thompson will arrive at Croft off the back of two strong results in Brazil that have put him into second in the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

But in the BTCC it is Matt Neal and Colin Turkington that Plato and Thompson, currently third and fourth, need to chase down - Neal, the reigning champion in his Team Halfords Honda Integra, has built up a handy points lead as he seeks an historic second consecutive title. Turkington, meanwhile, won last time out in his Team RAC MG to move into second in the standings.

Spectators at Croft will be able to meet the BTCC drivers during an open Pit Lane Walkabout session and there will be a further seven races from supporting championships put on by high-profile manufacturers BMW, Porsche, Renault and SEAT. Admission for children under 16 is FREE and only £20 for adults booking in advance on the circuit website croftcircuit.co.uk or via the ticket hotline 01325 721815.

For more information about the BTCC visit the championship's official website btcc.net. For a Croft BTCC timetable click on the website's ‘Calendar' section.

Note to sportsdesk: hi-res copyright free BTCC images are available from BTCC.net's Media section. Log-in details plus interviews with the BTCC's drivers are available from the contact below.

More exciting than F1: the BTCC will race three times for the crowds at the Croft circuit near Darlington on 16 July