motorsport news, BTCC back after summer break

fter a long seven-week summer break, Andrew Jordan and Pirtek Racing will head to the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk next weekend (11/12 August) to resume their challenge for the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the 30-race schedule.Due to live TV scheduling, the BTCC has had a long summer recess, but now the action picks up again at Snetterton as the second half of the season kicks off at a track famed for exciting racing. Going into the weekend, Andrew lies joint fourth in the overall driver rankings, leading the Independents Trophy and Pirtek Racing is a very close second in the Independent Teams Trophy.Andrew and the team have not been idle over the summer break and mounted an intensive testing programme to extract those extra hundredths of a second that are so vital in a championship as competitive as the BTCC. Some of the testing focus has been on race pace, with reference to the expected warmer summer weather. In qualifying trim, Andrews Pirtek Racing Honda is already one of the very best in the championship and he is the only driver to have qualified in the top four at each of the five events to date.We need to start scoring higher, says Andrew of the remaining five events and 15 races. Its good to be consistent, but we need to be getting wins and seconds. The pace is there: weve just got to put it all together. The car was already very good now, but there were still a lot of things we wanted to try in the summer break.Now comes the return to racing, and Andrew cannot wait to get back on the grid. It was good to go into the summer break in good shape and Im really looking forward to the second half of the season. A lot of the corners at Snetterton should really suit the NGTC cars, so I think well be strong from now on in.After qualifying on Saturday 11 August at 15.15, the first of three BTCC races will be at 12.00 on Sunday, with race two at 14.40 and race three at 17.05. All three races will be broadcast on ITV4 in a programme starting at 11.00. Qualifying will be broadcast live at www.itv.com and live results from the weekend will be available at www.tsl-timing.com