Andrew Jordan and Pirtek Racing will turn their attention to the Knockhill circuit in Scotland this weekend (25/26 August) as they challenge at the very head of the 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 30-race schedule take the teams to the Dunfermline track, where spectacular and unpredictable racing traditionally make the annual trip to Scotland one of the most dramatic weekends of the racing season. On the back of a stellar weekend at Snetterton, which included a first win of 2012, Andrew is now one of four drivers in the chase for the overall BTCC title. Were certainly not out of it and a couple more days like that could really get us into the title battle, he said after a mighty race day at Snetterton.
Although winning the BTCC Independents Trophy remains his first target of the season, Andrew believes that he could yet challenge for the overall title. BTCC legends Matt Neal (255 points), Gordon Shedden (247) and Jason Plato (245) hold the top three places with Andrew fourth on 218. There is then a 40-point gap to the rest of the field. Pulling back points on the top three is going to be very difficult, but Knockhill is a track that often throws up surprises and Andrew has a clear game plan for the weekend.
You just need to score consistently at Knockhill and try and keep out of trouble. Im looking forward to it, he said. I think well be okay at Knockhill as our tyre grip is very good and there are not as many long straights for us to lose out on, he added. His Honda Civic remains one of the best handling cars on the grid, but its performance has been reined in by the BTCC organisers and it is now one of the slowest cars in the field in terms of straight-line speed.
As well as lying fourth overall, Andrew now has a 48-point lead in the Independents Trophy and Pirtek Racing also leads the Independents Team Trophy in what is proving to be a fabulous season.
After qualifying on Saturday 25 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 itv.com and live results from the weekend will be available at www.tsl-timing.com
