For the second time in three meetings, the BMW 320i of Michael Bentwood suffered major damage in an incident that was beyond the control of the Edenbridge Racing driver. Having taken full advantage of the BMW’s rear wheel drive to make a lightning start to the first race at Snetterton, Bentwood got no further than a few hundred metres before his weekend was brought to a premature end.

After such a quick getaway, Bentwood found himself in the midst of the Touring class field as the race got underway. A noteworthy achievement, but it proved to be his downfall. Towards the front of the pack, Warren Hughes appeared to tag MG team-mate Colin Turkington, spinning the youngster through 360 degrees and leaving him in the path of the following cars. Bentwood was unable to avoid the stranded MG and made heavy contact with Turkington. As if that was not bad enough, Bentwood was then collected by the oncoming Tom Boardman, leaving the former F3 driver with a BMW that was severely damaged, both front and rear.

Team boss Peter Briggs told BTCCPages.com, “The chassis has been damaged beyond repair so we are rebuilding the car around the ex-Boardman chassis we had stripped recently.”

Having already rebuilt Bentwood’s car after he was spun in to the wall at Rockingham, this latest impact further dents the team’s hopes of claiming Production class championship honours.

Following the announcement that ETCC-spec cars will be eligible to compete in the BTCC from next year, the Edenbridge team has recently turned its attention to preparations for 2004. Briggs intends to continue with the BMWs which have proved so reliable in recent years, but hopes to realise the car’s full potential by converting to European specifications. The Snetterton shunt has also impacted on these plans: “It has delayed the build of the ETCC car but we hope to have both [BTCC and ETCC spec] at Brands, even though the ETCC car will not be 100% ready.”

Useful Links:
Edenbridge Racing