Round 1 - Race Report

The first race of the 2002 BTCC season got underway at a dry and bright Brands Hatch at just gone 1 PM on Easter Monday. Yvan Muller started the race in pole position, and he duly converted this in to the race lead as the lights turned to green. The tone was set for the day, with frantic action right from the start. Muller was followed in to Paddock Bend by Matt Neal, Warren Hughes and Dan Eaves, whilst Anthony Reid in the second MG Sport and Racing Car was the first to visit the gravel trap, seeming to come together with production class runners. He was however able to recover and rejoined the track at the back of the field.

Warren Hughes closed up on Matt Neal at Surtees, but was unable to pass. The action continued on the first lap as the 2 Production class Alfa Romeo 156s of GA Motorsport came together on Brabham Straight. The wreckage left on the track proved too much, and as a result, the safety car was deployed to pick up the field at the end of the lap. The order in the Production class was Boardman, Simon, Fullalove, Collard, Edwards Jnr.

During the safety car period, James Thompson was forced to retire from the race in his Vauxhall Motorsport Astra Coupe, after suffering his second blown engine of the weekend. Mark Thomas, who had been involved in the incident with the two Alfa Romeos of Saunders and Blencowe, pitted, but was able to rejoin the race. He later retired on lap 13.

The race resumed after 5 laps behind the safety car, with the new race distance now being 19 laps. Matt Neal closed on Yvan Muller, and the pair were still being followed closely by Warren Hughes. Behind them, Tom Chilton made a slight mistake through Clearways, but was able to hold his position. Paul O’Neill, in the second of the Egg Sport Astra Coupes began a string charge through the field from tenth position at this point, moving up to 7th by the end of lap 10.

In the production class, Tom Boardman led from Rob Collard and then Norman Simon, after the retirement of Techspeed runner, Mark Fullalove. Fullalove was forced out in to the gravel at Clearways, having passed Norman Simon for third. The pair were caught and passed by Anthony Reid in the MG, and as they entered Clearways, the front of Simon’s BMW appeared to give Fullalove enough of a push to force him off the track and in to retirement. The sole Synchro Motorsport Honda Accord on the track at Brands over the weekend, that of James Kaye, also retired on lap 7, returning to the pits, with what later emerged to be an oil surge problem.

Dan Eaves was out to make a point in his Peugeot Coupe, passing his teammate, Harvey to take fifth position. Paul O’Neill continued his progress through the field, closing on, and then passing Tom Chilton. Warren Hughes retired from the race on lap 13 with a puncture to his MG ZS, moving O’Neill up another position, and he passed Tim Harvey, to take third position overall. Punctures were causing problems for many of the front-runners, with David Leslie being forced out on lap 13, and Yvan Muller having to hand the race lead to Matt Neal for the same reason. Phil Bennett was another to suffer in the second Team PSP Impian – with the team struggling to remove the wheel when he came in to the pits.

Tom Boardman and the two Beacon Motorsport Honda Accords were involved in an incident in the Production class, which saw Boardman and Mark Thomas retire from the race. Spencer Marsh was able to retain track position and finish the race in third position in the class. Rob Collard continued to push in the much-improved Renault Clio, but was unable to catch the powerful BMW of German youngster Norman Simon, who went on to take victory in the class.

The drama continued right to the finish in the Touring class. Going in to the last lap, Matt Neal was out in front, and with a sensible last lap, was not in danger of being caught. Behind him, Paul O’Neill was right on the tail of Dan Eaves’ Peugeot Coupe. He continued to push around the lap, but Eaves successfully made his Halfords sponsored car very wide. Then, cruelly for O’Neill, disaster struck going in to the last corner. A puncture to his front right tyre saw him head straight on in to the gravel at Clearways, and he was subjected to a heavy impact on the tyre wall. Barwell Motorsport youngster, Tom Chilton, capitalised on the misfortune of O’Neill to take 3rd position in his first ever BTCC race, aged just 17. Anthony Reid and Yvan Muller completed the top five.