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Reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi has set the pace yesterday morning in
unofficial HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship testing at Brands
Hatch, after he'd recovered from a minor off.
Giovanardi headed 19 drivers present who all making final
preparations with their teams ahead of the 2008 BTCC season-opening
rounds back at Brands on Sunday 30 March. Another four of testing
follows this afternoon.
Vauxhall driver
Giovanardi’s best lap of 48.894s was a huge chunk of time clear of the
rest, headed by Team Halfords’ winter signing Tom Chilton (49.240s),
who currently holds the BTCC’s race lap record around Brands’ 1.2-mile
Indy circuit. Notably, each of the following 13 drivers were only ever
separated by 1/00ths or 1/1000ths of a second. As the teams break for
lunch, less than a second covers the fastest 13 drivers…
Impressively,
Giovanardi ended the morning’s session with a quick two-lap run out of
the pit lane and set a time of 49.187s – again fast enough to head the
timesheets. However, his day has not all gone to plan – within minutes
of the pit lane opening this morning he had slid wide at Clearways and
brushed the tyre barriers. But the damage was light and his VX Racing
team was quick to repair his car and send him on his way - and to great
effect!
Morning times (unofficial):
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (ITA), VX Racing Vauxhall Vectra VXR, 48.894s
2. Tom Chilton (GBR), Team Halfords Honda Civic, 49.240s
3. Colin Turkington (GBR), Team RAC BMW 320si, 49.242s
4. Mat Jackson (GBR), BMW Dealer Team UK BMW 320si, 49.247s
5. Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR), VX Racing Vauxhall Vectra VXR, 49.306s
6. Mike Jordan (GBR), John Guest Racing Honda Integra, 49.313s
7. Gordon Shedden (GBR), Team Halfords Honda Civic, 49.322s
8. Darren Turner (GBR), SEAT Sport UK SEAT Leon TDi, 49.371s
9. Matt Neal (GBR), VX Racing Vauxhall Vectra VXR, 49.435s
10. Andrew Jordan (GBR), John Guest Racing Honda Integra, 49.443s
11. Jason Plato (GBR), SEAT Sport UK SEAT Leon TDi, 49.477s
12. Steven Kane (GBR), Motorbase BMW 320si, 49.49.518s
13. Stephen Jelley (GBR), Team RAC BMW 320si, 49.542s
14. Robert Collard (GBR), Motorbase BMW 320si, 49.990s
15. Matt Allison (GBR), Robertshaw Racing Chevrolet Lacetti, 50.140s
16. John George (GBR), TH Motorsport/JAG Honda Integra, 51.023s
17. Alan Taylor (GBR), Robertshaw Racing Honda Integra, 51.043s
18. Harry Vaulkhard (GBR), Robertshaw Racing Chevrolet Lacetti, 51.466s
19. Martyn Bell (GBR), Arkas Racing/Sunshine.co.uk Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch, 51.640s
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