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Team RAC BMW driver Colin Turkington was fastest in this morning’s
first official practice session at Brands Hatch ahead of tomorrow’s
opening HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds.
The 40-minute session ended with a burst of fast laps from the field as the track dried out following earlier drizzle.
Ultimately, less than a second covered the fastest 15 drivers, but
it was Turkington who topped the pile with a best lap of 49.600s to
head Jason Plato (49.623s) in SEAT Sport UK’s new diesel-powered Leon.
Notably,
Plato and team-mate Darren Turner’s cars were the fastest through the
two speed traps across the start-finish line and also along Cooper
Straight.
Reigning champion Fabrizio Giovanardi
was third fastest in his Vauxhall Vectra VXR, but there was a troubled
start for team-mate and former double title-winner Matt Neal whose car
stopped at the side of the track with a mechanical problem.
There
were also dramas for Martyn Bell who lost valuable track time as his
Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk crew repaired damage to the front of
his Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch after an off through the gravel trap at
Paddock Hill Bend.
Of the championship’s six
newcomers, Steven Kane was best-placed in a fine fifth outright in
locally-based Motorbase’s BMW 320si. Meanwhile, Michael Doyle’s In-Tune
Racing Honda Civic Type-R failed to take to the track, instead stuck in
its garage with an electrical glitch.
For full times click on this link :
The
BTCC field will be back on track for second practice from
12.20pm-1.00pm before this afternoon’s all-important half-hour
qualifying session at 3.40pm.
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