VX Racing stay confident for strong results at Silverstone 29.08.2009: VX Racing began preparations for the eighth round of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone circuit today. Fastest of the team’s three drivers in afternoon qualifying for the

VX Racing began preparations for the eighth round of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone circuit today. Fastest of the team’s three drivers in afternoon qualifying for the first of the three races tomorrow was Italian reigning BTCC champion, Fabrizio Giovanardi, with eighth fastest lap. Team mate Matt Neal will line up in 11th place with the third driver, Andy Jordan, starting 16th.

The morning sessions proved highly competitive, with Neal and Giovanardi showing early promise, lying fourth and fifth respectively after the first of the two forty minute practice periods. A quick spin for Jordan, which resulted in slight damage, put an early end to his opening session. With only five laps of track time in the first session, Jordan struggled to match the pace of his team mates as he played catch up in the second practice session, while Neal and Giovanardi focused on race set up.

In the first run of qualifying, it was the No.1 car of Giovanardi which was showing the best pace with eighth quickest lap. Neal was close behind with 11th fastest time, while Jordan trailed in 15th place. The session was red-flagged after Johnny Herbert crashed out at Becketts, restarting with 13 minutes track time remaining. Each of the VX Racing drivers put in a few more laps, but were unable to improve on their performances. Giovanardi remained eighth quickest to line up on the fourth row of the grid. Neal will be two rows back in 11th, with Jordan behind in 16th position.

Giovanardi said of his qualifying session, “Compared to this morning, it could have been worse. I was very scared of Plato and Turkington being right at the front, but they are not so far off me. I’m confident that we can make up places in the race. All three VX Racing cars struggled this morning, not just mine. I didn’t try new tyres, but we did try other things and we just didn’t find the pace. The track is very green though and I think it will improve, but after a better performance this afternoon I’m not so worried.”

Neal summed up saying, “It seems that whoever has the fastest car will be on pole on the National circuit and although the car was handling really well, we just didn’t have the outright speed to compete with the Chevrolets and BMWs. There are just not enough corners on this track to make it all up. On technical circuits we’re really good and we can fight but here, as it is just three straight lines, we don’t seem able to do it.

Jordan reported of his day, “We’ve never been this far off our team mates, particularly with such a short lap, so I’m hoping that we’ll find that there’s been a problem which accounts for this. I put us on the back foot a little after my off in practice when I ended up holing the radiator in the gravel, but that should only have cost us a couple of tenths, not sixth tenths of a second. It’ll be tough to make inroads tomorrow, but we’ll just have to put today behind us and see what we can do.”

The eighth round of this year’s BTCC continues tomorrow with three races on the schedule. Giovanardi lies second in the championship, nine points behind series leader, Colin Turkington. Neal is in fourth place, with Jordan lying in eighth position. VX Racing leads the Teams’ and Manufacturers’/Constructors’ Championship.

 

- Alison Hill -