News: Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Snetterton
Consistency the key for Motorbase Performance
Motorbase Performance's Matt Allison put on a strong show in front of hundreds of friends, family and sponsors at his home rounds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton this weekend. However, despite consistent running over the course of the three races, Allison and teammate Tom Ferrier were left with just a handful of points to show for their efforts.
Allison, from Norwich, was hoping to serve up a treat for his supporters on home ground. The signs were positive in Saturday's free practice sessions when he was within six tenths of a second of the fastest laptime, but Sunday's races failed to deliver any real reward for the pace shown by both Motorbase Performance drivers.
Starting 11th and 14th on the grid respectively for the first race of the weekend, Allison and Ferrier steered clear of trouble in the early stages, with Allison was running in tenth position when he was tagged by the works SEAT Leon of championship leader Jason Plato. It was enough to send the Motorbase Performance driver into a spin at the Russell chicane, dropping him down through the order. He was able to recover to finish 13th. For Tom Ferrier, it was a strong run through to finish in ninth position and pick up his first championship points in just his second outing of the year for the team.
Race two brought Allison's best result of the weekend, despite the best efforts of some of his fellow drivers. Avoiding the first lap shunt that brought out the safety car was fortunate, but being hit from behind by a car that failed to slow down for the yellow flags was less so. Luckily, the contact from Richard Marsh's Alfa Romeo was not race threatening for Allison and he was able to go on to finish tenth. Unfortunately, a broken driveshaft in the final race of the day meant there was to be no fairytale finish for the home favourite.
Matt Allison said, "We were only half a second off in qualifying, like we were at Donington, but Snetterton is a power circuit and I think we just didn't have the horsepower today. It was going ok in the first race until Plato used me as a brake at the final corner. After that, if you have a bad first race, you're always on the back foot.
"It was really close in the second race. I think if I'd been fourth or fifth then I would have been able to hold it. It was hard to overtake because everybody was so close out there. We are moving forward though. At the start of the year we were a second off the leading group and now we're half a second off. It's that final half a second that makes all the difference though.
"It's been a mixed weekend, but all of my guests have had a good day. We'll go back to Brands Hatch next and see what we can do there!"
For Ferrier, the best result of the weekend was that ninth position in race one. Forced to retire in race two, he went on to finish the final race of the day in 12 th spot.
Tom Ferrier said, "It's been frustrating. We've had a few problems over the weekend but the pace seems to be there in the dry, just like it was at Donington. We just need to get some trouble-free running and we might be able to show what we can do."
Motorbase Performance Team Principal David Bartrum said, "We've had good pace this weekend, it's just a shame that we haven't been able to get much of a clear run. I'm looking forward to Brands. I know it's not the ideal track for these cars, but it's our home track and we're much closer to the front than the last time we were there."
Rounds 22, 23 & 24 of the 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship take place at Brands Hatch, Kent over the weekend of 18/19 August.
Race results (provisional)
Round 19
1. Gordon Shedden (Honda Civic)
2. Tom Onslow-Cole (BMW 320si E90)
3. Tom Chilton (Vauxhall Vectra)
4. Mat Jackson (BMW 320si E90)
5. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra)
9. Tom Ferrier (SEAT Toledo Cupra)
12. Matt Allison (SEAT Toledo Cupra)
Round 20
1. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra)
2. Matt Neal (Honda Civic)
3. Jason Plato (SEAT Leon)
4. Darren Turner (SEAT Leon)
5. Mat Jackson (BMW 320si E90)
10. Matt Allison (SEAT Toledo Cupra)
DNF Tom Ferrier (SEAT Toledo Cupra)
Round 21
1. Tom Onslow-Cole (BMW 320si E90)
2. Matt Neal (Honda Civic)
3. Fabrizio Giovanardi (Vauxhall Vectra)
4. Jason Plato (SEAT Leon)
5. Gordon Shedden (Honda Civic)
12. Tom Ferrier (SEAT Toledo Cupra)
DNF Matt Allison (SEAT Toledo Cupra)
All images courtesy of Peter Still Photographic
Other news reports:
- Silverstone Success Proves Slippery for Motorbase »
- Kane Quick in Qualifying for Motorbase »
- Collard Gives Motorbase Unique One-Two »
- Motorbase Seeking Silverware at Silverstone »
- BTCC Round Eight Knockhill, Classy Collard Claims Second »
- Steven Kane: from single-seaters to the BTCC »
- Rob Collard Back on top of the BTCC »
- BTCC Round Eight Knockhill, Cool Collard Sails to Sixth »
- BTCC Round Eight Knockhill, Battling Performance from Motorbase in Race One »
- Scottish Police Investigate Touring Cars »
- Motorbase Looking for Thrills not Spills at Knockhill »
- Jones Joins Motorbase for Champagne Moment at Oulton »
- Motorbase shines in Oulton Park heat wave »
- Motorbase on a high heading for BTCC at Oulton Park »
- Motorbase stars with podium finish at Snetterton »
- Motorbase ready for BTCC challenge at Snetterton »
- Motorbase hits the front at Croft »
- Croft next for Motorbase BTCC challenge »
- Challenging weekend for Motorbase at Thruxton »
- Thruxton next for Motorbase BTCC challenge »
- Kane bags sixth place for Motorbase »
- Motorbase BMW crew heads for Donington »
- Three top 10 finishes for Motorbase »
- Rockingham next for Motorbase »
- Impressive pace at BTCC opener for Motorbase Performance »
- Motorbase ready for season opener »
- Motorbase Performance moves up a gear for BTCC 2008 »
- Motorbase gets ready for BMW BTCC programme »
- Motorbase to run BMWs in the BTCC »
- 2007 What a Season »
- Motorbase Performance Carrera Cup Report, Thruxton: 13/14 October »
- BTCC Rounds 28, 29 & 30: Thruxton finale for Motorbase Performance »
- Motorbase Performance Plans for the 2008 Season »
- Motorbase Confirms Thruxton Return »
- Motorbase Performance Carrera Cup Report, Knockhill: 1/2 September »
- BTCC Rounds 22, 23 & 24: Consistency the key for Motorbase Performance »
- Competing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB: 18/19 August »
- Home advantage for Motorbase Performance »
- Motorbase Performance Carrera Cup Report, Donington Park: 28/29 July »
- BTCC Rounds 19, 20 & 21: Consistency the key for Motorbase Performance »
- Competing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB: 28/29 July »
- BTCC Rounds 16, 17 & 18: Motorbase Performance shines despite Donington downpour »
- Motorbase Performance Carrera Cup Report, Donington Park: 14/15 July »
- Tom Ferrier is New Driver for Motorbase Performance »
- Motorbase Performance will Continue to Field Two SEAT Toledos »
- Competing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB: 14/15 July »
- Kane set for Porsche Supercup debut »
- BTCC Rounds 13, 14 & 15: More BTCC points for Motorbase Performance »
- Motorbase Performance Carrera Cup Report, Oulton Park: 23/24 June »
- Competing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB: 23/24 June »
- Motorbase Performance Carrera Cup Report, Croft: 2/3 June »
- BTCC Rounds 10, 11 & 12: Howell scores season's best for Motorbase Performance »
- Competing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB: 2/3 June »
- Motorbase Performance Carrera Cup Report, Thruxton: 5/6 May »
- BTCC Rounds 7, 8 & 9: High flying Motorbase Performance denied success at Thruxton »
- Competing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB: 5/6 May »
- BTCC Rounds 4, 5 & 6: Rockingham rollercoaster for Motorbase Performance »
- Motorbase Performance Carrera Cup report, Rockingham: 21/22 April »
- Competing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the Porsche Carrera Cup GB »
- BTCC Rounds 1, 2 & 3: Points on the board for Motorbase Performance at Brands Hatch »
- Motorbase Carrera Cup report, Brands Hatch: 31 March/1 April »
- Motorbase Performance Ready for BTCC Action »
- Porsche Carrera Cup GB 2007 »
- Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship 2007 »
- Motorbase at home for season kick-off »
- Young line up highlights Motorbase's commitment to the future »
- Motorbase and Howell aiming high in 2007 »
- Porsche Carrera Cup GB, 2006 Annual Awards »
- Motorbase Round-Up »
- New Car Shows BTCC Future's Bright for Motorbase Performance »
- 15 October 2006: Porsche Carrera Cup GB »
- 27 September 2006: Motorbase unveils BTCC plans for 2007 »
- 24 September 2006: British Touring Car Championship »
- 24 September 2006: Porsche Carrera Cup GB »
- 3 September 2006: Porsche Carrera Cup GB »
- 3 September 2006: British Touring Car Championship »
- 31 August 2006: Motorbase takes to the Scottish streets! »
- 29 August 2006: British GT Championship »
- 21 August 2006: British GT Championship »
- 13 August 2006: British Touring Car Championship »
- 13 August 2006: Porsche Carrera Cup GB »
- 30 July 2006: Porsche Carrera Cup GB »
- 30 July 2006: British Touring Car Championship »
- British Touring Cars: Croft Costs Pinkney Dear! »
- 16 July 2006: Porsche Carrera Cup GB »
- British Touring Cars Special Feature: The First Part of the Season »
- 5 June 2006: Porsche Carrera Cup GB »
- 4 June 2006: British Touring Car Championship »
- 21 May 2006: British GT Championship »
- 14 May 2006: British Touring Car Championship »
- 23 March 2006: Kent Team Targets Podium Result At Brands Hatch »
- 13 March 2006: Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain: Harvey, Caine and Quaife for Motorbase »
- 28 February 2006: Integra "A Beauty" Raves Pinkney After First Test »
- Motorbase Performance: New Driver Line Up »
- Motorbase Plans to Compete in the British GT Series »
