For the second time, Speedworks was able to call on the services of double BTCC champion James Thompson to help with the development of the NGTC-specification Avensis, which made its debut in the series last season.

On a dry day at the famous Brands Hatch circuit, James was able to continue the work he started during a test in the Avensis at Donington Park prior to Christmas.

New Speedworks signing Adam Morgan, who will share the Avensis with James for the second day of the test on Wednesday, was also in attendance as he continues to get to know the team with whom he will make his BTCC debut when the 2012 season gets underway back at Brands Hatch on 1 April.

“It’s been a very good day,” team boss Christian Dick said. “The track was a bit damp to start with this morning and took a little while to dry, as you would expect at this time of year, but after that we had a nice break in the weather and have been able to put in a full day of testing.

“James has completed plenty of miles and the whole day has been positive. He got quicker all day and we’ve had no set-backs to deal with. After the shakedown we did last week, today was a chance to continue the work we started with James when we carried out the test at Donington Park before Christmas and to look at the modifications we have made since then.

“It’s been a faultless run and tomorrow it will be good for Adam to get the chance to work alongside James and get more miles under his belt.”

The announcement this morning that West Surrey Racing has finalised its plans for the new BTCC season completes another part of the jigsaw for the year ahead – and makes the team the first of the ‘big guns’ to confirm it won’t be running a full NGTC package for the 2012 season.

The addition of Tom Onslow-Cole, who rejoins the team that gave him his debut in the series back in 2007, and the fact that eBay Motors has increased its sponsorship deal to become title sponsor is welcome news to a team that is keen to return to the kind of form that saw it carry Colin Turkington to the championship crown in 2009.

Perhaps the interesting part of the announcement however, isn’t that Onslow-Cole is back in WSR colours alongside Rob Collard and Nick Foster, but more about the engine that will be under the bonnet.

Running the cars in normally-aspirated form would have made no sense at all, so going down the turbo route was the only option if the team wanted to feature on the grid – given that a full-blown NGTC machine was seemingly out of the question for this season.

However, rather than go with a unit already available – such as the Swindon engine that was in the Geoff Steel Racing car at Silverstone – WSR has gone with a BMW turbo engine, which is being worked on by the guys at Neil Brown Engineering.

News that NBE are working on the engine is welcome; the company having been responsible for the motor that carried Matt Neal to the title last year and which Honda will again use this season. But it now raises the question as to whether there are long-term plans for the team to develop a full NGTC-spec BMW in the future.

With a new version of the 3 Series on the way, it would have made no sense to develop an NGTC car based on the outgoing model, so this season could now be used to allow the team to work on things like the engine before progressing to NGTC next season – as Honda has done with the Civic.

What route WSR take from this point forwards is something to keep an eye on, while the performance of the BMW will also be interesting to see exactly how the ‘hybrid’ cars compare with the Next Generation Touring Cars.

It’s also interesting to see how things have progressed with WSR since I spoke to team boss Dick Bennetts back in October about what the next step was for the team at a time when there was still plenty to be decided about 2012.

Read on to see what he had to say at the time…

WHAT NEXT FOR WSR?
(Published in Inside BTCC in October 2011)

The issue of parity between turbo and normally-aspirated cars has been one of the hot topics of conversation within the paddock this season, with Jason Plato in particular having been vocal with his opinions on the matter on a number of occasions over the course of the year.

However, the defending champion isn’t the only man who has struggled to take the fight to turbo cars this year and can at least console himself in the fact that he goes into the Silverstone finale with a chance of taking the championship title; having managed to win more races than anyone else this year.

Others haven’t been so lucky…

This season, Plato is the only driver to have a won a race in a normally-aspirated car, with former champions West Surrey Racing amongst those heading towards the end of the season having failed to take to the top step of the podium.

It’s been a far from easy campaign for WSR, who last tasted victory back in 2009, with Rob Collard and rookie team-mate Nick Foster having shown flashes of speed but struggling to take the fight to the turbo cars on a consistent basis. Qualifying in particular has shown the challenge they have faced, with Collard only once qualifying higher than tenth and Foster yet to make it into the top ten at all in his first season in the series.

For a team that won the championship just two years ago, it’s been difficult to stomach the fact that the eBay Motors-backed BMWs have invariably been left fighting for scraps in the midfield and team boss Dick Bennetts admits that the 2011 season hasn’t been an easy one for his team.

“To be honest with you, it’s been very challenging,” he tells Inside BTCC in an in-depth and exclusive interview. “I knew from the outset that this was going to be a tough season, and I said to Alan Gow before it started that he was going to have a hard year.

“One of the big problems has been how do they sort equivalency between the turbo and normally-aspirated cars? Is it done on lap times or is it done on speed? Personally, I believe it should have been done on speed because the turbo cars have more power. At the start of the year, there were all these stories that said they only had 20 or 30 horsepower but we’ve done a lot of research and have visited engine builders – both normally-aspirated and turbo – and they have 350-360 horsepower. Our BMW has 285.

“It’s also been seen that it is hard for a normally-aspirated car to fight against the turbo cars unless you are in front. The turbo cars have the extra torque that means they can back a car up if they are in front and then drive away on the straight. It’s the reason why Jason has said that he can win from the front as he can carry speed and momentum through a corner. However, if he has a turbo car slowing him up, he doesn’t have the torque to then challenge on the straight – which is the problem all of the drivers in normally-aspirated cars have faced.

“It’s a different style of racing when you have turbo cars racing against normally-aspirated cars, and it gives teams on both sides – and TOCA – a headache.”

The issue of parity and equalisation is one that has been discussed since the season kicked off back in spring, and Bennetts admits that TOCA’s job hasn’t been made easy as team’s fight for any advantage they can find to try and secure championship honours.

“It’s a difficult job for TOCA to do if people don’t show their true hand to start with and I suspect some people did that,” he says. “You run with weight in testing, you turn the turbo down, you tell the drivers to just push hard enough to do a good job. Then as the season goes on, you can show your hand. It’s hard for TOCA to pick up on someone who isn’t cheating, but is just using their head. It’s all about strategy and how you go racing, but it is so competitive now that I suspect there is some of that going on.

“I get frustrated but it must be equally frustrating for the turbo teams who look at the results and say ‘Jason is quick’. Okay, the Chevrolet Cruze is a quick car through corners but it isn’t that quick on the straights – and it’s the same as us. But like I said, if Jason has a clear run, then he is hard to beat.

“But you need to look at other things too. A normally-aspirated car that is set up properly – be it front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive – shouldn’t suffer the same tyre degradation as a turbo. However, what we’ve seen this year is the turbo cars can still go quickly in a straight line when their tyres are going off – they just have to brake a bit earlier. But then they start to drive defensively and you can’t get past them.

“Getting parity for everyone is difficult and then you throw the NGTC cars into the mix. People say they are heavier, but they also have a bigger tyre. They have an inch-wider footprint on the tyre for braking and accelerating and they have bigger brakes. They might be 1230 kilos but an S2000 car with full ballast is 1225 anyway, so what is the difference?”

For the likes of WSR, and fellow Independent teams such as Tech-Speed, the fight against the turbos has brought with it added pressure because of the need to keep sponsors happy; sponsors who have put the money in to allow racing programmes to take place.

Keeping partners happy while trying to fight against turbo-powered machinery hasn’t been an easy task and at a time when finding the backers to simply fund a racing programme is far from an easy task, teams like WSR are now facing a tough decision over the next step to take.

“It is tough to keep sponsors happy,” Bennetts reflects. “One of our main sponsors, eBay Motors, have been very happy with a lot of the results, but they follow the racing closely and get frustrated when they see a turbo car drive past us like we are standing still. They get frustrated, we as a team get frustrated and the poor guys behind the wheel get frustrated. It isn’t the ideal way to go racing and it is now a matter of trying to work out the best way to move forwards for everyone – not just us at WSR.

“At the end of the day, if you can beat them, you have to join them – the question is, what do you join them with? Do you go S2000 with turbo or do you go NGTC. If you go NGTC, which you should do by 2013, where do you find the money to design and build a car? It’s hard enough at the moment to find sponsors to run a car, never mind to design and build one from scratch.

“Until the regulations come out on what the rules are with engines for NGTC going forwards, we aren’t spending a penny. Our original plan in the summer break was to turbo our BMW. People say its an old car, but if you look at qualifying at Brands Hatch, there was a turbo Vectra in second and third on the grid and those cars are as old as our BMW. It isn’t down to the age of the car if you have a good base car and prepare it properly and rebuild it with new parts, it is the turbo that is making it quick. So where do we go? Do we run a BMW with a turbo or will we then be penalised next year? We have to bring this up with TOCA.”

Whatever route WSR elect to take, a decision will need to be taken sooner rather than later so plans can be put in place for 2012; especially when those plans are likely to have a direct impact in the seasons that follow.

One option would be to push ahead with fitting a turbo to the current cars – with a number of engine options being available to the team – but the team could also start work on a NGTC programme if the funding can be found.

It’s clear to see however, that the decision isn’t an easy one for Bennetts and WSR to make.

“A decision won’t be too far away as the annual meeting is coming up soon and hopefully that will bring more clarity on parity,” he says. “We’ll know more at the end of the month. It wouldn’t take too long to turbo the current cars and although that costs money, it is an investment as long as that could be carried over to an NGTC car. But then it becomes more cloudy because what car do you then choose?

“If we spend money on the current car and turbo it for next year then we’d have to go with RWD because we’d buy diffs and gearboxes for a rear-wheel drive which limits our choice. There is an Audi that has been built already or we could go with a BMW? There is a new 3 Series BMW coming out, but it’s in the middle of next year so we couldn’t start the season with that because it isn’t available to buy.

“So do we take a year out and come back in 2013? We have a good bunch of guys but it is all about finding the sponsorship and the money to build a car, which is what we are working on now. We are in dialogue with a couple of manufacturers but that is mainly for 2013. We could do it like we did in the early MG days and start mid-way through next year as to do an NGTC car properly is starting to get late. You could do it, but the shorter time scale in which you do things, the more expensive it becomes, as you have to rush round and buy everything quickly. If you plan it carefully, you can a more cost effective job. There isn’t an easy solution and at the moment, We’re sitting on the fence.”

Back in 2004, Team Dynamics had hoped to challenge for the title with a pair of ex-works Honda Civic Type-Rs but Neal and team-mate Dan Eaves failed to make much of an impression on the title race as they trailed in fifth and eighth at the end of the season.

Something needed to change for 2005 if the team was to take the fight to the factory outfits from both Vauxhall and SEAT and it was over the off-season that the decision was taken that would lead to the introduction of a car that would become one of the most successful in the BTCC in recent memory.

“At the end of the 2004 season, I was in California at the SEMA Show [the worlds largest automotive trade event] and Honda had a display,” Dynamics team boss Steve Neal recalled. “On the display was an Acura RX, which was basically the American version of the Integra.

“The Civics that we had been running that season weren’t really on the pace so I had a look at this car, and sure enough, when I looked underneath it, I could see that it was the same platform as the Civic. That meant that parts from the Civic could be transferred over to the Integra and the shape and dynamics of the car looked perfect for a touring car.

“After having a good look around, I decided to buy two cars and when we got hold of them, we stripped them right back and then rebuilt them into the BTCC machines that then hit the track in 2005. Some people thought we were stretching the rules a little bit running the Integra, but how was it any different to Vauxhall running an Astra Coupe?”

Debuting at Donington Park for the opening round of 2005, the potential of the Integra was clear to see as Neal took victory in the opening race of the season. It was to be the first of 14 wins for Neal over the following two years as he clinched back-to-back championship titles, with the Integra showing itself to be the class of the field.

In total, Dynamics won no fewer than 26 times in 60 races with the car – a stunning win rate of more than 43% – with Dan Eaves, Gareth Howell and Gordon Shedden all taking to the top step of the podium. Eurotech driver Mike Jordan also took his one and only BTCC win in an Integra at Mondello Park.

For 2007, Dynamics moved to S2000 machinery with its new Civic but the Integra continued to be a potent force in privateer hands, showing the strength of the package that the Pershore-based team had put together.

“Without a doubt, I think the Integra is one of the best cars from the last decade,” Neal Sr continues, “there is no question about it. Just imagine how good that car would have been if you could have put a turbo in it like we did with the Civic in 2011.

“People will look at the Astra Coupe and the success it had, but you have to remember that that was one of the first cars built to the new BTC-spec rules when they came in and there was no competition for it. That wasn’t the case with the Integra, and even in its final season, the car could well have finished on the podium.”

Clearly the Integra will always hold a special place in the heart of Dynamics, and particularly Neal Jr as he added his maiden overall titles to the Independents’ crowns he had already secured earlier in his career.

“The Integra was a very special car in its day,” he said. “We’re now six or seven years on now from when the Integra made its debut and at the time, it was a ground-breaking car within the BTC regulations. The Integra was an awesome, awesome car and I think it was the equal of the Civic we used to win the title last season – just in a different era.”

Such was the strength of the Integra that numerous drivers chose it as the ideal car with which to move into the BTCC with one, Simon Blanckley, even selling his house in order to get the chance to race the car when he entered the series in 2007.

Even when Dynamics had moved on to the Civic, the Integra continued to be a podium contender. Mike and Andy Jordan took their Eurotech-run cars to a total of nine podium finishes while Paul O’Neill also secured four top-three finishes in two seasons racing the car for sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed.

In fact, O’Neill’s run to second place in the final race of the weekend at Silverstone in 2010 would be the final time an Integra would finish on the podium.

“The Integra was probably the most rewarding BTCC car I’ve driven,” O’Neill said. “There wasn’t one thing that was good about the car, it just did everything brilliantly.”

“We ran both the Astra Coupe and the Integra and the Honda was far superior,” O’Neill’s team boss at Tech-Speed Marvin Humphries added. “There is no doubt that it was a cracking car to work with.”

The end of 2010 should have marked the end for the Integra before it was given a stay of execution for 2011 – albeit with an extra 50 kilos of weight added to its base weight.

It meant one lone Integra was left to fly the flag for BTC-spec machinery as Lea Wood and his small Central Group Racing team returned for a second season, joining the field at Oulton Park.

Despite the extra ballast on his car, Wood secured his best ever result in a wet opening race in Cheshire, crossing the line in seventh for his maiden points finish.

“I believe our car was built in 2005 for Gareth Howell, so it’s a credit to Dynamics and a measure of how good the car is that we could put that kind of performance in,” he said. “The wet conditions did help as they were a bit of a leveller, but everyone else had to face the same and it was a brilliant result for us. To get a top ten finish was great for the guys who work on the car.

“We’ve raced the Integra for two seasons and it has been a fantastic car for us. I don’t think we could have chosen a better car to enter the BTCC with; especially when you look at the budget we have to work with.

“Dynamics have helped us no end over the past two seasons, and the guys there who worked on the Integra still love the car – that’s how good it is.”

For 2012, BTC cars in the BTCC are no more and while the time was right to put the older-spec machines to bed as the new Next Generation Touring Cars take shape, they’ll still be missed by fans up and down the country.

Showing just how good the Integra really was, a run down of the car in the BTCC can be found below…

Westhoughton-based racer Tony Lynch picked up his trophy for finishing second in the Suzuki Swift Sport Rallycross standings for a second successive season, while Lucas Oil Team Geriatric was also honoured as the best promoted team.

The double success at the awards, held at the Hilton Hotel in Coventry on Saturday evening, comes as preparations continue for the 2012 season, where Lynch and Lucas Oil Team Geriatric will once again fight for honours in the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship.

Having finished second for the past two seasons, Lynch starts 2012 fully focused on clinching the championship crown in what has rapidly become one of the most competitive classes on the British Rallycross package.

“For two years now we’ve finished second in the standings, so the aim is to go one better and take the title this season,” Tony said. “It won’t be easy as the Swift field just gets stronger and stronger, but we’ve shown what we can do in recent years and I’d like to think we are starting the new season as one of the teams to beat.

“Winning the best promoted team of 2011 is a great achievement for us and a good boost for all of our sponsors going into this season, as we wouldn’t be out competing if it wasn’t for their support. I fully appreciate how important it is to do all we can to represent each of our sponsors and I’m pleased that the work we’ve done on their behalf has been recognised.”

As well as competing on track, Lucas Oil Team Geriatric will also help younger drivers working to come through the rallycross ranks by taking on title sponsorship of the Clubmans Rallycross Stock Hatch Championship this season.

Run by the BTRDA and MDA, who have joined forces to run the Clubmans series, the Lucas Oil Team Geriatric Clubmans Rallycross Stock Hatch Championship is set to be contested over six to eight rounds, with the final schedule set to be confirmed in the near future.

Lynch and Lucas Oil Team Geriatric enjoyed years of success in Stock Hatch prior to moving into the Swift Sport Rallycross Championship in 2010 – taking the National MDA title in both 2005 and 2006, and the MSA Stock Hatch title in both 2007 and 2009.

“Supporting the Stock Hatch series is a chance to give something back to rallycross at grass roots level,” Lynch said. “I enjoyed my time running in the Clubmans Rallycross series and hopefully there are some drivers competing in 2012 who will follow me up into the main British series.

“Stock Hatch is a great formula for people coming into the sport as it is a level that is affordable but also gives great racing. I’ll be keeping an eye out to see if there are any drivers coming through who have the potential to succeed and I’m looking forward to sharing the bill with them later in the year.”

You might get the odd person who would reply with the Nurburgring 24 or maybe someone has first hand experience of heading to Silverstone for the Britcar 24.

However, it’s unlikely that many would think of Daytona – a circuit better known in Europe for the fact that it hosts by far the biggest event on the NASCAR calendar.

The Daytona 24 Hours – more commonly known now as the Rolex 24 – is a true hidden gem as far as British race fans are concerned but that doesn’t need to be the case any longer with the race having extensive live coverage on Motors TV this coming weekend.

If you’ve got the chance to see the action, then make sure you take it…

Back in 2009, I was lucky enough to head over to Florida for the race and it is an experience I’ll never forget. Qualifying saw the top two on the grid split by just 0.001secs and after a titanic battle through the final hour, David Donohue brought the winning car to the finish less than two-tenths of a second ahead of second placed Juan Pablo Montoya.

Qualifying for the race this season has already taken place as I write this, with the seven cars in the premier Daytona Prototype class covered by less than a second. In total, nearly 60 cars are due to take the start, and this on a circuit measuring just 3.56 miles – meaning action is guaranteed.

You only have to look at the list of drivers on the entry list for this year’s race to see how the professionals view Daytona. Allan McNish, Dario Franchitti, Montoya, Justin Wilson, Paul Tracy, Giancarlo Fisichella and Scott Dixon are amongst the big names who have headed to the Speedway for the race, with many of them in the DP class.

Grand Am’s quickest cars do split opinion. Some don’t like the way they look but the latest generation machines – which debut this weekend – are mightily impressive machines and are much more cost-effective than if a team was to head to the ALMS or the new WEC with a prototype machine, which may be competitive for a season before needing to be replaced.

Having been part of the NASCAR family for a number of years now, Grand Am continues to go from strength to strength and the 50th running of the Rolex 24 this weekend should be no exception.

The series will benefit from extensive coverage on Motors TV throughout the year, and there is no better way to get a taste than with this weekend’s season opener.

You won’t be disappointed…

The West Thurrock-based team has agreed a deal with Ollie Jackson which will see him embark on a first full season of BTCC competition at the wheel of the team’s turbo-powered Volkswagen Golf, which proved to be one of the most improved cars on the grid last year.

Jackson – originally from Reigate, Surrey but now based in Attleborough, Norfolk – joins AmD Tuning.com having made his BTCC debut in the final two rounds of the 2011 season, taking a best finish of eleventh for the Triple Eight team.

Prior to that, the 27-year-old enjoyed success in Caterham racing before lifting the Pro-Am1 title in the Porsche Carrera Cup in 2010. A switch to the British GT Championship followed last season, the highlight coming at Spa with victory in the GT4 class, before the move into touring cars for the rounds at Brands Hatch and Silverstone.

Having put pen to paper on his deal with AmD Tuning.com, Jackson will now embark on a full pre-season testing programme at the wheel of the VW Golf before the opening rounds of the 2012 campaign take place at Brands Hatch on the weekend of 31 March-1 April.

“After the two rounds last season in the Vectra, I knew the BTCC was where I wanted to be full-time in 2012 and I’m delighted that I’ve been able to agree a deal with AmD Tuning.com,” Jackson said. “I’m really pleased to have a deal confirmed nice and early, which will give me time to carry out some decent testing before the opening rounds.

“Since I moved into car racing, I’ve never had a full testing programme before the season started, so its good that I’ll be able to spend some meaningful time behind the wheel of the Golf, especially as I don’t have much experience of front-wheel drive.

“My initial aim is to see where I stand when we get to Brands Hatch and then make improvements and move forwards. However, the Golf is a proven car that showed good pace in 2011 and my target is to bring home top ten finishes as the year goes on. The team has welcomed me onboard and I can’t wait to get started.”

The decision to sign Jackson comes on the back of a strong 2011 season for the AmD Tuning.com team, which was highlighted by breakthrough points finishes at both Donington Park and Thruxton.

While the basic package remains the same for 2012, with the Golf powered by the same Lehmann-developed engine designed to the BTCC’s Next Generation Touring Car regulations, a series of tweaks have been carried out over the winter as the team looks to build on the promise shown last year to become regular top ten finishers.

“We spoke to a number of drivers about 2012 and are delighted we have been able to agree a deal with Ollie, and agree a deal this early in the year,” AmD Tuning.com team principal Shaun Hollamby said. “He will get the chance to test the Volkswagen for the first time in mid-February and that will be the first part of a full test programme ahead of the new season. That is an important part of our plans for 2012 as it will be the first time we have been able to carry out a full testing programme before the season starts.

“Ollie impressed me last year with his performances in the Triple Eight car when you consider that he hadn’t raced a front-wheel drive machine before, and I’m confident that he can help us take further steps forward and help us fight inside the top ten on a regular basis.

“We have made some tweaks to the Golf over the winter and are confident that the regulations in place for the new season will work in our favour as it should be easier for the series to equalise performance between the different turbo engines on the grid. We know we were down on power a little last year but I’m confident that the regulations will help with that this season and with Ollie onboard, I’m looking forward to a successful 2012.”

There has been plenty of discussion about how the change in scoring would have affected the title race in 2011 if the revised system had been in place, and the reality is that it wouldn’t have made much difference at all.

Matt Neal would still have ended the season as the champion for a third time, and the only changes inside the top ten would have seen James Nash beat Mat Jackson to fourth place and Alex MacDowall and Rob Collard swap positions in eighth and ninth.

However, discussions about how the change in system would have affected the championship got me thinking. How would the standings look if the championship title was decided solely on finishing positions and without the use of bonus points?

As it stands at the moment in the BTCC, drivers can earn bonus points in one of three ways.

• Securing pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session is rewarded with one point
• Setting fastest race lap is rewarded with one point
• Leading a lap is rewarded with one point

What that basically means is that – under the 2011 scoring system – the maximum points available in a weekend would be as follows:

• Race 1 – 15 for a win, 1 for pole, 1 for fastest lap, 1 for leading a lap = 18 points
• Race 2 – 15 for a win, 1 for fastest lap, 1 for leading a lap = 17 points
• Race 3 – 15 for a win, 1 for fastest lap, 1 for leading a lap = 17 points

In reality then, a driver could score a maximum of 45 points in a weekend based on their finishing position, but could then add an additional seven if they picked up every bonus point on offer.

Over the course of the season, you’re looking then at a maximum of 70 bonus points being available – equal to more than four victories under the 2011 scoring system.

So, first things first, a reminder of how the top ten in the championship standings looked when the 2011 season drew to a close at Silverstone…

Looking at the amount of bonus points each driver secured during the season shows the impact it had on each driver’s tally over the course of the year.

Outgoing champion Jason Plato and the man who took his crown Neal were the highest scorers in terms of bonus points, picking up 19 each as the title battle was decided, but they weren’t the person who actually benefitted most from the extra points on offer.

That honour went instead to Mat Jackson as, although he scored two bonus points less than Plato and Neal with 17, that was a larger percentage of his overall total. Of his final score, 8.90% per cent came as a result of bonus points.

The number of bonus points scored by each driver in the top ten can be seen below, with the table also giving the percentage of their total scored by bonus points.

So what does that actually mean – and would it have affected the championship.

Right at the very top, the answer is the same as if the new scoring system had been in place – the same man would have still won the championship. Neal’s winning margin would have been smaller, but he would still have taken the title at the end of the season with an advantage of two points over Honda team-mate Gordon Shedden, while Plato would still have been ‘best of the rest’ in third.

In fact, the only change would have been in who took fourth place. Had the points table been decided solely on results, James Nash would have outscored Jackson by 14 points to take the position, but the fact that Jackson was able to outscore his Triple Eight rival by the same margin in terms of bonus points – taking 17 to Nash’s three – meant the pair ended the season level on 191.

That meant Jackson took the position thanks to his superior finishing record, having won on four occasions compared to Nash’s single success at Rockingham.

The championship standings based on results only, can be seen below.

In reality then, bonus points didn’t affect who took the ultimate prize in the BTCC during 2011, but if things turn out to be as tight as many expect in 2012, it may be a different story altogether come October…

Bell, from Barrow-upon-Humber, started more than 100 races in the BTCC having previously secured multiple championship titles in the Kumho BMW Series, and is now team manager for Lincolnshire team Geoff Steel Racing’s British Touring Car programme.

The event, organised in conjunction with Safer Roads Partnership, BRAKE and Crimestoppers, saw Martyn drive towards a specially constructed polystyrene wall, where a series of lights indicated whether he should avoid the wall by going to the right or left, or should bring the car to a halt by executing an emergency stop.

Having completed a series of runs behind the wheel without any issue, Martyn was then given alcohol before getting back in the car.

Despite the low amount of alcohol consumed, he was then unable to avoid hitting the wall when asked to carry out an emergency stop; showing the impact that the even the smallest amounts of alcohol can have on driving ability and reaction times.

“When I first got into the car, it was easy to stop before the wall with room to spare,” he said. “However, even though I only drank a small amount of alcohol, I then hit the wall when I was asked to do it again. I didn’t feel any different, but the alcohol clearly had an effect on my mind. I thought I was braking at the same place as I had done previously, but I actually hit the brakes slightly later – and that was too late to avoid the wall.

“It showed that even a small amount of alcohol does have an impact; you don’t have to actually feel drunk before your reactions are affected. The whole aim of the day was to show why you shouldn’t drink-drive and if me taking part can save even just one life, it will have been more than worthwhile.

“What it showed is that if you are going out for a drink, even just one, then leave the car behind.”

The successful event held at the Tata Steelworks in Scunthorpe will now form a key element of Humberside Police’s annual drive to reduce the number of people who get behind the wheel of a car when under the influence of alcohol.

“The event was devised not only to mark the launch of the Humberside Police Drink and Drug Driving Campaign which will run up to and over the festive season, but also to graphically demonstrate the impact that even a small quantity of alcohol can have on your ability to simply drive,” a spokesman for Humberside Police said.

“As an added bonus this year, we were able to work with Martyn in order to get our message across to motorists of all ages and it’s to be hoped that all who were at the launch got the message loud and clear that if small amounts of alcohol can impair a former championship winning racing driver, what could happen to your average motorist.

“Our message is clear. If you intend to have a drink, simply don’t drive.”

To anonymously report somebody driving under the influence of alcohol, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The MSA Team UK backed driver, originally from Scarva but now based in Northamptonshire, was contesting the F3 event for the second time with the Fortec Motorsport team and headed to the Chinese enclave aiming to end his season on a high.

Having run well in a wet first practice session, Will set the ninth quickest time in Thursday’s wet opening qualifying session, although he was out of luck in the drier, quicker Friday session when a combination of yellow flags and traffic left him down in 22nd on the timing sheets.

Penalties elsewhere meant Will started the qualification race – which would determine the starting positions for the GP itself – from 20th on the grid, with his target being to stay out of trouble and make up as many places as possible.

A solid drive saw him take the flag in 13th place, putting him on the seventh row of the grid for the Grand Prix.

Avoiding a stalled car when the lights went out, Will then picked up damage to the nose of his car when the field was backed up by a spinning car at Lisboa.

Despite the damage hindering his top speed on the high-speed sections of the circuit, Will fought his way to sixth place to lead the Fortec challenge and take second amongst the entrants from the British F3 International Series.

“I went into the weekend hoping to challenge for victory, or at least a place on the podium, so I wouldn’t say I was happy with sixth,” he said. “However, after the disaster we had in qualifying I’ll take it, as overtaking here isn’t easy.

“We showed good pace all weekend but in qualifying, I struggled with the traffic and with yellow flags. I got a penalty for not slowing enough for them last year so I may have been a bit wary this time.

“For the qualifying race, I could hardly even see the lights, so to stay out of trouble and finish 13th was decent progress and then in the main race, there was chaos at the start. I avoided that, but when the field got backed up at Lisboa, I ended up with a hole in the nose which affected my top speed. Despite that I got up to sixth and I think I could have got higher if the race hadn’t finished behind the Safety Car.

“All in all, sixth is okay from where we started and I think I showed how quick I was in both practice and the races. The Fortec boys did a great job and to have both cars inside the top ten is good for them.”

Tony went into the final weekend looking to secure the runner-up slot behind Dave Bellerby for the second successive season, while the Lucas Oils Team Geriatric driver also elected to enter the non-championship Grand Prix event, which followed the season finale.

Challenging conditions in the heats for the championship finale meant Tony failed to qualify for the ‘A’ final outright and instead was forced to contest the ‘B’ final to secure his place in the race. After a strong start when the lights went out, Tony battled throughout the ‘B’ final with Johnny Bean before securing a victory which gave him his place in the ‘A’ final.

Taking his place on the grid secure in the knowledge that he was guaranteed at least third in the championship, Tony went into the final race of the season knowing that he would take second in the standings if he could finish ahead of rival Adam Clark on track.

Tony’s hopes of achieving that goal from the back of the grid looked remote when contact on the second lap saw him tipped into a spin; where he was then collected by a car behind. With a bent rear beam and a buckled wheel, Tony nursed the car to the finish in fifth place, although that was still enough to take second in the championship standings as he finished ahead of Clark on track.

“Fifth wasn’t what I was hoping for from the final race of the season, but the important thing is that we secured second in the championship which was the aim for the weekend,” he said. “For whatever reason, I seemed to struggle in the heats and that meant I had to compete in the ‘B’ final and the pressure was on to make sure I was in the main event to try and secure my second place.

“Having won the ‘B’ final, there were a lot of nerves when I got caught up in the incident in the ‘A’ final as my car was all over the place, but I didn’t know Adam has also run into problems and it was only when I got back to the team that I realised we’d secured second.

“It’s been a difficult season as we’ve had some really bad luck along the way that cost us the chance to fight for the championship, but my boys have been fantastic all year and I also have to thank the sponsors who have supported me this season as I couldn’t have done it without them.”

With his team working hard to repair the damage to his car as much as possible for the Grand Prix event, Tony then lined up on the grid for the non-championship race the following day but contact again on the opening lap caused further damage that resulted in a second fifth place finish of the Croft weekend.

“In the Grand Prix, there was nothing to lose and the boys had done a great job to get the car fixed so at least all of the wheels were pointing the same way,” he said. “I could see that going onto the loose part of the circuit, I seemed to be able to carry more speed than the other drivers and on the first lap, I thought I could make my move and jump up the order but unfortunately it didn’t quite come off.

“I picked up the same damage as in the ‘A’ final the day before so it was just a case of bringing the car home. Again, it was a shame we didn’t end with a win but it was nice to be able to take part in a race without the pressure of worrying about the championship.”