BTCC DRIVERS PASS BRAVERY TEST AHEAD OF THRUXTON CHALLENGE
Top drivers from the UK's most popular motor racing series
- the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship - yesterday
(Thursday) boosted their courage levels ahead of their big
race meeting on 4 June at Hampshire's high-speed Thruxton
circuit, the fastest and most daunting track they'll face
all year.
Hampshire's very own BTCC hero Robert Collard, plus Tom Chilton
(Reigate) and Mike Jordan (Sutton Coldfield) proved they've
got plenty of bravery by lying across a glass floor 100 metres
up in Portsmouth's spectacular Spinnaker Tower.
Racing in the BTCC brings plenty of pressure, but the three
drivers also showed they could handle the heat when they were
trusted with the controls of a 20-ton steam engine at the
popular Watercress Line in Alresford, Hants. Despite speeds
being considerably lower than the 150mph they will reach at
Thruxton - they wound open the engine to a maximum of 28mph
- all thoroughly enjoyed their run up the line.
"Walking onto the glass in Spinnaker Tower certainly
got my bravery levels up - it's a bizarre feeling at first
but a great buzz," said Hook-based Collard, who is among
the favourites for a race win at Thruxton in his Team RAC
MG. "The steam engine was also a major adrenaline rush
and another fantastic experience - even at 28mph, it really
tests your ability to react quickly. There's so much going
off in the cabin."
Collard, aged 37, is confident of giving the Thruxton crowds
a winning result. "I've had some great races and some
monster crashes at Thruxton, but right now I feel on top form
and the performance from the MG is better than ever,"
he added. "It's going to be ultra-competitive as always,
but I know I've got a great chance of doing very well in front
of my home crowd.
"Thruxton always attracts an enormous crowd on BTCC
race day. It's a great circuit for spectators to come and
watch the racing with two excellent viewing points. Things
will get very exciting when we're coming into the chicane,
trying to out-brake one another at 150mph.
"Then there's the first series of bends, Campbell, Cobb
and Segrave where there's always plenty of action. The big
grass banks there are always packed out - it's a real favourite
for the crowds and is also ideal for families and for bringing
along the picnic - in fact, the whole event becomes a big
social gathering. It's going to be a great atmosphere and
I can't wait."
The BTCC will be in race action three times at Thruxton on
4 June and the crowds will be able to meet the star drivers
for autographs and give-aways during the FREE and hugely popular
Pit Lane Walkabout session. Another seven races are on the
bill from high-profile supporting championships run by leading
manufacturers BMW, Porsche, Renault and SEAT.
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