The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s longest-standing lap record will be broken in qualifying for the series’ latest rounds at the Brands Hatch circuit in Kent this coming Saturday, according to Vauxhall star Tom Chilton.
Reigate-based Chilton believes former Vauxhall driver Yvan Muller’s pole position time of 48.942s set in April 2001 will finally tumble, provided the track is dry.
Chilton currently holds the BTCC’s race lap record around Brands’ short Indy circuit with a time of 49.190s set in this year’s opening rounds to beat the previous benchmark of 49.226s – also set by Muller five years ago.
But Muller’s qualifying lap record, the fastest ever for a current-era BTCC car around Brands Indy, still stands, although Chilton came mightily close to eclipsing it in qualifying in April with his pole position time of 48.975s.
Chilton said: “The cars have moved on so much in the past six months that I think several drivers will beat that time in qualifying – I just hope it’s me who’s on top. It will be a very special record to hold.
“Pretty much every other record that exists has been set in the past two seasons, but Yvan’s time on that day really stands out as something special. The cars back then were all pretty new and, good track conditions or not, it is still a mega time.”
Chilton, though, predicts that this Saturday’s qualifying session could be the most challenging of 2006 – the season’s biggest entry list of some 26 drivers will be on the Brands Hatch Indy track, the shortest on the calendar, all trying to achieve their own best lap times.
“That is going to be one busy race track and trying to time your runs so you don’t get baulked by a slower driver is going to be a work of art,” added Chilton. “It’s always difficult enough piecing together your best sector times in one lap – to do it possibly having to thread your way past other cars will be very awkward.”
Chilton goes into this weekend’s three rounds full of motivation after seeing team-mate Fabrizio Giovanardi give Vauxhall its 100th race win in the BTCC in the previous meeting at Knockhill in Scotland.
The Surrey driver also led the season’s opening laps at Brands until slipping back with tyre problems that took until mid-season for Vauxhall to overcome. Furthermore, up until Knockhill, Chilton had been Vauxhall’s highest-placed Vauxhall driver in the standings, but has now dropped behind team-mates Giovanardi and Gavin Smith.
Chilton said: “Brands is my home circuit so I always want a good result there and I’m confident we’ll be a lot stronger in terms of tyres than in April. I’ve been planning with my engineers what approach we’ll take this weekend and hopefully we’re in good shape. I want to be the driver to give Vauxhall its 101st win…”
Chilton will be in action in the latest three rounds of the BTCC at Brands Hatch on Sunday. The crowds there will also see the latest rounds of five more championships including: Porsche Carrera Cup, Renault Clio Cup, Formula Renault UK, SEAT Cupra and Historic Touring Cars.
Race day admission for children aged 12 and under is FREE while adult tickets are just £20.00 if booked in advance on the brandshatch.co.uk website or ticket hotline 0870 950 9000. That includes lunchtime access to the Pit Lane for a driver autograph session.
