BTCC qualifying from Oulton Park...

[AUDIDUDI@delphi.com]

NEWS FROM THE AUTO TRADER RAC 
TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Oulton Park, 26/5/96 

THE Audi team made light work of both the weather and the 
imposition of an extra 30kg in ballast with a dominant display at 
Oulton Park this afternoon (Sun) in official qualifying for tomorrow's 
rounds nine and 10 of the Auto Trader RAC Touring Car Championship. 

    Team leader Frank Biela made the best of his car's four-wheel drive 
to lap the wet and slippery Cheshire track a second-and-a-quarter 
quicker than his nearest two-wheel-drive rival in qualifying for round 
nine, then displayed impeccable timing in the second session as the 
circuit dried out in the closing minutes to grab the qualifying top spot 
for round 10 also.

    Underlining the Audi advantage, Biela's British team-mate John 
Bintcliffe was second quickest in the wet, ahead of the BMW of 
double '96 race winner Jo Winkelhock and the Volvo of Rickard 
Rydell. Qualifying for round 10 was a question of being on the track at
the 
right time, and on the right tyres. It started wet but rapidly dried,
and 
most of the top grid positions were bagged literally on the last flying 
lap of the session. Again Biela came out on top, by a second from 
Winkelhock, Rydell and Bintcliffe.

    Tomorrow's races will be the first for the Audis at their new weight
of 
1070kg. The rear-drive BMWs are allowed to compete at 1000kg and 
the front-drive cars -- the rest of the field -- at 975kg. Said 
championship leader Biela: 'In the wet there's no problem; it's 
difficult to judge the effect of the extra weight. If it's dry you can 
really tell the difference, particularly over a race distance...' 

    German ace Biela, victor five times from eight races this season,
has 
yet to lose a BTCC race from the pole. He now leads the 
championship by 38 points from BMW's Roberto Ravaglia. 

    Drivers in trouble today included Will Hoy, whose Renault Laguna 
blew an engine, leaving him 12th on the grid for round nine, and 
Robb Gravett, who crashed his Total Cup Ford Mondeo after losing 
his brakes. Spinners included James Kaye (Honda) and Silverstone 
victor Kelvin Burt (Volvo). 

OFFICIAL QUALIFYING: ROUND 9 
1  Frank Biela (Ger), Audi A4, 1m 51.276s, 89.77mph / 144.48kmh; 
2  John Bintcliffe (GB), Audi A4, 1:51.592; 
3  Jo Winkelhock (Ger), BMW 320i, 1:52.518; 
4  Rickard Rydell (Swe), Volvo 850, 1:53.106; 
5  James Thompson (GB), Vauxhall Vectra, 1:53.194; 
6  Alain Menu (Switz), Renault Laguna, 1:53.246; 
7  Kelvin Burt (GB), Volvo 850, 1:53.275; 
8  John Cleland (GB), Vauxhall Vectra, 1:53.300; 
9  Paul Radisich (NZ), Ford Mondeo, 1:53.439; 
10 David Leslie (GB), Honda Accord, 1:53.661. 

OFFICIAL QUALIFYING: ROUND 10 
1  Biela, 1:51.163, 89.86mph/144.62kmh;
2  Winkelhock, 1:52.161;
3  Rydell, 1:52.280;
4  Bintcliffe, 1:52.535;
5  Menu, 1:52.537;
6  Roberto Ravaglia (It), BMW 320i, 1:52.556;
7  Thompson, 1:52.866;
8   Radisich, 1:53.156;
9   Will Hoy (GB), Renault Laguna, 1:53.286;
10  Patrick Watts (GB), Peugeot 406, 1:53.300.

-- 
Official BTCC website:
Best in British Motor Sport
http://www.demon.co.uk/racing