BTCC results from Brands Hatch...

[AUDIDUDI@delphi.com]

NEWS FROM THE AUTO TRADER      
RAC TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP      
Brands Hatch, 30/6/96    

RENAULT became the fifth different manufacturer to take race 
victory in the 1996 Auto Trader RAC Touring Car Championship 
with a dominant display at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Sun). Team 
leader Alain Menu scored a memorable double win from pole 
position in both of the day's races, smashing the circuit lap record on 
each occasion.

For his team, Williams Renault Dealer Racing, it was a triple 
celebration as Damon Hill triumphed in the French Grand Prix. 
Menu's double top accelerates him into second position in the 
championship behind Audi's Frank Biela, whose lead is narrowed to 
44 points as the championship passes the half-way mark.

Biela was second to Menu in round 13, with BMW's Jo Winkelhock 
in the Renault's wheeltracks in round 14. 

Swiss ace Menu -- last year's championship runner-up -- made his 
intentions plain in qualifying for round 13, posting a time more than 
a second inside his own qualifying lap record for the Kent track's 
Grand Prix layout. His nearest rival, Biela, was nearly eight-tenths of 
a second slower. 

Although Biela tried to make the most of his four-wheel-drive Audi's 
superior traction to try to outdrag Menu into Paddock Hill Bend at 
the start, the Renault man's front-drive Laguna held on to lead out of 
the Druids hairpin, with Rickard Rydell's Volvo right on Biela's tail 
for third, Will Hoy in the second Renault fourth and Winkelhock fifth 
and taking advantage of a collision at Druids between the cars of his 
team-mate Roberto Ravaglia and Paul Radisich. Radisich's Ford 
Mondeo was sidelined by the clash, Ravaglia slipped to ninth. 

Menu eased out a healthy three-second lead over Biela in the first 
four laps, only to see his advantage narrowed to nothing at the start of 
the fifth tour, when the TOCA Safety Car was brought into operation 
for a lap while the cars of Radisich and Honda's James Kaye -- which 
had spun off on the opening lap -- were retrieved. 

At the restart, however, Menu maintained his pace to fend off Biela 
again. Behind the Audi was an eight-car bumper-to-bumper train 
comprising Rydell, Hoy, David Leslie (Honda) -- who demoted 
Winkelhock to sixth into Paddock -- James Thompson (Vauxhall), 
Kelvin Burt (Volvo), Ravaglia and John Cleland (Vauxhall). 

Thereafter Menu eased away from Biela for a comfortable 4.5-second 
victory, with Rydell third ahead of Hoy. Leslie held off several 
challenges from Winkelhock to retain fifth place. The Total Cup for 
Privateers battle was won by Richard Kaye's Vauxhall Cavalier, who 
finished 15 seconds ahead of his only rival, Lee Brookes (Toyota).

Menu had every intention of repeating his victory in round 14, which 
he also started from pole position. He made an impeccable start to 
lead the field at the first corner, ahead of the fast-starting
Winkelhock 
who had leapfrogged into second from fifth on the grid. Leslie held 
third briefly but was unseated by Hoy at Surtees on the opening lap.

Menu smashed the lap record he had set earlier in the day on the 
second lap of the race as he sped into a comfortable lead over 
Winkelhock. By mid-distance his advantage was nearly five seconds, 
which stretched to six seconds in the closing laps.

Although Winkelhock was secure in second place for the duration, 
the battle for third was intense: Hoy leading Leslie, Cleland, 
Thompson and Burt in a five-car train for much of the race. The 
status quo was broken three laps from home when Leslie and Cleland 
clashed, the former dropping back to seventh as Cleland powered into 
fourth place behind Hoy. Thompson was fifth ahead of Burt -- who 
acquitted himself well on his return to the cockpit after his violent 
Oulton Park crash last month.

Behind Leslie in seventh was a subdued Biela, with Tim Harvey 
ninth for Peugeot and Gary Ayles 10th in the Nissan Primera. Rydell, 
who was forced to fight through from the back of the grid after his 
qualifying time was disallowed after noise checks, claimed 12th 
behind Radisich.

Menu said after the race: 'I was not thinking about the championship 
-- just trying to win the races. The engine we used today was the best 
we have had all year; it's looking good for us now.' His title rival 
Biela admitted he was now driving with the championship in mind: 
'There are still many races left and my chances of winning them if 
the weather is dry are slim. It is going to be very tough from now 
on...' 

RESULTS       
Auto Trader RAC Touring Car Championship, round 13 
18 laps -- 46.8 miles / 75.42km    
1  Alain Menu (Switz), Renault Laguna, 28m 16.50s, 
99.31mph/159.83kmh; 
2  Frank Biela (Ger), Audi A4, +4.58s; 
3  Rickard Rydell (Swe), Volvo 850, +4.74s; 
4  Will Hoy (GB), Renault Laguna, +5.43s; 
5  David Leslie (GB), Honda Accord, +8.64s; 
6  Jo Winkelhock (Ger), BMW 320i, +8.96s; 
7  James Thompson (GB), Vauxhall Vectra, +9.68s; 
8  Kelvin Burt (GB), Volvo 850, +9.95s; 
9  Roberto Ravaglia (It), BMW 320i, +10.42s; 
10 John Cleland (GB), Vauxhall Vectra, +10.86s. 
Total Cup Privateers: Richard Kaye (GB), Vauxhall Cavalier, 
+25.50s. 
Fastest lap: Menu, 1m 29.19s, 104.95mph/168.90kmh (record). 

Round 14 
17 laps -- 44.2 miles / 71.2km    
1  Menu, 25m 38.95s, 103.40mph/166.41kmh; 
2  Winkelhock, +5.37s; 
3  Hoy, +7.69s; 
4  Cleland, +11.27s; 
5  Thompson, +11.85s; 
6  Burt, +12.20s; 
7  Leslie, +15.08s; 
8  Biela, +15.41s; 
9  Tim Harvey (GB), Peugeot 406, +21.93s; 
10 Gary Ayles (GB), Nissan Primera, +23.65s. 
Total Cup Privateers: Lee Brookes (GB), Toyota Carina E, 12 laps.
Fastest lap: Menu, 1m 28.93s, 105.25mph/169.39kmh (record). 

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS       
Drivers: 1 Biela, 149 points; 2 Menu, 105; 3 Winkelhock, 100; 4 
Rydell, 95; 5 John Bintcliffe (GB/Audi), 79; 6 Ravaglia, 72. 
Manufacturers: 1 Audi, 159; 2 BMW, 146; 3 Renault, 142; 4 Volvo, 
130; 5 Vauxhall, 108; 6 Honda, 77; 7 Peugeot, 51; 8 Ford, 44. 
Total Cup Privateers: 1 Brookes, 166; 2 Kaye, 145. 


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