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Report from http://www.demon.co.uk/racing/index.html
THE Renault team staged a near perfect start to its 1997 Auto Trader
RAC Touring Car Championship campaign at Donington Park, Alain Menu winning
in style both rounds one and two of the series. His new team-mate
Jason Plato finished a close second in the first of the day's races,
but was forced out of runner-up spot in the second with engine problems
six laps from the chequered flag.
Menu leads the championship with 30 points, with Plato second, 16 points
adrift.
Round one of the championship was a Renault runaway, with Menu outgunning
Plato off the front row of the grid to lead into the first corner.
Championship debutant Plato -- who surprised series regulars and even
himself by scooping pole position for both of his first two BTCC races --
made a good getaway also, to slot in behind Menu and ahead of the Volvo S40
of Swede Rickard Rydell.
Rydell chased the 28-year-old newcomer hard, hooked on to the Renault's
bumper for much of the race. Three laps from the chequered flag, however,
the TWR-prepared Volvo began to smoke; the Swede was forced out of the race
on the final lap -- some track debris had punctured his car's radiator and
the engine expired.
Menu, meanwhile, had eased out a comfortable lead over Plato, smashing
the circuit lap record as he went. Plato finished three seconds behind his
team leader.
The fight for fourth place -- which became third with Rydell's demise --
was the battle of the race. Reigning champion Frank Biela made a lightning
start from the fourth row of the grid in his Audi to claim the upper hand
on the opening lap from Kelvin Burt's Volvo and James Thompson's Honda.
Thompson swiftly displaced Burt and Biela to take the advantage for six
laps, until his debut run in the Accord was brought to a premature halt
when a rear wheel came loose. Biela was in trouble even sooner, his title
defence faltering after only four laps when his Audi's radiator sprang a
leak, possibly as a result of contact with Thompson's car.
That left Burt holding on to an insecure advantage over David Leslie in
the new Nissan Primera. Leslie shadowed Burt all the way to the flag to
record a promising debut finish for his new team.
John Bintcliffe collected fifth place for Audi after surviving separate
scrapes with the Ford Mondeo of Will Hoy and Gabriele Tarquini's Honda.
Paul Radisich, who started a lowly 14th in his Ford Mondeo, was promoted to
sixth after all the retirements.
Round two was a Renault repeat performance, Menu again blasting into an
early lead. This time around, though, it was Thompson's Honda in his
wheeltracks, with Plato third from Biela. But Thompson's chase for the lead
was shortlived -- under pressure from Plato on lap two the Honda man spun
down the field at McLeans corner.
Plato took up his accustomed number two spot, chased hard by Biela and
the battling Volvos of Burt and Rydell. It became clear that Burt was
holding up his team-mate, but it took the Swede until lap seven (of 18) to
find his way past and into fourth spot. Seven laps later it was Biela's turn
to succumb to a Rydell attack.
When Plato's engine expired, Rickard found himself in second position,
bearing down on leader Menu. But by this time Menu was far enough in front
to be able to ease off dramatically and cruise to his second victory of the
day; he was 2.4 seconds clear of Rydell at the flag. Biela resisted
late-race pressure from Tarquini to salvage third for Audi, with his
team-mate Bintcliffe fifth ahead of the recovered Thompson.
Another championship newcomer -- Scotland's Colin Gallie -- made an
impressive debut, claiming victory in the Total Cup for Independents battle
in both races after strong drives and mechanical problems for his trio of
non-works rivals.
Auto Trader RAC Touring Car Championship, round 1
Donington Park, 31/3/97
18 laps/45.00 miles
1 Alain Menu (Switz), Renault Laguna, 29m 36.777s, 91.23mph/146.83kmh;
2 Jason Plato (GB), Renault Laguna, +3.142s;
3 Kelvin Burt (GB), Volvo S40, +24.241s;
4 David Leslie (GB), Nissan Primera, +24.520s;
5 John Bintcliffe (GB), Audi A4, +30.541s;
6 Paul Radisich (NZ), Ford Mondeo, +35.674s;
7 Gabriele Tarquini (It), Honda Accord, +38.838s;
8 Patrick Watts (GB), Peugeot 406, +39.182s;
9 Derek Warwick (GB), Vauxhall Vectra, +39.350s;
10 Tim Harvey (GB), Peugeot 406, +44.786s;
11 John Cleland (GB), Vauxhall Vectra, +44.966s;
12 Colin Gallie (GB), BMW 320i, +1m 43.543s;
13 Jamie Wall (GB), Vauxhall Cavalier, 15 laps.
Fastest lap: Menu, 1m 37.084s, 92.70mph/149.19kmh (record).
RETIREMENTS
Rickard Rydell (Swe), Volvo S40, 17 laps; Lee Brookes (GB),
Peugeot 406, 14 laps; Will Hoy (GB), Ford Mondeo, 13 laps;
Anthony Reid (GB), Nissan Primera, 12 laps; James Thompson
(GB), Honda Accord, 9 laps; Frank Biela (Ger), Audi A4, 4 laps;
Matt Neal (GB), Ford Mondeo, 4 laps.
ROUND 2
18 laps/45.00 miles
1 Menu, 29m 49.841s, 90.57mph/145.76kmh;
2 Rydell, +2.366s;
3 Biela, +4.269s;
4 Tarquini, +5.507s;
5 Bintcliffe, +11.689s;
6 Thompson, +14.447s;
7 Radisich, +20.248s;
8 Warwick, +22.283s;
9 Burt, +23.632s;
10 Gallie, +1m 20.789s;
11 Leslie, +1m 54.963s;
12 Neal, 13 laps.
Fastest lap: Menu, 1m 37.570s, 92.24mph/148.44kmh.
RETIREMENTS
Wall, 16 laps; Harvey, 14 laps; Plato, 12 laps; Brookes, 10 laps;
Watts, 7 laps;
Reid, 4 laps; Cleland, 2 laps. Non-starter: Hoy.
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