BTCC: Oulton wide open

By James Disdale

22nd May 2009

James Disdale
The tin-top tension is building as the British Touring Car Championship heads for Cheshire’s demanding Oulton Park circuit this weekend. With seven different winners in the last nine races, the battle for top
honours has never been closer.
One driver hoping to be in the mix for a podium finish is Tom Chilton. The 24-year-old Englishman
struggled in the opening rounds as he and team-mate Alan Morrison come to terms with their Arena squad’s all-new Ford Focuses.
However, the outfit now has
a series of upgrades for the blue
oval machines, which it is confident will result in a jump to the front
of the grid. Nothing has been
overlooked in the revamp, with
the engine, suspension and
aerodynamics all getting tweaks.
“There’s been a lot of progress,” claimed Chilton after the last race
at Donington, where he placed
ninth. “If we make the same gains between now and the next round, then we could be looking at a
podium.” But the seven-time race winner will have his work cut out against an ultra-competitive grid.
Vauxhall ace Matt Neal currently tops the title standings, and is
determined to add a third BTCC crown to his trophy cabinet. However, he is only 13 points ahead of Team RAC’s Colin Turkington. The BMW driver
will be a serious threat at Oulton, having taken victory there in 2008.

One man to keep an eye on is James Thompson. The Team Dynamics star made a late entry to the series, but has already notched up two victories in his Honda Civic.
Whatever the outcome, there will be a full report available here – log on from 1 June.