Stories from Super Touring. It was a night full of dramatic
highs and lows for Ford teammates Alan Menu, Anthony
Reed and Rickard Rydell, all three of whom had a shot at
winning the 2000 BTCC title in the final year of Super Touring
in the series. Welcome to the latest episode of
Stories from Super Touring. I'm Levi Riley, and to help us
look back at the 2000 BTCC season finale is Eurosport
commentator Greg Haynes. Greg, welcome to your first
appearance on series five of the pods.
How are you? Thank you very much, Levi, and
I'm going to give a wave back for anyone who's watching on
video. To Alex Clark with a slightly
strange look on his face. No, I'm fine.
Thank you. This is a special one for me
because I was actually at 2 meetings in the year 2000 as a
10 year old boy. So yeah, Donnington 98 was a
special one. The first one I did with you the
previous season, but this one I wasn't at this actual race
meeting, but I was at the earliest Silverstone meeting
that year and the first Donnington meeting.
So yeah, where the hell is 24 years gone?
And we'll, we'll stick with you, Greg, for our usual opening
question. What first comes to mind
thinking specifically about this finale meeting at Silverstone?
The Knight Race meeting? The first sight that comes into
my head, Levi, is Tom Christensen in the Honda coming
out of Love Field miles ahead of the rest of the field.
Obviously he's a nine time Lamont 24 hour winner, but at
the time he was a two time winner.
He'd won it that year as well. So his night racing experience
came to the floor, didn't it? And changeable conditions.
So that's what I think of. Obviously it was the end of
Super Touring, the end of this 10 year period that we all love
so much. And also having watched the
races back again just this week, how on earth did Anthony Reed
manage to throw away the title? And that's another thing that I
think it's a shame that he didn't because he's definitely
one of the best drivers never to have won the championship.
But on both occasions in which he was in a finale at
Silverstone, I think it's fair to say he cracked under the
pressure, didn't he? 98 with Nissan, made some silly
mistakes in the Sprint race and then 2000 with the Ford.
He didn't need to be back in the pack.
He was third early on in the feature race and probably should
have won the championship. But it was an amazing era and an
amazing end to the era. Ironically, it was Thompson that
was sort of his pain in the ass at both 98 and 2000.
It was Tomo that the sort of scuppered his 98 title fight at
at Silverstone. And Tomo got in the way a lot at
not got in the way. That sounds a bit unfair to
Tomo, but yeah, it was Tomo that was his his pest again.
Another thing that's quite sad, I think looking back, is that we
don't have the Silverstone International Circuit anymore
and it was a great circuit for cars and bikes and the National
Circuit's a bit too short really, isn't it?
There's hardly a corner on it, certainly hardly a left hand
corner on it. Good for that spectator.
I suppose you see them come around more, but the
international circuit was a great layout I think.
The the last time, the last time was at Silverstone and I see the
travesty that is Bridge Corner now.
Oh. Yeah, I know.
Such a mega corner. Wonderful bridge, yeah, one of
my favorite corners in in motorsport bridge was and some
magical moments in touring cars happened there in Formula One
and and yeah, to see the state is in now, yeah, it's it's very
sad. Yeah, in a corner that wasn't
really used in motorsport history for that long, was it
really? No, it wasn't.
It was modified. That complex was put in in 91
and then it was changed again in 2910.
So it only got what, not even 2 decades?
Yeah. What a shame.
It became such an iconic corner. Yeah, I remember.
We're going totally off topic now, but Barrichello passing
around the outside of Raikkonen there in O3 to win the British
Grand Prix, Just epic. Adam coming to you next, What
jumps into your mind when you think about the the 2000 season
finale at Silverstone? I think it was the the, I say
sad. It's sad when you look back at
it now, but the fact that is the end of the Super Taurus, and I
think you would have known what that meant or what that looked
like. I think we all would have been
really sad about it because obviously the cars, the regs,
everything changed massively. And you know, This is why this
podcast exists because we love that era so much and the cars
and the drivers and the engines, the designer that have
everything about it. The engineering side of it was,
you know, it was such a good era.
So it was the end of that and it was a night race.
So there were the two things that really stood out for me.
Finally coming to you, what are your memories of this meeting?
So I've got 2. I remember thinking at the time,
as Adam just said, the end of Super Touring, we knew that that
was coming to an end. Nobody really quite knew what
was going to happen. The new regs had sort of been
shown. But yeah, it was manufacturers
are pulling out, nobody apart from at the time Vauxhall were
actually confirmed. There was rumors that Peugeot
were coming back, which they did.
There was rumors of Rover and obviously they did.
But yeah, it was just a bit of an unsure sort of this this
championship, this international championship is suddenly
possibly come into a demise, which it didn't thankfully.
But yeah, at the time thinking what's going to happen in the
future. But another thing on track is
just I don't know what Vincent Rademacher had eaten in the day,
whether it was Smarties M and Ms. or a combination of all
these E numbers, but he was just.
He was on. One, he didn't, he didn't.
Perhaps he already knew there. This is my last race, I might as
well go out with a bang and just piss everyone off.
He seemed to have contact with everyone.
Yeah, including Gabrielli Tarquini, who pulled off not one
but two amazing saves in the Feast race.
Yeah, Plato flashing his lights at him through Maggots and
Becketts spins off and gets going, and then he gets a tap or
a whack from Rademacher at Priory as.
Well, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
I mean, I think I counted if it was 4 drivers from the factory
teams who were in their last meeting, their last BTCC
meeting. Other menu would later it, but I
think it was Rademacher, Rydell, Tarquini.
And there is one more I'm trying to think who Christensen who we
wouldn't see in the BTCC ever again, sadly, after this last
meeting. Producer Matt are going to hop
over to you now as well. What are your memories when you
think about this 2000 season finale?
Well, I actually have slightly different memories because that
year my dad and I had started marshalling and on that event we
were on the inside of Abby Hairpin, which, you know, I'd,
I'd just like to take a moment to say how bloody hard Marshalls
work. They, they have very, very long
days, but one of the perks is that you can watch from rather
unique positions. So standing on the inside of
Abbey Hairpin, there was a, it was a great view of Rademacher
and Neil coming together in this, in the Sprint race and a
couple of other incidents. But that was, that was the, the
first memory that comes back to me.
Also one of the support races, I think it was AGT, some kind of
GT race, one of the cars smacked the barrier right next to next
to where we were. And of course in the darkness
and not sure which direction headlights were coming from.
And it did take us all to surprise.
Your wake, I imagine. It it did it better than the Red
Bulls, yeah. Must have been a great view with
watching the break disclaiming in the the night race as well
there, you know it's the hardest breaking point in the circuit
there, so it was a good. Good view for you.
Absolutely, absolutely phenomenal.
A real a real privilege that, you know, Marshalls get in, in
terms of things like viewing points and things that the
general public can't see. A better example really would be
the sort of back end of the circuit at Craft or Thruxton.
And you know, plenty of people could watch and the Abbey Hare.
But to be stood in the middle of it and literally follow the cars
around 360, it was it was wonderful.
And you know, great payback for all of the work that Marshalls
do is that you do get some of those perks.
As always, we've asked our faithful listeners what they
thought of this race meeting for our social media channels and
they've come up with the following thoughts and maybe you
guys listen will also have some similar memories.
Andy Hopley got in touch to say that he remembers Matt Neil
switching from his 99 spec Nissan Primera to the old 98 car
after he crashed his 99 Primera in free practice.
Well, as Chris Lamas remembers Jensen Button being a keen
spectator in the paddock that day, Richard Clubley remembers
he couldn't go due to the fuel crisis going on at the time,
which I think also probably nearly put the meeting in in
doubt a little bit as well at this time.
Yeah, it did. There were lots of questions
whether the race would go ahead because of the the the shortage
of fuel. So, but yeah, they went ahead.
Dennis Knight said he remembers Reid ultimately bustling it and
Rademacher taking Reid out to finish the championship in menus
favour. Glenn Freeman, the host of Bring
Back V 10s, one of our favorite podcasts, Simply said The End,
which was also mentioned by Harry Priest, Ben Lee, Rowland
Hill, Ben Keating, Russell Pryor, Matt Bortlick and Moe
Cawley. Naturally, given the historical
significance, quite a popular comment.
Ashley Sharp remembers Plato flashing his headlights at
Gabrielle Tarquini. I think we've already mentioned
this and then falling off the circuit in response, which might
be the one time that flashing your headlights has ever worked.
Aaron Collins says it seemed that Reid went into himself and
just invited pressure in both the races, which inevitably
costs him the title. Stuart Harriet's memory is him
marshalling his first ever BTCC meeting, whilst finally Adam
Stokes and Dan Mason both remember the feature before the
race on BBC Grandstand with Charlie Cox going all University
Challenge on Reedy Rydell and Menu about the championship
fermutations which was a great watch back that.
You don't really get features like that in any sport coverage
now do you? They were, they were.
They were always really good. I used to love watching the
build UPS because they would always do something a little bit
funny or a little bit bizarre or out there.
And yeah, that was that was one of the the funny ones and and
good sports on Reedy Rodel and menu for taking part as well.
Yeah, and another reminder I think as to why the BTCC was so
great as well. The accessibility it had not
just at the track. You can go meet the drivers,
have pictures, not selfies. Because you know, you didn't
really have camera phones then, did you?
Did you talk? Cameras were just starting
amazingly. But you know, that sort of
feature you see all the time now, silly stuff like that on
Instagram and social media, TikTok and whatever.
But that was so different then, wasn't it?
And again, it, it made the BTCC, it was never going to be Formula
One, but it made it so different and so likeable.
I mean, that's one of the reasons we're all sat here now,
isn't it? I think it's that that whole
thing where it's just relatable. These are tin top cars that you
know, recent win on a Sunday by Monday, like you could you could
relate to it also doing what they could do.
They could do that that the freedom to have the crack with
the drivers or tell the drivers they need to do this interview,
that interview with Formula One. It was so strict really, and so
like, you know, regimented and and the kind of issue can't do
that and we don't do this. We don't have any fun factor to
it at all. And again, it's a serious sport,
but so trying to win a touring car championship.
But it's that relationship with that and the fans into the
random garages, the cars, the drivers, the autograph sessions,
they still do to this day before each race on a southern day.
And you know, it's that whole relatable.
And that's why the championship's always been so
popular and the. Facts of course the previous
weekend result in park the penultimate round of the year
race meeting because they referred to each race as around
didn't they? But that was live of course
Alton Park on BBC Grandstand, so I'm sure a few more people would
have been on the gate at Silverstone 6 days later for the
Saturday night race, having seen it at Alton on the telly a few
days before, Yeah. I remember the grid walk for
Alton, and I'm going totally off topic here.
That's Charlie Cox live doing a doing a live grid walk down the
grid at Alton and he bumps into the Michelin Man.
They just got out of the way, fatso.
You was. Unique, wasn't it?
And I think. Cox.
'S role in these build, that these, you know, these race
preview pieces was a big part of it as well, I think, you know,
yeah. Yeah, thank you of credit really
for for what job he could do actually from talk about Murray
and Barry and all the the grant commentators.
But like, he didn't really so shamed as a commentator back
then, but you look back now and I think he did a pretty good
job. Yeah, yeah, because he would.
Have had to turn up early, film all that stuff and obviously
then Murray did the same. But Watty and Cox did a piece to
camera, didn't they, between the two races in Silverstone?
Yes, yeah. But obviously.
That commentary was dubbed, as we've talked about before, that
was put on after London. So they were there.
They were there, yeah, but. They would have known by the
time they did the commentary exactly what the outcome was.
But you would never know that, would you, when you heard the
commentary back. Heading into the weekend, Ford
dealt the Series A huge blow with the announcement that they
would quit the series at the end of the season.
Ford announced that decision on the Wednesday before the finale,
with team boss David Richards admitting the news was no
surprise. We've known this was going to
happen for the past year. The new BTCC formula just
doesn't suit Ford, he said after the announcement was made.
Alex, naturally, especially given full success in 2000, a
huge bloody for the series, albeit probably one that was
very much expected at this point, wasn't.
It very much expected. I mean the, the, the teams were
spending so much at this point that when they won it, they
pretty much buggered off because it's our well, we've done what
we've needed to do now Volvo, OK, they stayed around for 99,
but they soon disappeared. Nissan won and dominated 99 and
then cleared off and Ford in 2000 and also these new BTCT
ugly looking things that had been sort of put forward as the
the new formula for touring cars.
The Monday was too big for that. You know, we saw the four O 6
coupe that looked like an absolute tank compared to the
the Astra coupe and the the Honda civics and the the protons
that came along after. So the Mondeo wasn't going to
cut it. They could have raised the
focus, but they've just spent multi £1,000,000 on a program
advertising the focus in rallying with Colin McRae.
You know some carbon ugly looking BTC touring focus is not
going to have the same attraction as so you could tell
I didn't like the BTC time but. I think.
Therefore have clearly blown their budget.
We've rallying at that. Point as well, yeah, and that's
a lot. And only and also spent £12
million on on touring cars. So yeah, it was totally
expected. But yeah, huge blow because the
Blue Oval is touring cars, isn't it?
You know, you look back at all that, you know, the previous
success they've had with, you know, Sierra Cosworth going back
even further than that. But you know, the capris,
obviously the Sierras, the Mondeo.
Yeah, it's, yeah. Ford was touring cars.
So, a huge blow, but not unexpected, and not surprisingly
at all, completely. Done it all like you're not
going to commit to do within that sort of money year in year
out in the same championship I and.
Also, they just bought Stewart Grand Prix as well.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
And turned into Jaguar so you know they they would go in 3
prongs, you know touring cars, rallying and F1 and that's not
sustainable and you. Yeah, you and you thought the
Tory car, but it was a lot. Absolutely nothing Exactly.
Compared to what? They're going to probably spend
in rallying, but also the F1 just absolute different
stratosphere with with money. Yeah, quite.
Interesting actually, that Ford obviously put all that money
into Jaguar and F1. As Alex said, it was here at
Grand Prix Pro Drive went off and worked with BAR.
They had been working with venison.
Yeah. And I think did they not say as
well at the time? I remember reading reports that
these new BTC cars, in theory, were supposed to be attracting a
a new, younger audience, smaller cars and sort of the car you
might buy as a hot car. Hot hats, yeah.
Civics Astros. Yeah.
Yeah, there was talk. I, I think Volvo were trying
making a lot of noise at the time as well.
Weren't they about coming back in because they'd withdrawn at
the end of 99 the previous season?
Obviously they didn't come back in in the end, yeah.
Renault was well, there were Renault talks as well that were
coming back, but nothing really came to fruition.
Obviously Rover did with MG in the end.
That was probably the best looking of these tedious things
that it. Must.
Have been a desperate time though behind the scenes wasn't
it you know, and I ended up with Vauxhall doubling up and having
two teams the next year with Egg Sport as well as.
The red. Vauxhalls well.
Goward gone Goward. Gone.
Richard West has run in the series.
Yeah. Yeah, it was looking pretty
grim, I'm not going to lie. It wasn't looking great.
Honda Meanwhile, we're also expected to announce their
departure from the series after the season finale, with Dick
Bennett's remaining hopeful that his W Surrey Racing outfit could
remain working with the Japanese mark.
We have not been informed of any decision yet, he said before the
meeting. We understand it will not be a
full works programme but we are working on a semi works deal.
Greg, as we now know Honda did leave the BTCC entirely and
continued racing their Super Tours in the European Super
Touring series in 2001. Would it have been a worry for
BTCC bosses looking forward to 2001 given Ford had gone and
then Honda essentially then would as well?
For that year, yeah. I think without doubts, and I
remember at the start of the 2001 season watching it myself
at home on grandstands and thinking, wow, this is it felt
like watching an entirely different championship and not
least the fact that that first meeting, obviously I'm going off
in a bit of a tangent now, but that first meeting of the next
season at Brands Hatch in 2001. They also.
Had two Sprint races if you remember the BTC Taurus and then
the BTC production class. I remember watching that
production race and I didn't know the names of pretty much
any of the drivers. Completely new teams and the the
touring field was tiny. Wasn't it at the start of 2001?
It did improve as the season went on and they had to make a
lot of changes didn't they? To the regs.
But it just shows how quickly things can change isn't it?
For better or for worse, because we talk about the zenith of
Super Touring, as Anthony Reid would say in 98 we lost Peugeot
and Audi at the end of that season.
Then we lost Renault, Nissan and Volvo at the end of 99 and they
had to think quickly, didn't they?
But maybe you could say they shouldn't have thought ahead
before. It's easy with the benefit of
hindsight, but absolutely. The the.
Costs were spiralling out of control, weren't they?
I mean, what was the budget for those?
Mondeo? As we said before, it was the
most expensive touring car ever to be run 12/12.
Mil. 12 mil. And that's.
Just Reedy's salary, so. That was.
Just a barbell. Yeah.
It probably was. Different if you listen to
different sources. So I've heard between 12 and 20
which, and, and we're talking 24 years ago as well, not £12
million now, three cars. As well, it's a lot of.
Money. Now, I can imagine there were
probably some. I mean, we talked about Ford's
involvement in F1 in 2000 with Janka.
I can imagine there were probably some F1 teams working
on similar or yeah yeah, Minardis, Minardi, Frost one
didn't have a lot of money by the 2000, did they?
Arrows, yeah. What is also good though, I
guess, is that those manufacturers that were
involved, Ford 100 Voxel, as they ended up in that order, had
the budget and the capability to field a third car that year.
Because otherwise that thin grid we had in 2001 we would have
already had, wouldn't we? I mean, it already looks small
in 2000. Didn't I remember Steve Ryder
saying it was down on on entries and down on numbers but not in
quality? The quality was there though.
We still had world. Class.
Drivers, didn't we, from all sorts of different countries.
Every driver in the in the works field had won a top level motor
race. Yes, of some sort.
Maybe not touring cars, but they'd won something
significant. Honda were the ones that were
sort of worrying about running a third car the most and in the
end they ended up having Tarquini come over with Jazz to
to run the third Honda. But I mean, this is how
expensive it was getting the. The independent field was only
two cars and it was 2 Nissans they started falling off at the
end of 99 the likes of Paula Cook, Lee Brooks, Russell
Spence. Yeah, it's you could tell that
these cars were just becoming far too expensive to run.
Yeah, it's a shame, but that's what happens when you have
manufacturers wanting to win, I guess.
Board team mates Alan Menu, Anthony Reid and Rickard Rydell
were going into this weekend attempting to be crowned the
final Super Touring Champion of the BTCC.
The title was almost certain to be decided in the final race
with just three points separating Menu and Reid once
drop scores were taken into account.
Menu held a narrow elite and would be ballast free, whilst
Greed would be carrying 40 kilograms going into the weekend
as a result of winning at Alton Park.
Before the race Menu said I will drive to win but I think I've
won enough races. I don't need to win, I just need
to score fairly well. Rydell's championship chances
were a lot less realistic after the collision with Menu at Alton
Park. I've got nothing to lose and
I'll be doing my best to win, he said prior to the event.
Adam, in such a tense title fight, which of the three
positions would you have liked to have been going in to be in
and going into that title decider?
You'd always want to go in as a championship leader completely.
I think Ready was in the driving seat.
You know, you look at that footage, the way they're,
they're doing the, you know what, what they each have to do
to win. You know, two of them needed,
you know, another one to have a bad result.
Like they needed really to have a bad, really bad weekend.
And you know, really Rydel had to win 2.
And it was all, you know, really was in a driving seat for me.
I know we made it bloody hard work when you look at the, the
results and how it went for him over the over those two races.
But and he was carrying forward to hear that.
But if you'd have asked Rydel and menu what position would you
rather be in going into the last round, both of those would have
said to you the championship leader.
So you can only want to go in there as a championship leader.
Yes, you've got the ballast, but it's no different to any of the
race going into the ballast. And you accept that your
performance isn't going to be quite as good, but you're still
in the fastest team, the fastest car.
So you still, you know, you're still likely to have a really
good result to finish near the front, which is all you needed
to do. But yeah, we'll go into it in
more depth throughout the rest of this.
But yeah, 100%, I want to be really going into that.
Alex that the deadly drop scores, a dreaded drop scores
really affecting the chances of each drivers as well here
though, and as as we've mentioned, making the
permutations not the easiest to follow either, no.
No, you're right, it's a very hard to work out who needs what
because of the drop scores and and really in particular was
very, very badly affected by the drop scores.
He had an issue with an ECU at Croft, which meant he was
disqualified from the feature race at Croft.
So he didn't score any points. But because he was disqualified,
he wasn't also not allowed to use that as a drop score.
So going in, yeah, Reed had, Reed had almost unfairly been
penalized for being so consistent and finishing so many
races. So yeah.
And that's why I don't like drop scores.
I just think and look how complicated it's making this
championship fight. Yeah, you know the game.
Penalized for your consistency, aren't you?
Yeah, when? When when I was trying to work
out the permutations, like last week when I was watching this, I
still don't think I got it right.
I was trying to work out if Reed had finished, whether he would
have so had Rademacher, spoiler alert, shoves him off at the
end. If Reed had finished where he
did, would he have done enough to win the title?
And I don't think he was quite there, but it wouldn't have
taken much because Plato was chasing Menu and but would Menu
have been going quicker if really was?
Do you know what I mean? It's isn't a tricky 1.
He was. Smarter he didn't.
He let Plato past. He did.
When he knew really was out. So it's it's like, yeah, it's a
tricky 1 to I 24 years on, I still couldn't quite work, to be
honest. I'm talking.
Talking about menu being smart, I'm pretty sure earlier in the
season you can maybe help me remember where it was.
I'm pretty sure at one point menu dropped back in a race as
well to try and avoid ballast for the next meeting.
I'm trying to think where it was, whereas it might have been
Donnington or brands towards the end of the.
Year because I know which circuits are going to penalize
them more really in terms of carrying that way.
It might be Donnington because that's that's that's momentum
all. I ran Healy as well.
Yeah, I, I. I don't know.
I don't remember that it may. Have been earlier in the season
but I remember people at the time talking about the fact he
may have dropped back a tad and thinking ahead to the next round
makes sense. Makes sense, It was actually a.
Very open season. When I was going through the
stats earlier, there were nine different race winners in 2000.
Well, yeah. Rademacher was the only one,
yeah, the works drivers that didn't win a race.
It was all. The works drivers apart from
Rademacher, Matt Neil had a winded near term brands, but
nine winners 19939899 and 2009 winners.
That is the most in any season. Interesting.
Yeah. In terms of race winners, it was
one of the most competitive of the lot, but that's really.
Interesting actually, because most.
Consistency wins titles, isn't it people?
Sort of forget about 2000. Yeah, Yeah, that's an
interesting one. I thought it was a great year
personally, but. And it is looking back now is
even we still enjoy it 30 now, don't we?
But at the time we'd come off the back of 98 Nitro, we'd lost
all those manufacturers. That's true.
Aiello had gone, I suppose everything.
Are the reigning champions not even on the grid?
No, you know. And some of those, the iconic
Renaults and Volvos and others were gone.
But it's still great looking back now compared to some other
motorsport we've seen since, I think it's fair to say give me
two. 1000 / 2001 any day. Independent ace Matt Neil only
just made it to the grid for the season finale, and it wasn't
because of fuel. Neil was the first driver to hit
a large quantity of oil during the test session on Friday.
He'd left the circuit at Beckett's at 120 miles an hour
and hit the crash barrier head on with no marshals nearby.
Several other cars spun and had near misses.
Even the truck that collected Matt's damaged Nissan spun
immediately afterwards. Neil was furious there were no
oil flanks or Marshalls around at all, he said.
Silverstone bosses hit back with Dennis Rohan saying the MSA sets
the marshalling levels. We use the same level for
Formula One. Having said that, we've all got
to learn from these things. The Team Dynamics squad quickly
got Neil's 1998 Premiera from a barn in Wiltshire where it was
being stalled and down to Silverstone for the remainder of
the weekend and Matt raced on despite a sore back.
Greg. Not a good start to the weekend
for Matt and the Dynamics Scott at all there was it?
Not really, no. When you described that he left
the circuit at Beckett's at 120 miles an hour and hit the crash
barrier head on. I think it is fair to say that
was not an ideal start to the race weekend.
And we probably just should explain to everyone as well what
this fuel crisis was all about because it's nearly 1/4 of a
century ago already isn't it? Basically what was happening is
the government at the time in the UK was hiking up surcharges
and taxes on fuel. So protesters were blocking the
refineries, blocking motorway, stopping the tankers from
delivering the fuel to the petrol stations.
Similar thing happened two years ago.
So that's what that was all about.
I don't know why they I don't know why they didn't just get
Vincent Rademacher to ram them out of the way.
Yeah. Exactly.
I'll tell you what though, I don't know if it was, it was
either producer Matt or yourself, Levi, just before we
started recording this, but did you not say it was twice?
Matt still qualified that 98 car, 5th on the grid, 2 separate
sessions for the two races. So I mean incredible.
It makes you think how good those premieres were and what on
earth was everybody else doing? Because he was still fighting
with Hondas and Vauxhalls, wasn't he?
And with Anthony Reed's Ford. But no, not a good start and
great stuff from Team Dynamics again, you know.
What was that car doing in a barn in Wiltshire anyway?
I guess. Bizarre.
Bizarre that, isn't it, actually.
Trying to find it in all the hay bales and getting all the hay
off it. Move a horse or a cow out the
way. There it is.
It's like. Something from a Hollywood
maybe, or something that they find this precious car in a
barn. It was.
I was impressed that they stick it up to the 2000 livery as
well. That was impressive.
Yeah, because it didn't look obviously the the headlamps were
a very different shape, weren't they?
But it didn't look too dissimilar.
But Matt was quite a lucky pre race.
I remember the Sprint race in 98.
He stopped on the warm up flapper, never got started.
So Silverstones, Matt Neal were a bit unlucky at that time, but
great, you've got to say, great stuff from Team Dynamics yet
again, putting everyone in the shade.
They'd won a couple of meetings earlier in the in the Sprint
race at Brands Hatch as well. So again, although as John
Watson said, a lot in the coverage in 2000, Matt probably
should have been a lot higher up the field, shouldn't He was
getting himself into a lot of scrapes, certainly earlier on in
the season. Yeah.
And lost a lot of points there. Yeah, yeah.
He had, he had a weird season with Christensen, didn't he?
They always seem to be banging into each other and and and
whatnot, Yeah. But no, great, you've got to say
that to, to recover. And obviously considering, as
you just said, Levi, Matt was in pain as well after an impact
like that. It's just a shame now we know
Matt's OK. It's a shame there's no footage
as far as I'm aware. I don't know if there's any
stills images. Oh no, there's nothing.
Nothing that I'm aware of anyway.
Maybe. Check with our friend Greg
Denton to see if there's any images of yes yeah.
Because it sounded like a hell. Of an impact, let's not.
Forget the irony, of course, of fuel shortage everywhere, but it
was all over the yeah. Yes, it's true.
Exactly. Do we know where the oil came
from by the way, is that, was that specified?
Was it one of the other touring cars or a support race or and
did I also read the the truck that went to recover Matt's car?
Did I read that in our script? It's.
Been. Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, it did.
Yeah, yeah. That's that's, that's the
footage I'd like to see. To be fair, yes.
As expected, the focus on qualifying would be on the free
forwards, but Matt Neil stunned the paddock by sticking his two
year old Primera in 5th place for both races.
The team worked on the calf throughout the night and I hope
this rewards all their hard work.
A delighted Neil said after the session.
Adam, after the troubles and drama he'd had so far that
weekend. That's a fairly incredible
performance, isn't it? Completely.
I mean, exactly what Greg's just spoke about there.
I mean, absolutely applaud every person involved in making that
happen. You know, to go from a, not just
a normal, you know, a shunt, but it's a bloody quick one.
So yeah, it's a lot of damage caused.
So to come back from that really, I mean, you know,
there's plenty of teams out there in different championships
that probably just put a sheet over it and and walked away.
But and just, you know, just accepted the fact that we're not
going to continue that weekend. So to to do what they did, mega,
mega job, mega job. You know, I'd be surprised if
you could see in many teams repeat that now you know, to go
and get a car from to not, you know, most teams that have spare
parts now, but to go actually go and physically get another car
that exists to use parts from. It was just outstanding work
really. Richard Riedel won the Battle of
the Fords with the Swede taking pole for the Sprint race and 2nd
for the feature race, whilst Tom Christensen's hondered at second
in the Sprint and pole for the feature.
Meanwhile, Alan Menu was faster than Anthony Reed in both
sessions, which Reed expected, having to carry the extra 40
kilograms in weight. He was pleased to be so close to
Menu with 4th and 6th in the two sessions.
Alex, The grid made for what was hopefully going to be an
incredible night of racing, wasn't it?
Yeah, it. Was a good grid.
I mean that that 40 kilograms really made the difference.
And you know, no wonder that menu was trying to, to avoid it
earlier on in the season because yeah, he would have been a lot
closer to the front of the grid had he not been carrying the
extra 40 kilograms. Impressive that he was so close
to many with 4th, actually 6th not too bad, but it's just
tough, isn't it? It just really is tough.
He he would he would have to fight his way through the field
to to get to the front and get the results he needed.
And that wasn't going to be easy.
When you've got the likes of Thompson, Talquini, Christensen
menu right out around you, you know, there's no slouches there,
is there? So yeah, it was going to be an
epic night. And I'd like to say that it did
turn out to be an epic night of racing, but probably not for
Reedy. Rydell did everything he could
to keep his championship hopes alive as he took the lead at the
start into cops reps are. Up, ready for the off.
Rydell on the right. He's away cleanly.
So is Christensen. A pair of Fords right behind
them, all the Class A cars crew cleanly.
That's Dan Eves and the Class B having a Dart now coming towards
us for the first time. Christensen on the left, that's
James Thompson lunging up the inside right.
Dell is through cleanly. Then it's nose to tail read and
menu that Neil trying to move around the outside.
On board with Matt Neil, now James Thompson ahead of us.
That's all our. Menu right beside us in through
Maggot's corner. We've got to turn right in the
second Neil and menu very close. Jason plate Menu is off Menu is
spinning. Can he hold it?
Menu is off and Plato Jason Plato has collected him the turn
into Beckett's that's that's off.
That's the end of his race in. Contrast Menu had a poor start
as Reed, Thompson and Neil all past him as he came around.
Beckett's Menu lost the rear of the car, slooed sideways and
collided with Jason Plato's Vauxhall.
Matt got down the inside of Alan and I followed him through.
Alan saw me and thought I best cover that and lost the rear of
his car. I was waiting to see which way
you'd go and pick the inside line, Plato explained.
After the race, both Plato and Critically Menu were out.
Greg an extremely dramatic first lap there for the championship
leader. Yeah, I mean, this was just
about the biggest drama we could have possibly seen really,
wasn't it? And looking back now, I guess it
put even more pressure on Anthony Reed because he had the
pit signals from the board and we had the ready communication
played into the BBC grandstand broadcast.
The menu is out, Menu is out. Big.
Time back on board with. Anthony Reed, he will know that
LM menu, the man he's challenging most, is now out.
Menu is out, menu out. There's the confirmation and it
just. Seemed like from that moment
onwards RE tightened up even more and was making more
mistakes. Got tangled up, as we'll hear
later with with Taquini. But yeah, I mean, Menu must have
been thinking at this this point, well, this is I don't
think he would have given up. He knew it wasn't over, didn't
he? But had Reid then got to finish
where he was at the time, it would have looked very
different. Going into the feature race.
Plato was unlucky. You have to feel for Jason.
He was so often not on the receiving end.
He was so often causing the incidents, I think it's fair to
say, through his BTCC career. But on this occasion, he was the
innocent victim. But I think Menu just lost it on
cold tires, didn't he? The pressure was on a rare error
for Alan Menu. I remember him spinning off at
Knock Hill earlier on in the season and I remember him
getting turned around at Thruxton.
But there's not often you saw a menu mistake.
Maybe in 98 there are a few boisterous moments, but then you
didn't often make a mistake through the whole of his career.
Did we say no? No, he was spinning like that on
the 1st lap at a crucial time. But the title on the line was
very rare indeed and it just makes you think again.
How on earth did Anthony Reid not end up winning that
championship? And of course, ironically, it
was in exactly the same part of the track where Reid ended up in
the gravel later on in the evening in the next race.
Adam, do you think that was a do you agree with Greg, an error
from Alan there or was it just a racing incident from you?
Yes, it's. A racing incident, although
there's an error from Alain, just purely, you know, you look
at the camera footage facing them as they're coming towards
you. It looks like he's been hit.
But it was just the literally it's a change of direction.
I know we spoke about this before we started to record, but
this was the first year where tire warmers were banned.
Now, I know they've gone all season knowing what this feels
like, but you know, it's, it's a difficult corner because you've
always got that, that danger. And it was the same when I raced
on that same circuit. You, you flat out through the
left, you're braking into the right, but you're also putting
all that pressure and you cut, you're trying to concentrate by
not braking too hard because you don't unlock the inside front,
but you're also doing a brake too hard.
So it pitches the rear end on cold, on cold attires because
the rears aren't really doing a great deal around there.
And that's exactly what we did. He just got caught out.
He went in there a little bit too quick and just got caught
out on, on cold rear tires. So.
And then, yeah, for once, Jason was the innocent party and that
and ended up colliding into the side of him and and that was him
done with a broken suspension. So it's a difficult corner, Ben,
you should have done better. But it is what it is.
And you know, it could have been have already did like most
things by most incidents within touring car racing.
But yeah, Jason was just the innocent person that just
happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and
actually. As well.
You've got to say sorry, Alex. It was a great it was a great
save by menu actually, wasn't it?
Yes. It was obviously then he just.
Got tagged. Menu joined the ranks of
spectators and spent the rest of the race doing sums in his head.
If Reed finished third, the task would be much more difficult
than before. I thought about everything.
I was pretty cheesed off. I can tell you I could only
watch the race, he said later. Alex, a tough moment for Menu
there. For once watching helpless as
his rivals raced on a championship battle.
If if I didn't know that that was an Ala menu quote, I would
have assumed it was an Anthony Reed quote being pretty cheesed
off. But no, yeah, that must be just
the most horrible feeling just watching your Championship
rivals. Both of them, obviously, because
Ryder was leading going round, you're already behind in the
points. And yeah, Reedy was third and
Rydell was leading. His heart must have just sunk at
that. Point.
You would have thought he was over, Yeah.
Done. It's done.
Yeah, yeah, I I definitely agree that that that he he would have
thought that's it. No, it would have been a little
part of him that would hope. But yeah, if, if it was me, I'd
have been like, yeah, that's. Everything was against him at
that point, wasn't he thinking the fact that, like the readies
in 3rd, you know, Rydell's up there, like, it's just it's
over. Like, you know, he needs an
absolute miracle to happen. And a little did he know what
was going to happen? But yeah, at that point, yeah,
he'd have been ready to pack his bags.
Can anyone? Remember the the points gap
going into this last meeting? Three points.
I think it was 3 or 4 points read.
Ahead, yes. Reedy was leading, yeah.
Back in the race, another Ford was leading championship.
Outsider Ricard Rydell was doing his best to even the odds,
chased by Honda's Tom Christensen.
The Ford Honda pattern continued in 3rd and 4th with Reed and
Thompson followed by Gabrielli Tarquini who muscled past nil at
Brooklands on the 1st lap. On lap 6 Thompson took a chance
at bridge knowing that Reid would not want to risk a decent
points. All it worked and Thompson's
timing could not have been better as they then came across
Jeff Kimber, Smith and the other Class B runners who held up
Reed, allowing Tarquini and Co to catch up on the Scotsman they
threw Nick. James at play again.
Seems to like the gravel here at Silverstone that's.
Comfy stuff, but this isn't comfy for Anthony Reed because
he's weaving all over the place trying to hold Tarquini off.
This is the drag down into Abby. Reed's got the defensive line.
Tarquini is side by side. There's AU turn coming up.
This is maximum pressure. Muller's trying to get past as
well. Matt Neil is bunching up all
over the back of Anthony Reed. They're swarming on him.
Greg Clansby. Didn't get the best club version
2000 and I know some people on this podcast looking at Alex
Clark here weren't the biggest fans of Class B seem to be later
renamed the production class. What did you think of the
category at the time? I will answer, but can I just
throw this to Alex Clark first please?
Yes. It's a game show, yeah.
Question or nominee? Yeah, I've.
Started so I'll finish. Get your little roller skate out
of my way. That's how I felt about Class B.
But Alex. It was the.
Future of the British Touring Car Championship.
It was a transitional season. A bit like 1990 had been, yeah.
You know. With the two litre formula
alongside the coterus. Did you see it like that?
I wonder if people felt that way.
They get that little lawn mower out of my way, out of the way of
my Sierra Cosway. I wonder.
But no, they they just looked so basic compared to when they used
when they used to cut to the in car and it was like the H
pattern box. It was like Jesus Christ.
And the pit stops that threw X2 and they didn't have to make
stops, but they did anyway, didn't they?
Because of the crazy of nature that every every wheel note was
done separately. I have expected them to bring
out the old Jack. Yeah, the.
Spare wheel. They just looked awful and the
the speed difference between a super Torah and one of those was
big. Compared to later years where
they were against those BTC Torah things, that was not so
much of a gap so. Some of the on board footage
down in places like the cradle curves.
Yes, I was. Just thinking that yeah, yeah.
Or. Leading to the s s at Croft,
Yeah, I mean, luckily there was no incident, was there no bad
incident anyway? I mean, there was an incident
with James K at Brands, yes. Yeah, there was when, Neil?
Used James K on purpose to pass Christensen.
There were dangers in the wrong place at the wrong time there,
but luckily there was no no super tour assigned into the
back of the Class B. No, that would have been bad.
Yeah, that would have been nasty.
But they did get sort of caught up with Reedy and Tarquini and
Co in this race. Yeah, true.
So I think Jeff Kimber Smith and Nick James were trying to
wrestle each other off the track at some point and the big boys
came round and just get out of my way, sort of, I don't think.
It made it worse. With the with the looks of the
cars that designed everything, like you said, this was the way
it was going. The fact that they were on the
circuit at the same time I do. I do remember the season opener
brands on the GP loop in the feature race, Morrison ends up
on his roof in Peugeot 306. And I remember thinking, oh for
God to get these things off the track, what are they doing?
You know, in hindrance it was a bit like that, you know, and
obviously looking back now and with with an older head on, I
could see the reason for it. But I was very, very, very
distinct. I didn't have much time for them
at all. It was like, even when they cut
to them on the footage, like nobody cares where there's good,
you know? It did.
It did actually bring an interesting element into the
races to put a positive spin on this in the pit stop races in
particular, didn't it? Because if you stayed out
longer, you know to lead a lap and get the point, you would
then catch Class B runners. So it was quite crucial to make
sure you caught them in the right place.
Yes, Class B runners needed to not lose too much time being
that because they were racing against one another as Alex was
following in great detail with massive zest and enthusiasm.
Yes, these stupid. Sewing machines I.
Liked how old were? You were you, Alex, back then in
the year 2016. So.
Very angry 6 disappointed 16 year old.
I liked the neon lights that Bar Whale put on the bottom of the
Hondas, but it did look a bit chabby I guess.
Isn't it the little Curt show and those neon lights in the
night races? This was going through the Max.
Power era, so you're pretty good at free the Max Power magazine
and very. Year 2000, yeah.
Didn't the Honda have on its aerial?
Yes. Yeah, a little.
A little flashing. Ball.
Yeah, on the little flashing. Ball on the on there, wasn't it?
What is? A fascinating fact, gentleman,
Is that something I didn't know until today is that after Reed
and Tarquini, it was a Class B runner who completed the most
racing miles. Laps of kilometers.
James K It was. Mark Lemmer, actually.
OK, in the. Integra OK, fascinating detail
there, but yeah, I mean to answer yeah, the.
Reliable sewing machine. I remember Nokia I.
Remember. The difference in speed coming
out the heap and over the line at Nokia up the hill.
Yeah, it was scary actually, if you if they were on board with
the Super Tour or vice versa. It was scary seeing the the the
speed differential especially. In blind places like Nokia, up
over the top of the chicane, if there's a Part A Class B car
parked on the top of it. I didn't think it was too bad.
It was important for the future. It was a transitional year and I
guess we are lucky we didn't get a nasty accident which could
have happened and luckily didn't.
There's a bit of content, but nothing.
I think Reed pushed one wide as well.
Actually at Padakil Bend in the first feat Race of the Year
remembers one of the cars. That's right.
Yeah.
But I've been Lemma then.
That's right. So yeah.
What did I think of the category?
I thought it was fired. Oh, sat on the fence I liked.
The Peugeot. I remember that Peugeot catch in
my eye when I was 10 years old with its luminous livery.
I remember looking down on that Abbey hairpin where Matt was
describing he was on the inside marshalling in the mid season
round back in. When was that?
In June. And I remember seeing that
Peugeot go round and you could see it coming from miles off.
I like that about it. That was good but and also the
Peugeot was way ahead of the rest of the field.
Wasn't it earlier in the season? At least it was.
Win win or Buster? Wasn't it with Alan Morrison?
So. When he was sat next to a quick
fit sponsored Ford Pro Dr. Mondeo.
What do you think of the Peugeot then?
I thought it was very green. Alex.
Was just very happy that he saw the luminous green poetry.
So we need the selling machines are on their way.
It was a. Singer It was a.
Reliable one here's. The thing?
I wouldn't do where those Class B cars are now because nobody.
Cares. Well, that's what Alex thoughts
are. No one doesn't Care now.
Big care then, I joke. I joke 20.
Four years later, he still doesn't give a shit.
And he's. Saying I joke, I joke, you don't
joke. It's still not joking at all.
You absolutely mean every word of it.
There might be a really big Class B enthusiast listening, so
I don't want to upset them. Look how look how much I upset
the Citroen BX community. So you know, I, you know, hype
balls. Going to start coming in now for
you again, Alex, Let's not. Go there, you know the only
thing. We could say, I guess, is that
at least if you have a proper, I'm not saying Barwell and the
others weren't proper teams because they're good teams, but
Big Lee running that Peugeot and even when they had Will Hoy in
the car, I remember seeing Will Hoy, yes.
Will yeah at the. Right old age of 47, raced at
Silverstone mid season. Danny and and whoever was in
that Peugeot alongside Morrison went well didn't they that year?
Well, they normally. Beat Morrison, didn't they?
Will Holly, Will Holly got two poles, but then the car broke
both times. Did well.
Yeah. Mix and Lee raced at Donnington.
I think it was. Yeah.
Lee Linford raced at Donnington. I just like, you know, I didn't
have anything against the cars, but they were National Saloon
Cup cars and they had their own championship and yeah, Tony.
It's a bit like what class D used to be if I'm not wrong.
Yeah, before when? We had the original four class,
yeah. With the golfs and the yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you're right.
But yeah, I just didn't didn't have much time for them
personally. It's I'm sure, I'm sure someone
out there loved them. And sorry, I think producer Matt
was going to say something before and I interrupted you so.
All of all I was going to say was that the much anticipated
spin off series of stories from the production class.
Yeah, that may not be happening after all.
Cancelled. It could.
Happen, but it just won't feature Alex Clark.
I don't think I'll get an invite on that one.
Yeah, you. Know no guest on that one now.
Ahead of the mayhem, Tom Christensen was all over the
back of Rydell's car and on lap a made a clean move at Priory to
slip past into the leads. Concerned.
Rydell and the bridge corner. Coming up into the complex.
Christensen lines him up, down the inside, and he lunges.
Big pass. Tom Christensen.
His lunge deck can ride. He'll fight back.
No, he can't. He's made it stick.
Great stuff. And the Honda boys know it.
Just. Behind on the same lap, Tarquini
tried the same on Reid, but the Pai contact and the Ford slewed
sideways between Priory and Brooklyn's great.
Pass up again. Coming out of Abbey track
position was critical. He got the drive up the hill.
Look at this. That Tarquini tries to do
exactly the same thing and it doesn't work and more impact
that's Anthony Reid that's. Anthony.
Reid, that's his championship hopes out.
There's a Honda off. That was Tarquini.
There was a foxhole. The guys in the Ford camp trying
to sort that out. We're talking about deja vu.
We saw the same thing happen to Anthony Reid some months ago in
the first round here at Silverstone Reid's.
Fan Pack was through Brooklyn's and was collected by Sarquini.
The blame differed, according to he asked.
So guys, where does the blame lay for you on that instant?
The first thing I'd say is it's strange because we had a such a
similar incident at the first Silverstone meeting earlier on
in the season when Thompson spun Rademacher, who went backwards
straight into the side of Reed's driver's door and he was very
lucky to get away with that. I don't think a very rarely if I
seen a touring car damaged as badly as Rademacher's Vectra was
on June the 11th, 2000, but fast forwarding to September.
It's a really tricky 1 isn't it? Because Reed was slow at that
point of the race. Tarquini was desperate to get
through. I think it's a racing incident.
Adam can give us the drivers inside, but Tarquini is
attacking. Reed's moved across, they've
touched front wheel drive, so you could spin them around,
couldn't you, from with your little finger?
You've come through bridge, you don't position yourself over to
the right hand side, you don't go through the left and
naturally you're going over to the right then to break for
Brooklyn's. But as he's done it, he's trying
to just keep it tight Yeah talk when he's at the inside he's got
his momentum as well, so his nose is ever so slightly by his
back bumper. So there was only going to be 1
winner in a position like that. And then let's bear it in mind
that really is trying to win the championship here.
He just needs to finish as high as he can, collect some points
letting by. There you go.
Don't put up the fight. Don't put yourself in a
situation where it's going to end up in tears like most 5050
sort of do when you're in touring cars like.
Tarquini. Had nothing to to win.
He wasn't in a championship. He didn't give a shit about
really. He was just trying to get past
like any other race. And the fact that he's tried to
hold it tight, he he sort of created the problem himself.
Anthony did and I just feel like a disappointed parent when I
watch it and and. Kirk, you mentioned this before.
It was Honda again, wasn't it? I would say I don't think
Tarquini. Tarquini didn't do it on
purpose, I don't think. Whereas with no, no, not at all.
And the Thompson Rademacher won earlier in the season, I think
James could have lifted off and he spun the Vauxhall round.
This one was more I think like you said, Adam reading a quick
corner. So you break down a day gear,
maybe what, 2 gears and you're back on the throttle again into
Brooklyn's. So the fact that really sort of
kept it turning left, which the cars are going right.
So what did he want Tarkoini to do?
I don't think he even thought Tarkoini was bumper was towards
his rear wheel. But I personally wouldn't have
took that risk. I.
Thought really tried to take both lines.
It's funny if Silverstone 898 he went so aggressive, didn't he on
a. Honda again on.
Thompson, he went so aggressive and absolutely wiped Tomo out,
dropped them down the field, and this time he sort of went into
his shell totally. It was just, yeah, it's so
frustrating looking at now, you just want to sort of give him a
shake and say, come on, Anthony. What?
Yeah. Sort of.
What are you doing? You know.
And then real. Shadow.
A shadow of his for myself as well.
Sorry to let. In yeah, yeah, if you look at
the previous. Rounds.
All those points really had been scoring.
The winner at Donnington won again at Alton.
Mr. Sensible, Mr. Points Man and yeah, he just, he lost his head,
didn't he? Sadly, yeah.
Good, good. The.
Italian was out on the spot and Reed dropped to 8th cure Swiss
sigh of relief from Beckett's. Let's hear what Tarquini had to
say to BBC grandstand after this incident.
I was. In battle with Anthony, Anthony
was very slow. Compare me and he was changing
line every time and he changed line in between two corners like
I was in so he spun in front of me and he went into the grass
and he come back onto the truck and he.
He take. Me.
Take me off. Meanwhile, Thompson had pulled
himself up onto the towel of Rydell and on lap 12 squeezed
past on the exit of wood coat to drag past the Ford.
The Honda 12 didn't last long though, because Rydell lunged
back at Maggots, giving Thompson a clip on the way through and
sending the Englishman free. The gravel Adam was it.
A bit of tit for tat from both of them there.
You look at the move that JT had put on on Rydell, he just just
forced him wide, really came around to the straight,
obviously got him and Rydell needed the points.
But also, I know I've spoken about this in previous podcast
and this is of how touring cars works really tit for tat.
If you just take it, never give it, you're always going to get
bullied. So you sort of give it back.
So and I think even if you asked Thompson now today, you know,
have you got a problem with what he did coming back?
I don't think he would. He'd have just thought, well, I
did it to him and he got me back and I deserved it.
Really. I pushed my luck.
And if you can get through with someone that way and then pull
in a big enough gap soon enough, then obviously you can get away
with it. But even then going into the
next race or the next round, generally throughout a
championship, you've always got it in your head thinking I mowed
one from him. So when it comes at the next
race or two races, 3 races, 4 races down the line when you
want to kick off to to them about it, you know, Jack
Thompson wanted, you know, if that was halfway for the season,
it got 4 races down the line, then he wanted to mode it in for
doing something. Rydell, I'll go.
Well, do you remember that time when you'd beefed me off coming
around onto the straight Silverstone?
Oh, yeah. You know, and it's sort, that's
sort of how it works. So I wasn't surprised.
And, and honestly, Thompson wouldn't have had an issue with
it, I don't think. I think knowing how he is and
his personality and everything, he, you know, he's, he's all for
dishing it out, but he wouldn't have been surprised at all to
get that back from someone who's experienced as Ryder.
The Accord pilot was uncharacteristically forgiving
after the race saying I have the legs on record and got past him,
but he repassed you and I had a trip through the gravel.
There was a bit of an assist but I appreciate his position and
probably would have done the same.
Yet more chaos was unfolding behind as a battle between Neil
Vincent Rademacher and Ivan Mueller reached boiling point.
Mueller pulled off at cops with a puncture whilst the front of
Rademacher's Vauxhall was damaged from hitting Neil's
Primera and then Vincent. Rademacher using what's left of
the front of his Vauxhall to barge Matt Neil out of the way.
This scrap has been going on all race long.
Muller Rademacher and Matt Neil side by side down the pitch
straight. This is a.
Complicated little bunch of bread.
Matt Neil forces Rademacher over towards the pit wall and
amazingly, he's screwed. Nice.
Nicely done. And that's Muller.
Hey, Muller's a problem. OK, Muller's just dropped out of
that race, but his issue is we're running out of laps fast
here. But these two still going out of
hammer and Tom kneel in front. Ratamaka coming back at him now.
Never. Say dive.
Vincent Ratamaka. Like a pair of little terriers
squabbling in the kennel, neither prepared to concede 1
inch still. Side by side down towards Abbey
Corner, banging panels that Neil seems to have the corner but
Ratamaka is going to muscle his way through Izzy.
He pushes him out of the way. Isn't that more like, oh, it
almost picks up David Leslie and the Nissan, as well as more like
an episode of the Three Stooges than a motor race?
Take that, take that, push him off.
So. The pair finally ran into each
other at Abby, with Rademacher on the inside.
Neil ran wide, the Vauxhall was delayed and David Leslie passed
them both. Greg, a good battle between
Rademacher and Neil there, or a little bit too much for you?
No, it wasn't too much. I thought it was great.
It was great. TVI suppose it was too much for
Matt Neil's point of view. Rademacher was actually on the
grass on the inside, as Matt mentioned before, because he was
marshalling there. But Rademacher was completely
locked up. Actually.
There was smoke pouring off his tires trying to get it stopped.
He's on the grass. It was just a mess of a corner,
really. A little bit similar to menu
headbutting Klenandoff 2 years earlier.
Yeah, with a voxel involved in that one as well, obviously.
But great stuff from Leslie, wasn't it?
Real opportunities. We obviously saw that coming and
he positioned himself brilliantly and straight
through. And the Pro Motorsport Nissan,
which had been driven by Colin Blair hadn't it for most of the
season, was through. And it was nice to see that
other Nissan independent team having some success.
And he would have actually finished ahead of Neil, I guess,
in that race, wouldn't he, as the top independent.
Yeah, as Alex said earlier, Vincent Rademacher seems to be
all over the place, just causing carnage all across that race
weekend. Alex.
Was it good for you to see Leslie up there and performing
well in the Pro Motorsport Nissan too?
Yeah, it. Was nice to see that car up at
the sharp end because Colin Blair, bless him, didn't didn't
get much out of it. In fact, he would quite often be
a few seconds a lap off the pace.
So yeah, to have that car up there and competitive, it
reminds me a bit of when Will Hoy jumped in the arena Laguna
in 99 when Russell Spence was having similar levels of luck
with with that Renault and Holly got in the car.
And when two or three independent races, I don't think
Leslie won this one. I think that going on the last
lap, sadly, which is a shame because it would have been nice
to have seeing David of a bit of silverware, but he finished
sixth in this race. So, you know, fair play as as
the as the Pro motorsport team went, that was that was a pretty
good result. And and dare I say it, that
shows just how good Matt was performing because David was in
a 99 Nissan that he had driven all last year.
And still, Matt, admittedly, it wasn't prepared to the same
level of RML with Pro Motorsport.
And I don't think I'm doing them a disservice by saying that.
But yeah, Matt was beating Leslie in a 98 Premiera.
So you know, we've already mentioned it, but fair play to
to Matt. He was really getting the most
out of that car this this weekend.
I was also thinking it was quite ironic just going back briefly
to the pass between Rydell and Thompson at Maggots because
Thompson put a great pass on Rydell there.
Remember in 98 in the Honda and the Volbert it was almost roles
reversed wasn't it? Not quite the same move, but
very similar. Christensen won, but what did
the results mean for the championship?
I'll let the protagonists explain.
Yeah, I mean. Obviously, no, I don't drop
that. These two.
Points anymore so I'm on 184 so I need to finish in the first 3.
3rd. Minimum third Friday.
Wins doesn't matter. I'm champion as long as Anthony
is. No better than two places.
Behind me. So it's all to.
Play for it. Won't be.
Easy. It's very, very tight.
So I think I mean, I haven't. I'm not a mathematician, I never
will be. But.
I just got the feelings very tight.
It could go any one of three ways between Ricard Allen
myself, so. I'm sure it's going to be very
exciting. For all concerns.
Tonight. 30 laps were to decide the final ever Super Touring
champion of the BTCC, Ricard Rydell founded the reckoning in
the cruelest way possible when his Mondeo, which had a new
engine for the feature race, sprung a water leak on the grid.
I've had the pace but not the luck this year, Read the speed,
Adam. That must be a really tough way
to miss out on a chance of a title, even though it was a bit
more remote for Riccard by that point.
Yeah, absolutely devastating because I'm sure he was still
mathematically with the chance if if he didn't win the race and
the other two, you know, out of DNF, which everything was
possible. And look what the outcome of
menu was after his DNF. So yeah, absolutely devastating.
I think it's especially when it wasn't a fault of his own, like
in a racing incident or anything like that.
You know, this was something that was completely out of his
hands and like you've you're virtually about to start the
race and then you discover it like you couldn't have left it
any later to find this out. So I think that, yeah, just
absolutely devastating. I mean, what you know, for the
team to tell you like we've got a problem, we've got a water
light and we can't fix it. We need to push you off the
grid. Like no.
Words really, but you can only imagine, can't you, what that
would have felt like it. Especially when you with the
chance, if another driver that you're not in with a chance of
winning the race or even the championship, yeah, you're
gutted and it's not the way you want to finish the season or
that era really. But when you've actually got a
chance of winning. It doesn't.
Get much tougher than that. Rozelle really had the bad luck
of the of the Mondeo was when it came to reliability that year.
There were a few occasions where his Mondeo broke down or
something broke on the car in the middle of a race or or
whatnot. Do we know why?
They had to change the engine for that last race I remember.
I think, I think Charlie Cox said on the grid what they were
getting water in the cylinder heads for some reason.
Oh, that's. Right.
Yeah, yeah. But yeah.
Yeah, how? Unfortunate though.
Kristensen LED from pole with Thompson jumping menu to make it
a Honda 1/2 into Cops menu, hung onto Thompson's bum pillow and
pounced after Thompson caught a big slide as he came out of
bridge. Down through Bridge Corner for
the first time, still looking to fight big.
Slide there from James Thompson and menu.
Seize the opportunity. Muscles down the inside takes
the pass Tough stuff. Thompson have trouble now
defending trying to fight back. He's in fourth position.
Not for long. That's a bottom.
It's Matt Neely, independent in the Nissan.
He muscles passed as well. I just went for it.
I decided I was going through whatever and it works, said Menu
Greg With the championship on the line, that's a ballsy move
from menu there, isn't it? That was a great move actually,
wasn't it? Thompson had a big wobble on
between Bridge and Priory and many people would argue Anthony
Reed lost this championship. But you can also very much argue
that Alan Menu won it, can't you, because he had some great
drives that year. He was quick in all the token
test pre season. I think he was first and or
second in pretty much every test pre season when the first race
at Brands had a really good brands win in mixed conditions
at the the later season brands meeting.
And that was a great move for many because had he not passed
Thompson there, he might not have got him all race long once
had settled in. So he he took advantage, didn't
have that wobble from Thompson and and he won the championship
in some ways with that move. I thought it was a really, it
was classic out of menu actually, wasn't it in many
ways. Yeah, it's a great move.
Meanwhile. Reed was struggling and on lap
five he was passed by Van Mueller for 5th.
The Scott later admitted it took a while for the car to settle.
Alex wasn't looking good for Anthony at this point, was it?
No. And again, I mean, we've we've
already mentioned it several times.
It's just another example of Anthony not being able to settle
something which he was great at all year.
But when it came to the final reckoning, he, I don't want to
say bottled it. I don't think that's fair.
He didn't bottle it, but he became very insular and yeah,
just there was just no need for it.
Just just do you. He, he should have gone out
fighting. You know, it's, it's a tough
one, isn't it? But yeah, Anthony really, really
didn't do himself any favours this weekend and this was just
another example. Just couldn't settle the car.
With every point counting Read a Menu each ensured that they
scored a point for leading the race.
Reed was the last to pip and rejoined fifth behind Plato,
Thompson, Menu and Christensen, who led by some 6 seconds.
A typical gutsy drive from Plato was dragging his vector up the
order, while teammate Vincent Rademacher seemed more intent on
biffing his roles into the darkness to progress.
First it was Tarquini who was hit at Priory.
Both went sideways, but the Vauxhall came out on top.
Adam. We've mentioned it a couple of
times already on this episode, but it was a pretty physical
night for Rademacher in what would be his final BTCC race.
Yeah, I think you could just the music, you could play over the
top of all these maneuvers. Let's get physical, I mean.
I mean. Like that's, that's literally
what he did for two races, yeah. Amongst others throughout the
season. But he, he and you look at the
footage, he was quite hard. He actually, I mean he, it's so
hard to overtake into there generally because you carry
quite a lot of speed in there. So if you to actually get a
manoeuvre done properly clean, you know, he's a tough thing to
do. That's why you'll always see any
manoeuvre sort of done really as you're coming out of bridge,
you've got that momentum coming out of bridge and you're just
getting your nose belong towards the back of the bumper and then
you make the move. You seem to come back from quite
a long way and talk when he's broke legs as well.
And, and, but you actually look at the the footage and you can
hear the sound of the bang actually from inside Tark when
he's on board footage, you can hear the crash coming into the
side. So.
He was. Coming through where the Tark
when he likes it or not, to be honest.
But yeah, it was a tough move That that was, that was, that
was, you know, if that might have been towed, Well, I
probably, I don't know. It depends where you apply.
You want to take things. But it wasn't Tuck when he
didn't do anything wrong. I don't think he did anything to
deserve it. And and when you force your way
through that hard, that means the manoeuvre was never on.
And I'm joking here obviously, but the fact it was the last
Toker race and it would have been 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning
rather time the stewards looked at it probably just went.
Home. Yeah, he.
Didn't give a crap. He didn't crap.
We just thought sadly. So I'm just going for it.
And I think the way we watched, you know, we could see all these
manoeuvres that he was pulling off.
It seemed like that, like he just didn't care.
Like. Well, that's one of the things
that is great though, isn't it, about front wheel drive touring
cars, The fact you can just floor the throttle with a load
of smoke pouring off the front tires and and keep it going.
I mean, it's what an amazing man.
I think Charlie Cox said. Ladies and gentlemen, take your
partners, please, because they were both sideways.
Yes, Yeah. Yeah, yeah, the headlights.
It was a great, a great TV moment.
It must have been great to witness that if you were
watching trackside. Yeah, I'd just say I felt sorry
for Rademacher that yeah, because there were team orders
weren't there within Vauxhall. And it was clearly, certainly
earlier in the season. Mullet #1, Plato 2, Rademacher
3. He wasn't even a #2 driver.
He was a #3 driver. He had to.
I remember he him having to give his car up.
Yes. Mueller commanded his car was
his nettleton after he trashed his car.
Yeah, yeah, just so by the back. I think by that point he didn't,
he didn't really he. Didn't care.
He just smashed his way through probably.
Knew he didn't have a drive next season so yeah.
Plato battled past Thompson who then pitted for a punctured tyre
with four laps to go. This elevated Reed to 4th and if
Plato took Menu 2nd place and he was catching fast, the Scott
would be champion. With three laps to go.
The tension was unbearable and Rademacher was now challenging
Reed for 4th. Down the pitch, straight
Rademacher trying to draft around through Cop's corner.
He's getting closer, not further away.
This is a problem for Anthony Reed over the rise.
Now here's the view from Rademacher's car.
Let's read right ahead of us. And then he's trying to defend
Vincent is trying to ease his way around.
There's a left and a right coming up here.
There's the left, here's the right and Reed is around.
I don't know if there was contact, but Reed sliding across
the track and off and in the gravel.
Well, that's. Awful.
Anthony Reed, His championship was gone.
I couldn't tell if there was contact or not.
If it was, it was very slight, but if there was, it doesn't
really matter. It's over.
And those. Faces really tell the story that
has really shot the fox. Rademacher drove into the back
of Reed at Beckett's and pushed him on day off into the gravel.
Reed's championship was over and after the race he could barely
find words to describe his anger.
There is no point talking to him.
It is way beyond talking, Reed said after the race.
Once I got into 4th, it felt like I had one hand on the
trophy, Greg thought. Something all pretty gutting way
for Reed season to end, wasn't it?
Yeah, One thought I will just throw in is that I think Jason
Plato had a magnificent race because he was 8th or 9th coming
out of the first quarter on the opening lap and fought his way
back through. Obviously there was a bit of
carnage ahead, people having punctures and Mother had a
puncture as well as Thompson didn't even Even so, yeah.
What a shame. People forget how close that
season was, don't they? A bit like F1 was very close
that year with Hakkinen and Schumacher and it's almost like
the forgotten season. And you know, with the the 2000
year there it was two points, it was two points.
It was the closest ever margin in the whole of the Super
Touring era. We had had three between Harvey
and Hoy in 92, but we ended with the closest ever championship.
But again, it felt like Reid put himself.
It's easy for me to say this, but it's it's as though Reid was
just being overly defensive. Yeah, it didn't need to be.
Again, like I just said before, Rademack is coming.
Let the bloody guy past. Of all the.
People let him past yeah, just like Menu did when Playtake came
up behind him. It's play sound like it's only
going to go on my if he's trying to get Yeah because.
Menu Also menu must have had the presence of mind to be
calculating that because he I guess he wouldn't have let Plato
pass the. Breed Absolutely no.
Generally, absolutely no, you wouldn't, but he thought.
But you swallow your pride at times and just let it be.
But it's almost like, like, like Rady's hair had just completely
gone and, and he didn't think about it like we were winning a
championship, you know, like a champions win really well.
And it was. It was similar to as well,
wasn't it? I didn't.
It was the way we're spin around from the rear quarter it almost
identical what? Were you the first race?
Why are you putting the fight in?
Why? Why are you putting the fight in
like you're at Knock Hill or part what?
Why are you you? You've just won the previous
race at Knock at Alton Bar. What just do you do the do you
normal professional the the right thing?
And that's why I just find it really disappointed.
I generally think his head went with it all because the.
The quote Once I got into 4th, I felt like I had one hand on the
trophy. That's him defending 4th at all
costs against Rademacher and that, you know, I suppose he
would need to hold on to 4th to win the championship.
So. Because even if he had stayed in
Fourth and that hadn't happened, he still needed help elsewhere.
He still. Needed Plato to get past menu
and that was so. He was closely quick because
that would have you know. It was.
So mad, but it's the permutation it all.
Went wrong in race one, didn't it?
Yeah. If he didn't let Tarquini
through, yeah. Yeah.
If he didn't let Tarquini through, he might have ended up
5th, whereas instead he ended up 8th, I think so.
There's just four or five points, yeah.
Yeah, that's the. Difference the sort of tags you
only got to win by one of you. Yeah, because also there was no
obvious mistake Reed had made earlier on in the year.
You couldn't really look back as I'm just looking down the
calendar thinking what happened earlier in the year.
Did he throw something away here or lost big points there?
He didn't really. He was Mr. Consistency in the
2000, wasn't he? Which is.
Why he had to drop points but. Yes, exactly.
I mean, Reed did race and finish the most laps of any other
driver in the whole of that campaign, but ended up dropping
points. God I.
Hate drop scores and. Alex, you did say before, I
think I can't remember whether we were recording, but a bit
like Levi mentioned earlier as well tonight before we started
Center and Prost, yes, scored more points than centre in 88,
but because of drop scores lost the championship.
Reed scored the most points, didn't.
He did. Yeah.
Yeah, he did. So I've got the table here.
Alan Menu scored 195. Anthony Reed with drop scores.
As you said, Greg, the two point cap at 193.
But if there were no drop scores, really would have had
201 points, would have won the title by 6 points.
So galling. Very, very galling.
Then again. Could you argue that's just
about devil's advocate here, knowing you've got to drop 4
scores when the season begins, is it better off taking a risk
sometimes and going for win or burst, knowing if you do go off
you're going to drop the score anyway?
I don't know. Yeah, I don't know.
There's different ways because it is the same for everyone.
You could argue I mean looking. At his, you know, racing career
in touring cars pre and post 2000, Anthony Reed wasn't very
Mr. Conservative, was he? You know, he was normally he's
normally ended up annoying somebody.
Yeah. And.
And he'd often get into scrapes
with high pressure. Yeah, it was always.
Aggressive, the amount of post race arguments he ended up with.
Rydell, Thompson and Muller, Matt Neil, they've all, they've
all had arguments with him, mostly at Brands Hatched, yeah.
Alan, Alan. Menu in 97.
Menu in 90. Seven, He wound up a lot of
drivers with his with his driving standards before.
So very unusual to see Reid behaving so sensibly.
I don't. Think he was carrying around 40
kilos of ballast. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah. Like so he wasn't going to be
the fastest 1. He was going to struggle in
certain that's chance the circuit.
So you're carrying that that burden almost of of what what's
happening. So sometimes you just got
conceived and just like I let him by doesn't matter.
Like just it's hard and obviously it's one of the
hardest things you could possibly do as a racing driver
is to think that way is to let somebody pass.
But that's where you've just got to be clever about it and think
this, this is it. Now everything that I've done
this season has come down to this and sometimes you've just
got a box. Clever Ave.
That is true actually though, because maybe we're being a bit
too hard on really because you had the ballast.
The Hondas were very quick on the international circuit at
Silverstone. They had the best straight line
speed of anyone that year. And that's already you're going
to be what, 6th or 7th by default or most aren't.
Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
So he's carrying that going in the yes, championship leader,
however, he was carrying the most ballast.
I just felt he could have tackled those that weekend, that
race, that day differently. And I'm sure he looks back on
that now and thinks the same. Place, Who did pass Menu when
the Swiss made room on the penultimate lap?
Alan's no full. I was flashing my lights and he
had a championship at stake. Had Reed still been in the race,
Menu was confident he could have helped Plato back.
He was very fast, but if I had to defend he would have stayed
behind. Alex, do you agree with Alan
there? Do you think he'd have held off
Plato? It really came to it.
I'm not sure really. I don't don't know if you can
say definitely either either way, but what I do know is that
Jason suffered a little bit at the hands of Alan at Renault for
a couple of years. They had a couple of set twos,
didn't they? Yeah.
I can imagine Jason wanting to put the shits of Alan a bit.
Yes, I can imagine. That's why I like.
Just letting through, didn't they?
Yeah, I'm not even going to go there.
I can. Imagine that, that, that that
would have been very much. And he was catching him fast.
So you can't say for sure. I would like to think that Plato
would have been able to pass. And I'm, I'm rewriting it so
that really wins the championship here.
But yeah, I would like to think it would have happened.
But I don't know. Alan was pretty gutsy that day,
wasn't he? As Greg said about that pass on
the open lap, he wasn't afraid to sort of get stuck in.
So I'm not sure. I would like to think it would
have happened and really would have won the title and would
have. He would have deserved a title,
but Alan was not going to let go of that title easily either, was
he So. So what of Christensen, the last
man to win a BTCC Super Touring race in the UK but almost
forgotten the title melee. It's been a frustrating season
so it's good to end on a high note.
I had all the luck today. It was a masterful performance
from the Dane, but he was right about the luck.
Just ask Anthony Reed and Richard Rydell about their luck.
Adam, a double win. Not a bad way to sign off from
your time in the BTCC is it? Absolute perfect.
It was just absolutely perfect. I think he had a it was a first
class performance from him really.
And and he was a first class driver and I think you saw more
of that as the years went on with what he achieved with
Lamont and, you know, you put your money on him winning and
and he just absolutely top class driver in every way.
An Ambassador Ferraldi. I believe he still is.
And you know, he's brilliant. So yeah, to sign your season off
like that, absolutely brilliant. You couldn't really want from
anymore, really. The car was quick and like I've
said before about some of the easiest races, the ones that you
win because you're at the front, you start at the front, you're
out of the main lie of all the shenanigans that can be going on
elsewhere and wrong place, wrong time moments.
You got cars to your left to your right in front of you,
behind you. And as we know in BTCC racing,
anything can happen at any time, but to just be in that position
at the front, just to have the car quick enough to win the
perfect races are and then the easiest ones that you'll ever
with and you just did what you needed to do.
We had the car to do it, which was really good.
Meanwhile, Alan Menu became the only person to win two BTCC
titles in the Super Touring era. Let's hear his faults after the
race and this. Man, Alan Menu, well done.
Congratulations champ. The year 2000 champion Alan
Menu, tell us how you feeling? Much better than 97.
It's amazing. I mean on the.
I think I started to cry with two corners to go.
On that. Last lap.
Just. Amazing.
You know, after that first race where I went off and then I knew
I had to finish in the first 3. And.
For Anthony Reid not to finish better than 5th.
And so I I. I pushed and I got Thompson at
the. Priori.
On lap 2, I think it was, I was like there I, you know, like
daring move, but. I thought I've got nothing to
lose and then I mean the car was.
Fantastic. And the guys did.
A very good pit stop and then I drove it well and.
I'm. Very, very happy.
Greg over the course of that season, a dessert accolade for
menu. No doubt about it whatsoever you
heard that, how emotional he was saying it meant a lot more than
97. And just think 97 was the
culmination of finishing second in the championship for the
previous three years. Guitar Queenie, Clayton and
Beela, but the challenge Menu had in 2000 up against Anthony
Reed, who'd already been teammate with the year before
they developed that car together, and Ricard Rydell.
I mean, what a challenge. All in the same car, same team,
same people around there. You could say in some ways, you
know, that 2000 title was won by whether it had been Reed or Menu
by their decision to switch to Ford in 1998.
Bearing in mind one of them was a well paid Renault factory
driver and the reigning champion at the time.
The other was a well paid Nissan driver, even better paid at Ford
as we now know. But they had that presence of
mind, didn't they? To think ahead to the future
isn't easily done in life in general, is it?
So both Reed and Menu had that foresight back in 98 to think
where, where, where are we going to go?
How's this going to pan out? You know, they obviously had a
lot of connections in racing and in the paddock.
So that was clever, very clever. But let's have no mistakes, as
unfortunate as it is for for Anthony Reed, Allan Menu as we
all, we collectively decided in our previous series was the best
driver in the Super Touring era, one of the best touring car
drivers worldwide we have ever seen and the best of that era.
It is fitting that if anyone was to win two titles in the Super
Touring era, it was at our menu because it was brilliantly done
and he was so clever in 2000 in the way he looked at the format.
Where can I drop some scores? Where might I not want the
success ballast? Drop a place here or there, but
right from day one Rosny from the first Toker test pre season
before Brands Hatch, he was the man in the year 2000.
Do you know what? No one was.
Surprised were they go on I'm. Reminded of that pre season
piece they did on the live episode and they asked all the
drivers who they thought was going to win it and everyone
else said someone else true and Allan menu turned to the camera
and said if I've got to tip someone it has to be me yeah and
then just and then just winked yes yeah he.
Menu was the Schumacher of the Super Touring era, wasn't it?
There's no doubt about it, He. Was no doubt about it.
Absolutely. It is.
Now that time of the show to head over to producer Matt, who
hopefully has got some status for us.
I hope, yes. Certainly do so as we as we
know, the wonderful drop points system hurt Anthony Reed,
costing the championship. There were two other drivers
that year who also lost points in the end, and they were Ivan
Mueller and Matt Neal, but neither of whom actually lost a
position in the championship. As a result, the Silverstone
feature race was the eighth time in the 24 races of 2000 where
the podium featured 1 Ford, 1 Honda and one Vauxhall.
On a further 3 occasions, there were three different makes of
car on the podium as Matt Neil's Nissan joined 1 Honda and one
Ford. So in virtually half the races,
three different types of car on the podium.
And I think that shows the competitiveness of the series
despite fewer cars, yeah. You wouldn't have said that if
you just looked on 2000 as a whole.
That really surprises me actually, because everyone would
just go off. Ford walked it, but they
actually didn't, and that shows. So during 2000, despite
finishing on the podium five times, Matt Neil never shared
the podium with a Vauxhall driver.
This, this next one, this next 1 is my favorite.
It's one that it's one that I uncovered, and then I checked it
three more times just to make sure it was true.
There was at least one Ford on the podium in every single race,
really. I.
Didn't, I didn't know that until a couple of days ago.
And I've, I've looked it up again and again and even a few
minutes ago, because that really surprises me.
But yeah, in every single race there was at least one Ford on
the podium. Yeah.
I can. I'm looking at the the grid of
results on Wikipedia. Now.
There was times that it was only one, but they were certainly
there. Yeah.
So that. Explains again why they were.
Let's just put this into perspective.
Ford was 104 points ahead in the Manufacturers Championship with
only two rifles. Yeah, yes, yeah, that's mad.
It's. A It's a it's a statistic that
helps go on to the next fact, which is that the 72 overall
podium finishes for the season, Ford took 34 of them, which any
Carol of alderman's out there, that's very nearly half of them,
half of all the podiums. Honda took 17 and Vauxhall took
16, with the final five being taken by Matt Neil.
So my. My final little set of stats.
It starts with a question for you.
Let's pop you on the spot here. So in in the whole of the Super
Touring era, what won more races, Ford Mondeo or the Honda
Accord? Oh.
I'm gonna. Go with the EI.
Mondeo is the first one, I would think.
I'm just trying to think about this because they had so many
wins in 2000, didn't they? So what?
Happened. Did they win it?
Menu 16 write down 1/3 and read 1/2.
So that's 6789. That's 11 in 2009.
And then what? What the 495?
And it all went downhill. They went low, 161 each.
SO2-IN-95. One in 99 with menu, yeah.
One in 98 with Will Toy, Yeah. So what did I say?
2006 Seven eight 910-811-1213 How many rat?
What about rat? Rat 6. 1-6, Ratat 16, Bert 1.
Oh yeah, Bert 11. Yeah, but.
That was in 95 S Ratatitch 16 so 678 Wilhoi 9 menu and then
however many it's. 19 in 2000. OK.
And then Honda. So Leslie won.
Was it 2 in 96 with the 100 chord?
Are we talking about the 100 chord at the hold of this 4?
Did he win 4 Leslie? Won four I think and or three I
I. Think it might be cool because
they did get quite a few wins in 2000.
They were just, yeah. Yeah, yeah, 99.
Jimmy T won four in 99. Peter Peter Cox won 198.
Tomo won four or five, two in 97.
Yeah, I reckon it might be the accord you know did.
Tarquini win in 97. Yes, he won.
One. Yeah.
One each. Yeah, one each.
Two in 97 I. Want to say Honda?
How many did? Tomo Tomo went four in 99.
Did he? I reckon we could actually work
this out if we've got the patience.
We. Don't want to bore the listeners
though. I'm going.
To be I'm going. To plant, I'm going to plant my
flag in the Honda. I am as well.
AM. I the only ones I'm getting the
Mondeo, then I'm going to be the outlier.
Here we go. Well.
I can tell you there was one in it.
So in its eight years in championship, the Mondeo took
twenty wins, and in its six years in the championship the
Accord took 21. Oh.
Well, how to have a go so? It was actually this weekend
that changed that, yes. So 11 of the Monday's twenty
wins came in 2007. Of Honda's 21 wins came in 2000,
The Vauxhall Vectra took ten wins during its five years in
the championship, meaning the Mondeo won more races in 2000
than the Vector did during Super Touring, and five of those
Vectra wins came in the year 2000 itself.
The. Final ever BTCC meeting held as
Super Touring regulations went with a bang as Alan Menu
triumphed under the lights at Silverstone.
With there being plenty of uncertainty to the future of the
championship at the time, nobody knew quite what the series would
look like once they headed to Brandon Thatch again for the
start of the 2001 season in April.
I'd like to thank Greg Haynes for joining us once again to
look back at this race and we hope we'll see your stories from
Super Touring again soon. Greg, thank you.
Very much, Levi. Thanks, guys.
It's been a pleasure and I will just add it's good the BBC and
Charlie Cox and John Watson carried on into the next season
because I think that would have been a too big a change for the
viewers, wouldn't it? If all the rules have changed
and the TV coverage, the whole look, that would have really
been a shock, I think. Thank you.
Very much. I've never really thought of
that, but that really would have just felt like an entirely
different show altogether, wouldn't it?
Yeah. It's I do like the way they they
closed it though. It was somebody switch the
lights off. Yeah, yeah.
Our thanks as ever go to you guys for listening to the show.
And if you enjoyed today's episode, please make sure to
give us the review five star rating and subscribe to the
podcast feed on your podcast app of choice.
In the meantime, we'll see you next week.
Goodbye.