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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">BTCC</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">12/04/2002</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">BTCC</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Boys Are Back In Town</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">Nearly two and a half miles of scenic, undulating Cheshire race track beckons the entrants of this year's Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship as the series makes its sole visit to the demanding Oulton Park Circuit next weekend, 20th and 21st April.<BR> <BR> Last year's Champions, Vauxhall Motorsport, will be hoping that it has cured an engine problem which severely hampered James Thompson's bid for honours at Brands Hatch for the opening rounds. Thompson, who fought back superbly from the back of the grid to win the Feature Race at the Kent venue, will be looking to make up ground on both his team mate Yvan Muller and fellow Vauxhall Astra combatant, Matt Neal - who sensationally won the first race of the season for Egg Sport.<BR> <BR> Neal, who raced in Europe last season, also faces stiff competition from his much younger and less experienced team mate, Paul O'Neill. O'Neill, who raced in the Production Class last season, unequivocally proved his worth in the senior Touring Class by clawing his way up to second position at Brands until the last lap, when he picked up a puncture and was forced to retire.<BR> <BR> Team Halfords' two Peugeot 406 Coupés similarly impressed with their pace at Brands, with Dan Eaves taking a fine second place in the Sprint Race. Both Eaves and Tim Harvey will be keen to build upon the improved performance of the 406 in an effort to take the fight to the works Vauxhalls.<BR> <BR> One driver most definitely taking the fight to Vauxhall in his Independently-run Astra Coupé is Tom Chilton, the youngest ever driver to enter a BTCC race - who also became the youngest ever BTCC driver to step onto the winners' podium last time out. This impressive seventeen year old, who is yet to take his driving test, claimed third position and a place in the history books at Brands Hatch and will certainly continue to shake up the establishment.<BR> <BR> MG Sport and Racing, the only other team to gain a podium finish at Brands, will be fielding its hugely experienced pairing of Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes - and will be joined, for the first time, by another two MG ZS race cars run under the Team Atomic Kitten banner. Young Brits Gareth Howell and Colin Turkington will make their BTCC debut for the team backed by one of the world's leading girl bands.<BR> <BR> Also new to the BTCC this season is Team Petronas Syntium Proton and Honda Racing. <BR> <BR> Team 'PSP' as it's known, gained one top six finish on its debut at Brands and will be looking for continual development of the Proton Impian in the hands of BTCC veteran David Leslie and Phil Bennett. Honda Racing, which is running two identical Civic Type-Rs for Andy Priaulx and Alan Morrison, will be hoping that it has got the better of the power steering gremlins that plagued the team at Brands. Priaulx, who claimed a superb double pole on his Touring car debut at Oulton Park last season, will be particularly keen to run at the sharp end next weekend. <BR> <BR> Said Priaulx:<BR> <BR> "Oulton Park is one of my favourite circuits - it's very demanding for a driver with plenty of ups and downs and interesting cambers. And there is very little room for error. It's especially important to qualify well because there's not much opportunity for overtaking and the circuit is relatively narrow, so drivers can defend position quite easily."<BR> <BR> In the Production Class, both Norman Simon and Rob Collard come to Oulton on a high, having won a race apiece at Brands Hatch. Collard was the surprise of the opening meeting, claiming one win and one second place, validating his decision to stick with his Renault Clio from last season. Simon, a newcomer to the series, displayed the competitiveness of his Edenbridge Racing-run BMW 320i and this very quick German will provide a constant threat throughout the season. One to watch at Oulton though will undoubtedly be Mark Fullalove in his Tech-speed Peugeot 306. Fullalove, who secured double pole at Brands Hatch, endured dreadful luck in both races, being forced out of the first and succumbing to engine dramas in the second. This former Lotus Elise Champion will be keen to make up for lost ground and the pressure will be on for maximum points scoring results.<BR> <BR> Rounds three and four of the Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship take place at Oulton Park Circuit, near Tarporley, on Sunday 21st April. The Sprint Race is due to start at 13:00, with the Feature Race scheduled for 16:40.<BR> <BR> Girl band ATOMIC KITTEN will be present at Oulton Park to support TEAM ATOMIC KITTEN'S BTCC debut. Band members Tash, Jen and Lil will be available for autographs on Sunday. </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>