BTCC: A day of frustration for Rob Austin Audi at Silverstone‏

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

“A day of frustrations and missed opportunities” is how Worcestershire’s Rob Austin (Evesham) has summed up his Sunday at Silverstone in the Dunlop British Touring Car Championship’s latest three rounds in which he and team-mate Hunter Abbott (Maidenhead) were only once able to break into the points having gone into the event optimistic of strong results.

Rob hustled his Exocet Racing Audi to a solid ninth position in race 1 but from there his afternoon took a turn for the worse. On course for another top 10 in race 2 his car suffered damage in a collision with a rival and he was forced to retire. That meant he started race 3 towards the rear of the highly competitive 30-car grid and he could climb no higher than 18th.

Hunter was forced to start race 1 also from near the rear after problems in Saturday’s qualifying session and he got only as far as the second corner when his AlcoSense Racing Audi – which had already made up six positions – was rammed out of the race by another car. In race 2, having again started from the back, he crossed the line in 23rd. Race 3 brought the same result after his car was hit repeatedly by a rival which later resulted in a spin.

Rob, whose Pershore-based Rob Austin Racing team prepares both cars, reflected: “We’ve had decent race pace – good enough for the top 10 all day – and we’ve been much nearer the ultimate pace here than 12 months ago. But the incident in race 2 simply killed it for us when instead we should have been racking up more valuable points and been in the mix for the reversed grid draw for race 3. The only way to sum it up is a day of frustration and missed opportunities.

“I’ve openly said that my goal for this season was to finish inside the top 10 in the championship but having gone into the weekend ninth in the standings we’re now back to 12th. It’s going to take something special to claw that ground back in the final three rounds at Brands Hatch in a fortnight but this is the BTCC and anything can happen – particularly on a day when the title will be at stake and a lot of drivers tend to try some crazy moves to sign off on a high.”

Hunter said: “This is not an event I’ll look back on with great fondness. Race 3 was a real shame as I’d made another decent start and I really felt like a points finish was on the cards. Unfortunately I had a big lock up which ground the left front tyre down to the canvass and that put the handling massively out for the rest of the race. Then someone decided instead of driving around me it might be better to try driving through me – cue a very badly damaged rear end again to my car which, again, has left the team a lot of repair work to do between events.

“From here I’m going to go and enjoy the Oktoberfest in Munich next weekend and use it as a weekend to forget! Then on to the season finale at Brands Hatch Grand Prix – one of my all-time top two favourite circuits. It’s sure to be a hectic event with it being the finale so I need to focus on being in the right place at the right time.”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing / Phil Laughton Photography

Read More

BTCC: Top 10 grid position for Austin's Audi at Silverstone‏

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

Worcestershire’s Rob Austin (Evesham) reckons he is in with a chance of podium results in Sunday’s three big Dunlop British Touring Car races after qualifying a strong 10th fastest at the British Formula 1 Grand Prix venue this afternoon.

The Exocet Racing star drew on all his experience in the session’s closing stages to set a best lap time of 58.891 seconds aboard his Audi A4 around Silverstone's short National track – just 0.380s off pole position.

“That is better than I anticipated,” declared Rob. “We were only able to use two sets of tyres in that session because of the set-up we were running.

“I’ve definitely set that time when the tyres were past their absolute best and it came down to a final tweak to the car’s set-up at my last pit stop and then going out and wringing its neck. I definitely deployed the Awesome Lever on that one.

“But the balance of the car now is good and if, as it seems, we’re able to look after our tyres well then that bodes very well for tomorrow’s three races. I’ll certainly wake up tomorrow morning sniffing a podium result or two in the air.”

Meanwhile Rob’s team-mate Hunter Abbott (Maidenhead) suffered a problematic qualifying session with his AlcoSense Breathalysers Racing Audi and he could set only the 28th fastest time out of the 31 runners.

Hunter said: “The general feel of the car is very good but there were still some problems we couldn’t solve that we’re sure are a legacy of the glitches (alternator and power steering) that we experienced in the earlier two free practice sessions. Without them I’m sure I could have been right with Rob on times.

“But I have total confidence the team will have everything sorted for tomorrow and we will come out fighting…”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing / Phil Laughton Photography

Read More

BTCC: Tony Gilham will drive Rotek Racing Audi S3 at Brands Hatch

By Tarek Ramchani

There will be a slight change for the Rotek Rotek Racing effort in the British Touring Car Championship season finale at Brands Hatch.

Team owner and driver Robb Holland won't enter BTCC final meeting of the 2014 season, he will be replaced by Tony Gilham behind the wheels of the #67 Audi S3 Sedan

Tony Gilham a familiar face in BTCC paddock, he will make a return to the premier Biritsh auto racing competition and discover the Audi NGTC racer.

Rob Holland and Rotek Racing are planning to expand their BTCC Audi effort next season aiming to field a pair of S3 Sedans, all depending on TOCA available slots.

“We would love to run two cars if possible next season but of course that depends on there being a licence available,” said Holland. “We’ve already got six or seven drivers interested and Tony is one of them. He brought me into the BTCC and we’ve always had a good relationship. Maybe I owed him one – he’s a good guy, a good peddler and it was a perfect opportunity for all parties.” (Quotes from BTCC.net)

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

Read More

BTCC: Robb Holland adds to BTCC points tally at Rockingham

Rotek Racing Press Release

Rotek Racing and Robb Holland continue to take strides forwards in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) after securing more points in a frantic raceday at Corby’s Rockingham Motor Speedway (7 September).

Despite having never raced on the Corby circuit prior to this weekend, Rotek Racing’s Holland was quick to pick up from where he left off at Knockhill, as the BTCC crossed back over the border into England for the eighth meeting of Britain’s premier motor racing championship.

Having scored the team’s first point at Snetterton last month, Holland’s sole objective was to add to that tally as he lined-up 24th for the first of the weekend’s three races.

As the vast array of touring cars lined-up on the grid for the first time, the four red lights went out and Holland, who was one of seven drivers that opted to start on the softer, but less durable Dunlop tyres, wrestled his Audi’s wheelspin and fell into the clutches of the faster-starting Glynn Geddie as the 31-car field sprinted towards the banked Turn 1.

Holland latched onto the rear wing of his United Autosports rival throughout much of the 18-lap contest, which was interrupted by the Safety Car following a heavy collision between Lea Wood and Warren Scott at the Deene hairpin.

The Oakley Motorsports-backed Holland became embroiled in several bumper-to-bumper battles with the more experienced drivers on the grid, before making an opportunistic dive up the inside of Marc Hynes at the Brook chicane to snatch 21st on the final lap.

With six places separating him and the points, Holland lined-up on the grid for the second race full of determination, aiming to propel his new-for-2014 Audi S3 saloon up the leaderboard.

The Denver-domiciled driver was able to negotiate his way around the 1.94mile circuit and avoid the many frantic battles to bring his car home in an impressive 19th place after using some muscle to defend his position from several established drivers, despite lacking mechanical grip on the harder compound Dunlop tyres.

As engine notes rose and exhausts popped and banged for the final time at Rockingham, Holland once again negotiated his way through the ensuing contact to sit on the cusp of a points-paying position by the close of the opening two tours.

As the race reached the halfway point, Holland was overtaken by the Crabbies-liveried Ford Focus ST of Jack Clarke, which looked to have denied the Silverstone and Nürburgring team of yet more points. But, in the dying laps, Holland threw caution to the wind and slipped passed the United Autosports Toyota Avensis of Glynn Geddie to move back into the 15th for another point.

“We learn something new every weekend, so we’re constantly improving the setup on the car,” said Holland. “The surface here at Rockingham is really abrasive and, as we haven’t put a lot of pressure on the tyres in the last couple of races, we weren’t aggressive on the setup. This worked for the beginning of the races, but we noticed some considerable drop-off towards the end. We were hoping that we’d go with the soft tyres early and then everyone else would be using them in race three and fall off, which they did, but as we saw them drop-off as well, we weren’t able to capitalise.

“It always feels good to pick up points in this series, considering how tough it is, and shows that we are taking the necessary steps forward. Rotek Racing works really hard in between races to put a car together that is going to be an improvement over the last race, which I think this car was. I feel we are now midfield and challenging for points and the teams around us are aware of that. Now we’ll look to Silverstone, where hopefully we will continue moving upwards.”

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) will resume at The Home of British Motorsport, Silverstone, in three weeks’ time (27-28 September).

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

Read More

BTCC: Victory for Rob Austin, Exocet Racing at Rockingham

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

Worcestershire’s Rob Austin (Evesham) celebrated his 100th Dunlop British Touring Car race weekend in the best possible style with a hugely popular victory at Northamptonshire’s Rockingham circuit this afternoon.

Rob won the third of the day’s three races by leading every lap in front of the live ITV4 cameras. Notably his win is the first for his Audi in Exocet Racing colours and the second of his career after he also won at Rockingham 12 months ago.

The win capped the most competitive showing to date this season for his Pershore-based Rob Austin Racing squad which prepares his and team-mate Hunter Abbot’s Audis. Indeed Hunter was also one of the stars of the day as he made up a staggering 17 places in race 1 to finish in 14th in his AlcoSense Breathalysers Racing machine (problems in qualifying meant he started 31st and last). That was just two places behind Rob in 12th as he reached his landmark BTCC century in race 1.

In race 2 Rob and Hunter were on the move again as they finished in excellent fifth and 10th positions respectively – the first time this year that both RAR-run cars had crossed the line inside the top 10. While Rob was able to achieve the win in race 3, though, there was heartbreak for Hunter whose car retired on the opening lap with damage following contact from a rival.

Meanwhile Rob’s win in race 3 has elevated him to a fine ninth position in the BTCC drivers’ standings.

“I feel a party coming on! What a day...” commented Rob. “I was unhappy with qualifying only 13th fastest yesterday but it seems 13 is lucky for some! To win again is something else and it gives everyone in the team another massive lift following our strong showing in the previous rounds at Knockhill.

“We’d opted to run the softer compound tyre in race 3 so I really had to nurse it in the opening laps and with the ‘old master’ (and former double champ) Alain Menu right behind me it was a balancing act between keeping him just out of reach but not overcooking the rubber. At mid-distance I decided to get the hammer down and then in the closing laps, when I could feel the tyres start to fade, I’d got enough of a lead over him.

“But the win is not just down to me of course. Everyone in the team goes to incredible lengths behind the scenes whether that’s back at base in Pershore or in our pit garage at the track – last night the boys were here until midnight working on both cars, going through the data and making the set-up better on both cars. But that is what it takes and it’s paid off.

“I’m also delighted for Hunter today. It’s still his first season at this level and I’ve been saying for a while he was going to be one to watch. Hopefully the pace and racecraft he’s demonstrated this weekend will really make people sit up and take notice.”

Hunter said: “I’m very satisfied with how the first two races panned out – in race 1 it was great fun overtaking so many people but I certainly don’t think I could have wrung any more from the car! In race 2 I got trapped behind a slower driver for several laps which was frustrating but once past I flew which again showed just how competitive we’ve been here.

"Race 3… what can I say except I’m gutted? Like Rob I’d gone for the soft tyre option and who knows where I might have got to – I was already up to eighth when I got harpooned from the rear.

“But there are some massive positives to take from the weekend and I can’t wait for the next three races at my home circuit of Silverstone in three weeks (27/28 Sept).”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing / Phil Laughton Photography

Read More

BTCC: Austin vows race day fightback at Rockingham‏

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

Worcestershire’s Rob Austin (Evesham) was disappointed to qualify a much lower than anticipated 13th for tomorrow’s three Dunlop British Touring Car rounds at Northamptonshire’s Rockingham circuit but believes he can still fight for podium results in the races.

The Exocet Racing Audi star set a best qualifying lap time of 1m23.578s to give himself a seventh row starting position when he lines up on the race 1 grid tomorrow.

Rob commented: “I am very, very, very disappointed – gutted in fact. I couldn’t get the car working to its optimum and even though I am only four tenths of a second off fourth the level of competition in the BTCC means I’m a lot further back than I was aiming for – I really felt a top six was on the cards.

“It’s left me needing to do a lot of overtaking in race 1 tomorrow to give myself a good grid position for race 2 but I believe we have the pace in race trim to come back at a lot of the cars ahead of us. Podiums are still possible and that is what I am going for, but race 1 will play a big part in that. Right now I’m off for a long, quiet sit down and a big think into the night…”

For Rob’s team-mate Hunter Abbott (Maidenhead), this afternoon’s qualifying session ended early when his AlcoSense Breathalysers Racing Audi cruelly suffered a terminal loss of drive on his first flying lap. It meant he was unable to set a competitive lap time so will have to start tomorrow’s opening race from 31st and last on the huge grid.

Hunter said: “I was towards the end of the lap and suddenly there was virtually nothing when I put my foot down. Luckily there was just enough left to crawl back to the pit lane in first gear but that was it, game over. The team really went to town on the car to try and fix it and get me back out there, but clearly it’s something major that's gone wrong.

“It is frustrating as Rob and I had set near-identical lap times in the earlier second free practice session. I was confident of qualifying inside the top half but now I’ve really got it all to do tomorrow. But Rob obviously had a win here last year and we know the Audi is very good in race trim around here as well so let’s see how far I can get…”

Tomorrow’s three BTCC races from Rockingham will be broadcast live as part of a mammoth seven hour show on ITV4 (10.45am-5.45pm).

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing / Phil Laughton Photography

Read More

BTCC: Robb 'Hollywood' Holland continues to find his feet at Europe's fastest banked circuit

Rotek Racing Press Release

Rotek Racing and Robb Holland continued down their encouraging development path in Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) free practice and qualifying at Corby’s Rockingham Motor Speedway on Saturday (6 September), positioning the new-for-2014 Audi S3 saloon 24th ahead of Rounds 22, 23 and 24.

Thick fog descended on the Corby circuit during the course of Saturday morning and visibility was very poor for the first of two BTCC free practice sessions, which Rotek Racing used to assess setup changes to the Oakley Motorsports-liveried Audi S3 saloon.

The Nürburgring and Sonoma-based outfit continued down a fruitful development path it discovered during the mid-season break by fettling the front-wheel-driven Audi’s suspension and differential after a troubled weekend at Knockhill a fortnight ago.

Holland headed into unchartered territory, having never experienced the banked Rockingham circuit before, and gradually upped his pace while learning the track’s intricacies to emerge from the gloom at the end of a red flag-affected FP1 session satisfied with his progress.

Free practice two yielded more pace for Holland, as the amiable American set a 1m25.076s to lap Rockingham’s International Super Sportscar circuit almost a full second quicker than in FP1.

However, the Rotek Racing driver was a frequent visitor to the pits following a prolonged stoppage while Jack Goff’s stricken Volkswagen CC was recovered from the Armco at Tarzan, opting not to chase laptimes and instead continue refining his car’s setup ahead of the critical qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

With progress being made throughout the day, Holland headed into the afternoon’s qualifying session positive that he could make a further advancement up the timesheets.

Immediately, the Denver-domiciled driver put in a time almost identical to his best from FP2, before going several tenths quicker midway through the session to run as high as 16th.

As qualifying continued to unfold and more rubber was laid down, Holland remained inside the top 20 but, with less than ten minutes to go, fell to 24th while he and Rotek Racing frantically searched for grip.

“The toughest part about this whole season for me has been learning these new tracks,” said Holland. “I try to do a track day prior to the race weekend, but doing one at Rockingham Motor Speedway was hard and it's tough to come to an unfamiliar circuit at such a high level and be on the pace straight away. If we had another day’s testing prior to the weekend, we may have been higher up, but we’ll take what we can get.

“I usually do quite well in the race, if people don’t hit me. We’re going to try something a little different and use the soft tyres in the first race, as opposed to the last. We’ve always been down on mechanical grip and, with the soft tyres on, the car seems to come alive. We’ve had no tyre degradation on the softs, so we have all the performance and won't fall off the ‘cliff’, and if that is the case tomorrow, we’ve got a very realistic chance of scoring points again.”

Rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) are scheduled to get underway at 11.37, 13.52 and 16.40 respectively and will be beamed live and in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4HD.

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

Read More

BTCC: Robb 'Hollywood' Holland ready to 'shake and bake' at The Rock

Rotek Racing Press Release

Robb Holland heads into unknown territory at Corby’s Rockingham Motor Speedway this weekend (6-7 September) when the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) resumes for another dose of door handle-to-door handle racing.

Britain’s premier motor racing championship now heads to Europe’s fastest banked oval circuit, Rockingham Motor Speedway. With drivers averaging over 80mph around the 1.94mile circuit, Rockingham’s fast straights and tight, twisty infield, featuring hairpins and chicanes, are a firm favourite among fans and drivers alike.

It was a frustrating affair for Holland last time out at Knockhill, as the American driver was prevented from unleashing the true potential of his new-for-2014 Audi S3 saloon after scoring Rotek Racing’s first BTCC point on merit against some stiff competition at Snetterton.

Round 19 proved to be one of the most incredible and exciting BTCC battles of recent times, but it came to a premature end for Rotek Racing and Holland when a pummeling by Daniel Welch’s airborne Proton Gen-2 at McIntyre caused terminal damage to both cars.

Looking to put the events of Knockhill behind him, Holland will be seeking to add more points to his tally at a circuit that has ample overtaking opportunities.

“Rockingham is an oval and I’m an American, so I should well there,” said Holland. “It looks to be a more straightforward track than Knockhill – more like Snetterton – and I don’t think it will take too many laps to figure out which way it goes. Rotek Racing is bringing a load of updates to the Audi S3 saloon this weekend and we should have better pace. The suspension will be tweaked, we’re getting a handle on the differential and there will be other changes of that nature. As a result, I’d love to finish in the points in all three races. If we can extract more speed from the car, it will be easier to score points on a consistent basis, because you’re attacking rather than defending, which makes you vulnerable to other drivers’ messes, like at Knockhill. I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”

Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) qualifying will begin at 15.40 on Saturday (6 September), while Rounds 22, 23 and 24 are scheduled for 11.37, 13.52 and 16.40 respectively on Sunday (7 September) and will be beamed live in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4HD.

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

Read More

BTCC: "Rockingham makes me feel like Ricky Bobby" says Rob Austin‏

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

First win track "makes me feel like Ricky Bobby" says Exocet Racing ace

Worcestershire’s Rob Austin heads to Northamptonshire’s Rockingham circuit this weekend (Sat 6/Sun 7 Sept) – scene of his dramatic breakthrough first race win last year – as he celebrates 100 races in the Dunlop British Touring Car Championship.

Rob (Evesham) will reach his century in the first of Sunday’s three races but he said: “I’d prefer to keep it for race 2 and my 101st race – it makes perfect sense to me as my main sponsor FAST Exocet’s top fuel additive is called Rush 101 and even my race number is 101 as a result.”

The Exocet Racing star will arrive at Rockingham brimming with confidence after achieving two podium results nine days ago at Knockhill where he took second and third place finishes – the only driver that day to twice stand on the rostrum.

And he added: “Knockhill was great for us – it’s a circuit that suits our Audi – and it’s always worked well at Rockingham as well, so we are hopeful we will have another strong run.

“Obviously we got it spot on at Rockingham 12 months ago with a third in race 1 and our first ever win in the BTCC in race 2. Just as at Knockhill, though, just because we did it in 2013 doesn’t necessarily mean we can do it again this time around – we must leave no stone unturned and be right on top of our game if we are to continue to fight right at the front.

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – the levels of professionalism and intensity among the competition in the BTCC are probably higher than any other motor racing series anywhere in Europe right now and even more so than some championships with world status. The moment you drop your guard in the BTCC or let even the tiniest bit of complacency creep in you are toast.”

Rob believes that Rockingham – built US oval-style in a man-made arena – is a real favourite among the teams, drivers and watching public.

He continued: “It might not have the natural swoops of an Oulton Park but it is still very rewarding to get right for a driver and the lay-out at Rockingham also generates some of the closest action of the year in the BTCC.

“I can’t help telling my team on the radio when I go through the banked Turn 1 that I’m ‘going high’! For about five seconds every lap I am Ricky Bobby!

“But it’s my team-mate Hunter (Abbott) who is the man to beat around the banking if it is wet – when we were team-mates in the same cars in GTs and with his ASCAR experience he was untouchable through there!”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing / Phil Laughton Photography

Read More

BTCC: Holland's fortunes undulate in another dramatic BTCC clash at Knockhill

Rotek Racin Press Release

There was some frustration for Robb Holland as Rotek Racing was prevented from unleashing its full potential during yet another dramatic and incident-packed Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) raceday at Scotland’s picturesque Knockhill circuit on Sunday (24 August).

It was a clean start to Round 19 and, despite losing one place to the fast-starting rear-wheel-driven eBay Motors BMW of Rob Collard, Holland maintained 26th position when James Cole exited stage-left on the formation lap.

Holland latched on to Collard’s tailgate and followed him through to 24th, but an over-exuberant lunge by Power Maxed Racing’s Chris Stockton resulted in contact at McIntyre, moments before a pummelling by Daniel Welch’s airborne ProtonGen-2 caused terminal damage to both cars.

The highly-skilled Rotek Racing team did an efficient, yet thorough job to repair the battered Audi S3 saloon’s war wounds during the short interval between Rounds 19 and 20 and Holland re-entered the fray keen to keep his nose clean while making progress up the order.

The usual first-corner bumping and barging at the sharp end of the field relegated home hero and championship contender Gordon Shedden to the back of the grid, but it was a clean getaway for Holland who was up to 25th and on terms with race one foe Stockton by the completion of the first lap.

Picking his battles and realising a defence against Shedden’s works Honda Civic Tourer would be futile, Holland opened the door for the Scotsman and opted to focus his energy on pursuing and passing Stockton, which he did with ease.

Thereafter, his race was centred around catching the Toyota Avensis of Glynn Geddie. The American had a sizeable five-second gap to bridge, but was consistently three tenths of a second per lap quicker and got to within half a second of the United Autosports driver in 20th position at the chequered flag.

Battle between Holland and Geddie was resumed under sunny skies in Round 21. Holland, on the quicker, but less durable Dunlop soft compound tyres, initially maintained position behind the Toyota racer, but lost some ground while brawling with Marc Hynes’ MG6 and Martin Depper’s Pirtek Racing Honda Civic.

Hynes, Holland and Depper steadily moved up the leaderboard as others came to grief, but Holland’s laptimes were quick and consistent and he was soon back on terms with Geddie, snatching 18th position with an opportunistic last-gasp move on the final racing lap at Knockhill.

“We had the reverse weekend of Snetterton because there we looked good in free practice, did well in qualifying and moved forward very quickly in race one, only to have problems in the next two,” said Holland. “At Knockhill we didn’t get the most out of the car in free practice and qualifying and that hurt a lot. I was unlucky in race one, when Daniel Welch launched himself over a kerb and took me out, and then made progress in races two and three, where we were competitive with most of the mid-pack. All we need is one incident-free weekend without people hitting us and we will be in the mix fighting hard for some serious points and that’s what I’m hoping for before the end of the season.”

Rockingham Motor Speedway in Corby, Northamptonshire is the next halt for the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in two weeks’ time (6-7 September).

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

Read More

BTCC: Double BTCC podium for Rob Austin at Knockhill‏

Rob Austin Press Release

Worcestershire’s Rob Austin was the only driver to twice finish on the podium in three highly charged Dunlop British Touring Car races at Fife’s Knockhill circuit today – results which keep him firmly in the hunt for a top ten finish overall in the UK’s premier motor racing championship.

Rob had qualified an excellent second fastest on Saturday to line up on the front row of the grid for the start of today’s first race. And that is where he would finish the race despite a scary trip off the track at 100mph which dropped him briefly to fifth when his Exocet Racing Audi was hit by Gordon Shedden’s factory Honda.

In race 2, again from second on the grid, Rob made his move for the lead at the first bend and looked to have made it only to be shoved off the track by Shedden’s team-mate Neal. He eventually finished in third.

In race 3 he was comfortably holding seventh position and looking to make up more places before retiring in a collision with factory MG driver Jason Plato. His Rob Austin Racing team now has just a week and a half to return to base in Pershore and prepare Rob’s Audi ‘Sherman’ in time for the BTCC’s next three rounds on Sat 6/Sun 7 Sept at Northamptonshire’s Rockingham circuit where last year he achieved his and his squad’s maiden race win in touring cars.

Rob will go there 11th in the BTCC Drivers’ standings just ahead of two former double champions, Swiss Alain Menu and Italian Fabrizio Giovanardi.

Rob, from Evesham, said: “In essence it’s been a very successful weekend. Everyone in the team, from the mechanics to all our sponsors, have really pulled together very well and we’ve capitalised on a circuit where we know we can be strong – I also love Knockhill and being on the podium here, particularly with such a huge and enthusiastic crowd – is always a special experience. It’ll be very important to do the same at Rockingham in two weeks.

“But while I’m delighted with our results I can’t help feeling frustrated – I really wanted a win and had the car and opportunity to achieve that in races 1 and 2. Unfortunately I was denied that because certain drivers don’t think I deserve to be at the front and I shouldn’t be allowed to overtake them. Given time I’m sure they will come to realise that they can only get away with treating people like that for so long. I know I’m not the only one who’s fed up with it.

“But I won’t let it affect what I’m doing on track or the way our team goes about our racing. If they want to do that then fine but it’s not our style. We’ll continue to fight fair and go for the wins at Rockingham.”

Rob’s team-mate Hunter Abbott (Maidenhead) experienced a frustrating day after qualifying a best-ever 11th fastest out of 31 drivers in his AlcoSense Breathalysers Racing Audi. In race 1 his car suffered considerable front and rear-end damage in two separate incidents. From 25th on the grid he rose to 16th in race 2 and he finished in the same position in race 3.

Hunter explained: “It’s been trying to say the least. Race 1 really screwed things up for me when I took a big hit on the rear in the first few corners. It has such a knock-on effect for the rest of your day and from there I was stuck in the cut and thrust of the midfield battles. It’s a great shame as the car in qualifying had felt great and I’d been looking to challenge for some top ten points finishes.”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing / Phil Laughton Photography

Read More

BTCC: Holland high as a kite come rain or shine at Knockhill

Rotek Racing Press Release

In a day of incredibly mixed weather, Rotek Racing’s Robb Holland quite literally flew in qualifying ahead of Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), soaring over the undulating Knockhill circuit’s bulbous kerbs to go 27th fastest on Saturday (23 August).

Track conditions were mixed after early rain showers left the back end of the Scottish circuit damp and slippery for the start of the first BTCC free practice session on Saturday morning.

Three exploratory laps from Holland were followed by two long stays in the pits, as Rotek Racing began making setup adjustments to its Oakley Motorsports-backed Audi S3 saloon to suit Knockhill’s high kerbs and deep dips.

Profound grip issues and a nervousness on the bumpy track surface meant the Nürburgring and Silverstone-based team was busy reconfiguring the Audi during a short interval between first and second practice, and Holland felt confident his engineers had a handle on the setup going into FP2.

Light rain fell minutes before the start of the 40-minute test session and treaded Dunlop tyres were the order of the day as the Fife-based circuit became more and more saturated.

Holland opened his account with an unrepresentative 1m02.636s before carrying out a lengthy pit stop, when a trip into the gravel for Lea Wood at Duffus Dip led to a red-flag stoppage.

By easing off, the rain lulled everybody into a false sense of security, as another shower promptly followed, creating a highly frustrating situation for all concerned where nothing could be learnt.

In contrast, Knockhill was bathed in sunshine as qualifying got underway on Saturday afternoon and, with a mass of cars incessantly circulating the ever-drying Knockhill circuit, Holland found the limits on his final attempt, narrowly avoiding a barrel roll to record a 53.386s and go 27th fastest.

Holland said: “I pushed really hard, nobody can question that, and lost around three tenths of a second on that final ‘flying lap’ because, when you take flight, you’re never quicker! I knew it was the last lap, I was confident of turning in a quick time and pushed a little too hard, hit the kerb and came as close as I’ve ever come to rolling a car. I had some fairly clear running for a few laps for the first time this weekend, but it was always going to be difficult with 31 cars on such a short track. We’re not terribly far off, as a few more tenths would have put us well within the top 20. I think I can move forwards in the races, the car feels 100 per cent better than it did before Snetterton, so we’ll see what we can make of it.”

Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) are scheduled for 11.45, 14.05 and 17.07 respectively on Sunday (24 August) and will be beamed live and in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4HD.

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

Read More

BTCC: Front row of the grid for Rob Austin at Knockhill BTCC‏

Rob Austin Racing Press Release

Second on grid for Exocet Racing star plus a best-ever 11th for team-mate Hunter Abbott

Worcestershire’s Rob Austin (Pershore) has superbly qualified on the front row of the grid for the first of tomorrow’s three big Dunlop British Touring Car Championship races at Fife’s Knockhill’s circuit. And there is even more to cheer for the Rob Austin Racing squad with Rob's team-mate Hunter Abbott (Maidenhead) having achieved the best qualifying performance of his BTCC career to date with 11th.

Rob and his Exocet Racing Audi set top ten pace in both practice sessions held earlier in the day and in qualifying he set a scintillating lap towards the end of the session to secure second position on the grid for when he lines up for the start of race 1 on Sunday. All three races are being broadcast live on ITV4 between 10.45am-6.00pm. Notably Rob's qualifying lap was set in a time of 52.206 seconds – just 0.037s away from pole position.

“I’m over the moon with that one – it gives us a great chance of some very strong results tomorrow,” commented Rob. “The car really suits this kind of circuit and I love it here – Knockhill really asks a lot of commitment from the driver and that’s something I can supply.

“Above all it’s another great job from the whole Rob Austin Racing team. It’s always worth reminding people we’re a small independently-run team but we’re still able to compete against the bigger outfits at what is the highest level of motor sport in the UK.

“Obviously it’s only half the job done. Tomorrow’s three races are when the points are scored and it’ll be really important that I get a clean getaway and into a groove early on. Podiums are always great but I am definitely going for wins.”

Hunter (52.511s) was also happy with his performance in his AlcoSense Breathalysers Racing Audi and felt it could have been several places higher at least. He explained: “I effectively lost a set of tyres when I had to take evasive action to avoid a slow pack of cars right in front of me. It meant I span off the circuit and although I was able to rejoin I only got one really good run after that. I’m sure with some more running I could have found another tenth and a half of a second which was top eight pace.

“But I’m still very happy with 11th. I’ll have championship leader Coin Turkington starting right in front of me on the grid so maybe with a good start I can tuck in with him and see how it goes from there. Most importantly, though, I’m in a good position to score some decent points across the three races tomorrow so long as I can keep my nose clean which is never the easiest thing at Knockhill.”

Photo credit: Rob Austin Racing / Phil Laughton Photography

Read More

BTCC: Audi teams move to Scotland and want to shine at Knockhill

By Tarek Ramchani

The British Touring Car Championship is heading to Scotland this weekend. The very short and popular Knockhill circuit will play host to the seventh meeting of the 2014 season.

The Audi brand will be once again represented by three cars from Rob Austin Racing and Rotek Racing. Both teams will try to perform well in a very large and demanding field at the Scotthish track.

Rob Austin Racing will field its pair of Audi A4 NGTC cars for team-owner and superstar Rob Austin and his team-mate Hunter Abbott.

Rob Austin was a true hero in Scotland taking an emotional and outstanding pole position beating the works and factory supported teams and drivers. Rob Austin will be eager to perform well again and fight for the top spots.

Hunter Abbott is having a positive debut in BTCC with and he too will target strong results against strong rivals within the independent field.

Rotek Racing and their driver Robb Holland performed very well last time out at Snetterton. The brand new Audi S3 Sedan took it first points this season in BTCC. Robb Holland and his team will give everything to secure additional points with a very improving race car.

As always two practice sessions and qualifying will be held on Saturday. All three races are set for Sunday.

Photo credit: BTCC

Read More

BTCC: 2015 BTCC calendar confirmed

BTCC Press Release

The 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar has been confirmed today (18 August), as has the date and venue for its Season Launch event.

Series organiser TOCA has announced an unchanged line-up of venues where the calendar will continue to comprise of 30 races across ten events, with three races of equal distance taking place on each scheduled weekend.

Such has been the huge success of the BTCC’s recent Season Launch events that Donington Park will again hold the introductory curtain-raiser – which also includes the only official pre-season test – on 24 March 2015.

The Brands Hatch Indy circuit then commences the BTCC’s nationwide tour before the same venue hosts the season finale on its legendary Grand Prix layout more than six months later. Oulton Park will see a return to the Island layout in June.

The UK’s premier race series headlines at all of the country’s major motor sport venues with the geographical spread ensuring that hundreds of thousands of fans can catch the tin-top action close to their homes when the travelling show rolls into town.

2013 saw some of the biggest crowds in recent times and figures have continued to rise during the 2014 campaign to date. Each venue permits free admission for children – some for up to 16-year-olds – to its BTCC event, further broadening the championship’s appeal among family audiences and the next generation of fans.

ITV4 will continue to broadcast every race weekend live and in high definition, as well as via the ITV website. Regular highlights programmes will also be screened on both ITV and ITV4 following each event.

2015 BTCC Calendar:

1,2,3, Sat 4/Sun 5 April, Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent

4,5,6, Sat 18/Sun 19 April, Donington Park, Leicestershire

7,8,9, Sat 9/Sun 10 May, Thruxton, Hampshire

10,11,12, Sat 6/Sun 7 June, Oulton Park (Island), Cheshire

13,14,15, Sat 27/Sun 28 June, Croft, North Yorkshire

16,17,18, Sat 8/Sun 9 August, Snetterton, Norfolk

19,20,21, Sat 22/Sun 23 August, Knockhill, Fife

22,23,24, Sat 5/Sun 6 September, Rockingham, Northamptonshire

25,26,27, Sat 26/Sun 27 September, Silverstone, Northamptonshire

28,29,30, Sat 10/Sun 11 October, Brands Hatch (Grand Prix), Kent

Photo credit: BTCC

Read More