Three races at Brands Hatch this weekend will decide the race for the 2016 British Touring Car Championship drivers’ title, with eight drivers in contention, led by Team JCT600 with GardX’s Sam Tordoff, who is 11 points ahead of closest rival Gordon Shedden.
The Kent-based Grand Prix circuit will see Tordoff back at a circuit that has been a “favourite circuit “ of his, as the Bradford driver will also have the added challenge of the full 75 kilos of success ballast for both qualifying and race one.
He has also led the overall driver standings for half of the current campaign, and feels that any results will be a “bonus,” even with having the opportunity to become the first driver since Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan in 2013 to take his first title.
“I had a set of targets for the season and we’ve surpassed all of them, so whatever happens now is a bonus,” explained the 27-year-old, who admitted that not converting his best season into a championship would be disappointing.
So far this year, Tordoff has taken two race wins and nine podiums, with two non-points finishes and a retirement, but he has consistently remained a force to be reckoned with, ahead of the finale.
But with the top seven drivers separated by 38 points, it won’t be an easy task for the BMW ambassador over the final races this coming Sunday.
“WSR have worked incredibly hard to give me a fantastic BMW. Carrying maximum ballast won’t help matters, but it’s been the same for the past few rounds and exactly the same thing has been at stake, so we’re pretty used to it now as a team.
“I’m just going to go out there and enjoy the weekend and we’ll see what happens. It’s my favourite circuit anyway and I’ve finished second there three times, so I’ll enjoy it, whatever the outcome.”
The outcome could be another swan song for Dick Bennetts’ outfit, as West Surrey Racing also lead all points standings, with the competition having heated up over the past nine race weekends.
“As a team we have 35 years of experience of winning titles and that should help us this weekend,” said Bennetts, whose outfit swept the board when it came to titles two seasons ago, with Colin Turkington taking his second BTCC drivers’ title.
“In Sam and Rob we have two drivers who have stepped up a level and deserve to be where they are, and as a team we’ve worked very hard to make the BMW 125i M Sport one of the best out there and are confident in our ability to get the job done.
“I hope that will be enough, but we’re not over the line yet, as this year’s BTCC is incredibly competitive and we’ll have to keep pushing right to the end to hopefully end up as champions.”