(B) BTCC 2000 Races 1 & 2

BTCC 2000 Races 1 & 2 	BTCC 2000 Races 1 & 2
Layout of Thruxton Motor Racing Circuit	Layout of Thruxton Motor Racing Circuit
Date 	8-9 April 2000
Location 	Thruxton, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Venue 	Thruxton
Race 1 Results 	Race 1 Results
Distance 	12 Laps / 45.516km
Pole Position 	Yvan Muller - Vauxhall Motorsport - 1:13.156
1st Place 	Matthew Emmens - Tom Walkinshaw Racing
2nd Place 	Frank Biela - Vodafone Nissan Racing
3rd Place 	Jason Plato - Vauxhall Motorsport
Race 2 Results 	Race 2 Results
Distance 	12 Laps / 45.516km
Pole Position 	Jason Plato - Vauxhall Motorsport - 1:13.099
1st Place 	Jason Plato - Vauxhall Motorsport
2nd Place 	Anthony Reid - Ford Team Mondeo
3rd Place 	Matthew Emmens - Tom Walkinshaw Racing
The opening round of the 2000 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship took place at Thruxton over the weekend of the 8th-9th April. 
Matthew Emmens took a dominant victory in the opening race of the weekend while Vauxhall's Jason Plato took a lights to flag victory in the second.
===Practice & Qualifying===
Thruxton would host the season opener for the first time in 6 years. The 2 practice sessions would be topped by the two new Vauxhall recruits, Jason Plato and Tim Harvey. A number of drivers reported high tyre wear even on short runs, partly due to the new surface which was laid in the off season, and partly due to unseasonably warm temperatures which were forecast to continue over the weekend.
In the single lap shootout for Race 1, Vauxhall continued their strong form by locking out the front row with Frenchman Yvan Muller outpacing Plato. Matthew Emmens was a surprise 3rd in the independent Volvo ahead of Laurent Aïello with Fords Alain Menu rounding out the top 5. Both Honda and Alfa Romeo struggled with defending champion James Thompson only managing 8th while his teamates could only qualify 14th and 15th. For Alfa Romeo things were worse as Fabrizio Giovanardi slotted into 9th while Stefano Modena was down in 16th and Antonio Tamburini was 18th, behind the independent Beta Tools Racing Alfa Romeo 156 GTA of David Leslie. 
The traditional 30 minute session set the grid for the 2nd race and Vauxhall again asserted their dominace around the Hampshire speed bowl, taking 3 of the top 4 places. It was Jason Plato who took pole this time with Muller 3rd and Harvey 4th. Emmens would spoil Vauxhalls formation by sealing a place on the front row while Menu took another 5th. Early sesssion offs for former double champion Frank Biela and Thompson left them somewhat out of position in 10th and 14th, while Alfa Romeos horrible weekend continued with a 13th, 15th and 17th for their 3 cars.
===Race 1===
Despite a Vauxhall front row lock out, it was the Volvo of Emmens who led into Allard as a fantastic start split the front row. Emmens never looked back and would take victory by almost 11 seconds, despite reporting a severe vibration late in the race. Behind, Plato muscled past his teamate to go 2nd while Aïello and Menu also pounced on the Frenchman's seemingly over cautious start. However, it soon became clear that Muller had a problem as both Biela and the fast starting Harvey blasting past him on the run to the Club Chicane. Muller would pit at the end of the 2nd lap and retire with oil pressure issues. He would be joined in retirement by Barwell Motorsports James Kaye whose gearbox failed on Lap 5.
The field would stay static at the front but Plato began to report tyre issues as early as Lap 5, and a queue of cars formed behind. Alain Menu made the first move, drawing alongside Aïello down Woodham Hill. Light contact in the breaking zone caused both to go wide allowing Biela up to 3rd place. Aïello clattered over the curbs, damaging the front splitter which would cause him to drop back to 8th by races end. Menu meanwhile escaped damage but the loss of momentum on the run to Allard allowed Harvey through and up to 4th place.
By Lap 10 the tyre situation had become critical with almost all drivers reporting issues over the radio. The first victim was newcomer Antonio Tamburini, whose Alfa Romeo experianced a left front puncture going into Goodwood, forcing him onto the grass. The subsequent suspension damage took the Italian out of the race. Worse was to befall the Honda duo of Gabriele Tarquini and debutant Tom Kristensen on the following lap. The two Hondas were running 9th and 10th as they approached Chruch. Both also suffered a left front puncture and would spear out of control into the treeline, while also making contact. Both drivers were lucky to escape uninjured and there was surprisingly little damage considering the high speed nature of the accident. 
Plato too was struggling with tyres, while Biela behind had done a better job conserving his. As they came out of the Club Chicane to start Lap 11, Biela drew alongside and was able to take 2nd through Allard. By the races end, Biela was able to pull a 2 second gap over the Vauxhall. Harvey held onto 4th ahead of a trifecta of Fords with Menu heading Reid and Rydell. Thompson had been running 8th but he too suffered a tyre failure on the run down to the chicane for the final time allowing the wounded Aïello past. Matt Neal rounded out the points scorers with the lead Alfa Romeo of Stefano Modena only managing 11th.
In his television interview post-race, Emmens expressed surprise with his competitive performance and financial difficulties prevented the team form conducting any major testing over the winter. Biela meanwhile was pleased to carve through the field while Plato expressed disappointment over losing 2nd so late in the race, but was relieved that his tyres held on to the end.
===Race 2===
All cars which retired in the previous race were repaired in time for the second with Triple Eight Engineering in particular working hard to ensure their cars made the start.
As the lights went to green the frontrunners made a more equal start with Plato able to hold off the Volvo round the first lap. It was Tom Kristensen who made the best start, rising from 12th to 5th with Matt Neal behind. Emmens wasted no time attacking the Vauxhall, pulling alongside on the run to Church on Lap 2. Plato went defensive forcing the Volvo to hold it around the outside on the fastest corner on the calender. However, Plato allowed his car to run out wide on the exit forcing the Volvo over the curb and onto the grass at 140mph. Emmens managed to hold it on the grass but was passed by both Muller and Harvey making in a Vauxhall 1-2-3 at the end of Lap 2. Kristensen and Neal also worked their way past the slowed Volvo while Anthony Reid tried to slip up the inside into the final chicane, but was unable to take advantage. 
The following time through Church Harvey made a mistake which allowed Kristensen and Neal to close. However the Honda was baulked by the rejoining Vauxhall, with Neal able to pass both on the run to the chicane. Emmens would then force his way through at Allard, making contact and sending the Vauxhall across the grass causing him to also fall behind Reid.
On Lap 5 it all kicked off in the bottom half of the top 10 with 2 separate incidents at the Complex. Aïello attempted to force his way past Menu for 8th into Campbell with the Nissan and the Ford making heavy contact, forcing them both out on the spot. Meanwhile, just as they passed that incident, Rickard Rydell attempted an equally ambitious move on James Thompson into Cobb, with contact once again heavy enough to eliminate the Swede and the reigning champion on the spot. The only other retiree was David Leslie whose engine expired with only a couple of Laps to go.
Up front, the tyres on Kristensen's Honda began to fall off, and keen to avoid another accident, the Dane backed off. As a result, Neal got past on Lap 7 while Emmens and Reid followed suit on Lap 8. At the head of the pack, the Vauxhalls had been unable to make a significant gap, and soon found the Nissan, Volvo and Ford bearing down on them.
It was once again at Church where the action took place with Neal getting a run on the Vauxhall. However, Muller saw him coming and moved to the middle of the road. Emmens meanwhile gained a double tow, allowing him to go to the inside. They were three wide into the breaking zone, and sensing an incident, Muller backed out from the middle of the threesome. Neal was unable to hold it round the outside, jumped over the curb in the middle of the chicane and made contact with the rear of the Volvo, ripping off the rear bumper and causing Emmens to slide towards the wall on the exit, although he was just able to avoid it. Reid meanwhile was able to take advantage and outdragged all 3 to go from 5th to 2nd.
The kerfuffle behind allowed Plato to pull a small gap and he took victory from Reid by 1.2 seconds. Neal looked set for a podium on his works team debut but Emmens found his way through at Allard at the start of the final lap. Behind, Muller was a disappointed 5th ahead of Kristensen and Harvey. Tarquini and Tamburini bounced back to score points in 8th and 9th while Biela struggled with a mechanical issue which left him down in 10th.
===Post-Event===
In his post race interview Plato was happy to take victory on his Vauxhall debut and hoped to build a championship challenge from here. Reid was also happy to be in a more competitive position compared to 1999. Emmens meanwhile was unhappy with Platos defence which sent him onto the grass but was happy with the weekends results.
Plato and Emmens left the season opener tied on points, but with Plato on top courtesy of his pole position in Race 2. Reid was 3rd with Biela and Harvey rounding out the top 5. Vauxhall led the Manufacturers Championship ahead of Nissan and Ford, while Honda and Alfa Romeo struggled.