Vauxhall says goodbye

As the chequered flag came down on the 2009 British Touring Car Championship season it also signaled the end of an era: after 21 consecutive years, this was the final race for the all-conquering Vauxhall team.

Fabrizio Giovanardi. Photo by Pat Cranham.

Unfortunately Fabrizio Giovanardi couldn't quite make it a send-off to remember, narrowly missing out on his third title in a row. Despite this the team still managed to celebrate winning the teams' and manufacturers' championships.

Over the last 21 years there have been many changes in both regulations and cars but one thing has remained the same: a Vauxhall near the front of the grid. Now we will look back at how the BTCC has helped Vauxhall and equally how Vauxhall has helped the BTCC.

Vauxhall first entered the BTCC as a works team back in 1989 with a Vauxhall Astra GTE driven by John Cleland and Louise Aitken-Walker. Although the Ford Sierra Cosworths dominated back then, the championship was split up into classes and it was the points scored in the class that went to the overall championship. Vauxhall realised that a well-prepared class car could win the overall championship and it was little surprise at the end of the season when Cleland took the 1989 championship with 11 class wins in 13 races.

In 1990 Vauxhall first entered the Cavalier run by Dave Cook Racing, where Jeff Allam would join Cleland. Between them they would score six class wins. In 1991 the BTCC would become a single-category championship with two-litre cars, known as Super Touring Cars. The change was meant to attract more manufacturers into the championship. Cleland would score three victories and four pole positions on his way to second in the championship, with Allam finishing sixth.

The 1992 season saw Vauxhall take the manufacturers' title although Cleland missed out on the championship in the final race of the year at Silverstone. Going into the final race any one of three drivers could win and this race would go down in BTCC history as the most entertaining and controversial race the championship had seen. The three drivers in question were Will Hoy, Tim Harvey and Cleland, although Harvey's teammate Steve Soper would play a key part in where the title would go.

	John Cleland in 2005. Photo by Dave Dyer.

Hoy slipped down the field early on after contact, as did Soper. Soper then produced a stunning drive up the field till he got up with Cleland and Harvey and there the controversy started. Soper got past Cleland and allowed Harvey to get out in front. This made Cleland fight back. He barged his way past Soper on two wheels but Soper ploughed straight into the Cavalier at the next corner, putting the pair of them into the gravel at Luffield. This allowed Harvey to take the title while Cleland eventually finished behind Hoy in third.

Vauxhall would not be quite such a force in 1993 and would only score one victory, with Cleland finishing fourth in the championship and Allam back in ninth. The '93 season was the last in which the car would be run by Dave Cook, and in 1994 the Vauxhalls were run by Ray Mallock, who had impressed previously by running independent teams. The RML-prepared Cavalier would be right on the pace straightaway and Cleland scored a fine second in the first race of the year at Thruxton. Cleland would go on to take two victories during the season and finished fourth again in the championship while Allam, in his last season for Vauxhall, would finish 10th. This would, however, just be a taste of what was to happen the next year.

A young James Thompson, who had impressed the previous year as an independent, would partner Cleland in 1995. Thompson was once again impressive and scored a victory, becoming the youngest BTCC winner ever when he won at Thruxton, a title he held until Tom Chilton won at Silverstone in 2004. Sadly for Thompson his run was cut short mid-season after a serious testing crash at Knockhill ruled him out for the year. It was Cleland who stole the show and became the 1995 BTCC champion, winning six races along the way. It was the perfect way to send off the Cavalier after six years as a championship front-runner with the Vauxhalls also picking up the teams' championship.

James Thompson, WTCC event at Circuito da Boavista 2009. Photo by xpb.cc.

The Cavalier was never going to be an easy car to follow and indeed the Vectra never reached the heights of the Cavalier. RML ran the car in 1996 but the Vectra was mostly found in the mid-field. Thompson did manage one slightly lucky victory at Snetterton and managed a third at Thruxton as well, while Cleland scored three podiums and a best of second during the season. Cleland finished eighth and Thompson 10th in the championship.

RML left at the end of the 1996 season to prepare the newly-entered Nissan Primera, with Thompson also leaving to join Honda. In stepped Triple Eight Racing run by Derek Warwick, who also would join Cleland as the second driver after an unsuccessful drive in an Alfa back in 1995. Sadly the season proved to be a disaster for the team -- an aerodynamic package issue couldn't be resolved, and the team essentially ran the '96 car until the final quarter of the season, when the new car arrived at Knockhill. The new car didn't bring any further luck and the team's best finish all year would be a disappointing fifth at Oulton Park for Cleland.

A much-improved Vectra appeared in 1998. Both Cleland and Warwick would put in good performances and were usually in the thick of the action. Triple Eight didn't have to wait too long for its first victory, which Cleland took in round five at Donington Park. Cleland would also take another victory at Donington, a race which would go down as one of the greatest races of all time due to 1992 F1 champion Nigel Mansell, who made several guest appearances that year in a Ford Mondeo. This time he produced a stunning drive, coming from the back of the grid to lead, although it was Cleland who eventually took the win in wet conditions with places and paint swapped at every corner. Warwick would also take third in that race: his first podium in the BTCC. He would go on to take his one and only victory in the series at Knockhill that year in atrocious conditions. Cleland would take eighth in the championship with Warwick a couple of places behind.

	Vauxhall podium with Yvan Muller and James Thompson and Honda's Matt Neal, Brands Hatch 2004. Photo by Mark Gledhill.

In 1999 Yvan Muller came in to replace Warwick, who remained in charge of Triple Eight. Muller would go on to score the team's only victory that year at Brands Hatch, taking two cars at the same time going into the first corner. He eventually would take sixth in the championship. However, Cleland had a nightmare of a year in what proved to be his last in the championship. Despite a disappointing season where his best finish was fourth in the opening rounds, the '95 champion retired as one of the BTCC greats and one of the most entertaining drivers in the history of the championship. All at the wheel of a Vauxhall, ending his 20-year association with racing Vauxhalls and Opels.

With the cost of running a Super Touring Car out of control, 2000 saw a grid of just 10 competitive cars and only three manufacturers with three drivers per team. Jason Plato and Vincent Radermacker were brought in to partner Muller. The Vectra would score five victories: three for Muller, who finished fourth in the championship, and two for Plato, who finished fifth. The all-conquering Ford Mondeos, run by Prodrive, would dominate the year and no team would come close to beating them.

As a result of the poor showing in 2000, new cost restrictions were brought in for 2001, but sadly the manufacturers did not return. Grids remained small -- more often than not fewer than 10 BTCC cars made a showing. Vauxhall entered four cars that season in two different teams. Muller and Plato returned in the works cars, with Thompson returning in an Egg Insurance sponsored car along with BTCC rookie Phil Bennett. That year Vauxhall had no competition and if it wasn't for Vauxhall sticking with the championship it could have been the end of the BTCC. Thankfully the four Vauxhalls still put on a good show and would win every race but one that season and, even then, they still scored full points. MG, who came in for the last three rounds, was not eligible for championship points.

2006 Race of Champions Semi final, Yvan Muller and Sebastien Bourdais. Photo by xpb.cc.

The works pair of Muller and Plato did the majority of the winning so it went down to those two for the title. Despite being teammates and having no real competition, this did not stop the controversy between them. They stopped speaking to one another after several on-track collisions, in particular one at Silverstone where Plato hit Muller, breaking his suspension. The title would go down to the final race of the year at a rain-soaked Brands Hatch where Plato would take the title, becoming the first Briton to win the championship since Cleland in 1995. During the year, triple World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx first sampled touring car racing in the Egg-sponsored Astra coupe at Oulton Park after regular driver Phil Bennett was suspended for one race. Priaulx made an instant impact, scoring a double pole position and podium finish in race one before his engine blew up in race two.

Despite Plato taking the title, Thompson replaced him in 2002, having been promoted to the works team due to Plato's controversial collisions with Muller the year before. In the Egg-sponsored car Matt Neal was partnered with Paul O'Neill, who had impressed in the production class the year before. O'Neill took a highly emotional win at Oulton Park, and Neal would also score victories in the dominant Astra. Still, as in the previous year, the battle for the championship was between the two works-entered cars, with Muller again losing out, but this time to Thompson at Donington.

In 2003 there was just the single works team but with three drivers: O'Neill was promoted to run alongside Muller and Thompson. O'Neill took another victory at Snetterton but the championship battle was again between Muller and Thompson. This time the Frenchman would come out on top and pip Thompson in the championship.

	Yvan Muller, Paul O'Neill and James Thompson unveil the Vauxhall. Photo by Mark Gledhill.

The following year Luke Hines, the 2003 production champion, replaced O'Neill. The other big change was the introduction of the VXRacing brand to replace Vauxhall Sport, under which the marque had run since it entered the series. On track Seat had joined the series and, although Plato would win more races for Seat than anyone else for the third year running, the title would be between Muller and Thompson. Thompson would take the championship at Donington by just one point.

2004 was the final year for the all-conquering Astra coupe. It would retire as one of the most successful cars of all time in the championship, scoring 62 victories in 96 races and winning every championship between 2001 and 2004.

Vauxhall once again used an Astra in 2005 but this time it was the smaller Astra sport hatch. Thompson would leave to join the WTCC and Hines went to Seat. In their place were Colin Turkington from MG and Gavin Smith from the Seat championship. Unfortunately the sport hatch never matched the Astra coupe and, although Muller fought hard all year, he never looked likely to take the championship. It would slip out of Vauxhall's grasp for the first time since 2000.

Muller left at the end of the season after seven years at Vauxhall, taking another six victories that year. Turkington also took two victories but would lose his seat to Chilton for 2006.

If 2005 was a bad season for the team 2006 was to be even worse. Vauxhall brought touring car superstar Giovanardi to lead the team. He endured a difficult start to his BTCC career because he was not familiar with the circuits and the car was not as competitive. By mid-season Giovanardi was getting to grips with the BTCC and scored a historic victory at Knockhill for the team -- Vauxhall's 100th BTCC win. He would take another victory at Brands Hatch on his way to fifth in the championship, with Chilton and Smith also making their way onto the podium that year.

2007 Autosport International Show, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Tom Chilton. Photo by xpb.cc.

At the end of the season the Astra sport hatch was replaced by the newly-redesigned Vectra. The Vectra was quickly on the pace and scored podium finishes in its debut race before taking victories in rounds four and five of the championship. Giovanardi, who now was used to the hustle and bustle of the BTCC, would develop the Vectra around his style of driving. After a slowish start to the season he would take 10 victories and clinch the 2007 title at Thruxton, after chasing the Seat of Plato all year to add to his other championships across Europe.

Tom Onslow-Cole and double champion Neal would join Giovanardi in 2008. Both took victories, but it was Giovanardi who looked unstoppable in the Vectra. After winning the opening couple of rounds, Giovanardi's superb driving and bulletproof reliability gave him his second BTCC crown. He scored points in every race.

For 2009 Andrew Jordan was added to the works team after impressing in 2008 in his family-run team. He joined Neal and Giovanardi, who was going for a title hat trick. However, Neal got off to the best start, scoring a victory in the opening round of the championship, which was Triple Eight's 100th in the BTCC. Meanwhile Giovanardi's title defence did not start well: he got a puncture in race two and had to retire in race three with damage. Giovanardi would win round four of the championship in a landmark 1-2-3 victory for Vauxhall, as Neal and Jordan followed Giovanardi home. Neal led the championship early on, taking six podiums out of the first eight races. Sadly for him, he couldn't continue his early season form and slipped down the field.

Giovanardi didn't really get his title defence back on track until the halfway point in the season, although mostly because other teams had finally caught up to the Vectra's pace. Despite this, Giovanardi somehow always managed to get more out of the car than anyone thought possible and took the title right down to the last meeting of the year at Brands Hatch. He trailed eventual champion Colin Turkington by just four points going into the last race, where he could only manage a fourth to Turkington's second place. Giovanardi finished third in the championship, nine points adrift. He took five victories along the way, and Vauxhall could still celebrate the team and manufacturers' championships.

	Vauxhall drivers Andrew Jordan, Matt Neal and Fabrizio Giovanardi having fun at 2009 Media Day presentation. Photo by Pat Cranham.

So that's how Vauxhall has contributed to the BTCC over the past 20 years. As you can see, the BTCC definitely has Vauxhall to thank for keeping the championship alive, particularly at the start of the millennium. Equally, however, Vauxhall has the BTCC to thank for making it the brand it is today.

Vauxhall was never really known as an exciting manufacturer until the birth of the VXRacing (VXR) brand. Since then it has enjoyed as much success off-track as on, with the VXR badge appearing on a popular range of merchandise. You can also see the VXR badge on Vauxhall's high-performance range of cars, which has led to both journalists and the public changing their opinions about the brand. As a result the VXR badge has become as important to Vauxhall as the AMG badge of Mercedes.

Vauxhall will remain one of the first manufacturers that springs to mind when the BTCC is mentioned. When the regulations change after 2010 I hope we will see a Vauxhall at the front of the pack again -- the company has already admitted that it will keep its options open for a return to the series in future years.