Andrew Jordan piloted the new #77 West Surrey Racing BMW 330i M Sport to a win in the second race of the British Touring Car Championship season opener at Brands Hatch.
Jordan and his WSR teammates, defending champion Colin Turkington and Tom Oliphant, chose to start race one on wet weather tires. They were front runners early in the race, but they fell back as a dry line emerged on the circuit. Honda Civic Type R racer Tom Cook, who bet on dry tires, moved up as the track dried and held on for the win. Jordan finished fifteenth, Turkington finished nineteenth, and Oliphant finished 22nd. Stephen Jelley in a Team Parker Racing 125i M Sport was the best BMW finisher in the race, coming across the line seventh.
Tire choice was critical in race two as well; Jordan started on hard-compound slicks and moved up to take the lead as the front runners on softer compounds fell back. He held on for the win. WSR split its strategy, starting Turkington and Oliphant on the softer compound tires. They finished fourteenth and fifteenth. Jelley finished sixth.
In the third race, Jelley led at the start and went on to finish third, with Turkington fifth and Oliphant sixth. Jordan fell back to 24thwith damage to the #77 car. The win went to Rory Butcher in a Honda Civic Type R.
BTCC runs again at Donington Park on April 27-28.—Brian Morgan
[Photo courtesy BMW Motorsport.]