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VX Racing, has successfully secured all three championship titles (Driver’s, Team’s and Manufacturer’s) at this weekends closing round of the 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch. Having accumulated 119 race wins, and eight manufacturer titles since 1989, Vauxhall is now the most successful manufacturer of the modern era of BTCC.

Fabrizio Giovanardi claimed his second consecutive BTCC driver’s title with VX Racing, finishing with an incredible 36 point lead ahead of his nearest rival.

Former two-time BTCC Champion and team-mate Matt Neal finished with 185 points and fifth position in the Driver’s championship standings, while VX Racing rookie Tom Onslow-Cole finished hot on his heels in sixth position with a total of 170 points, marking the end of a strong season

for the 21-year-old in his first season in a front wheel drive car.

RACE ONERound 28 saw Giovanardi claim his

second driver’s championship title, as title rival Jason Plato was unable to close the points gap. An incident on

lap two pushed Giovanardi wide, but finishing in 14th overall, despite carrying 45 kg of success ballast, was enough to secure Giovanardi his championship. Comments Giovanardi, “My third season with VX Racing has been fantastic, the team have given me such support, and what driver could ask for more. I can’t wait to get stuck into the 2009 season now!” Matt Neal became involved in a battle with both SEAT Sport UK cars in the final stages, overtaking Turner on the final lap allowing Neal to claim sixth. Onslow-Cole managed to move up through the field from his 12th position grid start to finish in ninth. Mat Jackson won the race.

RACE TWOMatt Neal claimed VX Racing’s first

podium of the day in round 29, overtaking Jason Plato on lap ten, Neal demonstrated the Vauxhall Vectra VXR’s speed and finished in a strong second place. Said Neal, “This weekend has been a wonderful end to a successful season for us all, and it’s been great fun along the way. The team have worked so hard for us, and Vauxhall and Fabrizio really deserve their titles.” Onslow-Cole drove a clean race and finished eighth. Giovanardi missed out on

race two, after an engine change following race one caused problems with his car and meant that he was unable to start. Mat Jackson won the race.

RACE THREEGiovanardi’s Vectra VXR was back up and

running after his earlier engine problems, and he started from the 21st on the grid. After fighting hard with the back of the field, the newly crowned champion set a fastest lap on lap 14 before getting stuck into a battle with Plato, overtaking him on lap 17. Neal started from seventh and drove an aggressive race to finish eighth.

21-year-old Onslow-Cole started the final race of the day from pole position, and drove well to finish third. Comments Onslow-Cole, “I knew this weekend would be difficult, with such a mixed bag of drivers out on track, but I had no idea it would give us such unexpected results! I’m pleased to have finished on the podium though.” Tom Chilton won the race.

“My day has been incredible, one I have certainly waited all year for! I would sum it up and say that it was one of the happiest of my life, even though it was definitely a day of surprises! The entire weekend has produced weird, unexpected results and successes, but I think everybody had a good day today. And the sun shone, which was very nice!”

FABRIZIO’S dAy

BTCC dRIveRS ChAmpIOnShIp 1 FABRIzIO GIOVANARDI VAUXHALL Vectra Vxr 262 2 MAT JACKSON BMW 320si 2263 JASON PLATO Seat LeON tDi 223 4 COLIN TURKINGTON BMW 320si 2125 MATT NEAL VauxHaLL Vectra Vxr 18510 TOM ONSLOW-COLE VauxHaLL Vectra Vxr 170

BTCC mAnuFACTuReRS ChAmpIOnShIp1 VAUXHALL 697 2 SEAT .....545

BTCC TeAm ChAmpIOnShIp 1 VX RACING 5372 SEAT SPORT UK 328 3 TEAM HALFORDS 231dR

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ROundS 28-29-30 BRAndS hATCh 21 SepTemBeR 2008 ISSue 11 By

vAuXhALL WIn muLTIpLe ChAmpIOnShIp TITLeS

*champions

thoughts at the end of the 2008 season

GALLeRy SpOnSORed By

“My third season with VX Racing has been fantastic. The professionalism and team spirit at Vauxhall has made the year not only enjoyable, but of championship winning quality and I cannot thank them enough. The Vauxhall Vectra VXR has proven itself as a worthy championship winner and the VX Racing team worked so hard to support me and ensure that reliability and maximum performance were always available to me; and as a driver, you could not hope for any more this.“My team-mates Matt and Tom have done such a wonderful job at aiming for those points scoring finishes, right from race one, that we have been truly untouchable this season. To have such dedicated, ambitious and fun team mates has definitely made the 2008 season my best ever. 2007 driver’s champion, and now

2008 driver’s champion, roll on 2009, I can’t wait!”

ATTACK caught up with Vauxhall’s Marketing Director, Andy Gilson, and asked him to sum up what the 2008 BTCC season meant to Vauxhall. “2008 has been a truly fantastic season. We began with the objective to win all three championships this year, and now to have achieved this is quite unbelievable, especially in light of just how competitive the modern day BTCC field is. The team have worked so hard to ensure that every possible opportunity was given to the three drivers, and have lived up to their reputation as the most successful

BTCC team yet again. “It is always a joy to see the race wins and successes add up throughout the year, and everyone at Vauxhall just hopes and prays that all the hard work pays off in the end. This is the first time Vauxhall have secured the triple win since 2004, and it has been well earned by everyone this season. We have now secured eight manufacturer titles, and eight driver titles; we’re definitely aiming for our ninth in ’09. 2009… bring it on!”Fabrizio Giovanardi headed into the Brands Hatch weekend needing a maximum of nine points to secure victory, and so he was in great spirits at the track. Adding the ninth major touring car title to his CV, our charismatic Italian has certainly cemented his reputation as one of the greatest touring car driver’s of all-time.

the champ’s thank you

fabrizio giovanardi

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ROundS 28-29-30 BRAndS hATCh 21 SepTemBeR 2008 ISSue 11

As the BTCC season finishes for 2008, Vauxhall are continuing their search for Britain’s best undiscovered

racing talent with their VXR Racing Driver of the Year competition. With the semi-final challenges now complete, 15 hopefuls are heading to the finals in a fortnight’s time for their chance to win a fully paid for race seat for the 2009 season, worth an incredible £80,000. The finals will include media interview scenarios and team-building challenges, along with speed trials and racing aptitude tests. Vauxhall will soon

be announcing who won the VXR Racing Driver of the Year 2008! Vauxhall’s double touring car champion Fabrizio Giovanardi, has mentored the 2007 competition winner, 35-year-old John Allison from Beverly in Yorkshire, through his first professional racing season. The mortgage consultant and father of two has claimed five podium finishes during his first season behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Astra VXR, and currently stands fourth in the Dunlop Maxx Cup Championship. Fabrizio has again given his full support to the 2008 competition; “It’s a great opportunity for a driver with raw talent and ambition to experience the

highly-competitive world of motorsport. With such a fantastic prize, the competition has been extremely strong this year and hopefully we will discover a future champion.”

Enjoyed the 2008 British Touring Car Championship?

Get planning now for your 2009 season and make sure you don’t miss Fabrizio’s first race of his championship title defence.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets to the first race of the 2009 BTCC, just answer the following question:

Q. Fabrizio Giovanardi won the 2008 BTCC driver’s championship, but with how many points?

a) 195b) 262c) 344

To enter, send your answer and contact details to vxracing@rsm.uk.com. The closing date is Friday, 3 October 2008.

COmpeTITIOn • COmpeTITIOn • COmpeTITIOn • COmpeTITIOn • COmpeTITIOn • COmpeTITIOn WIn A pAIR OF 2009 BTCC TICkeTS

vAuXhALL SeARCheS FOR The neXT GIOvAnARdI

ROundS 28-29-30 BRAndS hATCh 21 SepTemBeR 2008 ISSue 11

What will those racing boys get up to this winter?Fabrizio Giovanardi prefers to stay in the warm, “I

don’t like to ski, it’s far too cold for me. I prefer to stay at home and socialise with my friends and family. Also winter is a good time to work on my house, as the temperatures cool off to allow you to work.”

Matt Neal told ATTACK, “My favourite time in winter is Christmas, it’s a brilliant time when you’ve got a big family. I like to watch the children open their gifts and then stuff myself silly with Christmas turkey!”

Tom Onslow-Cole still finds a need to satisfy his adrenalin addiction, “The last two winter’s I’ve really taken to skiing holidays, just starting to think about planning my trip for this winter, and as the air starts to get a bit colder I get excited about the snow!”

vAuXhALL’S 2008 STARS LOOk AheAd TO ThOSe FROSTy WInTeR mOnThSSTAR

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