Reigning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan made a trip down memory lane at Oulton Park today (4 June), taking to the wheel of two classic Super Touring cars from the 1990s as well as his current Pirtek Racing Honda Civic.
Andrew was invited by historic racer Mark Jones to drive a 1994 Vauxhall Cavalier and 1999 Renault Laguna, the latter of which was formerly raced by double BTCC champ Jason Plato – a driver and rival that Jordan knows only too well!
So why did the current champion jump into some classic cars from the past? Well for the first time since their original heyday the Super Touring cars will be back on the BTCC bill this weekend, and what better way to celebrate than by giving Jordan his first run in two of the much-loved machines from an iconic era.
Jordan will of course be gunning for glory in the headlining Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park, and now with the addition of the Super Touring contest, fans will be treated to seeing some 60 legendary tin top machines and a total of five touring car races!
The talented driver didn’t take long to get up to speed during his Super Touring baptism, with the Cavalier making a huge impression on him.
“The Vauxhall’s great, I loved it,” said the 25-year-old. “It was nice and friendly to drive. It’s pretty much all the same stuff that my car’s got within reason – despite being 20 years old it felt like a touring car should. The tyres are smaller than I’m used to now, still whilst it was damp and we were on wets, it still felt as if we had a good amount of grip. The car felt nice and responsive and I didn’t want to come back into the pit lane!”
Andrew certainly felt that the Cavalier was the easier car to get to grips with: “It was very friendly, and it gave me confidence, whereas the Laguna felt much more on a knife edge. It was very different to drive; it darts around, certainly a lot more on cold tyres. I felt like I was on my back foot with it, because it’s hard work even to stay on the straight. I’m sure as you get more used to it and the tyres come up to temperature it gets better, just it was a bit of a shock going from the Vauxhall to that and how different it actually felt.”
The handling of the Laguna was not the only difference that Andrew noticed. The Williams-built car certainly benefitted from the team’s F1 experience and is some five years younger than the Vauxhall.
“I could see quite a difference between the cars,” he revealed. “You just have to look at how low and far back the engine is, the technology put into them. Big thanks for letting me have a go in one because I always wanted to drive my favourite Super Touring car. The fact it’s Jason Plato’s old car is pretty funny!”
Andrew’s main focus this weekend will be to maintain his lead in the BTCC standings but he admitted to looking forward to watching the Super Touring Car Championship races too, which will also feature BTCC legends John Cleland and Patrick Watts.
“On Friday they’re testing, so the guys and I have said that we want to go down, look round and have a watch,” concluded Jordan. “Those sort of cars are what I grew up watching and playing on the computer games, so to have them racing on the same package is really cool.”
Tickets for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, featuring the HSCC Super Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park are available on the gate for £14 on Saturday and £32 on Sunday, with free admission for children aged 12 and under. For more information spectators should call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.oultonpark.co.uk
