Honda storms to double 1-2 as Cammish clinches first BTCC victories in supreme style

  • Halfords Yuasa Racing steal the show at Brands Hatch with double 1-2 successes
  • Dan Cammish caps off maiden BTCC campaign by breaking duck with two wins
  • New-for-2018 Honda Civic Type R (FK8) collects four wins and 13 podiums in debut season

Halfords Yuasa Racing brought its 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season to a spectacular conclusion at Brands Hatch as Dan Cammish twice led home Matt Neal in a pair of perfect 1-2 results to break his BTCC victory duck.

On a landmark day for Halfords Yuasa Racing and the new-for-2018 Honda Civic Type R (FK8) at the culmination of the series 60th anniversary season, a peerless performance saw Cammish and Neal complete a formation finish in race once before the pair repeated the feat in race two.

Qualifying on the front row, Cammish shadowed Brett Smith through the opening lap before launching his attack into Paddock Hill Bend, nosing ahead into a lead he’d retain to the chequered flag for the first win of his burgeoning BTCC career. With Neal succeeding in working his way into second place behind his team-mate, Halfords Yuasa Racing celebrated its first 1-2 of the season. With a front-row lock-out their reward in race two, Cammish and Neal shrugged off their maximum success ballast to hold position early on. From here, a tenacious Cammish skilfully negated the limitations of the weight to complete a lights-to-flag, back-to-back victory as Neal doubled the delight once more by completing another 1-2.

Brands Hatch GP Length : 2.4 miles

Brands Hatch GP Length : 2.4 miles

While mid-field skirmishes contributed to Neal and Cammish finishing down the order in their final outing for 2018, it did nothing to dampen spirits as Honda and Halfords Yuasa Racing head into the off-season carrying huge momentum.Complementing his title-winning success in the Jack Sears Trophy, Cammish’s double victory multiplies Halfords Yuasa Racing’s 2018 victory tally to four, including Neal’s historic ‘Diamond Double’ success at Snetterton in July, plus two pole positions and 13 podiums.

In the final drivers’ classification, a closely-matched Neal and Cammish end the season ninth and tenth respectively, with Honda sealing runners-up spot in the manufacturers’ reckoning and Halfords Yuasa Racing second in the teams’ standings.

Drivers’ Standings

1. Colin Turkington 304 points 

2. Tom Ingram 292 points

3. Tom Chilton 266 points

4. Ashley Sutton 256 points

5. Andrew Jordan 247 points

6. Josh Cook 246 points

9. Matt Neal 223 points

10. Dan Cammish 218 points

Manufacturers’ Standings

1. BMW 830 points

2. Honda 758 points

3. Vauxhall 741 points

4. Subaru 553points

Teams’ Standings

1. Team BMW 428 points

2. Halfords Yuasa Racing 409 points

2*. Power Maxed TAG Racing 409 points

3. Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher 318 points

4. Speedworks Motorsport 282 points

5. WIX Racing with Eurotech 277 points

Jack Sears Trophy Standings

1. Dan Cammish 444 points 

2. Chris Smiley 358 points

3. Mat Simpson 309 points

4. Rory Butcher 309 points

5. Ollie Jackson 272 points 

6. Tom Oliphant 257 points

“I cannot think of a better way to complete our first season racing the Honda Civic Type R [FK8] and I am especially delighted to see Dan on top of the podium, not once but twice! We really wanted a good result to take into the off-season and a double 1-2 result is exactly that. It’s been another fantastic BTCC season but today demonstrates exactly what Honda and Halfords Yuasa Racing is capable of with this new car, which gives me a lot of encouragement for the future. More than anything, we wanted to win it for a key member of our team that we have lost, so that one is for you Wainy (Mark Wain – longstanding Team Dynamics member, who sadly passed away two weeks ago). Finally, a huge congratulations to Colin and BMW for clinching the BTCC title, what a brilliant season he has had.”

“It’s been an incredible day for myself, Honda and the entire Halfords Yuasa Racing team. Standing on top of the BTCC podium for the first time is a moment I will never forget, so to do it all over again with Matt alongside me in another 1-2 just makes the achievement all the sweeter. Everything came together in race one and the Civic Type R performed perfectly, but we thought it’d be a tough ask to win race two with the ballast on-board. However, I got my foot down early to make hay and I was able to hang on to the end. It’s a wonderful way to conclude my first season in the BTCC, one that gives me huge motivation heading into the off-season. Congratulations to Colin Turkington and Team BMW for their title win today.”

Spectacular Honda Mean Mower V2 takes on legendary Brands Hatch

  • Team Dynamics-built lawnmower traces its motorsport origins in Brands Hatch demo
  • Unique Mean Mower V2 follows in the wheel-tracks of Honda Civic Type R (FK8)
  • Jess Hawkins delights spectators with first-of-its-kind lap on BTCC finals day

From Formula 1 to touring cars to Superbikes, machinery of all shapes and sizes have turned a wheel on the hallowed racing lines of Brands Hatch’s iconic circuit over the decades but today [30 September] fans attending the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship finale were treated to a lap like never before – by a lawn mower!Then again, this is no ordinary garden tool – this is the Mean Mower V2, Honda’s extraordinary high-performance interpretation of the humble mower, a machine capable of hitting 150mph as easily as it cuts your garden lawn.

Built by Team Dynamics, Honda’s partner in the BTCC, and powered by a 999cc four-cylinder unit lifted from Honda’s Fireblade SP motorcycle, fettled to produce 190bhp at 13,000rpm, the Mean Mower V2’s motorsport origins arguably make the race track a fitting spiritual home for this show-stopper. So while the sight of a lawnmower – which retains the traditional look and cutting abilities of a Honda HF 2622 lawn tractor – lining up on the grid was always going to turn heads, it was the Mean Mower V2’s pure power that left spectators awe-struck as professional racer Jess Hawkins hit full throttle. With a power to weight ratio of 1000bhp/tonne making the world-famous plunge into Paddock Hill Bend an experience like no other and the high-tech Honda Fireblade SP clutch, ECU and six-speed drive train launching a slingshot through Clearways, the Mean Mower V2 gives a fine impression of a race-ready contender.  Built to demonstrate Honda’s breadth of product offering, sporty credentials and reputation as one of the world’s most innovative companies, the second-generation Mean Mower V2 – launched in July – is a true one-of-its-kind icon.

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