1999 British Touring Car Championship season

1999 BTCC season
Previous:	1998	Next:	2000

The 1999 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship season was won by Laurent Aïello in his debut season driving for the Nissan works team, with team mate David Leslie in second place. Rickard Rydell, the 1998 champion came third, with James Thompson and Jason Plato coming fourth and fifth.

One of the big stars and big surprises was the independent driver Matt Neal. Driving for his father's Team Dynamics in a 1998 Nissan Primera, Neal became the first independent driver to win a championship race in the feature race of the first Donington round; TOCA had put up a reward for £250,000 for this achievement.

Changes for 1999

For the 1999 season both the works teams of Peugeot and Audi had departed since competing in the previous year. Indeed this would prove to be the last year for Renault, Volvo and Nissan, the three previous champions from the last three years. The BTCC would never see more than four works teams together in one season again.

Night racing was introduced to the BTCC for the first time for the rounds at Snetterton in July. The pit lane and main spectator areas were floodlit, whilst other parts of the circuit were in total darkness. To aid the drivers eyesight for the sharp changes from light to dark, the cockpits had a soft red light glowing inside.

Entry list

Team Car No. Drivers Class Rounds Volvo S40 Racing Volvo S40 1 Rickard Rydell M All 11 Vincent Radermecker M All Ford Team Mondeo Ford Mondeo 2 Anthony Reid M All 4 Alain Menu M All Team Honda Sport Honda Accord 3 James Thompson M All 33 Peter Kox M All 55 Gabriele Tarquini M 10–11 Nescafé Blend 37 Williams Renault Renault Laguna 5 Jason Plato M All 37 Jean-Christophe Boullion M All Vodafone Nissan Racing Nissan Primera GT 6 David Leslie M All 23 Laurent Aïello M All Vauxhall Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra 7 Yvan Muller M All 8 John Cleland M All ADR Motorsport Vauxhall Vectra 15 Mark Blair I All Arena International Renault Laguna 17 Russell Spence I 1–7 Will Hoy I 8–13 DC Cook Motorsport Honda Accord 22 Paula Cook I 1–8 Max Power Racing Team Dynamics Nissan Primera GT 77 Matt Neal I All Brookes Motorsport Honda Accord 99 Lee Brookes I 1–3, 6–9

Icon Class M Manufacturer I Independent

Calendar

Round		Circuit	Date	Pole Position	Fastest Lap	Winning Driver	Winning Team	Winning Independent
1	R1	Donington Park (National), Leicestershire	5 April	James Thompson	David Leslie	James Thompson	Team Honda Sport	Matt Neal
	R2			Matt Neal	Anthony Reid	Matt Neal	Max Power Racing Team Dynamics	Matt Neal
2	R3	Silverstone Circuit (International), Northamptonshire	18 April	David Leslie	David Leslie	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
	R4			Laurent Aïello	Laurent Aïello	Jason Plato	Nescafé Blend 37 Williams Renault	Paula Cook
3	R5	Thruxton Circuit, Hampshire	3 May	Rickard Rydell	Laurent Aïello	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
	R6			Rickard Rydell	Vincent Radermecker	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Lee Brookes
4	R7	Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent	16 May	Alain Menu	Jason Plato	Yvan Muller	Vauxhall Motorsport	Mark Blair
	R8			Laurent Aïello	Jason Plato	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
5	R9	Oulton Park (Fosters), Cheshire	31 May	Laurent Aïello	Rickard Rydell	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
	R10			Laurent Aïello	David Leslie	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
6	R11	Donington Park (Grand Prix), Leicestershire	20 June	James Thompson	Rickard Rydell	James Thompson	Team Honda Sport	Matt Neal
	R12			David Leslie	David Leslie	David Leslie	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
7	R13	Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire	4 July	James Thompson	David Leslie	James Thompson	Team Honda Sport	Matt Neal
	R14			James Thompson	Rickard Rydell	Rickard Rydell	Volvo S40 Racing	Matt Neal
8	R15	Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk	17 July	Laurent Aïello	David Leslie	David Leslie	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
	R16			Laurent Aïello	Laurent Aïello	Peter Kox	Team Honda Sport	Matt Neal
9	R17	Thruxton Circuit, Hampshire	1 August	Rickard Rydell	Rickard Rydell	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
	R18			Rickard Rydell	Rickard Rydell	David Leslie	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Will Hoy
10	R19	Knockhill Circuit, Fife	15 August	Laurent Aïello	Laurent Aïello	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
	R20			Alain Menu	Gabriele Tarquini	Alain Menu	Ford Team Mondeo	Mark Blair
11	R21	Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent	30 August	Laurent Aïello	David Leslie	Rickard Rydell	Volvo S40 Racing	Matt Neal
	R22			Rickard Rydell	J-C Boullion	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
12	R23	Oulton Park (Island), Cheshire	12 September	David Leslie	David Leslie	Laurent Aïello	Vodafone Nissan Racing	Matt Neal
	R24			David Leslie	James Thompson	James Thompson	Team Honda Sport	Matt Neal
13	R25	Silverstone Circuit (International), Northamptonshire	19 September	Laurent Aïello	Jason Plato	Rickard Rydell	Volvo S40 Racing	Will Hoy
	R26			Laurent Aïello	Rickard Rydell	Rickard Rydell	Volvo S40 Racing	Matt Neal

Drivers Championship

Points system
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th	10th	Pole Position	Lead a lap in feature race
15	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2	1	1	1

• No driver may collect more than one "Lead a Lap" point per race no matter how many laps they lead.
• Drivers' top 22 results count towards the championship.

Pos Driver DON SIL THR BHI OUL DON CRO SNE THR KNO BHI OUL SIL Pts 1 Laurent Aïello 11 Ret 1 6 1 1* 3 1* 1 1* Ret 2* 5 3 Ret 7 1 5* 1 DSQ 2 1* 1 2 9 Ret 244 2 David Leslie 4 Ret 2 7 11 Ret 6 2 2 8* 2 1* 2 4 1 2* 4 1* 9 3 4 2* 2 4* 11 2 228 3 Rickard Rydell 7 Ret 3 Ret 2 2* Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 4 4 1* 2 8 2 Ret* 6 5 1 5* 3 3 1 1* 192 4 James Thompson 1 2* 5 4 5 8 7 6* 11 Ret 1 3 1 2* 9 15 7 Ret 14 Ret 3 3 DSQ 1* 2 9 174 5 Jason Plato 3 3 6 1* Ret 4* 4 Ret* Ret Ret 3 8 6 6 4 6 5 4 Ret Ret 6 8 Ret 6 Ret Ret 122 6 Yvan Muller 6 10 Ret 2 Ret 11 1 5 8 3 4 5 8 8 Ret 3 8 6 10 7 12 Ret 9 5 3 5 119 7 Peter Kox 9 7 9 5 6 5 Ret 4 9 7 7 Ret 3 9 6 1* 9 9 Ret 2 9 4* 5 Ret 7 Ret 113 8 Vincent Radermecker 10 5 11 Ret 4 3 Ret Ret 5 4* 9 12 7 7 3 5 3 2 11 8 10 7 4 13 Ret 4 113 9 Matt Neal 5 1* 4 Ret 3 Ret Ret 3 10 2 10 7 10 5* 7 10 6 Ret 7 Ret 5 10 6 10 Ret 6 109 10 Jean-Christophe Boullion Ret 6 8 3 9 7* 5 7 6 6 8 10 11 Ret 5 4 13 11 5 4 7 6 7 7 8 Ret 97 11 Alain Menu 2 Ret 13 Ret Ret 6 12 Ret 3 Ret 5 6 Ret Ret 8 9* 11 3 3 1* Ret Ret Ret 9 12 Ret 84 12 Anthony Reid Ret Ret 7 DSQ 8 Ret 2 8 4 5 11 9 Ret 10* Ret 11 Ret 7* 4 Ret 8 12 12 8 4 3 78 13 John Cleland 8 4* 10 8 7 9 8 9 12 Ret 6 Ret 9 Ret 12 12 12 Ret 8 9 11 9 8 Ret 5 10 51 14 Gabriele Tarquini 2 6 Ret Ret 17 15 Will Hoy 10 13 10 8 13 11 13 11 10 11 6 7 15 16 Mark Blair 13 Ret 12 11 12 12 9 10 13 9 12 11 12 Ret 13 DNS Ret 10 12 10 14 13 11 12 10 8 11 17 Lee Brookes 12 9 Ret 10 10 10 DNS DNS 13 Ret 13 12 11 16 14 Ret 5 18 Russell Spence 15 8 Ret Ret 13 14 11 Ret DNS DNS 14 Ret 15 11 3 19 Paula Cook 14 Ret Ret 9 Ret 13 10 Ret Ret Ret 15 13 14 13 Ret 14 3 Michelin Cup for Independents 1 Matt Neal 5 1 4 Ret 3 Ret Ret 3 10 2 10 7 10 5 7 10 6 Ret 7 Ret 5 10 6 10 Ret 6 353 2 Mark Blair 13 Ret 12 11 11 12 9 10 13 9 12 11 12 Ret 13 DNS Ret 10 12 10 14 13 11 12 10 8 183 3 Will Hoy 10 13 10 8 13 11 13 11 10 11 6 7 131 4 Lee Brookes 12 9 Ret 10 10 10 DNS DNS 13 Ret 13 12 11 16 14 Ret 78 5 Paula Cook 14 Ret Ret 9 Ret 13 10 Ret Ret Ret 15 13 14 13 Ret 14 41 6 Russell Spence 15 8 Ret Ret 13 14 11 Ret DNS DNS 14 Ret 15 11 25 Pos. Driver DON SIL THR BHI OUL DON CRO SNE THR KNO BHI OUL SIL Pts

Colour Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green Finished, in points Blue Finished, no points Not classified (NC) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Withdrew (WD) Race cancelled (C) Blank Did not participate Excluded (EX)

Note: bold signifies pole position (1 point awarded all races), italics signifies fastest lap.

* signifies that driver lead feature race for at least one lap (1 point given). Note: All bonus leading points may not be added due to them being added after seeing Season Review footage and some race reports.

Manufacturers Championship

Pos Manufacturer DON SIL THR BHI OUL DON CRO SNE THR KNO BHI OUL SIL Pts 1 Nissan / Vodafone Nissan Racing/Team Dynamics 4 1 1 6 1 1 3 1 1 1 2 1 2 3 1 2 1 1 1 3 2 1 1 2 9 2 464 5 Ret 2 7 3 Ret 6 2 2 2 10 2 5 4 7 7 4 5 7 Ret 4 2 2 4 11 6 2 Honda / Team Honda Sport 1 2 5 4 5 5 7 4 9 7 1 3 1 2 6 1 7 9 2 2 3 3 5 1 2 9 296 9 7 9 5 6 8 Ret 6 11 Ret 7 Ret 3 9 9 15 9 Ret 14 6 9 4 DSQ Ret 7 Ret 3 Volvo / Volvo S40 Racing 7 5 3 Ret 2 2 Ret Ret 5 4 9 4 4 1 2 5 2 2 6 5 1 5 3 3 1 1 295 10 Ret 11 Ret 4 3 Ret Ret 7 Ret Ret 12 7 7 3 8 3 Ret 11 8 10 7 4 13 Ret 4 4 Renault / Nescafé Blend 37 Williams Renault 3 3 6 1 9 4 4 7 6 6 3 8 6 6 4 4 5 4 5 4 6 6 7 6 8 Ret 227 Ret 6 8 3 Ret 7 5 Ret Ret Ret 8 10 11 Ret 5 6 13 11 Ret Ret 7 8 Ret 7 Ret Ret 5 Vauxhall / Vauxhall Motorsport 6 4 10 2 7 9 1 5 8 3 4 5 8 8 12 3 8 6 8 7 11 9 8 5 3 5 186 8 10 Ret 8 Ret 11 8 9 12 Ret 6 Ret 9 Ret Ret 12 12 Ret 10 9 12 Ret 9 Ret 5 10 6 Ford / Ford Team Mondeo 2 Ret 7 Ret 8 6 2 8 3 5 5 6 Ret 10 8 9 11 3 3 1 8 12 12 8 4 3 164 Ret Ret 13 DSQ Ret Ret 12 Ret 4 Ret 11 9 Ret Ret Ret 11 Ret 7 4 Ret Ret Ret Ret 9 12 Ret Pos Manufacturer DON SIL THR BHI OUL DON CRO SNE THR KNO BHI OUL SIL Pts Teams Championship Pos Team DON SIL THR BHI OUL DON CRO SNE THR KNO BHI OUL SIL Pts 1 Vodafone Nissan Racing Ret 6 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 3 1 2 2 210 Ret 7 Ret 2 8 2 4 7 5 DSQ 2 4 Ret 2 Team Honda Sport 2 4 5 4 7 3 2 1 9 2 3 1 9 132 7 5 8 6 Ret Ret 9 15 Ret 6 4 Ret Ret 3 Volvo S40 Racing 5 Ret 2 Ret 4 4 1 5 2 5 5 3 1 127 Ret Ret 3 Ret Ret 12 7 8 Ret 8 7 13 4 4 Nescafé Blend 37 Williams Renault 3 1 4 7 6 8 6 4 4 4 6 6 Ret 108 6 3 7 Ret Ret 10 Ret 6 11 Ret 8 7 Ret 5 Vauxhall Motorsport 4 2 9 5 3 5 8 3 6 7 9 5 5 83 10 8 11 9 Ret Ret Ret 12 Ret 9 Ret Ret 10 6 Team Dynamics 1 Ret Ret 3 2 7 5 10 Ret Ret 10 10 6 55 7 Ford Team Mondeo Ret Ret 6 8 5 6 10 9 3 1 12 8 3 53 Ret DSQ Ret Ret Ret 9 Ret 11 7 Ret Ret 9 Ret 8 Arena International 8 Ret 14 Ret DNS Ret 11 13 8 11 11 11 7 10 9 ADR Motorsport Ret 11 12 10 9 11 Ret DNS 10 10 13 12 8 7 10 Brookes Motorsport 9 10 10 DNS Ret 12 16 Ret 4 11 DC Cook Motorsport Ret 9 13 Ret Ret 13 13 14 2 Pos Team DON SIL THR BHI OUL DON CRO SNE THR KNO BHI OUL SIL Pts Points System The points system used for the 1999 British Touring Car Championship was as follows. For the drivers championship, 15 points were awarded to the winner of each race, 12 to second place, 10 for third and 8,6,5,4,3,2,1 for fourth to tenth place respectively. At the end of the season, drivers would drop their four lowest scores. A point would be awarded to the driver who achieved pole position for each race, and a point was awarded to anyone who led the feature race. For the manufactures championship, the same amount of points for the top ten finishing positions were awarded as for the drivers championship but only a manufacturers two highest placed cars were able to receive points. At the end of the season, manufacturers would drop the points from their worst four rounds of the championship. No points were received for leading laps or pole position. References External links teamdan.com