BTCC: First points mark significant BTCC milestone for Rotek Racing

Rotek Racing Press Release

Robb Holland and Rotek Racing reached a significant milestone by scoring its first point in a typically dramatic Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) weekend at Snetterton in East Anglia (3 August).

Saturday’s free practice and qualifying sessions all went to plan for Holland and Rotek Racing and the team was pleased to validate modifications made to its new-for-2014 Audi S3 saloon in a test at Pembrey in Wales.

With a better understanding of the Oakley Motorsports-liveried machine and a vastly improved balance, Rotek Racing confirmed with absolute certainty that progress had been made during the lengthy mid-season break and that was reflected in Holland’s speed and consistency on the Snetterton ‘300’ circuit.

There was a belief that Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the Dunlop-backed BTCC represented Rotek’s most realistic shot of scoring points since making its debut in Britain’s premier motor racing championship at the start of 2014.

Holland, from Atlanta, Georgia, drove a canny race from 23rd on the grid and successfully negotiated his way through the traditionally frantic first corner, swerving to avoid the ensuing carnage with cat-like reflexes and emerging from the dust cloud in the points in 15th.

The American had Warren Scott in P14 pegged for pace but lost touch with the Team BMR driver while fighting a rear-guard action against multiple British Touring Car Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi.

While reluctant to relinquish the final points-paying position, self-preservation was the priority and Holland took the decision not to defend too heavily against the feisty Italian.

Instead, the Oakley Motorsports-backed driver went in pursuit of Glynn Geddie – recovering from an earlier spin – and kept the United Autosport driver honest, despite having to defend heavily from the potent Pirtek Racing Honda Civics of Martyn Depper and reigning BTCC Champion, Andrew Jordan.

The Pirtek pairing were hot on Holland’s heels right to the flag, but Holland soaked up the unrelenting pressure to take the finish in a season’s best 15th position and secure Rotek Racing’s first point in the super-competitive BTCC.

Sadly, Holland was a casualty in an incident-filled second race, punted into a spin after a three-lap Safety Car intervention and retiring to the pits with severe rear-end damage.

Undeterred, Holland returned to the fray and made a sensational start to the third and final clash of the weekend at Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit with a repaired Audi S3 saloon, scything from 28th to 18th on merit in a matter of six laps.

Unfortunately, a collision with James Cole’s United Autosports Toyota Avensis led to Holland’s second consecutive retirement, but the Rotek Racing driver remained upbeat and positive about the way his weekend had panned out.

“I’ve become wise to the starts here at Snetterton, because you can guarantee that something will kick off at Riches and, as usual, there was absolute carnage! There’s no margin for slides and contact because it only takes a touch here and there to ruin your race, but I tried to be smart about it, look for opportunities and I managed to sneak past. To score a point is fantastic and I’m so delighted with it, having fought for every place. We finally have a car we can race and, psychologically, it was important to do this straight after the summer break.

“It felt really great to fight on an even keel with Champions like Fabrizio Giovanardi and Andrew Jordan. While I would have preferred to finish all three races, I can’t be displeased with how this weekend has gone. In fact, I’m thrilled and feel the team has really turned a corner and by surging from 28th to 18th on merit shows we have the ability to fight for points on a regular basis.”

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) heads north of the border to Scotland’s Knockhill circuit for Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2014 season (23-24 August).

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

BTCC: Holland cautiously optimistic about Snetterton after productive summer testing

Rotek Racing Press Release

Robb ‘Hollywood’ Holland and his Rotek Racing team are hoping for a seismic shift in fortunes as the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) bursts back into life on the Snetterton ‘300’ circuit (2-3 August).

A lack of pre-season testing led to a tumultuous and troubled beginning to Rotek Racing’s BTCC foray, but this only served to heighten the Nürburgring and Silverstone-based team’s desire to overcome its new-car teething problems and the opposition.

A determined effort to fettle and refine the striking Audi S3 saloon over the six-week mid-season break culminated with a highly productive test at Pembrey in Wales, where Rotek Racing clarified the source of its problems and embarked down a road that it hopes will yield results in the concluding half of the 2014 season.

Snetterton has the honour of hosting Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the Dunlop-backed BTCC and its 2.99mile ‘300’ configuration is one Holland is extremely familiar with, having made his BTCC bow at the East Anglian venue in 2012.

Situated in the Norfolk countryside, Snetterton, which has been on the BTCC package for over 50 years, encompasses a number of flat out straights and a tight, technical infield section that draws inspiration from some of motorsport’s most iconic corners, such as Monza’s Parabolica and Montréal’s Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve Hairpin.

Heading to Snetterton having clocked up countless testing miles and with prior knowledge and experience of the circuit gives Holland cause for optimism, although the Oakley Motorsports-backed American remains cautious about Rotek Racing’s prospects.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that we have finally clocked up some testing miles at Pembrey last week and to have spent some time on the shake rig and I’ll be interested to see how it all shapes up at Snetterton,” said Holland. “I’m cautiously optimistic that we have made some gains based on my feel in the car and the fact we picked up a bunch of time over the course of the test with some simple, yet fundamental alterations.

“We have a much better understanding of how the car works and a direction to go in for the rest of the season, but we can only hope that Snetterton will be a turning point for the team. This is the first track I’ve competed on before and that prior knowledge and experience, plus the gains made in testing should result in an improvement. I don’t have any specific targets because we haven’t had anybody to compare ourselves to and I’ve been in the business long enough to know that, no matter how much you want it to, things don’t always correlate or translate from one circuit to another.”

Qualifying for Round 16 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) takes place at 15.20 on Saturday (2 August) and will be streamed live on thewww.itv.com/btcc web page.

This precedes Round 16 itself at 12.02, Round 17 at 14.35 and Round 18 at 16.57 on Sunday (3 August), all of which will be beamed live and in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4HD.

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: BTCC

BTCC: Hopeful Holland prepares to test thoroughly during BTCC's mid-season break

Rotek Racing Press Release

A disappointing weekend in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Croft Circuit (28-29 June) hasn’t quashed Robb Holland’s unwavering optimism heading into what he predicts will be a fruitful six-week mid-season break for Rotek Racing.

An encouraging start to the year has been followed by a series of galling new-car teething problems and the Nürburgring and Silverstone-based Rotek Racing team continues to grapple with its Audi S3 saloon while struggling to understand how to optimise it performance.

Having only experienced the North Yorkshire circuit on a simulator, Holland tentatively negotiated Croft Circuit’s varied confines during free practice on Saturday and had his progress thwarted by indifferent weather conditions and the odd red-flag stoppage.

From 28th on the grid, Holland’s frustration continued in Round 13, the first of Sunday’s three races, as his Oakley Motorsports Audi S3 saloon was hobbled during a traditionally chaotic opening lap.

The start was delayed and the race distance shortened to 14 laps as a result of a suspected technical issue with Croft’s lighting gantry, but the action got underway at the second time of asking, a spectacular series of incidents kicking off as the field converged on Clervaux and Hawthorns for the first time.

A collision between former title-winner Matt Neal and current Champion Andrew Jordan preceded another involving Adam Morgan and Rob Austin, while both Nick Foster and Jack Goff were also punted across the fairway and into the Croft infield.

Holland’s Rotek Racing Audi S3 appeared to be hobbled as it emerged from the dust and debris field and the American pitted on lap six, losing three laps to the main pack before re-emerging and continuing on his way to finish 28th.

Round 14 was another race of attrition and provided just as much incident and intrigue as the preceding BTCC encounter. It was also provided far more amusement for Holland, who was able to get stuck in to some entertaining on-track battles.

Several drivers faltered through contact and unforced errors and Holland was only too happy to pick up the pieces, climbing to 23rd position as he locked horns with the Welch Motorsport Proton Gen-2s of Daniel Welch and Ollie Jackson.

Approximately half a second split Welch and Holland on lap eight, but the latter was in a determined mood and pulled off a superb and clean overtake on the Proton racer to hold 22nd place on the ninth tour of the 2.25mile North Yorkshire circuit.

The fight enraged to the flag but Holland staunchly defended his position and took the chequered flag with Welch and a recovering Simon Belcher one lap down underneath his rear wing.

Round 15 was all too brief for Holland because, having survived the first lap fireworks, a busted wheel nut – a recurrent problem Rotek Racing suffered during the formation lap – forced the Oakley Motorsports-backed driver into retirement after a Safety Car intervention on lap four.

Summing up another character-building race weekend at the pinnacle of British motor racing, Holland said: “It has been a tough weekend for the team and we definitely didn’t have a handle on the car like we expected to, experiencing various small issues that hampered progress at Croft Circuit. For example, we bust a wheel nut during the out-lap in race three, only for it to reoccur again after the Safety Car deployment. We’ve never had that problem before, so it’s weird to say the least. The positive we can take is that we take the car home with no damage, which means we can get cracking with a thorough and comprehensive testing programme on the track, in the windtunnel and on the shake rig. These are all the things we hoped to do during the lead-up to the season so I’m looking forward to getting on with that straight away, seeing if we can make progress and get a better start to the second half of the season than we did in the first.”

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship now embarks on a six-week mid-season hiatus before heading to Snetterton in the Norfolk countryside for Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of an enthralling 2014 season (2-3 August).

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

BTCC: Holland disappointed as lack of testing hurts Rotek Racing's Croft BTCC build-up

Rotek Racing Press Release

The disappointment continued for Robb Holland and Rotek Racing during an underwhelming build-up to Rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Croft Circuit, another weekend mired by a severe lack of testing.

A season that started in such a positive fashion for Holland has been an uphill struggle for the Rotek Racing operation, as the Nürburgring and Silverstone-based team has had to grapple with new-car teething problems and continues to try and understand how to optimise the new-for-2014 Audi S3 saloon.

Holland tentatively tip-toed around the 2.25mile Croft Circuit in FP1 on Saturday morning, having only experienced the North Yorkshire circuit on a simulator and was 24th fastest after ten laps when his progress was stymied by a red flag stoppage and a short, sharp rain shower.

Undeterred, the American continued circulating and completed 15 laps, but the wet-dry conditions prevented him from clocking up any meaningful mileage behind the wheel of his Oakley Motorsports Audi and there was a slight sense of frustration as he went into FP2.

Dark clouds hung over Croft for the duration of the morning although the intermittent drizzle subsided for the start of the 30-minute second practice session, to the delight of Holland and his Rotek Racing team.

Sadly, consistent track and weather conditions didn’t reap as many benefits as expected and the team went into qualifying bemused as to why the configuration honed at Oulton Park three weeks ago was ineffective at Croft.

Conditions remained dry for qualifying on Saturday afternoon and it was a slow start to the 30-minute session for all the front-wheel-drive runners, who all pitted for new Dunlops after completing a single installation lap.

Holland only began setting representative times after more than ten minutes and steadily picked up the pace in a red flag-affected qualifying until climaxing in 28th position with a best lap of 1m26.926s, recorded on his tenth tour of the North Yorkshire circuit.

“Carrying mid-corner speed has been our problem since day one and that’s exactly what we’re struggling with here at Croft Circuit,” said Holland. “We came up with a solution at Oulton Park and it worked perfectly there, but we arrived here to find that it has disappeared and it’s quite baffling. The window these cars operate in is very narrow and, if something like the track surface or temperature changes, that can easily throw you out of it.

“We’ve spent today chasing this solution and trying to find out where it went and, while it was a bit better in qualifying because the new tyres give you better grip and allow you to charge into the corners more, it’s tough to play catch up during these race weekends. The fact is, a lack of testing is hurting us and we need to come away from a weekend without damage to repair and clock up some miles with the car to really understand where we need to go with it and focus on moving forwards. It’s frustrating that we thought we made a step forwards, when in fact it’s status quo.”

Round 13 takes place at 12.02, Round 14 at 14.39 and Round 15 at 17.06 tomorrow (Sunday 29 June) and all three races will be beamed live and in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4HD.

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

BTCC: Holland on maximum attack as BTCC heads North East to Croft

Rotek Racing Press Release

Fresh from the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours, Robb ‘Hollywood’ Holland and his Rotek Racing team are on maximum attack as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) rolls into Croft Circuit in the North East of England (28-29 June).

Croft Circuit, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2014, hosts Rounds 13, 14 and 15 of Britain’s premier motor racing championship.

The charming 2.25mile circuit is situated near Darlington, North Yorkshire and has featured on the BTCC calendar every year since 1997.

Its layout is made up of an intoxicating blend of fast, flowing corners like the Jim Clark Esses and Barcroft, as well as the technical Complex and final Hairpin, and compliments the sort of high-octane, bumper-to-bumper racing action that the BTCC is famed for.

Holland, meanwhile, was on for a career-best 12th place finish in a rain-soaked third race at Oulton Park three weeks ago, until a swipe from a wayward rival caused severe rear-end damage to his Oakley Motorsports-backed Audi S3 saloon that ultimately resulted in a puncture and a separate, race-ending collision with the barriers.

Understandably disappointed to have been denied a solid points finish and, through no fault of his own, conclude yet another tumultuous weekend with more crash damage, the American and his Rotek Racing operation remains on maximum attack and is targeting top 16 results as the BTCC prepares for its lengthy mid-season break.

“In all honesty, I know nothing about Croft Circuit, but I’ll go into free practice having done some simulator work in the UK and, from watching video footage, it looks to be a very interesting and exciting track,” said Holland. “The goal here is to go into the mid-season break without damage and then get some testing done. I’d be happy if I crept into the top 16 because of the setbacks we had at start of season. We always knew it would be a tough fight and the team is still on maximum attack.

“The Audi S3 saloon definitely felt better as the Oulton Park weekend progressed and I raced as high as 12th before being taken out, which gives me confidence in the changes that Rotek Racing made to the car. The alterations were counterintuitive to what we would normally do, but we decided to experiment and it seemed to work out.”

Holland added: “This weekend is no different to the previous three, in that I’ve always had to learn my way around a new circuit. In addition, the team has come away from each race meeting with crash damage to repair, after being on the receiving end of contact, which has forced the cancellation of several tests where we would normally make all the necessary adjustments to the Audi S3 saloon. Instead, we have to learn each track while fettling the car’s setup during free practice on a Saturday, using the entire race weekends as tests with the view of making the car better in the long-term.”

Qualifying for Round 13 of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) takes place from 15.45 on Saturday (28 June), while Sunday (29 June) begins with the pit lane walkabout driver autograph session.

This precedes Round 13 at 12.02, Round 14 at 14.39 and Round 15 at 17.06, all of which will be beamed live and in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4HD.

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing

BTCC: Robb 'Hollywood' Holland draws many positives from Oulton Park

Rotek Racing Press Release

It was a weekend of ups-and-downs for Rotek Racing’s Robb ‘Hollywood’ Holland
in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship this weekend at a weather contrasting Oulton Park (7-8 June).

Following a heavy crash at Donington Park in April, the Rotek Racing team were tasked with rebuilding the newly acquired Audi S3 Saloon in time for the fourth meeting of Britain’s premier race series.

Saturday’s (7 June) qualifying was held under wet conditions due to a pre-event downfall, which produced unpredictability and excitement to the 30-minute session.

Holland struggled with the conditions and positioned his Audi 27th.

In complete contrast to Saturday’s events, Sunday’s opening race was held under sunny and warm conditions and gave drivers their first opportunity of the weekend to run on the Dunlop slick tyres.

Bolting off the line as the lights went out for the first time of the weekend; Holland climbed three positions on the opening tour of the 2.69mile International Circuit and was quick to latch onto the rear bumper of Martin Depper.

The American-driver continued to battle with some of the more experienced racers in the field and crossed the line 22nd, five places up from his original starting position.

For race two, Rotek Racing and Holland had implemented several set-up changes to improve the performance of his Oakley-liveried S3, which paid dividends when he again continued to climb the leader board to finish the session 22nd after battling with double championship winner, Fabrizio Giovanardi.

With the set-up changes working wonders for both team and driver, race three was shaping up to be a positive outing, but minutes before the session, the heavens opened and washed away any previous rubber laid down by the day’s previous events.

With plans now thrown out the window, Holland lined-up 22nd equipped with wet weather tyres and immediately sprinted off the line and into Old Hall Corner for the first time.

With a lot of water spray emulating from the drivers, visibility became a problem as several drivers collided with each other and in turn thrown off the track and into the barriers.

Holland kept his nose clean and was rewarded handsomely when the field crossed the line for the first time, the live timings recorded that the Nürburgring veteran had climbed ten positions.

Having previously struggled with the wet conditions during Saturday’s Free Practice sessions, Holland took to the track like a duck to water and was in line for a season best finish, but a driver behind suffered a mechanical issue and collided with the rear of Holland’s Audi.

Initially the Rotek Racing driver was able to continue, but the flailing rear bumper damage caused a tyre to fail, which in turn sent him into a high-speed spin at Cascades and into the barriers.

Holland’s race had come to a premature end, but there were many positives to take from the weekend.

“It’s been an up-and-down day,” said Holland. “We were looking to make progress in terms of set-up changes we were making throughout the day and started race one with a car that wasn’t quite on the pace, but we were expecting that. We wanted a baseline to figure out what needed to be done for race two and three.

“I had a good start and race in the second round as the changes really made the car come alive, which pleased me immensely as we ran our fastest laps of the weekend. We were substantially quicker and were lapping within the one-minute forty-fours, so I was really looking forward to taking that to the third and final race, but the heavens decided to open and throw all our plans out the window.

Holland continued: “Race three was a case of survival, which we did really well on the first few opening laps. We had moved up ten places on the opening lap and I was really happy with that, but unfortunately after the safety car, someone locked up behind me and shunted my rear, which damaged the bumper and caused one of my tyres to fail at the high-speed, spinning me off and into the barrier. There’s no major damage, no was near as bad as Donington Park, so it should be a weeks repair and then we can go testing and get ready for Croft.”

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship resumes in three weeks’ time at North Yorkshire’s Croft Circuit (28-29 June).

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: BTCC

BTCC: Rob Austin Audi qualified sixth at Oulton Park

By Tarek Ramchani

Oulton Park is playing host to the fourth round of the 2014 British Touring Car Championship. Three Audi NGTC race cars are on site from Rob Austin Racing and Rotek Racing.

Rob Austin the team owner and driver of the #101 Audi A4 qualified in a strong sixth place. "Sherman" performed well in the two practice sessions earlier today and was able to do the same in qualifying. The Fast Exocet backed Audi was the best among the truly privateer cars in the field right behind factory and semi-works entries from BMW, MG and Honda. Rob Austin best time was a 1:43.632.

Hunter Abbott qualified twenty-fourth with the #54 Audi A4 run by Rob Austin Racing under Alcosense Breathalysers Racing banner. Hunter Abbott a rookie in BTCC is still learning and improving in a very healthy and demanding field.

Robb Holland who is returning in British Touring Cars after missing the Thruxton round ended in twenty-seventh position. The Audi S3 Sedan was fully rebuilt after the big crash at Donington Park in the second round of the championship.

Pole postion went to Colin Turkington with a BMW 125i ahead of Jason Plato with MG in second and Gordon Shedden with the factory Honda Civic in third.

All three races are set for tomorrow, we wish the best of luck to all three Audi drivers.

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography

BTCC: Hollywood' Returns - Holland set for BTCC comeback at Oulton

Rotek Racing Press Release

Robb Holland and his Rotek Racing team is ready and raring to return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for the fourth round of the 2014 season at Oulton Park in Cheshire (7-8 June).

‘Mr Hollywood’ was lucky to escape injury in a heavy collision with the wall at Donington Park in April and was a notable absentee from the championship’s most recent outing on Hampshire’s ultra-high speed Thruxton circuit last month (3-4 May).

The incident, which ironically occurred at Hollywood corner, saw Holland shoot off the track and into an unprotected concrete wall at barely unabated speeds and Rotek Racing had the impossible task of repairing its extensively damaged Audi S3 saloon and sourcing parts for a brand new model that had its global launch in the spring.

The NGTC-spec S3 saloon has turned heads since its unveiling due to its striking blue livery and its supreme build quality, and Rotek Racing has taken as much care as it did during the car’s initial build to ensure it makes a triumphant return to the BTCC fray at Cheshire’s picturesque Oulton Park circuit this weekend (7-8 June).

For the first time since 1996, the BTCC will take to Oulton Park’s extended ‘International’ configuration, which incorporates the banked Shell Oils hairpin. Regarded by many as a mini Nürburgring Nordschleife, the circuit is narrow and undulating and requires a ballsy approach that makes it a favourite among drivers and fans alike.

It’s invariably one of the best attended and atmospheric events of the season and an enhanced support race bill that includes a blast from the BTCC’s illustrious past in the form of the HSCC Super Touring Car Championship will only add to the spectacle.

Holland made the trip from Rotek Racing’s Nürburgring base to Cheshire earlier than usual and spent Tuesday at Oulton Park to learn the lay of the land before taking to the circuit in anger with an upgraded and fettled Audi.

“I should feel right at home at Oulton Park, because it looks challenging in the same ways as the Nürburgring Nordschleife, with a few blind crests and an abundance of elevation and camber changes” said Holland. “Fast, flowing circuits suit me very well, but I think we might struggle a bit with the handling of the Audi S3 saloon, as we tend to suffer with high-speed instability and there are a lot of quick corners.

“It feels like a long time since I’ve been in the car and I’ve been unable to get any testing in since Donington Park. From the team’s standpoint, got all of the car’s mechanicals are 100 per cent and the package is exactly where we wanted it to be initially. We had a choice of putting it back together the way it was or enhancing it. The bodywork wasn’t quite right, so we’ve cleaned that up and the car looks even better than it did before. In addition, we had some overheating issues and decided to improve the airflow through the front-end, which should give us more horsepower.”

Holland added: “Ideally, I’d like to take another step forward from where we was at Donington Park and hopefully move nearer to scoring our first points in the BTCC. However, the priority is to try a few new things, so we’ll be treating the weekend as an extended test.”

Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will be broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4HD, starting at 11.15 on Sunday (8 June).

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: Rotek Racing / Jakob Ebrey Photography

BTCC: The Audi teams heading to Oulton Park

By Tarek Ramchani

The British Touring Car Championship is heading to the popular Oulton Park Circuit this upcoming weekend. Three Audi NGTC cars will enter the fourth round of the 2014 season.

Rob Austin Racing will field a pair of Audi A4 NGTC cars. The teams faced a mixed fortunes in the three opening rounds with some strong performances and bad luck as well. Rob Austin will drive the #101 Fast Exocet backed Audi A4. The sister #54 Audi will be driven by BTCC rookie Hunter Abbott. In the overall championship standing, Rob Austin in sixteenth with 23 points, Hunter Abbott is twenty-second with 1 point.

The third Audi car is from Rotek Racing. The #67 Audi S3 Sedan will be in the hands of team owner Robb Holland. The American driver missed the Thruxton round after severe damages on his Audi at Donington Park. At Oulton Park, Robb Holland will be eager to bounce back in healthy 31-car field and score his first points in the 2014 season.

Photo credit: BTCC

BTCC: Robb Holland's Donington Park outing blighted by heavy impact

Rotek Racing Press Release

Robb ‘Hollywood’ Holland was lucky to escape injury after his Rotek Racing-run Oakley Motorsports Audi S3 saloon became involved in a scary 90mph multi-car shunt that halted the second of three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) races held at a rainy Donington Park (20 April).

The crash, which ironically occurred at Donington Park’s Hollywood corner, was triggered when another Audi driven by Rob Austin spun on the wet track. As Austin rejoined, the cars behind were forced to take avoiding action with several, including the Rotek's Audi S3, arriving on the scene completely unsighted in heavy spray and unable to prevent contact with each other.

Holland made contact with James Cole’s Toyota Avensis and the two shot off the track at barely unabated speeds and almost head-on into an unprotected solid concrete retaining wall. Though the wall collapsed, it did at least take the cars' impact, leaving both in a very sorry state of repair.

Indeed, such was the state of Holland’s car, the Nurburgring and Silverstone-based team had no option but to withdraw it from the final race of the day.

Holland had fared a little better in the day’s opening race. From the starting grid, he raced his way past six cars before being pushed into a spin that relegated him to the tail of the 31-car field, before the race was even a lap old.

A determined fight-back that included another trip cross country after being pushed off a second time meant that the North American driver had to ultimately settle for an unrepresentative 28th place finish, albeit with the slight consolation of being the first Audi home.

The race is now on to rebuild the Audi S3 saloon in time for the next BTCC meeting at Hampshire’s Thruxton Circuit in two weeks' time. However, until the Rotek team properly assesses the damage back at base, it isn’t clear how long the work is likely to take. Though one thing is almost certain, a first real test for the car planned before the next meeting will now have to be shelved.

“It has been a disappointing day, but that’s how it works out sometimes," said Holland. "We’ll pick ourselves up, get the car rebuilt and be ready to fight another day. There was nothing I could have done to avoid the crash. Unknown to me just ahead, Rob Austin had spun his Audi. I was enjoying a fight for position with James Cole when we arrived at the corner just as Rob was rejoining the track on the racing line.

“Unfortunately, both James and I went off and hit the wall on the short stretch that isn’t protected by tyres and the impact was hard. I’m feeling a little sore and I’ll ache some in the morning but, fortunately, that’s the extent of it as far as I am concerned."

Holland continued: “Obviously the plan to test before the next meeting seems out of the question right now. We don’t know yet if it is going to take three days, five days or even the best part of two weeks to repair. The shell is okay and we think the engine is too but, until we strip the car down we won’t know for sure. I’m certain will be back out in time for Thruxton.” 

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter. 

Photo credit: BAM Motorsport Promotions

BTCC: Rotek Racing hopes to build on positive BTCC debut at Donington Park

Rotek Racing Press Release

Robb Holland and the Rotek Racing team endeavour to build on their highly-positive Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) debut when Britain’s premier motor racing championship resumes at the historic Donington Park circuit over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend (19-20 April).

Holland is the first American ever to contest a full campaign in the Dunlop-backed BTCC and was delighted when Rotek Racing took larger than expected strides with its brand new Audi S3 saloon during the Brands Hatch curtain-raiser less than three weeks ago.

That Rotek didn’t chase any arbitrary deadlines and applied a meticulous attention to detail during the build of the Oakley Motorsports-liveried S3 saloon paid dividends, as the car ran faultlessly during its initial shakedown and for the duration of the weekend ‘down the Hatch’.

Round 2 of what is set to be a fiercely-competitive campaign – 23 drivers were all covered by less than a second in qualifying at Brands Hatch – will take place at Donington on the Derbyshire/Leicestershire border over the Easter weekend (19-20 April).

The 1.94mile East Midlands circuit is unchartered territory for Holland and the American simply hopes to continue on an upward curve by clocking up as many miles as possible.

“Rotek Racing’s first experience of the BTCC was a highly positive one and I left Brands Hatch feeling optimistic about the future,” said Holland. “The team took significant strides forwards with the Audi S3 saloon and I learnt a lot about how to drive the car and the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, ultimately achieving every goal I set myself. I’m obviously hoping for a lot more as the 2014 season progresses, but I don’t underestimate the size and scale of the learning curve that’s ahead.

"This will be my first ever outing at Donington Park and, while I’m excited about the challenge of learning new tracks, it puts me at a distinct disadvantage, preventing me from focusing my time and energy on other things. As long as I’m nearer the pace and higher up the order than I was at Brands Hatch, I’ll be very satisfied.”

Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) free practice will begin at 10.00 and 12.30 on Saturday 19 April, with qualifying later that same day at 15.40.

Rounds 4, 5 and 6 will take place from 11.37, 14.27 and 17.15 respectively on Sunday 20 April and will be aired live and in high definition on ITV4 and ITV4HD. 

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter. 

Photo credit: BAM Motorsports Group

BTCC: Rotek Racing has highly positive BTCC baptism at Brands Hatch

Rotek Racing Press Release

Robb Holland and the Rotek Racing team had a highly positive baptism in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch, continually honing its new out of the box Audi S3 saloon and edging up onto page one of the timesheets (Sunday 30 March).

The Nurburgring and Silverstone-based team faced an uphill struggle to refine the setup of its S3 saloon and navigate its way around Kent’s world-renowned Brands Hatch Indy circuit during free practice and qualifying on Saturday (29 March).

However, it exceeded its own expectations, progressing in large strides having previously covered very few pre-season testing miles, and felt hopeful that it could continue on an upward trend going into Sunday’s three races.

From 28th on the Round 1 grid, Holland utilised a strong opening lap to climb to 25th as the field scrambled for track position, before mounting an attack on Chris Stockton in the Power Maxed Racing Chevrolet Cruze.

A well-timed lunge on the brakes for Paddock Hill Bend at the start of lap three saw Holland – the first American full-time BTCC entrant – snatch 24th place and go toe-to-toe with 17-year old Scot, Aiden Moffat.

The pair ran nose-to-tail while in the wheel tracks of Simon Belcher’s Handy Motorsport Toyota Avensis until Moffat got the better of Holland under braking for Turn 1 on lap eight.

In a classic Brands Hatch Indy manoeuvre, Holland switched back to the inside as the brawling duo dipped down Paddock Hill Bend to hold the inside line for the Druids hairpin and retake the position.

The fight was eventually diluted when the pair had to heed blue flags, although Holland would rise to 22nd place at the expense of James Cole and Martin Depper, who collided at Druids.

“It was a slow start, but it’s nice that I’ve moved up in the field,” said Holland. “The car was actually very good after the team made some changes to the setup overnight and I ran my fastest lap time of the weekend in Round 1. The setup wasn’t quite right in free practice and qualifying but we have a solid base on which to build upon and the adjustments that were made before today’s opening race gave me a stronger front end, which significantly improved the car.

“We used the soft tyre in the first race and they fell straight off a cliff after the first five laps. I initially thought I’d be able to catch the back of the field but the grip fell away. Nevertheless, I had a good tussle with Aiden Moffat for a while."

Rotek experimented with several setup tweaks between Rounds 1 and 2 and subsequently took another positive step forwards in terms of raw performance.

Holland emerged unscathed from the traditionally incident-filled opening lap, gaining places as others faltered before once again going in pursuit of Belcher.

The Toyota racer resolutely stuck to the racing line in the early stages, but eventually made an unforced error through Surtees, opening the door to the appreciative Holland who proceeded to run at a solid and consistent pace in the low 50s that was more than four tenths of a second faster than his best qualifying time.

“The team made some suspension changes in the hope that they would work,” said Holland. “It’s always difficult to know what effect they’ll have, but you have to try something and we certainly went in the right direction. I had plenty of grip and ran at a very consistent pace. The problem is that it took a lot to displace Belcher and I lost contact with the main pack. Obviously we’re hoping for much more as the year progresses.”

It was Holland’s intention to break into the top 20 and page one of the timesheets in the weekend’s third and final BTCC encounter.

The Oakley Motorsports-backed driver entered the second lap in 20th and, despite being involved in a few minor scrapes while going toe-to-toe with the championship’s finest, he hit his target at the chequered flag.

“We did what we set out to achieve by finishing in the top 20,” said Holland. “Round 3 was pretty robust and Fabrizio Giovanardi gave me a big punt up the back, but it’s all good. He was a bit quicker at the time and it’s nice to cap off the weekend with a small scuffle. I was determined to make everybody work for their money and the scrapes tested the durability of the Audi S3. She’s a tough girl! It’s also useful to know how she reacts when you’re in direct combat, because you need the confidence to place the car wherever you want and I have to say she’s a very race-able car.

“We need to get in and do a few test days between the next few rounds so we can start making changes. The Rotek engineers now have a grip on what I want and need and where the weaknesses lie. We need a full day to work on that.”

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: BAM Motorsport Promotions

BTCC: Rob Austin Audi narrowly missed the top 10 in the Brands Hatch qualifying

By Tarek Ramchani

Brands Hatch is hosting this weekend the season opener of the British Touring Car Championship. Two Audi teams are on site with two diffrent cars.

Rob Austin Racing with two Audi A4 NGTC for team owner/driver Rob Austin and his team-mate Hunter Abbott. Rotek Racing are debuting in BTCC with an Audi S3 Sedan driven by Robb Holland.

The qualifying session held this afternoon was thrilling to follow for the fans. No less than 23 cars with less than a one second gap.

Rob Austin driving his #101 Audi A4 NGTC had an impressive pace. "Sherman" just missed the top 10 in qualifying and finished eleventh with a best time of 48.488. Hunter Abbott with the #54 Audi A4 NGTC was twenty-first in his BTCC debut.

Robb Holland driving the #67 Audi S3 Sedan qualified in twenty-eighth position. This is the first time out for the car the Rotek Racing Audi in the BTCC.

Pole position went to 2013 BTCC champion Andrew Jordan with a Honda Civic. Second was Jason Plato with the factory MG6 GT. Thirs was Colin Turkington with a BMW 125i.

The three races are set for tomorrow. We wish the best of luck to all Audi drivers.

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography

BTCC: Robb 'Hollywood' Holland ready for BTCC bow

Rotek Racing Press Release

Robb 'Hollywood' Holland is anxious to begin his maiden full-time Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) campaign and is brimming with excitement ahead of the 2014 season-opener on the world-famous Brands Hatch Indy circuit (29-30 March).

The American Rotek Racing team, which operates from bases at the Nurburgring and Silverstone, took the wraps off its striking Oakley Motorsports-liveried Audi S3 saloon during the official BTCC Media Day at Donington Park last week (Tuesday 18 March).

Having spent countless man-hours on the build, applying a meticulous attention to detail, the car ran faultlessly during its track debut on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit last Friday (21 March), to the delight of the hardworking Rotek Racing team.

As a result, Holland – the first American to enter the BTCC full-time – is brimming with optimism as he heads 'down the Hatch' for the opening round of the highly-anticipated 2014 season, which will boast a capacity 32-car grid that features no fewer than seven former Champions.

"I'm incredibly excited about launching my first full-time BTCC campaign and I'm anxious to run on track and get the racing underway on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit," said Holland. "I hope this will be the start of a very long and prosperous relationship with the championship.

"I was always adamant that we shouldn't cut corners to make any arbitrary deadlines and those high levels of preparation and attention to detail have really paid off. The Rotek Racing Audi S3 ran flawlessly and without issue for the duration of the test day at Silverstone on Friday (21 March). Nothing prevented us from running, which means reliability is one less thing to worry about at Brands Hatch. This is great when you're running with a brand new car, in a brand new series and on a new race track.

Holland continued: "Of course, it's impossible to tell whether we have pace because we have yet to share a circuit with other touring cars and there were no laptimes to reference on Silverstone's Grand Prix layout. However, the car felt solid and I think we're in the ballpark."

Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) free practice will take place at 10.00 and 12.40 on Saturday (29 March), with qualifying for Round 1 scheduled for 15.40.

Sunday (30 March) begins with the BTCC's pit lane walkabout driver autograph session at 9.10, while Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of the 2014 season get underway at 11.47, 14.17 and 17.02 respectively.

For more on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, 'like' the team's Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.

Photo credit: BAM Motorsports Group

BTCC: Photos of the Audi teams in the Donington Park BTCC Media Day

By Tarek Ramchani

More Audi than ever this year in the demanding British Touring Car Championship. Two teams and three cars, with Audi the only brand with two diffrent models.

Rob Austin Racing is back for the fourth straight year with a pair of Audi A4 NGTC. Rotek Racing will debut in BTCC with their brand new Audi S3 Sedan. Both cars look great and they are clearly fans' favourites. Both team will be eager to shine in what is seen as the best field in British Touring Championship since the popular Super Touring era.

Our friend Phil Laughton was at Donington Park this week covering the traditional BTCC Media Day providing a great photo coverage of the event. Phil Laughton full photo gallery from Donington Park can be seen HERE.

The 2014 BTCC season will kick off at Brands Hatch (Indy circuit), March 29th and 30th.

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography