Team Dynamics Motorsport is a UK-based motor-racing team based in Droitwich, Worcestershire; best known for their successes in the British Touring Car Championship, including winning the Overall Drivers title in 2005, 2006 and 2011 with Matt Neal and 2012, 2015 and 2016 with Gordon 'Flash' Shedden. The team was founded by Steve Neal and former driver of

Vic Lee Motorsport Vic Lee Racing (VLR), formerly Vic Lee Motorsport (VLM) was a UK auto racing team, most famous for running BMWs and Peugeots in the British Touring Car Championship, and most infamous for the drug-related convictions of its owner Victor "Vic" L ...

Ray Bellm Raymond Anthony Bellm (born 20 May 1950) is an racing driver from the United Kingdom. Driving career He began his racing career in 1980, running in historic racing series and winning the British Historic 2-litre GT class in 1983 and 1984 dri ...

when they acquired its assets in 1993 following its owner's conviction for

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...

and subsequent liquidation. For the following season, Bellm, having bought a majority stake in the

Silverstone Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and B ...

-based motorsport equipment retailer, Grand Prix Racewear, also acquired a McLaren F1 GTR and went his own way. As well as racing cars the Team also designs and builds their race cars ensuring a high level of execution and attention to detail. Currently the team operates as a Honda 'Factory' entry in the British Touring Car Championship operating under the 'Halfords Racing with Cataclean' name racing two Honda Civic NGTC Type Rs. In addition to the British Touring Car Championship, the team also raced two Minis in the Mini Challenge with Matt Neal's sons, William and Henry Neal, as the drivers. In June 2016, it was announced that Rimstock (wheel manufacturing) had been sold to investment company Safanad.

Super Touring years

Independent entry (1992–2000)

BMW M3 and 318is (1992–1993)

Entered as Rimstock Racing, competing in both a

BMW M3 The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the BMW 3 Series, developed by BMW's in-house motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. M3 models have been produced for every generation of 3 Series since the E30 M3 was introduced in 1986. The initial model ...

and a 318is, Matt Neal ran his BMW entry as an Independent during the Manufacturer dominated Super Touring period of the BTCC. In

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

, he managed to finish twice in the points, scoring five points for the team.

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, saw the first success for the team when Neal won the TOCA Challenge for Privateers (Independent Driver's Championship).

Ford Mondeo (1995–1997)

After a one-year break, the team returned with Matt Neal racing a year-old Ford Mondeo. Despite this, Neal still won the

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

Total Cup for Privateers and managed to score the team's best finish to date when they finished fourth at

Snetterton Snetterton is a village and civil parish in Norfolk, England. The village is about east-northeast of Thetford and southwest of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of . The United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census recorded a parish population o ...

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

saw a two car line up for Neal and

Robb Gravett Robb Gravett (born 10 May 1956 (sometimes noted as 2 May 1956) is a British retired racing driver and team owner from London. He started his motorsport career on two wheels, racing Moto Cross at the age of 12. By 15, he was already British cha ...

Nissan Primera (1997–2000)

Team Dynamics started the 1997 season with their tried and tested Mondeo, however a mid season change to a Nissan Primera was needed after two poor seasons. The poor form continued through

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

until the start of the

1999 British Touring Car Championship season The 1999 Auto Trader RAC British Touring Car Championship featured 26 races across 13 rounds. It began on 5 April at Donington Park and concluded on 19 September at Silverstone. The driver's title was won by Laurent Aïello in his debut season ...

when Neal once again won the Michelin Cup for Independents for the team. The team was also able to take the first ever outright race win for an independent team during the first round's second race at

Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, still owned b ...

. The team went on to score three further outright podium finishes to achieve their best championship position to date, finishing sixth overall. The team's newfound form continued into

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

with another Independent's Championship for Neal with one race win and four podiums pushing the team to fourth in the Touring Teams Championship.

Modern years

British Rally Championship

Team Dynamics sponsored British Rally driver Jonny Milner, who won back to back titles in 2002 and 2003 at the wheel of a Dynamics prepared

Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has been one of the best-selling cars in ...

. For 2004, Milner switched to a Subaru Impreza again built by the West Midlands-based outfit.

Independent entry (2003–2009)

Vauxhall Astra (2003)

A brief spell away from the BTCC was ended when the team entered a Vauxhall Astra Coupé for Gareth Howell during the final four rounds of the

2003 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

Honda Civic Type-R (2004)

They entered as ''Computeach Racing with Halfords'' in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

running two

Honda Civic Type-R The is a series of high-performance hatchback/ sedan models based on the Civic, developed and produced by Honda since September 1997. The first Civic Type R was the third model to receive Honda's Type R badge (after the NSX and Integra). T ...

s, purchased from the departing Honda works team, for Neal and Dan Eaves, achieving four race wins and several podium positions.

Honda Integra Type R (2005–2006)

For

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, under the guise of ''Team Halfords'', they developed a

Honda Integra The , marketed in North America as the Acura Integra, is an automobile produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Honda from 1985 until 2006, and then since 2021. It succeeded the Quint as a more luxurious and sport-oriented derivative o ...

from its basic road-going form, winning the overall drivers title for Matt Neal, making him the first driver to win the overall title with an independent team. Eaves won 4 races for them, and Gareth Howell returned in a 3rd car towards the end of the year to take one win at

. The team also won both the Teams and Independent Teams championships. Eaves was surprisingly not retained for the 2006 season, the team instead signed Gordon Shedden alongside Neal, who went on to retain his title. The team entered a 3rd Integra at the beginning of the season, although it did not appear until the seventh meeting of the year at Snetterton, once again driven by Gareth Howell. Team Dynamics successfully defended both the Teams and Independent Teams championships.

Honda Civic (eighth generation) (2007–2009)

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, Matt Neal was again paired with Gordon Shedden. However, they were driving newly developed

Honda Civic The is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1972. Since 2000, the Civic has been categorized as a compact car, while previously it occupied the subcompact class. , the Civic is positioned between the Honda Fit/City and Honda Acc ...

s, required to meet the new

Super 2000 Super 2000 is an FIA powertrain specification used in the World Rally Championship, the British Touring Car Championship, the World Touring Car Championship, and other touring car championships. The engines were originally 2 L naturally aspirate ...

regulations all teams must meet to be eligible for championship points. Entering as neither Manufacturer or Independent, the new car scored four wins and several podiums for both drivers, allowing Shedden and Neal to finish third and fourth respectively. The team was unable to defend its title, finishing third overall. For the 2008 season, Neal left the team to drive for the Vauxhall works team, leaving Dynamics in search of a second driver. In November the team confirmed that Tom Chilton would partner Shedden for 2008. Again entering as neither Manufacturer or Independent, the new car scored four wins as it had the previous year. However Shedden was only able to finish seventh with Chilton three places behind him. The team again finished third overall. Halfords withdrew their sponsorship in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

. After one year with the team Chilton was dropped and replaced by veteran racer

David Pinkney David Pinkney is a British businessman and auto racing driver. He competed in the British Touring Car Championship on and off between 1989 and 2011. Racing career James Weaver talked David into racing and he started out in the Uniroyal Saloon ...

. After the opening rounds at Brands Hatch, James Thompson joined Team Dynamics, replacing Shedden. Thompson enjoyed three victories with the team but could not complete the season because of prior commitments in the WTCC and Danish Touring Car Championship. His final races with the team were at Knockhill in August 2009. Having been invited by Team Dynamics to run the Civic at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed and completing a testing session at Rockingham, ex-British Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert took Thompson's seat for the final rounds of the 2009 season. A mixed season saw the team only manage fifth in the teams championship after only three wins.

Constructor entry (2010–present)

Honda Civic (eighth generation) (2010–2011)

For

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, Team Dynamics were supported by

Honda UK is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...

and ran under the Honda Racing Team banner, with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden returning as drivers. A season long battle with Silverline Chevrolet driver Jason Plato saw Dynamics' two drivers finish runners up, with Neal second and Shedden third. However, the team was able to win both the Manufacturers/Constructors and Teams championships, after scoring ten wins which was more than any other team. Their dominance continued into

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, as the team fitted its

Civic with a

NGTC Next Generation Touring Car, also known as NGTC and by its Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) designation TCN-1, is an FIA and TOCA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification covers nationa ...

2.0 litre turbocharged engine. This combination allowed the team's drivers to finish first and second in the drivers championship with 13 wins between them. The team also successfully defended both the Manufacturers/Constructors and Teams championships, giving them a clean sheet over all the silverware.

Honda Civic (ninth generation) (2012–2017)

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

saw the team move in a new direction, being the first manufacturer team to enter a car built fully to the Next Generation Touring Car specification. Neal and Shedden would again partner each other in the newly named Honda Yuasa Racing Team after a sponsorship deal with Yuasa. After the first four rounds of the season, Shedden led the team in second place with Neal right behind him. The NGTC Civic, was the first NGTC car to win a BTCC race when it took the race two win at Brands Hatch. At the end of the season the team took all titles they were eligible for, with Shedden winning the drivers' championship for the first time, the team winning the team's championship for the third time in a row and Honda winning the manufacturers' title. The team returned for the

2013 British Touring Car Championship season The 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was a multi-event motor racing championship for production-based touring cars held across England and Scotland. The championship features a mix of professional motor racing teams and private ...

and retained Shedden and Neal as their drivers.

Honda Civic NGTC Type R (2017-)

For the 2021 season, Team Dynamics was represented again by Gordon Shedden, accompanied by Jack Sears Trophy winner Daniel Rowbottom. Shedden finished sixth and Rowbottom finished ninth in the Drivers' Championship. Competing as "Halfords Racing with Cataclean", Team Dynamics finished third in the Teams' Championship. Shedden and Rowbottom re-united again for the 2022 season, finishing seventh and twelfth respectively in the Drivers' Championship. Halfords Racing with Cataclean ranked fourth in the Teams' Championship.

Gallery

Image:2005FOS HondaIntegra MattNeal.jpg, Matt Neal demonstrates a Team Dynamics Honda Integra at the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed File:Gordon Shedden 2006 BTCC Oulton Park.jpg, Shedden celebrates his first BTCC win at Oulton Park in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Image:Matt Neal Honda 2007.JPG, Matt Neal's Honda Civic at

in the 2007 BTCC season File:Gordon Shedden 2008 BTCC Croft.jpg, Shedden's Civic leads two of the VX Racing

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( ) is a district in South West London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. Vauxhall was part of Surrey until 1889 when the County of London was created. Named after a medieval manor, "Fox Hall", it became well known for ...

s at the

Croft Croft may refer to: Occupations * Croft (land), a small area of land, often with a crofter's dwelling * Crofting, small-scale food production * Bleachfield, an open space used for the bleaching of fabric, also called a croft Locations In the Uni ...

round of the

2008 British Touring Car Championship season The 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 51st British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. It was also the first that the championship was sponsored by HiQ. Fabrizio Giovanardi won his second consecutive title. Chang ...

Image:Btcc honda civic Gordon Shedden.jpg, Gordon Shedden's Civic at the BTCC Media Day at Rockingham in March 2009 Image:James Thompson Oulton Park 2009 (1).JPG, James Thompson's Honda Civic at Oulton Park during the 2009 BTCC season File:Gordon Shedden BTCC Brands Hatch 2011.jpg, Shedden driving for Honda Racing at Brands Hatch in the

2011 BTCC season The 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was the 54th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. Cars conforming to the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specification were allowed to compete in the championship for the fir ...

Image:Matt Neal, Honda Civic, Brands Hatch, April 2011.jpg, Neal driving the championship winning Civic at Brands Hatch in the

References

External links

Honda Yuasa Racing Team official website

Team Dynamics official website

Profile at btccaction.co.uk
{{BTCC teams British Touring Car Championship teams British auto racing teams British racecar constructors Auto racing teams established in 1991