Triple Eight Racing
was a
motorsports
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of two ...
team formed in 1996 as Triple Eight Race Engineering, which competed in the
British Touring Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA
TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in ...
and the
British GT Championship
The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports GT ...
.
The team's original focus was to design, build and race
Vauxhalls on behalf of the
General Motors
The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...
brand in the
British Touring Car Championship
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA
TOCA, formally trading as BARC (TOCA) Ltd, is an organiser of motorsport events in ...
(BTCC). A close working alliance developed during a decade of success and Triple Eight became Vauxhall's technical partner for motorsport. In 2009,
Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors LimitedCompany No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. () is a British car compa ...
ended its support for the BTCC, however the team continued to compete using Vauxhalls until the end of the 2011 season. From the 2012 season, Triple Eight began to build and race
MG6 GT cars on behalf of
MG, in a revival of the marque in the BTCC. The following year, the team entered the
British GT Championship
The British GT Championship is a sports car racing series based predominantly in the United Kingdom. The series was originally created by the British Racing Drivers' Club in 1993 and, for its first two seasons, was known as the National Sports GT ...
, running a pair of
BMW Z4 GT3
The BMW Z4 (E89) is the second generation of the BMW Z4 range of two-door roadsters, and was produced from 2009 to 2016. The E89 replaced the E85/E86 Z4 and is the fourth model in the BMW Z Series.
The E89 Z4 was the first Z Series model to u ...
s.
Prior to the start of the 2015 season, the team rebranded itself as ''Triple Eight Racing'' across all its motorsport programs, introducing a new team name and logo.
British Touring Car Championship
Vauxhall manufacturer entry (1997–2009)
Vauxhall Vectra (1997–2000)
Triple Eight was founded by
Derek Warwick
Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick (born 27 August 1954) is a British former professional racing driver from England, who lives in Jersey. He raced for many years in Formula One, collecting four podiums but never winning a Grand Prix. He did, however, ...
,
Roland Dane
Roland William Surrey Dane (born 17 October 1956) is an Irish-Australian automotive businessman who is best known for co-founding motorsport teams Triple Eight Racing in Britain and Triple Eight Race Engineering in Australia, of which he was team ...
and Ian Harrison in late 1996. The team made its BTCC debut in 1997 by running the works Vauxhall team left by
RML and providing Vectras for 2 time Vauxhall champion
John Cleland
John Cleland (c. 1709, baptised – 23 January 1789) was an English novelist best known for his fictional '' Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure'', whose eroticism led to his arrest. James Boswell called him "a sly, old malcont ...
and team owner Derek Warwick. The season was not successful with the Vectra uncompetitive because of aerodynamics which had been holomogated for the Vectra model across all Supertouring championships in 1996 and was primarily set up for the faster French, German and Italian tracks; where the Opel Vectra was much more competitive.
John Cleland and Derek Warwick finished 12th and 14th in the championship with their best race results being a 5th. Triple Eight finished 8th in the teams' and manufacturers' (as Vauxhall) championships.
1998 would be a much more competitive season, Triple Eight changed the aerodynamic package and the Vauxhall Vectra became a much more competitive car, after the FIA Touring Car Bureau agreed that Vauxhall could homologate a differing aerodynamic package to Opel's. Triple Eight's first BTCC win came at round 5 at Donington Park after John Cleland achieved a great start and never lost the lead. This would also be John Cleland's first victory since his championship year in 1995, and Vauxhall's first since
James Thompson at Snetterton 1996. John Cleland would win again at Donington Park at round 12 in one of the best BTCC races ever witnessed. Derek Warwick would also take his first BTCC victory at Knockhill. While the season was successful, it was not smooth. John Cleland suffered a crash at Snetterton with reigning champion Alain Menu causing cracked ribs and heavy bruising causing him to miss the next round at Thruxton. His place was taken by Brazilian driver Flavio Figueiredo. John Cleland and Derek Warwick finished 8th and 9th in the championship. Triple Eight finished 5th in the teams' and manufacturers' award.
1999 saw Derek Warwick retire from full-time racing and to focus on running the team. His place was taken by Frenchmen
Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller (born 16 August 1969 in Altkirch, Haut-Rhin) is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in touring car racing. He is a four-time World Touring Car Champion, winning the title in 2008 with SEAT, in 2010 and 2011 with Chevro ...
moving from Audi. The Vectra went through some changes as well for the season.
Ludo Lacroix joined the team in 1999. The season only saw one win from Vauxhall by Yvan Muller at Brands Hatch round 7. Yvan Muller finished an eventual 6th in the championship, however John Cleland had a much harder season finishing 13th and announcing his retirement after 11 successful seasons with Vauxhall including 2 championships in 1989 (
Vauxhall Astra
The Vauxhall Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) that has been sold by Vauxhall since 1980. It is currently produced at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England.
For its first two generations, the nameplate was applied to right-hand ...
) and 1995 (
Vauxhall Cavalier
The Vauxhall Cavalier was a large family car that was sold primarily in the UK by Vauxhall from 1975 to 1995. It was based on a succession of Opel designs throughout its production life, during which it was built in three incarnations. The firs ...
). 2000 saw the final year of the Supertouring era and many of the manufacturers depart the BTCC (these included Renault (
Williams) – 1997 champions, Volvo (
TWR) – 1998 champions and Nissan (
RML Group
Ray Mallock Ltd., also known as RML Group, is a motorsports and high performance engineering company, based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom.
Early history
Ray Mallock began building racing cars, alongside his brother Richar ...
) 1999 champions) leaving Ford (
Prodrive
Prodrive is a British motorsport and advanced engineering group based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. It designs, constructs and races automobile, cars for companies and teams such as Aston Martin, Bahrain Raid Xtreme and Team X44. Its advan ...
), Honda (
WSR) and Vauxhall (Triple Eight). Every team increased to three cars. Triple Eight had Yvan Muller,
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato (born 14 October 1967) is a British racing driver who last competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for BTC Racing. He has twice been BTCC Champion, in 2001 for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He ...
(departing Renault) and
Vincent Radermecker
Vincent Radermecker (born 5 July 1967) is a Belgian auto racing driver.
Racing career
Early years
After starting in racing through karting in his home land of Belgium in 1986, he drove in the Benelux Formula Ford Championship. He was champion in ...
(departing Volvo) Ford were the dominant manufacturer throughout the season with all three Fords finishing 1–2–3 in the drivers' championship (
Alain Menu
Alain Menu (born 9 August 1963) is a Swiss racing driver who is currently working for Team BMR as a driving coach. He was one of the most successful touring car drivers of the 1990s, winning the prestigious British Touring Car Championship twice ...
–
Anthony Reid
Anthony Reid is a British auto racing driver, born on 17 May 1957 in Glasgow, Scotland. He was educated at Loretto School in Edinburgh. He lives in England.
Formula cars
He spent many years in Formula Three and other junior single-seater cham ...
–
Rickard Rydell
Rickard Rydell (born 22 September 1967) is a retired Swedish racing driver. He won the 1998 British Touring Car Championship, the 2011 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and has also been a frontrunner in the European/World Touring Car Champ ...
) with Yvan Muller and Jason Plato finishing 4th and 5th with Vincent Radermecker finishing 10th. Triple Eight finished 2nd and 3rd in the teams and manufacturers award.
Triple Eight competed twice in the
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 (formally known as the Repco Bathurst 1000) is a touring car race held annually on the Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is currently run as part of the Supercars Championship, the most recen ...
in Australia. In
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
, two Vectras were entered for John Cleland/
James Thompson and Derek Warwick/
Peter Brock
Peter Geoffrey Brock (26 February 1945 – 8 September 2006), known as "Peter Perfect", "The King of the Mountain", or simply "Brocky", was an Australian motor racing driver. Brock was most often associated with Holden for almost 40 years, al ...
, while in
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 ...
, Cleland and Warwick shared a car with
Russell Ingall
Russell Ingall (born 24 February 1964 in London, England) is a former full-time Australian V8 Supercar driver. He won his V8 Supercars title in 2005, and finished second in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004. Ingall has also won the Bathurst 1000, i ...
and
Greg Murphy
Gregory Murphy (born 23 August 1972) is a New Zealand professional racing driver, best known as a four-time winner of the Bathurst 1000. Greg Murphy joined Jeremy Clarkson and James May presenting Top Gear Live, when it had its first internati ...
driving the second car.
Vauxhall Astra Coupé (2001–04)
2001 saw the arrival of the new touring car regulation. This system was designed to make the cars much less expensive to build and run. Vauxhall replaced the Vectra with the Astra Coupe for 2001 and would so until 2004. Yvan Muller and Jason Plato retained their seats at Vauxhall and were the class of the field. The title came down between Yvan Muller and Jason Plato in the final race. After an early spin by Plato, Yvan Muller looked comfortable to take the title, until two excursions at Clearways caused an oil leak and fire for Yvan Muller leaving Plato champion. Triple Eight finished 1st in the teams and manufacturers award. 2002 saw the departure of Jason Plato from the BTCC to race in the British ASCAR stock car championship. Yvan Muller retained his seat at Vauxhall and was more determined to take the title. Plato's seat at Vauxhall was filled by James Thompson moving up from egg:sport. The season saw the Astra Coupe again the car to beat against rivals MG, Honda, Peugeot and Proton, however the Astra suffered reliability issues throughout the season. Despite this, Yvan Muller and James Thompson and for much of the season Matt Neal (egg:sport) fought for the championship. In the end James Thompson won the championship from Yvan Muller and Matt Neal. Triple Eight again finished 1st in the teams and manufacturers award.
2003 saw Vauxhall increase to three cars with James Thompson, Yvan Muller and Paul O'Neill moving up from egg:sport. Vauxhall also changed the team name to VX Racing standing for the new Vauxhall tuning company VXR.
The season saw the Astra challenged by Honda and MG throughout the year, however Yvan Muller and James Thompson again challenged each other for the title. In the end Yvan Muller secured the title. Triple Eight again won the teams and manufacturers award. 2004 would be the final season for the Astra Coupe. Yvan Muller and James Thompson were joined by 2003 Production class champion Luke Hines. The Astra Coupe faced a huge challenge against Honda, MG and newcomers Seat who had Jason Plato returning to the championship. Despite the Astra Coupe at times during the season not the quickest car its consistency allowed Yvan Muller and James Thompson for the third year in a row fight for the title. In the end James Thompson won the title by one point from Yvan Muller. The Astra Coupe would be known as the most successful car to race in the BTCC. For the fourth year in a row Triple Eight won the teams and manufacturers award.
=egg:sport (2001–02)
=
For 2001 Triple Eight ran a second team to run alongside the Vauxhall Motorsport known as egg:sport using the Astra Coupe. 2001 saw egg:sport run two cars for James Thompson and newcomer Phil Bennett.
James Thompson won four races while
Phil Bennett
Philip Bennett (24 October 1948 – 12 June 2022) was a Welsh rugby union player who played as a fly-half for Llanelli RFC and the Wales national team. He began his career in 1966, and a year later he had taken over from Barry John as Llanell ...
won three races.
Andy Priaulx
Andrew Graham Priaulx, MBE ( born 8 August 1974) is a British professional racing driver from Guernsey. In 2019 he raced for Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and Cyan Racing Lynk & Co in the FIA World Touring ...
raced at Oulton Park for egg:sport replacing Phil Bennett after an altercation with Steve Soper caused him to be given a round ban. James Thompson and Phil Bennett finished 3rd and 4th in the championship. egg:sport finished 2nd in the teams award and 1st along with Vauxhall Motorsport in the manufacturers award as Vauxhall.
2002 saw a new driver lineup for the season.
Matt Neal
Matthew Neal (born 20 December 1966) is a British motor racing driver. Neal is a triple BTCC Champion having won the British Touring Car Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Neal is also a record 6 time BTCC Independents Champion having won the ...
returned to the BTCC after a year in the ETCC. His teammate would be
Paul O'Neill who moved up from the Production Class. Matt Neal and Paul O'Neill showed promise throughout the season with Matt Neal a challenger for the title for much of the season by winning three races and Paul O'Neill winning his first race and on the pace during the year. Matt Neal and Paul O'Neill finished 3rd and 8th in the championship. egg:sport finished 3rd in the teams award and 1st in the manufacturers award
Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch (2005–06)
2005 saw the introduction to the Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch to replace the successful Astra Coupe. While the Astra Coupe was able to soak up all the challenges it faced throughout the four years the Astra Sport Hatch faced much harder opposition including the new Honda Integra Type R prepared by Team Halfords (
Team Dynamics
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 Nea ...
).
Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller (born 16 August 1969 in Altkirch, Haut-Rhin) is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in touring car racing. He is a four-time World Touring Car Champion, winning the title in 2008 with SEAT, in 2010 and 2011 with Chevro ...
retained his seat at Triple Eight and Vauxhall, James Thompson would not return to the championship to retain his title, instead setting his sights on the new WTCC. His place was taken
Colin Turkington
Colin Henry Turkington (born 21 March 1982) is a British racing driver from Northern Ireland who competes in the British Touring Car Championship for Team BMW. He is a 4 time BTCC champion, winning the title in 2009, 2014, 2018 and 2019, havi ...
moving from
West Surrey Racing
West Surrey Racing is a UK-based motorsport team run by New Zealander Dick Bennetts. He is responsible for masterminding the careers of such names as Ayrton Senna, Mika Häkkinen, Jonathan Palmer, Rubens Barrichello, Maurício Gugelmin and Eddie ...
and MG while a third car was prepared for
Gavin Smith. While Vauxhall were expected to once again win the championship, the Astra Sport Hatch was outclassed by the Integra Type R of Matt Neal and Dan Eaves. While Yvan Muller challenged Matt Neal for the title, Matt Neal managed to complete all 30 races without a single retirement. Yvan Muller finished 2nd in the championship with 6 race wins, Colin Turkington finished 6th in the championship with 2 race wins while Gavin Smith finished 10th in the championship. Triple Eight managed to win the manufacturers award for a 5th year in a row from Seat who were somewhat outclassed by both Team Halfords and VX Racing. Triple Eight finished 2nd in the teams award.
2006 saw a new look for Triple Eight and Vauxhall. Holiday Inn became a main sponsor for VX Racing and the driver lineup also saw new changes. After seven successful seasons and a championship (2003) Yvan Muller left VX Racing and the BTCC to compete with Seat in the WTCC. Colin Turkington also left the team to return to West Surrey Racing. Yvan Muller's place was taken by Italian
Fabrizio Giovanardi
Fabrizio Giovanardi (born 14 December 1966 in Sassuolo) is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won ten touring car titles, including European and British crowns making him the most successful touring car driver worldwide. He has s ...
moving from the WTCC and Colin Turkington's place was taken by
Tom Chilton
Thomas James Chilton (born 15 March 1985) is a British racing driver. He has spent most of his career competing in touring car racing; he was a former factory Vauxhall and Honda driver in the British Touring Car Championship, and currently driv ...
moving from Honda. Gavin Smith retained his seat at VX Racing. The season was a disappointing one for Triple Eight with the Astra Sport Hatch not quite as competitive as its competitors, again outclassed by the Integra Type R and Seat with its new Leon. Tom Chilton struggled to learn the car, Fabrizio Giovanardi also had issues trying to learn the car and tracks. While the dominance was missing from the previous seasons there were highlights throughout the season. Fabrizio Giovanardi's first win happened to be Vauxhall's 100th BTCC race win. He then won another race at Brands Hatch, Tom Chilton and Gavin Smith went through the season without a win. Triple Eight finished 2nd and 3rd in the manufacturers and teams award.
Vauxhall Vectra (2007–09)
2007 saw the start of a new era for the BTCC as the series adopted the S2000 regulations as used in the World Touring Car Championship. The changes in regulations meant that the Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch was replaced by the Vauxhall Vectra. VX Racing downsized to a two-car team, retaining
Fabrizio Giovanardi
Fabrizio Giovanardi (born 14 December 1966 in Sassuolo) is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won ten touring car titles, including European and British crowns making him the most successful touring car driver worldwide. He has s ...
and
Tom Chilton
Thomas James Chilton (born 15 March 1985) is a British racing driver. He has spent most of his career competing in touring car racing; he was a former factory Vauxhall and Honda driver in the British Touring Car Championship, and currently driv ...
. 2007 saw the full potential of Fabrizio Giovanardi, winning 10 races and the title against Seat rival
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato (born 14 October 1967) is a British racing driver who last competed in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for BTC Racing. He has twice been BTCC Champion, in 2001 for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He ...
. While the season was successful for Giovanardi, Tom Chilton again had a challenging season without a win and an eventual 9th in the championship. For the final round at Thruxton, the championship difference was 9 points (Jason Plato to Fabrizio Giovanardi) Both teams brought in a third driver. Seat brought in
Tom Coronel
Tom Romeo Coronel (born 5 April 1972) is a Dutch professional racing driver. Tom's twin brother Tim is also a racer, just like their father Tom Coronel Sr. His most important results are winning the Marlboro Masters of Formula 3 race in 1997, th ...
, while Vauxhall brought in Alain Menu, the 1997 champion with Renault and 2000 champion with Ford. Triple Eight won the manufacturers award and 2nd in the teams award.
For 2008 Triple Eight returned to a three-car operation. Fabrizio Giovanardi retained his seat as defending champion, Tom Chilton and Matt Neal exchanged seats at Triple Eight and Team Dynamics with Tom Chilton moving to Team Dynamics and Matt Neal to Triple Eight. The third car was taken by Tom Onslow-Cole moving from Team RAC (WSR). The season was somewhat untroubling for Giovanardi to another championship ahead of Jason Plato. Matt Neal finished 5th with one win and Tom Onslow-Cole finished 6th with two wins. Triple Eight finished 1st in the manufacturers and teams award.
2009 saw new changes to Triple Eight. Triple Eight were the only team with manufacturer support. Fabrizio Giovanardi and Matt Neal retained their seats at VX Racing while Tom Onslow-Cole moved to drive part-time for Team AON Ford. His place was taken by Andrew Jordan. Despite the success of the Vectra and Giovanardi it would not continue into 2009. While Giovanardi challenged for the title he was outclassed by Colin Turkington in the RAC BMW (WSR) and Jason Plato with RML Chevrolet. Fabrizio Giovanardi finished the season 3rd while Matt Neal and Andrew Jordan finished 4th and 10th in the championship. Triple Eight finished 1st in the teams and manufacturers award. 2009 would also witness the final year with a works Vauxhall team. Vauxhall pulled out of the sport due to lack of official manufacturers and the economic crisis.
Independent entry (2010–11)
Vauxhall Vectra C (2010–11)
On 23 March 2010 at the BTCC Media Day at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
, Triple 8 Race Engineering appeared on the official entry list for the
2010 season. Although without manufacturer support from
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 ...
, Triple Eight intended to run a pair of Vauxhall Vectras in the Independent category.
For 2010 Triple Eight had hired Renault Cup champion
Phil Glew
Philip Glew (born 28 June 1983 in Grimsby) is a British auto racing driver. He has previously competed in the British Touring Car Championship and British GT Championship. He is currently a commentator for ITV Sport's coverage support races on t ...
and a last minute deal with
Fabrizio Giovanardi
Fabrizio Giovanardi (born 14 December 1966 in Sassuolo) is an Italian racing driver. During his career he has won ten touring car titles, including European and British crowns making him the most successful touring car driver worldwide. He has s ...
. Uniq would be the main sponsor along with WD40 and DUNLOP. The season started sensationally for Giovanardi, winning the first two races at Thruxton and a fifth in the final race gave him a lead in the championship. Phil Glew also started well finishing in the top 10 in both races only to retire in the final race. While Triple Eight were looking like contenders for the championship, the team was turned on its head. Before the next round at Rockingham, Uniq pulled out sponsorship, as a result a lack of money meant that both Fabrizio Giovanardi and Phil Glew were forced to leave the team.
James Nash was hired to race for the remainder of the season and Triple Eight ran a second car at times during the season driven by
Daniel Lloyd (Round 5),
Jeff Smith (Round 8) and
Sam Tordoff
Samuel Lewis Tordoff (born 19 April 1989) is a British racing car driver best known for his appearances in the British Touring Car Championship. He is the grandson of rally driver and car dealer Jack Tordoff. Tordoff finished second overall in ...
(Round 10). The season was a disappointment for Triple Eight with changes in sponsors and lack of results, a third at Oulton Park by James Nash was only the real result of the season since Giovanardi's two wins at Thruxton. James Nash finished the season 8th and 12th in the Independents Trophy and outright championship. Fabrizio Giovanardi finished 12th and 14th in the Independents Trophy and outright championship. Phil Glew finished 14th and 16th in the Independents Trophy and outright championship (Phil Glew also drove for Special Tuning UK using a Seat Leon at Silverstone Round 7). Daniel Lloyd finished 18th and 17th in the Independents Trophy and outright championship. Sam Tordoff finished 23rd in the Independents Trophy and outright championship. Jeff Smith finished equal 24th in the Independents Trophy and outright championship. Triple Eight finished 5th and 7th in the Independents Team Trophy and Teams championship.
With an unexpected and disappointing 2010 season, Triple Eight were hoping for a much improved season. The team again used the Vectra as their weapon for the new season along with the new NGTC turbocharged engine replacing the S2000 naturally aspirated engine.
James Nash was hired as the full-time driver. He was joined by three different drivers throughout the season.
Tony Gilham
Anthony "Tony" Gilham (born 19 May 1979) is a British auto racing driver.
He is the founder and owner of Team HARD. Racing, who currently compete in various championships including the British Touring Car Championship.
Racing career
Early ye ...
(Rounds 1–6),
Aron Smith
Aron may refer to:
Characters
*Aron (comics), from the Marvel Universe comic ''Aron! HyperSpace Boy!''
*Aron (Pokémon), in the ''Pokémon'' franchise
* Aron Trask, from John Steinbeck's novel ''East of Eden''
*Áron or Aaron, the brother of Mos ...
(Round 7) and
Ollie Jackson
Oliver Jackson (born 26 April 1984 in Whitechapel, London) is a British racing driver who currently competes in the British Touring Car Championship.
Personal life
Ollie Jackson is from Reigate, Surrey and was educated at Epsom College. He the ...
(9–10). Another change to the team was the sponsorship. Collins Contractors became the main sponsor for the team. The season ran well with James Nash securing podiums and at times the championship lead. His breakthrough win came at Rockingham Round 8. James Nash went on to win the Independents Trophy and Independents Team Trophy for Triple Eight and outright third in the teams championship. James Nash finished equal 4th in the overall championship with
Mat Jackson
Mat Jackson (born 10 June 1981) is a British racing driver.
Racing career
Early years
Born in Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, Jackson started racing in karts in his teens, before finishing 4th in the 2000 Renault Clio Cup, his first attempt a ...
. Tony Gilham finished 15th and 19th in the Independents Trophy and outright championship (Tony Gilham also drove for Geoff Steel Racing). Aron Smith finished equal 21st and equal 22nd in the Independents Trophy and outright championship. Ollie Jackson finished equal 19th and equal 26th in the championship.
MG manufacturer entry (2012–2017)
MG6 GT (2012–2017)
![MG Triple Eight BTCC Cars 2012 to 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/MG_Triple_Eight_BTCC_Cars_2012_to_2014.jpg)
It was officially announced that Triple Eight would return to Manufacturer status with
MG, running a pair of
MG6 GT cars to the latest
Next Generation Touring Car
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 ...
specification. Jason Plato joined the team from Chevrolet, alongside
Andy Neate
Andrew Neate (born 19 August 1974 in Aylesbury) was a British racing driver.
Racing career
After first racing in karting, he drove in Formula First in 1997. In 1999 he went on to the Formula Opel Europa Cup and a year later he drove in the Ford F ...
, who had joined from Team Aon. This meant that although Triple Eight were the reigning Independent Driver and Team champions, they would be ineligible to defend their titles due to the MG's manufacturer support.
![Images of the 2015 MG Triple Eight Race Car liverys](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Images_of_the_2015_MG_Triple_Eight_Race_Car_liverys.jpg)
Entering the championship as ''MG KX Momentum Racing'', with the main sponsor being
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
through its KX
energy drink and Momentum Fuel brands, the car made its debut at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
after hardly turning a wheel during its build and development. Nevertheless, the car was on the pace straight away, scoring a third place in race two and the car's maiden win at the hands of Plato in race three. Throughout the rest of the first half of the
2012 season, the MG6 and Plato scored a further six podium positions including a second win at
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 ...
just before the mid-season break. This left Plato third in the drivers' championship and the team fourth in the teams' championship. Plato's teammate Andy Neate, however, did not fare as well with his debut with the team, with his best result being sixth but often struggling to get his MG into the top ten; which left him only 17th at the halfway point of the season. The second half of the year saw Plato add four more wins to his tally, 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 ...
,
Rockingham and
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 ...
placing him 3rd in the final standings, while Neate ended up 16th. The team meanwhile slipped to 5th place in the overall championship and came 2nd in the Manufacturers' standings.
Plato stayed with the team for
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, while Neate was replaced by
Porsche Carrera Cup
Porsche Carrera Cup (sometimes abbreviated PCC) is a number of one-make racing by Porsche premier series competed with, initially Porsche 911 Carrera Cup, then later Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars. The cars are specifically built by Porsche for one-m ...
race winner
Sam Tordoff
Samuel Lewis Tordoff (born 19 April 1989) is a British racing car driver best known for his appearances in the British Touring Car Championship. He is the grandson of rally driver and car dealer Jack Tordoff. Tordoff finished second overall in ...
. Their second year with the
MG6 GT proved more successful, with both drivers securing more top-spot finishes. However, despite the improvements, Plato still only finished 3rd in the drivers championship, with the team finishing as runners up to
Honda Yuasa Racing in both Teams and Manufacturer's championships.
In
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, the team entered as ''MG KX
Clubcard Fuel Save'' and retained their 2013 driver lineup. However, the team expanded to run a third, independent entry
MG6 GT under the name ''Quantel BiFold Racing'' for
1999 British Formula Three Championship
The 1999 British Formula Three season was the 49th British Formula Three Championship season. It commenced on 21 March, and ended on 17 October after sixteen races. Marc Hynes was the champion, although the season is best remembered for 19-year-o ...
winner and Head of Driver Development at
Marussia F1
The Marussia F1 Team (subsequently Manor Marussia F1 Team) was a Formula One racing team and constructor which was based in Banbury, Oxfordshire and then later Dinnington, South Yorkshire in the United Kingdom and competed with a Russian licen ...
Marc Hynes
Marc Hynes (born 26 February 1978 in Guildford) is a British racing driver, who competed for Quantel Bifold Racing. with Triple Eight Race Engineering in the British Touring Car Championship.
He won the 1995 British Formula Vauxhall Junior tit ...
. The campaign got off to a good start with Plato and Tordoff both scoring race wins at the second round 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 ...
. Plato continued his good form scoring a further five wins during the season finishing the season as runner up. The pairing of Plato and Tordoff was good enough thought to secure
MG's first
Manufacturers Championship, beating rivals
Honda
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 product ...
by ninety-five points. This was the first title that the team has won since the departure of
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 ...
and the swap to MG.
A new driver lineup and sponsor package was announced for the
2015 British Touring Car Championship
The 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (commonly abbreviated as BTCC) was a motor racing championship for production-based touring cars held across England and Scotland. The championship featured a mix of professional motor racing ...
.
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
Drivers' Champion
Andrew Jordan moved to the team from his family run
Eurotech Racing
Eurotech Racing was a British motor racing team based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, founded by Mike Jordan and currently owned by Jeff Smith since December 2014, that last competed in the 2018 British Touring Car Championship
The team won bot ...
.
The
2016 British Touring Car Championship
The 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (commonly abbreviated as BTCC) was a motor racing championship for production-based touring cars held across England and Scotland. The championship featured a mix of professional motor racin ...
is the first of a new 3-year deal between Triple Eight and MG to race in the BTCC. A new line-up was formed of 2015 Jack Sears Trophy winner
Josh Cook
Josh Cook (born 15 June 1991) is a British racing driver currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship. He debuted in 2015, after being the runner-up in the Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom in 2014.
Racing career
Cook began his c ...
, who moved from
Power Maxed Racing
Power Maxed Racing is a British auto racing team based in Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. The team has raced in the British Touring Car Championship, since 2015 after purchasing BTC Racing in February 2015.
British Touring Car Championship
Ch ...
, and 2015 Renault UK Clio Cup champion
Ashley Sutton
Ashley Sutton (born 15 January 1994) is a British racing driver, and three time British Touring Car Champion, who currently competes in the British Touring Car Championship with NAPA Racing UK.
After winning the Renault Clio Cup UK in 2015, S ...
graduated into the championship.
Triple Eight left the BTCC after the
2017 season and folded on 13 November 2018.
BTCC gallery
File:Derek Warwick 1998 BTCC.jpg
File:Fabrizio Giovanardi 2006 BTCC Knockhill.jpg
File:Fabrizio Giovanardi 2006 BTCC Oulton Park.jpg
File:Fabrizio Giovanardi 2006 BTCC Brands Hatch.jpg
File:Tom Chilton 2006 BTCC Brands Hatch.jpg
File:Gavin Smith 2006 BTCC Oulton Park.jpg
File:Tom Chilton 2006 BTCC Oulton Park.jpg
File:Tom Chilton 2007 BTCC Oulton Park.jpg
File:Tom Chilton BTCC 2007 Oulton Park.jpg
File:BTCC DP08 grid 2.jpg
File:BTCC DP08 Neal pit.jpg
File:BTCC DP08 Neal pit 2.jpg
File:Fabrizio Giovanardi 2008 BTCC Croft.jpg
File:BTCC DP08 Neal pit 3.jpg
File:Andrew Jordan Vauxhall Vectra BTCC.jpg
File:James_Nash_BTCC_Oulton_Park_2010.jpg
File:BTCC_2014.JPG
BTCC results
;Notes:
:* Season still in progress
:† Swapped teams mid season
GT racing
Triple Eight made their debut into
Sports car racing
Sports car racing is a form of motorsport road racing which utilises sports cars that have two seats and enclosed wheels. They may be purpose-built prototypes or grand tourers based on road-going models. Broadly speaking, sports car racing is ...
during the
2013 British GT season. They prepared and ran a pair of
BMW Z4 GT3
The BMW Z4 (E89) is the second generation of the BMW Z4 range of two-door roadsters, and was produced from 2009 to 2016. The E89 replaced the E85/E86 Z4 and is the fourth model in the BMW Z Series.
The E89 Z4 was the first Z Series model to u ...
cars in a joint venture with
Optimum Motorsport
Optimum Motorsport is a motorsport team known for success in sportscar racing, primarily with Ginetta and McLaren GT cars. Optimum also race under the Inception Racing banner. Their record includes championship wins in 2013 British GT4, class ...
and entered the championship as ''888Optimum''. The team did well in their first year, securing several podium positions as well as two pole positions at
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...
and
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 ...
, with their experienced driver parings of Joe Osborne & Lee Mowle and Daniel Brown & Steve Tandy.
Triple Eight continued racing during the
2014 British GT season
The 2014 Avon Tyres British GT season was the 22nd season of the British GT Championship. The season began on 19 April at Oulton Park and finished on 14 September at Donington Park, after ten rounds held over seven meetings. Ecurie Ecosse driver ...
, using the BMWs. However, whilst they retained Joe Osborne & Lee Mowle, they added the new pairing of Derek Johnston and
Luke Hines
Luke Hines (born 4 May 1982 in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire) is a British auto racing driver. He is the son of former karting champion and Zip Kart founder/owner Martin Hines.
Career
After a small amount of open wheel racing in Formula Ford, Hi ...
. Towards the end of the season,
Warren Hughes
Warren Hughes (born 19 January 1969) is a racing driver from Newcastle, England.
He has raced in a variety of different series, most notably the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), the FIA GT1 World Championship, the Le Mans Series, ...
and
Jody Firth
Jody Firth (born 11 July 1981) is a British auto racing, racing driver, who most recently competed in the British GT Championship.
Having raced in a number of lower formulae, Firth has competed in the British GT Championship, the European Le Ma ...
joined the team in a third Z4. The team finished the year 7th in the team's championship, 2 places behind the debut years finishing position, with Derek Johnston being the highest placed driver finishing 14th.
Triple Eight also entered select rounds of the
2014 Blancpain Endurance Series season
The 2014 Blancpain Endurance Series season was the fourth season of the Blancpain Endurance Series. The season started on 12 April at Monza and ended on 21 September at the Nürburgring. The season featured five rounds, with each race lasting for a ...
and the British-based ''GT Cup Championship''. In the Blancpain Endurance Series, Ryan Ratcliffe joined Lee Mowle and Derek Johnston for the 3 Hours of
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 ...
, retiring after 16 minutes, where as
Jody Firth
Jody Firth (born 11 July 1981) is a British auto racing, racing driver, who most recently competed in the British GT Championship.
Having raced in a number of lower formulae, Firth has competed in the British GT Championship, the European Le Ma ...
and
Warren Hughes
Warren Hughes (born 19 January 1969) is a racing driver from Newcastle, England.
He has raced in a variety of different series, most notably the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), the FIA GT1 World Championship, the Le Mans Series, ...
were joined by
Alexander Sims for the
1000 km Nürburgring
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...
finishing a respectable ninth, only two laps behind the race winner.
British GT results
Formula Renault BARC
In
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 ...
Triple 8 teamed up with Uniq to enter a single car into the Formula Renault BARC championship, under the ''Uniq Racing with 888'' name. They entered this series to gain experience for expansion into other series in 2011, particularly series which support the
BTCC
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as ...
. Malaysian driver Sazlan Sirajudin drove the car at all six meetings, with 10th being his best finish at
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 ...
. He finished the season 16th overall.
Series results
Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Ginetta GT Supercup
Triple Eight announced that they were going to run at least two cars in the
2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
The 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain was the ninth season of the Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain series. The series again featured on the same package as the British Touring Car Championship, and as such benefited from live coverage at eac ...
and that they were going to enter the
2011 Ginetta GT Supercup season
The 2011 Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup season will be the inaugural Ginetta GT Supercup season, having rebranded from the Ginetta G50 Cup, which ran between 2008 and 2010. The season will begin at Brands Hatch on 4 April and will finish after 27 ...
. Howerever, they failed to enter any races in both championships.
Other projects
Triple Eight are also involved in several other forms of motorsport, ranging from the British Rally Championship to the Dunlop Sport Maxx Cup.
BTC-T Vauxhall Vectra
The team built a Vectra to the BTC-T Specifications for the
2004 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2004 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 47th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
Changes for 2004
Teams and drivers
With the admittance of Super 2000-spec cars into the championship, the BTCC welcomed ...
. However the car was never used due to problems making the car competitive.
Supercars
A supercar – also called exotic car – is a loosely defined description of street-legal, high-performance sports cars. Since the 2010s, the term hypercar has come into use for the highest performing supercars. Supercars commonly serve as t ...
In September 2003, Triple Eight entered the Australian
V8 Supercars
The Supercars Championship is a touring car racing category in Australia, running as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations, governing the sport.
Supercars events take place in all Australian ...
series purchasing
Briggs Motor Sport
Briggs Motor Sport was an Australian motor racing team which has represented Queensland based businessman John Briggs in motor racing. The team has competed in Sports Sedans, Australian GT, Formula Holden, and most notably as a touring car team ...
and renaming it
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Triple Eight Race Engineering, (branded as Red Bull Ampol Racing) is an Australian motor racing team competing in the Supercars Championship. The team has been the only Brisbane based V8 Supercar team since its formation, originally operating ...
. The team is now under separate ownership and is no longer directly linked to its British progenitor, although Ian Harrison remains a minority shareholder.
Pro1000 Series
Triple 8 were given the opportunity to develop 16 race-spec Caparo T1000's for the 2010 season. The T1000 was a modified version of the
Caparo T1
The Caparo T1 is a British mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat automobile that was built by Caparo Vehicle Technologies, founded by design director Ben Scott-Geddes, engineering director Graham Halstead, engineers formerly involved in the d ...
.
However, the series never materialised.
Customer Car Division
The customer division of Triple Eight is also growing. Triple Eight Performance Vehicles launched a limited edition Astra Sport Hatch turbo diesel, which followed on from the 2001 manufacture of 100 Special Edition road cars, in the form of the Astra Coupé 888 which was engineered to translate race-winning experience into phenomenal road car response. The T8 proved to be one of Vauxhall's fastest ever selling road vehicles.
References
External links
*
MG KX Momentum RacingQuantel Bifold Racing
{{Automotive industry in the United Kingdom
British auto racing teams
British Touring Car Championship teams
1996 establishments in England
2018 disestablishments in England
British GT Championship teams
Blancpain Endurance Series teams
British racecar constructors
British Formula Renault teams
Auto racing teams established in 1996
Auto racing teams disestablished in 2018