Giovanardi names the best twists and turns on the BTCC calendar

Every racing driver has hisfavourite track. In the past, it might have been the fearsomeNürburgring Nordschleife in Germany or the original Spa in Belgiumwhere, 40 years ago, average lap speeds often topped 160mph.

Today’s circuits are much tamer in nature, built with driver safetyand spectator viewing as key priorities. But even here, in health andsafety-conscious Britain, our circuits remain some of the mostchallenging and spectacular in the world.

So good, in fact, it’shard to choose between them. So when we asked HiQ MSA British TouringCar Championship legend Fabrizio Giovanardi to name his very ownfantasy circuit, he lifted the best bumps, bends and hair-raisinghairpins from the 10 tracks the series visits.

Fabrizio has racedaround the globe, winning the Spanish, Italian and European touring carchampionships, before switching to the BTCC in 2006. Over the pastthree years, the 42-year-old Italian has come to adore ourindividualistic UK venues – not least as he has driven his VauxhallVectra to title glory for the past two seasons. It wasn’t love at firstsight, though.

“The circuits in Britain are totally different tothose I competed on before, and they came as a big shock when I joinedthe BTCC,” admits the man from Modena. “I had raced at the biggerplaces like Silverstone and Donington, but they aren’t the reality ofyour circuits.

“It’s smaller places like Croft, Knockhill andOulton Park that are more typical, and they are very unusual. At first,it was a nightmare as I couldn’t transfer my experience from Europe.And, as this championship allows very little testing during the season,it was very hard to learn the circuits. It was a big challenge.” 

What’smore, Fabrizio admits he has had to change his driving style to copewith the helter-skelter nature of these quirky regional venues. “Whenyou race touring cars in Europe on bigger F1-style tracks, you havelots of time to think about where you are going to brake and where youare going to turn into the corners. When you come to the UK, it’stotally different as the corners come so quickly. It’s very tricky fora newcomer, but I think I’ve got there now.”

Having mastered thebumps, crests and kerbs of places like Snetterton and Thruxton,Fabrizio is happy to be competing in Britain. However, this will be hislast season behind the wheel of a works Vauxhall, as VX Racing willpull out of the BTCC at the end of the season.

There are somespecial sections of the different circuits on the BTCC schedule thatGio genuinely relishes and would include in his own fantasy race track.
But which are the particular segments that he enjoys the most? Tokick off, he doesn’t have a favourite starting straight. “Anywhere I’mon pole position,” he laughs.

Being a big thrill seeker,though, he does have a major preference when it comes to the twistierbits that follow. “I don’t particularly like technical corners,” hesays. “I prefer the faster, challenging ones, which really sort out thedifference between the drivers.”

The famously fast and plungingPaddock Hill Bend at Brands Hatch is just such a corner, and Fabrizioadmits it’s a challenge, but mostly when trying to overtake a rival.Surprisingly, he believes Clearways at the other end of the circuit tobe tougher. “It looks slow and easy, but there’s a bump which unsettlesthe car and encourages you to lift off. If you release the throttle,though, you lose time on the straight afterwards. It’s verychallenging,” he tells us.

And the same can be said aboutThruxton – the fastest venue on the BTCC calendar. “I really likeThruxton,” he explains. “You spend most of the
lap trying to go absolutely flat-out and telling yourself not to touch the brakes.

“Youalways feel you’re going too fast and you don’t want to make a mistakeat such high speeds. From Goodwood and on through Church corner, it’svery, very interesting.” He then turns his attention to Donington Park,the future home of the British Grand Prix. “Donington is a typicalF1-type circuit, yet it’s still very exciting in a touring car,” hesays. “The sweeping Craner Curves are a big test in the wet, but theOld Hairpin that follows is, perhaps, the toughest challenge as youneed to keep your speed up.”

While clearly a fan of Donington’spicturesque parkland setting, Fabrizio rates the British GP’s currenthome, Silverstone, as his favourite circuit in the world – althoughonly when competing on the full GP track in a truly fast car. The BTCCuses the shorter, more spectator-friendly Club circuit. But as theopening corner, Copse, features in both layouts, it’s in Fabrizio’sdream track – and shunts the most thrilling bends at Croft andRockingham out of his top 10.

Snetterton in sleepy Norfolk servesup two more gems: Sear and the evocatively named Bomb Hole both get thethumbs up from Fabrizio. “The entry to Sear is so fast,” he beams. “Youcan just about do it in fifth gear but then you risk going off into thecornfield on the outside – I’ve seen some amusing photos of that.Likewise, you try to take Bomb Hole flat-out, but it’s not easy.”

TheBTCC’s annual stop-off in Scotland is at tight and twisty Knockhill,which Fabrizio describes as “funny” – that’s both ‘funny ha-ha’ and‘funny odd’. He says: “From Duffus Dip to Clark Curve, it’s arollercoaster as the track bucks and weaves all over the place. It justmakes you smile.”

But if there’s one stand-out venue that sums upour tracks, it’s Oulton Park near Chester. “This is a real Englishcircuit – fast, bumpy and dangerous,” explains Fabrizio. “If you looktoo closely at the barriers, you start thinking, ‘I don’t want to getit wrong here.’ But that’s great.

“In a safe corner with lotsof space, you can push until you make an error and nothing bad happens.If you know even a small mistake will end your race, that has a bigeffect in the driver’s mind. “The whole place is fantastic, but Iparticularly like Cascades – it is a really nice corner. You arrivedownhill and brake with the car really light at the rear, so it’s hardto control. At the same time, you need real speed on the exit.”

Puttogether all Fabrizio’s favourite corners, and you would probably comeup with a UK version of the Nürburgring – and that’s not for thefaint-hearted.