Honda Civic Type R Wins A Double At First Round Of 2015 BTCC

The all-new Honda Civic Type R hasn’t even found its way into UK showrooms yet but at the 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) opening round at Brands Hatch Indy, the hot hatch managed to win two out of the three races that took place.

For those uninitiated with the BTCC, we’ll simplify it the best that we can. Basically on race day, three races will be held and points will be awarded for each of them. The progression is as such: a qualifying session determines the starting order for the first race. The results of race one determines the grid order for race two. Race three however, involves a draw. For example if a driver finished sixth in race two and the first draw is ball number six, that driver takes pole in race three. Each race consists of about 16 to 25 laps and can be extended by three laps if three or more laps have been run behind a safety car.

Now that we’ve gotten the details out of the way, let’s get back to the all-new Civic Type R, which managed a double with Gordon Shedden reaching the chequered flag first with Andy Priaulx in his BMW 125i M Sport a mere 0.040 seconds behind him. Race three held the same close finish with Matt Neal in his Honda taking top spot ahead of Jack Goff in his MG6 GT by 0.196 seconds. Race one saw Robert Collard’s BMW 125i M Sport in first place at the end of the 24 laps.

An impressive start for the all-new Honda Civic Type R which made its debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. In stock format, the Civic Type R produces 310hp and 400Nm of torque. In racing format however, the 2.0-litre turbocharged VTEC four-cylinder engine has been tuned to produce 40hp more.