James Thompson has won the 2004 Green Flag MAS British Touring Car Championship and has completed the triple for VX Racing. Thompson lifted the drivers' trophy at Donington Park last Sunday after an intense battle with his VX Racing team mate Yvan Muller.

The fight for victory laurels went right down to the wire and the final race weekend of the season, but it was the Yorkshireman who emerged as champion after finishing third, and claiming an extra point for the fastest lap, in the final race. The drivers' title will be added to the manufacturers' and team titles also won by Vauxhall and VX Racing, securing the triple win for the fourth year in a row.

Thompson is ecstatic with the win, "I am made up, what can I say? It is so good to be champion, and to do it for the second time is very special. The battle between me and Yvan was very close all season, he was just a few points ahead of me right up until Snetterton, and then I just edged ahead. With just four points between us at the start of the weekend it could have gone either way. Everyone at VX Racing has worked very hard and I would like to thank the team.

Thompson adds, "It has been a hard year for us, the competition has been really tough and we were not getting the results in the middle of the season. I think it is partly due to advances made by the other teams, but also due to the rules and the reverse grid for the second race. We had the pace early on and then from Mondello we struggled for the next few races. But we kept at it and the hard work paid off. I am so happy to be champion again."

After ten years of competing in British touring cars, and having experienced the highs and lows of winning in 2002 and being runner-up in 2003, Thompson eclipsed the opposition with strong performances every race weekend this season. Thompson, set to leave VX Racing, goes out on a high with the second BTCC title of his career, but sadly, will not return to defend his title in 2005.

SINGLE POINT DECIDES CHAMPIONSHIP AT DONINGTON

VX Racing celebrated three championship victories at this final race weekend of the 2004 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship. After ten events and 30 races Vauxhall clinched the manufacturers' and team championships but it was the fight for the drivers championship between VX Racing's James Thompson and Yvan Muller that produced plenty of drama for the crowds at Donnington Park today.

With nothing to separate the pair, it was ultimately the extra point for the 'fastest lap of the race' that won the drivers championship title for Thompson, relegating Yvan Muller to runner-up, even though he won the final round.

Thompson took a six-point advantage into the final round, but with Muller leading and Thompson lying in third place in the closing stages it looked as though the drivers would finish equal on points. It was only the fastest lap, recorded by Thompson on the third lap of the race that made the difference between the championship win for Thompson instead of Muller. Thompson says "I had a feeling Yvan would win the race so I had a game-plan and tried to get the fastest lap of the race. I knew if I set the fastest lap third place would be good enough. I love the BTCC, it's given me so much pleasure over the years. It's fantastic to win!"

Stuart Harris, VXR Brand Manager, Vauxhall, "This year has been a record for us, taking our fourth manufacturers' title with the Vauxhall Astra Coupe, puts it into the record books as the most successful British touring car ever. And, I suspect that we have set a record for the closest ever finish in the drivers' championship it really wasn't decided until the chequered flag. Exciting, tense and highly dramatic we couldn't have asked for more."

In the three races of the final race weekend Thompson posted second, fifth and third place finishes. Muller took a seventh in the first race, second in the second race and won the final race. Third driver Luke Hines finished with a sixth place, a tenth and a DNF, finishing tenth overall in the drivers championship.

PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR VX RACING AT FINAL 2004 BTCC RACE WEEKEND

VX Racing arrived at Donington with two championships - manufacturers and team - almost wrapped up, but the drivers championship still in the balance. With James Thompson on 244 championship points and Yvan Muller on 240 points, the pressure was on both drivers to qualify well for the first race and neither needed any more pressure, but changing weather, damp in the morning, raining later, then drying during qualifying, was not ideal. And with forecasts for a dry day tomorrow, the weather could be an added factor for the championship decider races.

Muller, with the second heaviest car in the field after 5th, 4th and 2nd place finishes in the previous rounds at Snetterton, had his work cut out to qualify ahead of Thompson, 12 kgs lighter. Throughout the 30 minute qualifying session all three Vauxhall Astra Coupes were lapping in the top half of the grid, the success ballast hampering efforts for either championship contender to add the valuable championship point for pole position to their tally. It was Jason Plato that took this away, but with Thompson finishig third fastest and Muller in fifth place for the start, the final rounds of the 2004 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship look set for a tough fight to the finish for both VX Racing drivers. Luke Hines, in his first year with VX Racing is engrossed in his own battle in the drivers championship, with a seventh place finish a possible conclusion to his debut year with the team.

The opening practice session at Donington, in fairly damp conditions, saw VX Racing start this finale weekend at the top of the time sheets, with Muller taking the top spot with an impressive lap time of 1 minute 13.864 seconds, the fastest ever lap by a touring car at the 1.96 mile circuit. Thompson, turned in the third fastest lap, while third driver Hines, finished 11th fastest. In the second session the weather had worsened and the VX Racing team selected to start on wet tyres. Muller completed 20 laps and finished second quickest behind Plato and Hine, coping well with the continuing rain, improved to fifth fastest. However, Thompson only completed one lap of the circuit before the wet conditions caught him out and he aquaplaned into the gravel at the Old Hairpin, where he remained for the rest of the session.

VX Racing returns to the track tomorrow morning for the first of the three rounds of this final 2004 BTCC race weekend.

Driver quotes:
James Thompson, Car No.2
"It was quite a tricky qualifying session, quite wet at the start and not really drying, but then drying quickly towards the end. I was running on mixed tyres, slick fronts and wet rears, but I needed one more lap and I might have got on the front row. It's good that Yvan didn't take the extra point for pole, it's still very even. As for my excursion into the gravel in practice, I think I overestimated my own ability and for the first time in nearly four years ended up in the gravel."

Yvan Muller, Car No.1
"We made a mistake at the beginning putting the mixed tyres on too early in the session. We should have waited a little longer, we made the wrong choice. Now, I need to push and keep pushing."

Luke Hines, Car No.57
"I didn't have much wet testing before the season and we haven't done much wet running, so I'm not really used to these conditions. We put new tyres on towards the end of the session, but the track was drying quickly. If we could have had a few more minutes we probably could have improved our position a bit more. But, we're within the top 10 and all set for the race now. We just need to decide on our race strategy for the first race."