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In the Independents Trophy standings, Bell finished the year in 15th position on 18 points, one place and a single point ahead of Kizilirmak. In the Independents Team Trophy, Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk is eighth on 73 points. 

Highlights of the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit races will be broadcast at 12.30 late tonight, Monday, 22nd September, on the UK’s number one commercial channel ITV1. There will be additional screenings on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channels Men & Motors and ITV4. For further details please check listings.

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TOUGH BTCC SEASON FINALE FOR ARKAS RACING

Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk concluded its first season as a two-car entrant in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship with a tough outing at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit over the weekend, 20th/21st September. 

The event, which signalled the end of the 50th anniversary season of BTCC action, also marked the end of a chapter for the Leamington Spa based squad with Erkut Kizilirmak making his last appearance in the series for the time being – the Turkish racer taking a year away from the championship in 2009 due to business commitments. 

With an Independents Trophy points finish for Barrow-upon-Humber’s Martyn Bell during round 28, he just missed out on replicating the result in round 29 but raced strongly and finished ahead of Kizilirmak in both encounters. 

Very unfortunately, both Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk drivers failed to complete the 25 lap race distance of the final encounter, round 30, with Kizilirmak forced to pit with a mechanical problem and Bell stopping out on circuit due to a drop in oil pressure. 

Kizilirmak’s original plan for Brands Hatch was to race his ex-Yvan Muller Vauxhall Astra Coupe, a long held dream for the 39-year-old, but serious engine problems struck the instant the car took to the track in free practice on Saturday morning.

With no option but to travel from the Kent circuit to Warwickshire, the base for Tech-Speed Motorsport which operates and runs the Arkas Racing branded cars, the team collected Kizilirmak’s regular Astra Sport Hatch to replace the Coupe. 

Forced to sit out free practice and also qualifying, Kizilirmak went fresh into the first race of the weekend on Sunday morning but still managed to post decent lap times on his way to an 18th place result. In round 29 he was 17th and then had his unfortunate retirement in the final round. 

Bell made some fantastic starts in all of the races and managed to finish 17th overall in race one, and 16th in race two before his bitterly disappointing enforced retirement from the final race of the year with just a couple of laps remaining. 

Commenting on the weekend, Arkas Racing technical director Brian Ashwood said: “It’s been a tough meeting and we’re very disappointed for Erkut that he wasn’t able to race the Coupe this weekend as he wanted. The team did a fantastic job to get his Sport Hatch down to the circuit though and ready for the races on Sunday. 

“Martyn and Erkut both raced well, the second race in particular was a highlight with both of them enjoying a really good battle with John George. It’s certainly been a difficult year but we have enjoyed ourselves, regardless of what the results might be sometimes! We have to wait and see now what Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk will do in 2009.” 

In the Independents Trophy standings, Bell finished the year in 15th position on 18 points, one place and a single point ahead of Kizilirmak. In the Independents Team Trophy, Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk is eighth on 73 points. 

MORE INDEPENDENTS POINTS FOR ARKAS AT SILVERSTONE 

HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship squad Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk fielded two cars for the first time since mid-July at Silverstone National Circuit over the weekend, 30th/31st August, with Erkut Kizilirmak making his return to the category alongside team-mate Martyn Bell. 

Having sat-out the last six rounds at Oulton Park and Knockhill due to business commitments back home in Turkey, the 38-year-old made his competitive return to action at Silverstone National over the weekend, a circuit he has never previously visited, and just missed out on an Independents points finish. 

For team-mate Bell, the weekend produced a double Independents points haul with 10th in class during round 25 and ninth in class during round 26. From a championship perspective, Bell is now tied on 17 points with Kizilirmak in the Independents Trophy standings in joint 15th position. 

In the Independents Team Trophy, Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk – which is run on the ground by Leamington Spa based Tech-Speed Motorsport – is currently in eighth place on 68 points. 

During the first race, round 25, which took place in rainy conditions, Bell came home in 17th position overall ahead of Kizilirmak in 18th place – both drivers seeing a tyre choice gamble fail to pay off. In round 26, which was also affected by rain, Bell finished inside the top 14 while Kizilirmak had a battery problem which saw him stall on the grid. 

The third and final race of the weekend, round 27, saw both drivers achieve a finish with Kizilirmak coming home in 17th place ahead of Bell in 18th position. 

Speaking on the Silverstone event, team technical director Brian Ashwood said: “It was a mixed weekend for us really It was the first time Erkut has ever been to Silverstone National so he spent both free practice sessions learning the track and then he had an engine failure in qualifying which was very unfortunate – he only managed four laps. 

“In the first race, we gambled on using slick front tyres and wet rears on both cars but the rain came heavier so it didn’t work out. We had wanted to put wets on the front right at the last minute but ran out of time. Then, Erkut had a gear problem which obviously compromised his performance. 

“In the second race Erkut had another unfortunate problem, this time with the battery, which meant he couldn’t start while Martyn ran competitively to finish in 14th which was good. Both cars finished the last race which was pleasing but it wasn’t a trouble-free weekend unfortunately. Hopefully we can end the year with a good run at Brands Hatch.” 

LACK OF POINTS BELIES BELL’S EFFORTS AT KNOCKHILL

Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk driver Martyn Bell was unfortunate to miss out on a couple of Independents Trophy points finishes during the eighth race meeting of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season at Knockhill in Scotland today, Sunday, 17th August. 

The 44-year-old, once again the sole Arkas Racing entry this weekend with team-mate Erkut Kizilirmak forced to miss his second event of 2008 due to business commitments back home in Turkey, raced strongly but just missed out on adding to his season’s tally for the Leamington Spa based team. 

Qualifying 21st on the grid for the first race of the weekend with a time of 55.236 seconds (82.85mph), the Barrow-upon-Humber racer saw his involvement in round 22 last little more than a lap when Chris Stockton made contact and forced the Arkas man out. 

Frustrated, having made a decent start to the race, Bell would begin round 23 at the back of the grid by virtue of his early retirement from the opening encounter. Getting away quite well from the line, the North Lincolnshire racer diced with Alan Taylor early on and then on lap 12 he moved inside the top 20 for the first time. 

Several laps later, Bell was into 18th position and that’s where he would take the chequered flag, tantalisingly just one place outside the Independents Trophy points paying positions. 

The final race of the weekend, round 24, didn’t see Bell get away particularly well and although slipping one place to 19th position, the Arkas driver fought back and battled hard, a late-braking pass on Michael Doyle into the Real Radio Hairpin on lap four a particular highlight. 

Running at the tail of a pack of four cars headed by the Team RAC BMW 320si of Stephen Jelley at one-third race distance, Bell held his own well until the Safety Car appeared on lap nine due to Jason Plato’s stricken SEAT Leon TDi in the gravel on the exit of the hairpin. 

After the re-start, Bell had to fight hard to try and keep a charging Jason Hughes behind him and although he had to give best to the MG ZS driver, the Arkas star did emerge victorious from an intense scrap with John George during the final four laps.

Running side-by-side with George out of the hairpin at the end of lap 25, Bell held his line as George leant on the Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch and the result saw the Honda Integra driver spin across the front of Bell’s car. Crossing the line on the 27th lap in 18th position, Bell ended the race 12th in the list of Independents Trophy finishers. 

Speaking at the conclusion of the weekend’s action, Arkas Racing technical director Brian Ashwood said: “Unfortunately the results weren’t there but it was a bit like at Oulton Park in as much as Martyn definitely moved forward. He took on various bits of information, rectified a few mistakes he’d made and improved each time he went out. 

“Looking at the sector times in the last race, he really did fight hard. In the first race he was taken out before he could really get going, in the second one he drove for a finish and then in race three he fought well to hold his ground. Martin is definitely moving forward, it’s just a shame he didn’t get a few points as he deserved some.”

BELL DELIGHTED WITH DESERVED TRIPLE SCORE AT OULTON 

Barrow-upon-Humber racer Martyn Bell enjoyed his most successful and rewarding day of the season so far at a packed Oulton Park Island Circuit yesterday, Sunday, 27th July, after recording three back-to-back finishes for Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk during the 19th, 20th and 21st rounds of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Bell, who recently celebrated his 44th birthday, also saw his efforts bear fruit in the Independents Team Trophy with three points scores ensuring Arkas Racing – which is run by Leamington-Spa based Tech-Speed Motorsport – comfortably maintains eighth place in the standings. 

Speaking after the final race, which was watched by 30,000 spectators, Bell said: “I’m really pleased to have secured three good finishes this weekend. Oulton is one of my favourite tracks and I’ve gained a lot of confidence from this. I’m really looking forward to Knockhill now in three weeks time as it’s another circuit I’m a big fan of.” 

Qualifying with the 21st fastest time for round 19, Bell ended the first of the weekend’s encounters in 18th position but much better was to follow in the second race of the day – round 20 – where a great start saw him gain several positions.

Unfortunately slipping back before the end of the opening lap, Bell climbed into the top 14 by lap six and then started to reel in Chris Stockton’s SEAT Toledo – by lap 12 he was just six 10ths of a second adrift. 

Taking a look into Lodge Corner at the end of the 12th tour, Bell settled back in behind Stockton but into the final lap of the race, lap 15, the Arkas man produced a good pass on the brakes into Old Hall to wrest 13th place away, eighth in the Independents Trophy. 

In the last of the day’s three rounds, Bell made a terrific start from 13th on the grid and immediately gained a place from Harry Vaulkhard’s Chevrolet Lacetti on the run to Old Hall. Bad luck would follow though when he lost out at Knickerbrook Chicane as he tried to negotiate a collision between several front-runners. 

Forced to take avoiding action, Bell lost several places as a result and slipped back to 15th position before the Safety Car was deployed in time for the start of lap two. After a topsy-turvy race, Bell eventually came home in 14th position overall – ninth in the Independents Trophy. 

“I got a cracking start in the third race but then got caught up in the collision down at the chicane”, he explained, “I didn’t want to get involved there so I took it carefully to make sure we bagged three finishes.  

“The first race ended up being about damage limitation but Brian (Ashwood – Arkas Racing technical director) and Marvin (Humphries – Tech-Speed Motorsport boss and Arkas Racing team manager) had a chat with me before race two and got my head right for that one, which showed in the result.” 

Unfortunately, Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk only fielded one of its Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch cars this weekend with business commitments back home in Turkey meaning 38-year-old Erkut Kizilirmak was unable to make the trip to Oulton Park.  Regretfully sitting out the seventh event of the 2008 BTCC season, Kizilirmak should be back in action at Knockhill Circuit in Scotland three weeks from now – an event Bell is relishing with renewed confidence after taking a significant step forward this weekend.

“Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk is the best team in the paddock as far as I’m concerned”, said Bell, “Everyone is absolutely fantastic and they do an incredible job. We missed Erkut being here this weekend but we’re looking forward to hopefully seeing him back out at Knockhill.”

pic HPC Images/Tunc Sengun (www.hpcimages.co.uk)

DIFFICULT SNETTERTON WEEKEND FOR ARKAS RACING 

Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk came through a difficult weekend at Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk yesterday, Sunday, 13th July, with the consolation of seeing both Erkut Kizilirmak and Martyn Bell finish in the Independents Trophy points during the third HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship race of the day. 

With mixed fortunes blighting the sixth event of the 2008 season, the Leamington Spa based team battled through to see Turkish star Kizilirmak take the round 18 chequered flag in 14th place overall with British team-mate Bell recovering to 15th place after an early spin. 

Following the conclusion of the race though, eighth placed Adam Jones was thrown out of the results classification after his SEAT Leon failed a weight-check. This meant Kizilirmak moved up to 13th position, and ninth in the Independents Trophy, while Bell was lifted into 14th place and also took the final Independents point for 10th in class. 

The first race of the day, round 16, saw Kizilirmak move ahead of Bell into the Esses on the opening tour with the pair running in formation but on lap two an off for the Barrow-upon-Humber 43-year-old saw him ruled out of the remainder of the race with damage. 

Following a six-lap Safety Car period, the re-start came on lap nine with Kizilirmak in 17th position but just a couple of laps from home, the 38-year-old Turkish racer lost out to John George and had to settle for 18th place at the flag. 

Round 17 saw a reversal in fortunes for the Arkas Racing pairing with Kizilirmak the one to suffer a retirement on his sixth lap. Bell did have his own problems midway through the race as he dramatically slowed but after pitting he rejoined a lap down to take an 18th place finish, just ahead of SEAT’s Darren Turner. 

The Tech-Speed Motorsport mechanics, which form the backbone of Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk, did a typically sterling job throughout the Snetterton weekend and will now be hoping for a more fruitful outing at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire just a fortnight from now. 

Summing up the team’s weekend, Kizilirmak commented: “It’s been difficult. We had hoped for a good run at Snetterton but we had some problems with the cars and Martyn and I also made some mistakes ourselves. It’s a big shame but the team deserves credit, the guys worked really hard. 

“I know I speak for Martyn when I say how much we appreciate the efforts of everyone at Tech-Speed, they do a fantastic job for us. I hoped we would have more success this weekend, hopefully Oulton Park in two weeks will be better for Arkas Racing.”

ARKAS CONSOLIDATES CHAMPIONSHIP PLACING AT CROFT 

Leading HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship entrant Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk came through another difficult weekend at Croft in North Yorkshire yesterday, Sunday, 1st June, with spirits high after consolidating eighth position in the Independents Team Trophy. 

Turkish star Erkut Kizilirmak finished all three BTCC races, his best result of the day coming with seventh position in the Independents rankings during round 15. Team-mate Martyn Bell had a trickier time of things but still managed to battle through his bad luck to claim a top 10 Independents finish in round 14. 

Very much a ‘home’ event for Barrow-upon-Humber based Bell, the Croft race meeting was always going to be one of the most important of the season for the 43-year-old but misfortune befell him in two of three encounters  

Qualifying in 21st position for round 13 with a time of 1m 29.542 seconds (85.43mph), Bell had a better time of things on Saturday than 38-year-old Kizilirmak. The session was one to forget for the former Turkish Touring Car Champion after a high-speed spin at the exit of the chicane on his third lap resulted in substantial damage to his Vauxhall Astra. 

Superb work late into the night by the Tech-Speed Motorsport mechanics though, who run and prepare the Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk Astras, ensured Kizilirmak would be able to take his place on the grid for the first race. Thanks too go to Gerry Doyle, of fellow BTCC team In-Tune Racing, who leant a very welcome helping hand. 

Persistent rain ahead of and during the first Croft race provided very difficult conditions for the BTCC competitors to contend with but in the end, Kizilirmak came home in 16th position overall with Bell in 20th after problems on lap two. Red flagged twice due to separate incidents, round 13 was declared a result after only a handful of racing laps. 

Round 14 saw Kizilirmak run strongly to 15th position overall, ninth in the Independents rankings, while Bell followed him over the line in 16th place, 10th in the Independents, with both Arkas drivers having enjoyed good individual battles. 

The last encounter, round 15, provided the best result of the weekend for Kizilirmak with 13th position overall and seventh in the Independents class. Unfortunately for Bell, a potentially promising run was ended almost immediately when contact between Andrew Jordan and John George at Clervaux eliminated the Arkas man on the spot. 

Team technical director Brian Ashwood commented: “I thought both drivers didn’t do too badly at all this weekend but we had more than our fair share of incidents to contend with again. I was delighted with the second race though, Erkut and Martyn did well individually and raced hard which was very encouraging.” 

In the run-up to the weekend’s action in the North East, Bell was in attendance at the HiQ outlet in Darlington on Thursday evening to take part in one of the BTCC’s special ‘Driver Forum’ events. 

In addition, Arkas Racing welcomed a group of children from Brompton-on-Swale School into the team garage on Friday afternoon for a special behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of a BTCC squad. Once again, Bell was in attendance to meet the kids, sign autographs and talk about life in the UK’s number one motor racing championship.

BELL & KIZILIRMAK HAIL ‘FANTASTIC’ ARKAS TEAM-WORK 

Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk driver pairing Martyn Bell and Erkut Kizilirmak have both hailed the outstanding efforts of their team following the weekend’s fourth race meeting of the 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton. 

Having been left with two seriously damaged Vauxhall Astra Sports Hatch race cars after the previous BTCC event at Donington Park a fortnight ago, the Arkas Racing squad worked wonders in the run up to the weekend to enable Bell and Kizilirmak to take part, let alone challenge for Independents Trophy points. 

During the first of the three BTCC races yesterday, Sunday, 18th May, Barrow-upon-Humber based Bell produced a very encouraging 17th place finish – from 23rd on the grid – to just miss out on the Independents points placings by one position. 

Race two, round 11, saw the 43-year-old caught up in a very unfortunate accident at Segrave on lap one and resulted in a heavy impact with the tyre wall. As he attempted to avoid the chaos ahead, caused by a spin for Andrew Jordan, Bell was forced wide onto the grass and suffered a collision with the barrier. 

With substantial damage to the front end of the Astra, the Arkas squad – which is run on the ground by Leamington Spa based Tech-Speed Motorsport – worked hard to repair the car in time for round 12. Close to an Independents points finish again, Bell ended the final race of the day in 15th position overall, just behind team-mate Kizilirmak. 

The Turkish racer secured the final Independents Trophy point in 14th place overall during round 12, his own car having needed some care and attention following round 11 when a trip over the kerbs at Club Chicane damaged the sump and he ended up in 19th position. During the first of the day’s races, 38-year-old Kizilirmak was 22nd overall. 

Reflecting on the weekend, Kizilirmak said: “The team has done a fantastic job again, they worked incredibly hard in the lead up to this weekend to build a new car for me after the Donington accident. Ok, we didn’t get the results we wanted but sometimes that’s the way it goes. I think at Croft we can be stronger, I’m looking forward to it.” 

Team-mate Bell added: “All of the guys at Arkas, the Tech-Speed mechanics, are a real bunch of stars. The hard work they put in after Donington to make sure Erkut and I were both racing this weekend was unbelievable. Obviously, we had one or two incidents this weekend too which meant even more hard work but they did a fantastic job. 

“It’s a shame we weren’t able to deliver better results as the team deserves them but I’m confident Croft will be a different story in two weeks. I’m really looking forward to being back on home soil for the next three rounds.” 

After the latest BTCC encounter, Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk remains in eighth position in the Independents Team Trophy, but with an increased points total of 30. 

Following Kizilirmak’s 100mph accident during the second of the Donington Park races two weeks ago, the team was left with no option but to build a spare Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch car for the Turkish racer to pilot at ultra-fast Thruxton. 

With a total of just 10 days (including the May Day Bank Holiday and last weekend!) in which to ready the car, the Tech-Speed mechanics did a superb job. Similarly, Bell’s car also needed a fair amount of repair work due to the damage he sustained during the same Donington race.  

 

Marten Bell enabled Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk to hold on to eighth position in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship’s Independents Team Trophy standings at Donington Park yesterday, Sunday, 4th May, following a promising points-scoring drive during the first of the weekend’s three races.

 

The North Lincolnshire based 43-year-old, who counts Donington Park as one of his ‘home’ venues, ran as high as 13th overall during round seven – a race punctuated by two Safety Car periods – and eventually took the chequered flag in 14th position to finish the race ninth in the Independents battle.

 

Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk team-mate Erkut Kizilirmak, meanwhile, just missed out on an Independents points result in 16th place overall but the finish did mean both Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch cars would begin round eight from the middle of the pack.

 

With light rain in the air ahead of the second encounter, teams and drivers faced a tough decision over whether to remain on slick tyres or to change to wet weather rubber.

 

As the race got underway, following a delay due to the stalled car of Andrew Jordan, Bell lost grip as he rounded Redgate Corner on the opening lap. Collected by Stuart Oliver’s SEAT Toledo, the resulting damage meant the Arkas driver’s weekend would end there as his car wasn’t able to take the grid for round nine.

 

It was much the same story for Turkish 38-year-old Kizilirmak. Having opted to remain on slick tyres, which ultimately would have proven to be the correct choice, a promising run ended on lap nine when he crashed out of 12th position with huge force.

 

Losing adhesion at Hollywood, the Arkas man shot across the infield and as soon as his slick tyres touched the wet grass he was nothing more than a passenger. Hitting the retaining wall with a heavy frontal impact, Kizilirmak luckily walked away unscathed – the same couldn’t be said for his Astra though.

 

With both drivers unable to line-up on the grid for the third race of the day, the team was left thinking what might have been. However, with a number of other retirees throughout the three Donington rounds, Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk retains eighth position in the Independents Team Trophy on 23 points.

 

In the Independents Trophy for drivers, Kizilirmak and Bell are separated by just a single point in 14th and 15th positions respectively.

 

Looking back on the weekend, Arkas Racing’s technical director Brian Ashwood said: “It didn’t turn out to be the weekend we’d hoped for unfortunately which is a great shame for everyone involved. Martyn ran very well in the first race and Erkut looked set for a good, solid finish in race two until his accident.

 

“We’re obviously very disappointed with how things turned out. Erkut made the call on taking slicks for the second race, we went with it and it turned out to be the right tyre to use – he just got caught out on a very slippery part of the corner. Once he touched the grass he was a passenger.”

 

Supporting the schools programme which the BTCC attaches a great deal of importance to, Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk invited a group of children from nearby Diseworth Primary School into the team garage on Friday afternoon, 2nd May, where they saw behind the scenes and also met Martyn Bell.

SUPERB ROCKINGHAM TOP 10 FOR KIZILIRMAK 

HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship racer Erkut Kizilirmak declared himself a new-found fan of the UK’s less than favourable climate at Rockingham International Sports Car Circuit today after conquering atrocious conditions to claim his first overall top 10 finish of the season during round six. 

The 38-year-old, from Istanbul in Turkey, had taken part in just two wet races prior to this afternoon’s rain-lashed encounter – which was screened live on ITV4 – but he produced a virtuoso performance at the Northamptonshire venue to lap within half a second of Vauxhall’s reigning BTCC Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi. 

Not only did his impressive drive net Kizilirmak an overall top 10 finish, and therefore his first full BTCC Championship point of the campaign, he was also the fifth highest Independents Trophy finisher in his Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch. 

For Arkas Racing with Sunhsine.co.uk team-mate Martyn Bell, round six also proved to be the most fruitful of the day’s races as he finished in the top 12 overall and seventh in the Independents Trophy after a solid drive.  

Driving rain, and even hail, arrived just ahead of the third of today’s action-packed races and so the team, led by touring car specialists Tech-Speed Motorsport, took the decision to bring both cars into the pits at the end of the green flag formation lap to change to treaded rubber. 

What would have been a master-stroke was negated, however, when all cars were allowed to change to wet weather tyres on the grid and the start was delayed. While Kizilirmak reformed on the grid in his qualifying spot of 18th, Bell ( pictured below right) opted to begin the race from the pitlane. 

The 43-year-old, from North Lincolnshire, progressively started to climb up the order as a number of drivers came to grief in the unenviable racing conditions and he remained out of trouble to secure his second Independents Trophy score of the weekend having earlier led home Kizilirmak during a dry fifth round in 17th position overall, 10th in class. 

Kizilirmak started well from the grid, passing two cars immediately, and ran as high as ninth overall ahead of Mike Jordan during the closing stages before succumbing to the experienced saloon car campaigner on the penultimate tour. 

“Everybody was congratulating me when I got out of the car but I was a bit frustrated as I know where I made some mistakes and where I could have been faster”, said the former Turkish touring car champion. 

“The car was fantastic, the team is working really well and if the start hadn’t been delayed we would have been in an even better position as we were one of the first to make the decision to go to wet tyres. 

“It was big fun today, I’m very happy and pleased to see Martyn in the Independent points too. I guess after today I can conclude I was probably meant to be born an Englishman as I seem to like this weather! I’ve been teased about being the ‘Rain Master’, maybe I am, maybe I’m not, but after today I am hoping for more wet races!”

The first of the day’s outings, round four, saw Kizilirmak finish as the final Independents points scorer with 17th place overall. Bell finished just one place further back and the pair now head to Donington Park in Leicestershire three weeks from now, 3rd/4th May, where they hope to build on such a positive end to the second race meeting of the season. 

Looking at the championship tables, Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk is eighth in the Independents Team Trophy on 20 points while Kizilirmak is 13th in the Independents Trophy for drivers with eight points, Bell just three points adrift in 14th position. 

Having scored a full BTCC Championship point in the rain-lashed round six, the team is 10th in the BTCC Teams Championship while in the BTCC Drivers Championship Kizilirmak is tied with Team RAC’s Stephen Jelley in 16th place. 

Away from the race action itself, there were two other notable activities for the team today. First, the Arkas Racing garage was visited at the beginning of the day by a group of special youngsters from the Make-A-Wish Foundation who met Bell and Kizilirmak as part of their attendance at Rockingham for this weekend’s action. 

Prior to the first of today’s races, all BTCC personnel joined-in with a huge round of applause in memory of the late David Leslie and Richard Lloyd, both stalwarts of the BTCC who were tragically killed in an air crash a fortnight ago near Biggin Hill in Kent. 

Highlights of today’s BTCC action will be screened on ITV1 late tomorrow night, Monday, 14th April, at 01.05. Further re-runs will be screened on Freeview, cable and digital satellite channel ITV4 and satellite and cable station Men & Motors – check listings for further details.

SOLID START TO THE BTCC SEASON FOR ARKAS RACING 

Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk left Brands Hatch Indy Circuit this evening ninth overall in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship Independents Team Trophy after a solid debut as a two-car entrant during the opening event of 2008. 

The squad, run by Marvin Humphries’ Tech-Speed Motorsport team, arrived at the Kent venue on Saturday with drivers Erkut Kizilirmak and Martyn Bell both facing their own individual challenges. 

While for team newcomer Bell the weekend marked his first competitive action in the BTCC at the wheel of a front-wheel drive car, for Kizilirmak the initial free practice was his first outing on track since the final race of 2007, at Thruxton last October! 

Nonetheless, both produced good performances and particularly so in the second of the weekend’s three races with Turkish star Kizilirmak claiming an Independents Trophy points finish with 16th place overall, 10th in the Independents race. North Lincolnshire racer Bell crossed the line a mere three 10ths of a second shy of his new team-mate. 

Round one saw Kizilirmak come home in his grid position of 19th while Bell was sadly forced to retire from his debut race in Arkas Racing colours after contact from fellow Independents Trophy driver Alan Taylor on lap two. 

The third round was a different story for the 43-year-old from Barrow-upon-Humber though. First, a great start moved him into the top 15 and a battling performance then saw him rise as high as 12th position at one stage. Although losing positions later in the race, Bell is getting quicker and quicker at the wheel of his Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch. 

Kizilirmak ran in close company for the majority of the race and although a similar slip down the order befell the 38-year-old during the closing stages, the team is confident there is a lot to build-on as the season starts to gather pace.  

Commenting on the season-opening event, Arkas Racing technical director Brian Ashwood said: “We’re pleased with how the weekend has gone in all honesty, we always knew it was going to be tough at the first event having had very little pre-season testing with Martyn and none at all with Erkut. 

“The BTCC is as competitive as ever this year, you’re battling for every 10th of a second, but we’re all happy with our first race meeting as Arkas Racing with Sunshine.co.uk and we’re looking forward to Rockingham now where we aim to make good progress.” 

Extensive highlights of the day’s action will be screened on ITV1 tonight, Monday, 31st March, at 00.50. The one hour show will also be shown again on Men & Motors and ITV1 during the coming week, please check listings for further details. 

Rounds four, five and six will take place a fortnight from now on 12th/13th April at Rockingham International Super Sports Car Circuit, Northamptonshire.