NEWS FROM THE AUTO TRADER RAC 
TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP  
Final Official Testing: Brands Hatch, 19/4/96  
 
Renault's Swiss ace Alain Menu topped the timesheets at Brands 
Hatch this afternoon (Fri) in final official testing for Sunday's rounds 
three and four of the Auto Trader RAC Touring Car Championship.

Menu lapped the Kent track well inside the qualifying lap record and 
headed Volvo rival Kelvin Burt by just six-thousandths of a second. 
With less than a second covering the top 16 cars, Sunday's track 
action is sure to be the closest yet seen in the 1996 championship.

Menu's time came despite continuing engine problems for Renault: 
team-mate Will Hoy blew up two power units today. The team also 
lost two engines in Monday's test sessions.

With Monday's fastest man Rickard Rydell (Volvo) unwell and 
choosing to rest today, the top three was completed by championship 
leader Frank Biela, whose Audi A4 won both opening rounds of the 
championship.

John Cleland (Vauxhall) and Tim Harvey (Peugeot) set encouraging 
times in their new cars to claim fourth and fifth slots. Less fortunate 
was 1993 Champion Jo Winkelhock, who crashed his BMW heavily 
at Paddock Hill Bend -- scene of team-mate Roberto Ravaglia's big 
crash on Monday.

Official qualifying takes place at Brands Hatch tomorrow (Saty).
 
OFFICIAL TESTING TIMES  
1  Alain Menu (Switz), Renault Laguna, 0m 45.616s, 94.98mph; 
2  Kelvin Burt (GB), Volvo 850, 45.622s; 
3  Frank Biela (Ger), Audi A4, 45.727s; 
4  John Cleland (GB), Vauxhall Vectra, 45.822s; 
5  Tim Harvey (GB), Peugeot 406, 45.879s; 
6  Will Hoy (GB), Renault Laguna, 45.990s; 
7  James Thompson (GB), Vauxhall Vectra, 46.028s; 
8  James Kaye (GB), Honda Accord, 46.057s; 
9  Jo Winkelhock (Ger), BMW 320i, 46.104s; 
10 Paul Radisich (NZ), Ford Mondeo, 46.109s; 
11 David Leslie (GB), Honda Accord, 46.113s; 
12 Roberto Ravaglia (It), BMW 320i, 46.159s, etc. 
  
-- 
Official BTCC website:
Best in British Motor Sport
http://www.demon.co.uk/racing