Team Dynamics
Encyclopedia
Team Dynamics is a UK-based motor-racing team based in Pershore
, Worcestershire
; best known for their successes as an independent squad in the British Touring Car Championship
, including winning the Overall Drivers title in 2005 and 2006 with Matt Neal. It was founded by Steve Neal and former driver of Vic Lee Motorsport
, Ray Bellm
when they acquired its assets in 1993 following its owner's conviction for drug trafficking and subsequent liquidation.. For the following season, Bellm, having bought a majority stake in the Silverstone
-based motorsport equipment retailer, Grand Prix Racewear, also acquired a McLaren F1 GTR
and went his own way.
winning the Independent title in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2000, racing year-old Ford
and Nissan cars at various times. In 1999 Matt Neal became the first independent driver to win a race outright.
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A brief spell away from the BTCC was ended when the team entered a Vauxhall Astra Coupé for Gareth Howell
during selected rounds of the 2003 season
. They entered as "Computeach Racing with Halfords" in 2004
running two Honda Civics (purchased from the departing Honda works team) for Neal and Dan Eaves
. For 2005
they developed a Honda Integra
from its basic road-going form, winning the overall title for Matt Neal. Eaves won 4 races for them, and Gareth Howell returned in a 3rd car towards the end of the year to take one win at Silverstone
.
Eaves was surprisingly not retained for the 2006 season
, the team instead signed Gordon Shedden
alongside Neal, who went on to retain his title. The team entered a 3rd Integra at the beginning of the season, although it did not appear until the seventh meeting of the year at Snetterton, once again driven by Gareth Howell
.
In 2007 Matt Neal was again paired with Gordon Shedden but they were driving newly developed Honda Civics required to meet the Super2000 regulations all teams must meet to be eligible for championship points.
For the 2008 season Matt Neal
left the team to drive for the Vauxhall works team, leaving Dynamics in search of a second driver. In November the team confirmed that Tom Chilton
would partner Gordon Shedden
for 2008.
Halfords withdrew their sponsorship in 2009. After one year with the team Chilton was dropped and replaced by veteran racer David Pinkney
for the 2009 season. After the opening rounds at Brands Hatch
, James Thompson
joined Team Dynamics, replacing Shedden. Thompson enjoyed three victories with the team but could not complete the season because of prior commitments in the WTCC and Danish Touring Car Championship. His final races with the team were at Knockhill in August 2009.
Having been invited by Team Dynamics to run the Civic at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed and completing a testing session at Rockingham, ex-British Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert
took Thompson's seat for the final rounds of the 2009 season.
For 2010, Team Dynamics are being supported by Honda UK and are running under the Honda Racing Team banner, with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden returning as drivers.
Pershore
Pershore is a market town in Worcestershire, England, on the banks of the River Avon. Pershore is in the Wychavon district and is part of the West Worcestershire parliamentary constituency. At the 2001 census the population was 7,304...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
; best known for their successes as an independent squad in the British Touring Car Championship
British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and has run to various rules over the years – "production cars", then FIA Group 1 or 2 in the late 1960s...
, including winning the Overall Drivers title in 2005 and 2006 with Matt Neal. It was founded by Steve Neal and former driver of Vic Lee Motorsport
Vic Lee Racing
Vic Lee Racing formerly Vic Lee Motorsport was a UK auto racing team, most famous for running BMWs and Peugeots in the British Touring Car Championship, and most infamous for the drug-related convictions of its owner Vic Lee....
, Ray Bellm
Ray Bellm
Ray Bellm is an auto racing driver from Britain.He began his racing career in 1980, running in Historic racing series and winning the British Historic 2L GT class in 1983 and 1984 driving his Chevron B19 sports car. He made the move to modern sports car racing in 1984, driving for Gordon Spice...
when they acquired its assets in 1993 following its owner's conviction for drug trafficking and subsequent liquidation.. For the following season, Bellm, having bought a majority stake in the Silverstone
Silverstone
Silverstone is a village and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is about from Towcester on the former A43 main road, from the M1 motorway junction 15A and about from the M40 motorway junction 10, Northampton, Milton Keynes and Banbury...
-based motorsport equipment retailer, Grand Prix Racewear, also acquired a McLaren F1 GTR
McLaren F1 GTR
The McLaren F1 GTR was a racing variant of the McLaren F1 sports car first produced in 1995 for grand touring style racing, such as the BPR Global GT Series, FIA GT Championship, JGTC, and British GT Championship. It is most famous for its overall victory at the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where it...
and went his own way.
Super Touring years
They competed regularly in the 1990s when the BTCC raced under Super Touring regulations, Matt NealMatt Neal
Matthew Neal is a British motor racing driver. He won the British Touring Car Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2011. He has also won a European Touring Car Championship race. He is 6' 6" tall, making him almost entirely unable to race single-seaters...
winning the Independent title in 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2000, racing year-old Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
and Nissan cars at various times. In 1999 Matt Neal became the first independent driver to win a race outright.
Modern years
Gareth Howell
Gareth Howell is a Welsh auto racing driver. He competed sporadically in the British Touring Car Championship from 2000 to 2008....
during selected rounds of the 2003 season
2003 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2003 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 46th British Touring Car Championship season.-Changes for 2003:-Teams and drivers:For 2003 all three main manufacturers in the premier Touring class ran three cars...
. They entered as "Computeach Racing with Halfords" in 2004
2004 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2004 Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 47th British Touring Car Championship season.-Teams and drivers:...
running two Honda Civics (purchased from the departing Honda works team) for Neal and Dan Eaves
Dan Eaves
Dan Eaves is a British auto racing driver.- Career :He started racing karts in 1990 before switching to cars in 1994. He raced in the National Saloon Cup in 1999 and 2000, finishing 4th in the series both times with a Bowman Motorsport Peugeot 306...
. For 2005
2005 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2005 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 48th British Touring Car Championship season. As in 2004, there were ten racing weekends at nine different circuits; each round comprising three races, making a thirty round competition in total.-Teams and drivers:After 2004 saw...
they developed a Honda Integra
Honda Integra
The Honda Integra is a compact luxury performance coupe made by Honda during the years 1985 to 2006. The sporty front wheel drive car is able to house five passengers with a two door hatch or four door sedan available.The Integra was on Car and Driver magazine's annual Ten Best list six times, in...
from its basic road-going form, winning the overall title for Matt Neal. Eaves won 4 races for them, and Gareth Howell returned in a 3rd car towards the end of the year to take one win at Silverstone
Silverstone Circuit
Silverstone Circuit is an English motor racing circuit next to the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury. The circuit straddles the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, with the current main circuit entry on the Buckinghamshire side...
.
Eaves was surprisingly not retained for the 2006 season
2006 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2006 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 49th British Touring Car Championship season. As in 2005, there were ten racing weekends at nine different circuits; each round comprising three races, making a thirty round competition in total.-Changes for 2006:-Teams and...
, the team instead signed Gordon Shedden
Gordon Shedden
Gordon Shedden is a Scottish auto racing driver.-Early years:In 2000 Shedden won the Ford Fiesta championship, with 9 wins. He raced in the SEAT Cupra Championship, finishing as runner-up in 2003 and 4th in 2004...
alongside Neal, who went on to retain his title. The team entered a 3rd Integra at the beginning of the season, although it did not appear until the seventh meeting of the year at Snetterton, once again driven by Gareth Howell
Gareth Howell
Gareth Howell is a Welsh auto racing driver. He competed sporadically in the British Touring Car Championship from 2000 to 2008....
.
In 2007 Matt Neal was again paired with Gordon Shedden but they were driving newly developed Honda Civics required to meet the Super2000 regulations all teams must meet to be eligible for championship points.
For the 2008 season Matt Neal
Matt Neal
Matthew Neal is a British motor racing driver. He won the British Touring Car Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2011. He has also won a European Touring Car Championship race. He is 6' 6" tall, making him almost entirely unable to race single-seaters...
left the team to drive for the Vauxhall works team, leaving Dynamics in search of a second driver. In November the team confirmed that Tom Chilton
Tom Chilton
Thomas James Chilton is a British auto racing driver. He has spent most of his career competing in the BTCC; he is a former factory Vauxhall and Honda driver. For 2011 he is driving an NGTC-spec Ford Focus for Team Aon...
would partner Gordon Shedden
Gordon Shedden
Gordon Shedden is a Scottish auto racing driver.-Early years:In 2000 Shedden won the Ford Fiesta championship, with 9 wins. He raced in the SEAT Cupra Championship, finishing as runner-up in 2003 and 4th in 2004...
for 2008.
Halfords withdrew their sponsorship in 2009. After one year with the team Chilton was dropped and replaced by veteran racer David Pinkney
David Pinkney
David Pinkney is a successful businessman and auto racing driver.-Early Racing Career:David was a semi-regular BTCC driver in the late 1980s and early 1990s, in a BMW from 1992 to 1993...
for the 2009 season. After the opening rounds at Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch
Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit near West Kingsdown in Kent, England. First used as a dirt track motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently holds many British and international racing events...
, James Thompson
James Thompson (racing driver)
James Thompson is a British auto racing driver and commentator for Eurosport's motorsport coverage. He has twice been champion of the British Touring Car Championship , and was third in the 2007 World Touring Car Championship.-Racing career:He started racing in the BTCC in a privately-entered...
joined Team Dynamics, replacing Shedden. Thompson enjoyed three victories with the team but could not complete the season because of prior commitments in the WTCC and Danish Touring Car Championship. His final races with the team were at Knockhill in August 2009.
Having been invited by Team Dynamics to run the Civic at the 2009 Goodwood Festival of Speed and completing a testing session at Rockingham, ex-British Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert
Johnny Herbert
John Paul Herbert is a British racing driver from England. He competed in Formula One, winning three races, and also in sports cars winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1991 driving a Mazda 787B...
took Thompson's seat for the final rounds of the 2009 season.
For 2010, Team Dynamics are being supported by Honda UK and are running under the Honda Racing Team banner, with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden returning as drivers.