Dan Eaves
Encyclopedia
Dan Eaves is a British
auto racing
driver.
. In 2000 the British Touring Car Championship
ran a Class B
for these cars, and Bowman Motorsport under the name of Touring Car VIP Club had Eaves entered 2 rounds in his 306. When Vic Lee took over the team, re-naming Vic Lee Racing, Eaves was retained to drive with in a new factory Peugeot entry for the 2001
BTCC, in a Peugeot 406 coupe
.
This was a transitional year for the championship, and Eaves finished 5th out of a fairly thin field, although he beat veteran team-mate Steve Soper
. For 2002 Peugeot pulled out but the team remained, with Halfords
backing and now with Independent status. Eaves won Indy honours ahead of former Superbike racer Aaron Slight
, and team-mate Tim Harvey
. For 2003 his team-mate was Carl Breeze
and later Danny Buxton, this time in a VLR
-built 307, and after a slow start he was Independent class winner several times. The team pulled out before 2004, but Dan found a drive with Team Dynamics
in a Honda Civic
. He was 8th in the standings that year, taking his first ever championship win.
In 2005
Eaves continued with Team Dynamics (which was entered as Team Halfords in reference to their main sponsor) racing a Honda Integra
. He recorded five wins, including 3 at Thruxton
- the first time that one driver has won three BTCC races in one meeting. He also won the final race at the Croft
circuit in Yorkshire
. He ended the season 3rd in the championship after a fight to take second place in the championship at the last race at Brands Hatch was ended when he was caught up in a controversial crash caused by a shove from Yvan Muller
going into turn 1 that also collected Jason Plato
. Muller retained second place in the championship and Dan finished in third place in the Championship, four behind the Frenchman. At the end of the 2005 season it seemed a certainty that Eaves would be retained by his team, but in February 2006, a falling out with team owner Steve Neal resulted in Team Dynamics replacing him with Gordon Shedden
for the 2006 season.
Eaves was poised to join Team Clyde Valley Racing
in the 2007 BTCC season
, when the team were tipped to enter a pair of bio-ethanol Chevrolet Lacettis. However, the team did not appear in that year or in 2008
after a sponsor pulled out. The team entered in 2009 giving Eaves his return to the BTCC alongside Adam Jones
in a pair of bio-ethanol fuelled SEAT Leon
s under the banner of Cartridge World Carbon Zero Racing. However Eaves backed away from the team to allow them to bring in some sponsorship held by another driver Gordon Shedden
after a frustrating start to the season for Eaves (lack of spares and an underpowered engine caused him to re-think whether he wanted to drive for CVR. Problems with the finances of the team meant the team later withdrew from the season.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of 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 306Peugeot 306
The Peugeot 306 is a small family car built by the French car manufacturer Peugeot from 1993 to 2002 replacing the 309. Peugeot gave the 306 many updates and aesthetic changes to keep up the competition but it was replaced by the 307 in 2001. Cabriolet and estate versions continued until 2002...
. In 2000 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...
ran a Class B
Class B
The term Class B may refer to:* Class B amplifier, an electronic amplifier category* Class B stars* Class B , a defunct class in minor league baseball in North America* Class B airspace class, as defined by the ICAO for the busiest U.S...
for these cars, and Bowman Motorsport under the name of Touring Car VIP Club had Eaves entered 2 rounds in his 306. When Vic Lee took over the team, re-naming Vic Lee Racing, Eaves was retained to drive with in a new factory Peugeot entry for the 2001
2001 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2001 theAA.com MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 44th British Touring Car Championship season and marked the beginning of a new era of lower-cost rules and regulations for the series.-Changes for 2001:...
BTCC, in a Peugeot 406 coupe
Peugeot 406
The Peugeot 406 was a large family car made by the French automaker Peugeot from 1995 to 2004. Available in saloon, estate and coupé bodystyles with a choice of petrol or turbodiesel engines, the 406 replaced the Peugeot 405 in Peugeot's lineup, and was itself replaced by the Peugeot 407...
.
This was a transitional year for the championship, and Eaves finished 5th out of a fairly thin field, although he beat veteran team-mate Steve Soper
Steve Soper
Steve Soper is a retired racing driver from Surrey, England, born in 1951. He raced in sports cars and touring cars at the top level for over 20 years. In 1983 he almost won the British Touring Car Championship before his Rover was deemed illegal. He finished as runner-up in the series in 1988 in a...
. For 2002 Peugeot pulled out but the team remained, with Halfords
Halfords
Halfords Group plc is a leading retailer of car parts, car enhancements and bicycles operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic and more recently in Poland, although it is currently pulling out of the latter two countries...
backing and now with Independent status. Eaves won Indy honours ahead of former Superbike racer Aaron Slight
Aaron Slight
Aaron Tony Slight is a former professional motorcycle road racer who has recently dabbled in car racing and now fronts the AA Torque Show....
, and team-mate Tim Harvey
Tim Harvey
Tim Harvey is a racing driver from England. He was the 2008 and 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain Champion. A household name in the 1990s, Harvey won the prestigious BTCC title in 1992, and was a frontrunner for most of the late 80s and early 90s...
. For 2003 his team-mate was Carl Breeze
Carl Breeze
Carl Breeze is a British auto racing driver, born 7 July 1979. He is not to be confused with Hyla Breese, another racer with British Touring Car Championship experience. His racing heroes include Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet and Valentino Rossi....
and later Danny Buxton, this time in a VLR
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....
-built 307, and after a slow start he was Independent class winner several times. The team pulled out before 2004, but Dan found a drive with Team Dynamics
Team Dynamics
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...
in a Honda Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
. He was 8th in the standings that year, taking his first ever championship win.
In 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...
Eaves continued with Team Dynamics (which was entered as Team Halfords in reference to their main sponsor) racing 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...
. He recorded five wins, including 3 at Thruxton
Thruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
- the first time that one driver has won three BTCC races in one meeting. He also won the final race at the Croft
Croft Circuit
Croft Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Dalton-on-Tees in North Yorkshire, England. The tarmac circuit is just over long and is based on the lands of an airfield, but has long since moved on from being a basic airfield circuit...
circuit in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. He ended the season 3rd in the championship after a fight to take second place in the championship at the last race at Brands Hatch was ended when he was caught up in a controversial crash caused by a shove from Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller
Yvan Muller is a French auto racing driver most noted for success in touring car racing. He is a two-time and the reigning World Touring Car Champion.-Single-seaters:...
going into turn 1 that also collected Jason Plato
Jason Plato
Timothy Jason Plato is a British racing car driver currently competing in the BTCC for Silverline Chevrolet. He is a two time BTCC champion having previously won the series in 2001 when driving for Vauxhall and 2010 for Silverline Chevrolet. He has finished in the top 3 in the championship 8 times...
. Muller retained second place in the championship and Dan finished in third place in the Championship, four behind the Frenchman. At the end of the 2005 season it seemed a certainty that Eaves would be retained by his team, but in February 2006, a falling out with team owner Steve Neal resulted in Team Dynamics replacing him with 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 the 2006 season.
Clyde Valley Racing
Clyde Valley Racing are a British motorsport team. For 2009 they entered the British Touring Car Championship for the first time, with two SEAT Leons under the Cartridge World Carbon Zero Racing banner, having secured Cartridge World as their main sponsor...
in the 2007 BTCC season
2007 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2007 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 50th British Touring Car Championship season. It was won by Fabrizio Giovanardi with 10 race wins and 17 podiums...
, when the team were tipped to enter a pair of bio-ethanol Chevrolet Lacettis. However, the team did not appear in that year or in 2008
2008 British Touring Car Championship season
The 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 51st British Touring Car Championship season. It was also the first that the championship is sponsored by HiQ...
after a sponsor pulled out. The team entered in 2009 giving Eaves his return to the BTCC alongside Adam Jones
Adam Jones (racing driver)
Adam Jones is an English auto racing driver.-Early career:He competed successfully in Formula 3 and Formula Renault in France, before switching to GT racing...
in a pair of bio-ethanol fuelled SEAT Leon
SEAT León
The SEAT León is a small family car built by the Spanish car manufacturer, and Volkswagen Group subsidiary SEAT, S.A. since October 1998.The two León generations are, or have been built upon two differing variants of the Volkswagen Group A platform, and they also share many other components with...
s under the banner of Cartridge World Carbon Zero Racing. However Eaves backed away from the team to allow them to bring in some sponsorship held by another driver 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...
after a frustrating start to the season for Eaves (lack of spares and an underpowered engine caused him to re-think whether he wanted to drive for CVR. Problems with the finances of the team meant the team later withdrew from the season.