BTCC – Rainford secures maiden win with WSR clean sweep

Charles Rainford picked up his maiden win while securing a clean sweep for WSR in the process. In just his sixth BTCC race, Rainford moved up from third on the grid to take the lead.

Jake Hill came home second behind his teammate with Tom Ingram having to settle for third. It’s the first time since 2015 that three different WSR drivers picked up wins over a single race weekend.

Dan Rowbottom had pole position thanks to the reverse grid draw, and led off the line; despite a brilliant start by Hill. Rainford managed to get past Hill before making a move on Rowbottom into Paddock Hill on lap two.

The BTCC is renowned for its bumper to bumper action, but Aiden Moffat took that too literally when he was repeatedly tapping the rear end of Ash Sutton’s Ford Focus. The Scot was handed a warning and backed off.

Hill fought and finally passed Rowbottom on lap nine, and went in pursuit of Rainford ahead. Meanwhile behind, Ingram made his way from 11th on the grid up to third in his Hyundai, setting the fastest lap in the process.

A few laps from the end Rainford was under pressure, trying to keep his composure and secure his win. Max Hall going off at Clearways and parking his Cupra could have brought out the safety car, but the stewards let the race come to a natural conclusion.

On the penultimate lap Ingram fought Hill for second, making slight contact into Druids. Despite the scuffle, Hill prevailed, and it allowed Rainford to get away and secure his first win.

Rainford took first, Hill second and Ingram third. Sutton came home fourth with Chris Smiley and Josh Cook following behind. Tom Chilton recovered from a poor race one to finish seventh. Moffat, Rowbottom and Gordon Shedden rounded off the top ten.

James Dorlin, Adam Morgan, race two winner Daryl DeLeon took home points. Dan Cammish recovered from his race two DNF to take 14th with Aron Taylor-Smith grabbing the last point for 15th.

Ash Sutton retakes the lead of the championship by just five points to Ingram, with Hill third heading to the next trio of races at Snetterton.

Pos

Name

Team

Car

1 (3)

Charles RAINFORD

LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR

BMW 330e

2 (2)

Jake HILL

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport

BMW 330e

3 (11)

Tom INGRAM

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

4 (7)

Ash SUTTON

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

5 (6)

Chris SMILEY

Restart Racing

Hyundai i30N

6 (4)

Josh COOK

ONE Motorsport

Honda Civic Type-R

7 (12)

Tom CHILTON

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

8 (5)

Aiden MOFFAT

Team WSR

BMW 330e

9 (1)

Dan ROWBOTTOM

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

10 (16)

Gordon SHEDDEN

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

11 (18)

James DORLIN

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

12 (8)

Adam MORGAN

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

13 (9)

Daryl DELEON

Team WSR

BMW 330e

14 (23)

Dan CAMMISH

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

15 (15)

Aron TAYLOR-SMITH

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

16 (14)

Michael CREES

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

17 (10)

Ronan PEARSON

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

18 (17)

Sam OSBORNE

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

19 (13)

Stephen JELLEY

ONE Motorsport

Honda Civic Type-R

20 (22)

Mikey DOBLE

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

21 (25)

Dexter PATTERSON

RoKIT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport

Cupra Leon

22 (21)

Dan LLOYD

Restart Racing

Hyundai i30N

23 (19)

Nicholas HAMILTON

Powder Monkey

Cupra Leon

24 (20)

Nick HALSTEAD

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

25 (24)

Max HALL

RoKIT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport

Cupra Leon

BTCC – Daryl DeLeon secures maiden win in chaotic race at Brands Hatch

Daryl DeLeon secured his maiden BTCC win as he took the chequered flag for WSR in round five at Brands Hatch. A chaotic race dominated by tyre compounds and interrupted by two safety car periods, DeLeon was on the better soft tyre and powered to victory in his BMW. Adam Morgan finished second with Ash Sutton taking his 100th BTCC podium in third.

Race one winner Jake Hill started on pole with Charles Rainford second to make it an all-BMW front row. They sped off the line, both on the hard tyre, which would mean a deficit in pace to the soft tyre shod cars.

Dan Cammish made his way up to third, battling Rainford for second before passing him on lap four at Clearways.

Lap five saw DeLeon take third from Rainford, his hard tyres making it hard to defend. The first piece of drama came when Dan Lloyd was punted wide on the Cooper straight. He made a pit stop but finished a lap down in 21st.

The first of two safety car periods came on lap seven when Max Hall and Dexter Patterson collided at Paddock Hill and ended up in the gravel trap. After a near ten-lap delay, the safety car was halfway down the pit lane when it was to be re-deployed.

As is standard procedure with safety car restarts, Hill was bunching up the pack. However Dan Cammish encountered an issue with his Ford Focus, causing it to stop. Cars made their way past the stricken Yorkshireman, but Aiden Moffat wasn’t as lucky; running into the back of Cammish. Causing another safety car to clear his car and the debris on the circuit.

This promoted DeLeon up to second, and on the restart he wasted no time. He passed Hill into Paddock Hill bend in what was a gutsy overtake. He pulled it off and led away to the chequered flag. This began Hill’s descent down the grid as the soft tyre cars made their way through.

The best of the overtakes on Hill however, went to Adam Morgan, who rounded the BMW on the outside at Paddock.

DeLeon strolled to the finish, taking his first win in the series. Morgan and Sutton finished on the podium, with Chris Smiley following Sutton through the grid for fourth place.

Moffat finished fifth despite the contact with Cammish, making up 15 places in the process. Josh Cook was sixth with Rainford and Hill following behind. Dan Rowbottom and Ronan Pearson rounded out the top ten.

Championship leader Tom Ingram could only finish 11th on the hard tyre, with Tom Chilton in 12th. The final three points places were taken by Stephen Jelley, Michael Crees, and Aron Taylor-Smith.

Dan Rowbottom will start the final race on pole thanks to the reverse grid draw, with Sutton and Ingram looking to fight through the grid for vital points.

Pos

Name

Team

Car

1 (7)

Daryl DELEON

Team WSR

BMW 330e

2 (4)

Adam MORGAN

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

3 (10)

Ash SUTTON

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

4 (12)

Chris SMILEY

Restart Racing

Hyundai i30N

5 (20)

Aiden MOFFAT

Team WSR

BMW 330e

6 (15)

Josh COOK

ONE Motorsport

Honda Civic Type-R

7 (2)

Charles RAINFORD

LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR

BMW 330e

8 (1)

Jake HILL

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport

BMW 330e

9 (18)

Dan ROWBOTTOM

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

10 (11)

Ronan PEARSON

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

11 (3)

Tom INGRAM

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

12 (22)

Tom CHILTON

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

13 (14)

Stephen JELLEY

ONE Motorsport

Honda Civic Type-R

14 (13)

Michael CREES

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

15 (16)

Aron TAYLOR-SMITH

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

16 (21)

Gordon SHEDDEN

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

17 (8)

Sam OSBORNE

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

18 (17)

James DORLIN

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

19 (25)

Nicholas HAMILTON

Powder Monkey

Cupra Leon

20 (24)

Nick HALSTEAD

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

21 (9)

Dan LLOYD

Restart Racing

Hyundai i30N

22 (6)

Mikey DOBLE

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

DNF (5)

Dan CAMMISH

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

DNF (19)

Dexter PATTERSON

RoKIT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport

Cupra Leon

DNF (23)

Max HALL

RoKIT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport

Cupra Leon

BTCC – Jake Hill ignites title defence with lights to flag win

Jake Hill ignited his championship defence with a lights to flag win in round four of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch.

BMW teammate Charles Rainford followed for a one-two finish for the WSR team; a record breaking 133rd win making them the most successful team in BTCC history. Tom Ingram claimed third place, and while briefly threatening the BMW’s in front, he managed his race well for third.

Hill and Rainford got away well at the start, settling into a formation which wouldn’t be breached for the duration of the 24 lap race. Ash Sutton was the one who started best, making three places off the grid from 13th. Dan Lloyd was given a five second penalty for a false start, taking him from seventh to ninth.

Ingram started to pressure the BMW duo on lap two, the Team Vertu driver had a promising opening weekend at Donington Park last time out, and pulled away from teammate Adam Morgan in pursuit of the leaders.

The BMW hadn’t shown much pace at Donington, but with Brands favouring rear wheel drive, they came to life here. Rainford set a new lap record not once, but twice; showing Donington was just a blip.

By lap nine Hill had settled into a rhythm, while Rainford had Ingram to deal with. The Hyundai driver putting pressure on Rainford, the rookie who was starting his fourth BTCC race.

After a few laps of pressure, Ingram decided to play the long game, and eased off, settling for third. This led to Morgan closing in, and the Excelr8 drivers running in formation.

Hill strolled to his first win of the season, in the process kick-starting his championship defence. Rainford followed home six tenths behind for his first BTCC podium. With a performance like that, it will surely be the first of many.

Ingram and Morgan followed behind with Dan Cammish having a quiet race, coming home fifth. Mikey Doble was sixth for Power Maxed Racing with Lloyd finishing seventh on the road, but dropping to ninth once his penalty was applied.

Daryl Deleon and Sam Osborne were the beneficiaries of Lloyd’s penalty, finishing seventh and eighth. Ash Sutton rounded off the top ten for NAPA Racing. Ronan Pearson, Chris Smiley, Michael Crees took points finishes with the two ONE Motorsport Honda’s of Stephen Jelley and Josh Cook taking the final points places.

Tom Ingram takes the lead of the championship, capitalising on Sutton finishing lower down the order, with Jake Hill now third. The BMW man will be starting on pole for race two, which will give him an advantage and a chance to climb further up the table.

Pos

Name

Team

Car

1

Jake HILL

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport

BMW 330e

2

Charles RAINFORD

LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR

BMW 330e

3

Tom INGRAM

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

4

Adam MORGAN

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

5

Dan CAMMISH

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

6

Mikey DOBLE

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

7

Daryl DELEON

Team WSR

BMW 330e

8

Sam OSBORNE

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

9

Dan LLOYD

Restart Racing

Hyundai i30N

10

Ash SUTTON

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

11

Ronan PEARSON

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

12

Chris SMILEY

Restart Racing

Hyundai i30N

13

Michael CREES

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

14

Stephen JELLEY

ONE Motorsport

Honda Civic Type-R

15

Josh COOK

ONE Motorsport

Honda Civic Type-R

16

Aron TAYLOR-SMITH

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

17

James DORLIN

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

18

Dan ROWBOTTOM

NAPA Racing

Ford Focus

19

Dexter PATTERSON

RoKIT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport

Cupra Leon

20

Aiden MOFFAT

Team WSR

BMW 330e

21

Gordon SHEDDEN

Toyota Gazoo Racing

Toyota Corolla

22

Tom CHILTON

Team Vertu

Hyundai i30N

23

Max HALL

RoKIT Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport

Cupra Leon

24

Nick HALSTEAD

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

DNF

Nicholas HAMILTON

Powder Monkey

Cupra Leon

BTCC Brands Hatch – Sutton celebrates title with win in final round

Ash Sutton celebrated his title win by cruising to his fifth race win of the year in the final race of the season at Brands Hatch.

He burst through from fourth on the grid to stroll to the win in his Infiniti. Dan Rowbottom and Tom Ingram rounded off the podium after a race-long battle between the pair.

Rory Butcher had a poor start which allowed Sutton to fly into third. He was soon past Chilton into second, with Rowbottom into third as he passed Chilton on lap two.

Sutton’s team mate Carl Boardley spun off and his season ended early at Graham Hill bend.  As did Colin Turkington’s, with his title challenge over, he had a moment coming out of Graham Hill bend and pulled into the pits.

Lap three and Sutton made his move for the lead past Stephen Jelley into Paddock Hill bend.

Jack Mitchell went off in his Cupra Leon to bring out the final Safety Car of the season. While this neutralised the race, Sutton still had everything under control.

He pulled away into the distance and left Rowbottom and Ingram to squabble for second place. The Hyundai driver couldn’t quite get the better of the Team Dynamics Honda and Rowbottom took second in an impressive debut season having replaced Matt Neal.

Jake Hill finished fourth with Josh Cook having to settle for third in the championship and couldn’t capitalise on Turkington’s retirement having won the first two races of the season.

Tom Chilton recorded his best finish of the season in sixth. Shedden finished seventh with Jack Goff, Butcher and Jason Plato rounding off the top ten.

The title went to Sutton, who won his third title and his second successive championship.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools 30:22:671
2 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +1.369
3 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1.502
4 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +3.274
5 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +8.001
6 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +8.960
7 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +9.682
8 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +10.043
9 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +11.992
10 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +13.002
11 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +14.806
12 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +15.345
13 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +15.962
14 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +17.214
15 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +17.461
16 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +17.697
17 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +19.176
18 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +19.397
19 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +20.545
20 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +21.143
21 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +21.462
22 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +31.965
23 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +32.503
24 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +42.127
25 Andy Wilmot Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1 Lap
Retirements
DNF Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD Crash
DNF Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR Damage
DNF Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools Crash
DNS Rick Parfitt Hyundai i30N Excelr8 Mechanical

 

BTCC Brands Hatch – Ash Sutton crowned 2021 champion as Josh Cook dominates race two

Josh Cook won in race two at Brands Hatch in the BTCC but it was Ash Sutton who stole the headlines as he sealed his third BTCC title.

The Infiniti driver finished sixth meaning he had enough of a gap over Colin Turkington to seal his second successive title win.

There was chaos on the opening lap when Senna Proctor went off at the Druids hairpin. Further into the lap Ollie Jackson was spun around, and collected Tom Oliphant and Adam Morgan too. Inevitably the Safety Car was deployed.

On the restart Cook pulled away under some initial pressure from Dan Lloyd. On lap seven Rory Butcher was nudged onto the grass going into Druids in a tussle with Aiden Moffat. Moffat collected damage and spun going into Graham Hill bend.

Sutton was doing what he needed to seal the win but another Safety Car was deployed on lap 13 when Nicholas Hamilton went off into the gravel trap.

There was little action following the restart and Cook cruised to his fifth win of the season from Lloyd and Gordon Shedden who rounded off the podium.

Turkington was fourth with Dan Rowbottom fifth, Sutton finished sixth and was overcome with emotion on the slow down lap as it sunk in that he’d won his third title, the youngest driver to ever do so.

Butcher, Stephen Jelley, Jake Hill and Jack Goff rounded out the top ten,

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing 30:55:544
2 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +0.587
3 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +1.432
4 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +1.745
5 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +2.352
6 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3.169
7 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +4.073
8 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +4.333
9 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +4.805
10 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +5.706
11 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +6.809
12 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +6.924
13 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +7.358
14 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +7.903
15 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +8.533
16 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +11.243
17 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +12.094
18 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +12.246
19 Andy Wilmot Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +15.083
20 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +59.263
21 Rick Parfitt Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1 Lap
22 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +1 Lap
Retirements
DNF Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD Spin
DNF Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 Damage
DNF Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase Damage
DNF Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR Crash
DNF Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley Crash
DNF Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport Crash
DNF Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Crash

BTCC Donington Park – Turkington wins 60th race to match Andy Rouse’s tally

Colin Turkington took his 60th British Touring Car Championship win in a lights to flag victory for the BMW driver.

He has matched touring car legend Andy Rouse’s tally of 60 in an uneventful race for the Northern Irishman. His 330i M Sport was ballast free and meant he had the advantage out front.

The Safety Car was deployed on lap one as Jack Butel and Sam Smelt clashed coming out of Redgate, ending both their afternoons.

The restart came on lap four with Turkington pulling away thanks to those behind him having ballast to deal with. Newly crowned Jack Sears Trophy winner Dan Rowbottom and Dan Lloyd were both given five second penalties for jumping the start.

Following his race two penalty, Tom Ingram was doing his best to hold on to eighth with title rival Ash Sutton behind him. The fight was close, with Stephen Jelley in the mix too.

The win was looking like a foregone conclusion by lap 11 as Turkington was far ahead. Behind him Jake Hill passed Rowbottom for second but was too far back to challenge Turkington. Josh Cook tried to get through too but couldn’t make the move stick and fell to fifth with Rory Butcher sneaking past too.

Sutton finally passed Ingram into Coppice corner and came home eighth, with only one title rival in Turkington ahead of him.

The BMW man took the win, with Hill four seconds back. Aiden Moffat capped off a fine weekend with third, Butcher and Cook were fourth and fifth once Rowbottom’s penalty was applied, he finished sixth with Lloyd seventh after his penalty was applied too. Sutton, Jelley and Ingram rounded off the top ten.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR 22:27:150
2 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +4.096
3 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +4.945
4 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +7.401
5 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +7.752
6 Dan Rowbottom* Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +11.136
7 Dan Lloyd* Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +13.260
8 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +13.594
9 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +18.258
10 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +19.615
11 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +20.201
12 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +22.557
13 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +24.079
14 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +24.251
15 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +24.651
16 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +25.309
17 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +25.679
18 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +25.887
19 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +26.533
20 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +27.104
21 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +28.928
22 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +29.252
23 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +33.338
24 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +41.519
25 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +47.549
26 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +2 Laps
Retirements
DNF Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Mechanical
DNF Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo Collision
DNF Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 Collision
  • – Rowbottom and Lloyd handed five second penalties for jumping the start.

BTCC Donington Park – Shedden inherits win from Ingram

Gordon Shedden inherited the race two win from Tom Ingram, won had won his fourth race of the season on the road to keep his title hopes alive in race two at Donington Park in stunning fashion.

The Hyundai driver made up ten places, having started 11th, and was followed home by race one winner Gordon Shedden and Rory Butcher finished third. However Ingram was given a one second penalty as he was adjudged to have made contact with Shedden in order to pass him.

Butcher muscled his Toyota into the lead on lap one having started third but soon lost it a lap later as brother in law Shedden regained his lead. Ingram had an incredible start moving to sixth by the end of the lap from 11th on the grid.

By the end of lap two Ingram was fourth before moving into the top three by the end of lap three. His ballast free car easing past his heavier opponents.

Lap five saw Ingram pass Butcher at Redgate and he hunted down Shedden in the lead. Championship leader Ash Sutton was struggling, deciding to be defensive rather than attack. He was passed by the Honda’s of Josh Cook and Dan Rowbottom but had a late resurgence in the final few laps to finish fourth in the end.

Another title fighter Colin Turkington was up into fourth, chasing down Butcher. Meanwhile back at the front Ingram finally made his way past Shedden, with the Scotsman’s Honda struggling with the maximum 75kg of ballast.

On lap 13 Turkington was fighting hard for third, but going into the Old Hairpin corner he got too much on the grass on the inside and it put his BMW into a spin, dropping him down to 11th where he finished.

Ingram took the win on the road, but was demoted to second, with Shedden and Butcher following behind. Sutton was fourth, with Dan Lloyd, Senna Proctor, Josh Cook, Aiden Moffat, Jake Hill and Dan Rowbottom rounding off the top ten.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics 18:50:277
2 Tom Ingram* Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +0.254
3 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +2.451
4 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3.218
5 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +6.114
6 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +7.486
7 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +7.524
8 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +7.791
9 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +8.212
10 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +8.299
11 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +8.561
12 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.243
13 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +10.427
14 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +10.622
15 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +11.246
16 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +12.309
17 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +13.501
18 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +14.163
19 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +15.407
20 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +15.667
21 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +17.105
22 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +17.661
23 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +19.350
24 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +19.519
25 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +21.616
26 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +22.467
27 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +28.185
28 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +34.254
Retirements
DNS Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley Crash Damage
  • – Tom Ingram given one second penalty following incident with Gordon Shedden.

BTCC Donington Park – Shedden with lights to flag win in race one

Gordon Shedden converted pole position to victory in the first race of the day at Donington Park.

The Team Dynamics driver held off Dan Lloyd in his Power Maxed Vauxhall Astra to take another win this season after a slow start to life back in the BTCC.

The top two got away with Jason Plato losing his third place to Rory Butcher and then lost fourth to Senna Proctor as the pair had better first laps.

The Safety Car was deployed on lap three when Adam Morgan’s BMW was tapped by the MB Motorsport Ford Focus of Jake Hill, spinning the Ciceley driver into the tyre wall at the Craner Curves. Hill recovered, pitted and surged back up the grid to finish 17th.

On the restart Ash Sutton was forcing his way through the field, picking his battles and capitalising on others fighting ahead of him. He squeezed his Infiniti past and was soon on the back of former team mate Plato’s Astra.

While the Ash Sutton of old would force a move, the Laser Tools driver has learned and chose to be patient and bank the championship points he needs. Finishing seventh with only one title rival in Colin Turkington ahead of him, who finished fifth.

Up front Shedden took the win by just over a second with Lloyd behind him in another impressive finish for the Vauxhall backed team. Butcher finished third with Proctor close behind. Turkington, Plato and Sutton all followed, eight titles between them. Josh Cook, Chris Smiley and Ollie Jackson rounded off the top ten.

Two title protagonists finished outside the top ten, with Tom Ingram 11th and Jake Hill 17th after his early contact with Morgan.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics 24:43:829
2 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +1.331
3 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +2.524
4 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +2.789
5 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +3.359
6 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +4.300
7 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +4.551
8 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +7.198
9 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.631
10 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +11.026
11 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +13.650
12 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +13.995
13 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +14.269
14 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +16.685
15 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +17.121
16 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +17.887
17 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +18.976
18 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +20.070
19 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +20.376
20 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +20.828
21 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +21.345
22 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +21.745
23 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +22.113
24 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +24.122
25 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +24.671
26 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +27.233
27 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +29.657
28 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +34.189
Retirements
DNF Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley Crash

BTCC Silverstone – Hill keeps title fight alive with win in final race

Jake Hill reignited his title challenge by taking the win in the third and final race of the weekend at Silverstone. He overtook and held off reverse grid polesitter Dan Lloyd who finished second.

Ash Sutton managed to extend his title lead by finishing third after a quiet but consistent weekend for the reigning champion.

Lloyd made a good start from pole, while team mate Jason Plato, who started second, fell down the order, losing places to Hill and Stephen Jelley in his BMW.

Tom Chiton’s poor weekend continued as he collided with Sam Osborne coming out of Copse. He spun off but managed to rejoin and finished last on the road.

The BTCC Hybrid programme was concluded with the Toyota Corolla Hybrid driven by 2013 champion Andrew Jordan pulling into the pits midway through the race. The objective of the car was not to affect the action or get into any incidents. The programme a success on both fronts.

On lap 11 Hill managed to get past Lloyd and it was a lead he didn’t give up. He passed into Copse with a brilliant move and held on from then on in. Sutton was doing his best to catch the leading duo. He dispatched Chris Smiley on lap 16 into Becketts. Smiley had a good race, running in fourth for the majority of the race and held on for it.

Sutton was charging, he couldn’t quite catch Hill and Lloyd but by finishing third he manages to extend his championship lead with Tom Ingram and Hill chasing behind.

Josh Cook had the poorest weekend of the five title challengers, with Colin Turkington grabbing a hat-full of consistent points.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport 21:24:184
2 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +0.698
3 Ash Sutton Infinti Q50 Laser Tools +1.444
4 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +4.474
5 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +4.906
6 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +5.269
7 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +5.476
8 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +6.146
9 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +7.740
10 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +8.731
11 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +8.938
12 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.652
13 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +11.434
14 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +12.965
15 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +13.277
16 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +13.566
17 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +14.111
18 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +15.390
19 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +15.487
20 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +16.120
21 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +16.273
22 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +20.854
23 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +21.147
24 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +21.405
25 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +22.992
26 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +27.816
27 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +28.265
28 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +28.534
Retirements
DNF Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD Mechanical
DNF Andrew Jordan Toyota Corolla Hybrid N/A

 

BTCC Silverstone – Butcher holds off Cook for second win of the day

Rory Butcher took his second win from two at Silverstone as he held off a chasing Josh Cook.

Once Cook had cleared Tom ingram in a thrilling race-long battle, he hunted down Butcher but couldn’t quite take the win.

Cook was however disqualified from the result for failing a ride height check at the end of race scrutineering.

The first of two safety car periods came on lap three when Nicholas Hamilton’s Cupra was in the gravel trap. He recovered and rejoined the race.

On the restart Josh Cook was battling Tom Ingram for second place. The pair were side by side from Brooklands through to Becketts. The Hyundai of Ingram prevailed and he maintained second place.

On lap nine there were two incidents to bring out the second Safety Car. Carl Boardley was tapped into Copse by Andy Neate’s Ford. Further back Jade Edwards and Gordon Shedden collided and not for the first time this season. Shedden tipped Edwards into the gravel at Brooklands and out of the race.

Racing resumed on lap 16 with Sam Smelt joining the list of retirements with a mechanical issue. It was round two of the Cook and Ingram battle on lap 17. This time Cook managed to squeeze past Ingram into Copse and went on the hunt for race leader Butcher.

Senna Proctor was next to join the list of retirements after contact going into Becketts. His team mate Cook however was closing in on Butcher, and was hot on his heels into the penultimate lap.

The final lap meant it was now or never for Cook. He made an audacious dive down the inside of Butcher into Brooklands, getting onto the grass, but Butcher held on for the win.

He took his second win of the day from Cook, Ingram came third with Colin Turkington behind him. Championship leader Ash Sutton finished fifth with team mate Aiden Moffat behind him. Dan Rowbottom, Chris Smiley, Stephen Jelley were seventh, eighth and ninth respectively with Jake Hill going from 21st on the grid to tenth.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo 27:16:006
2 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +3.021
3 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +3.162
4 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3.456
5 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3.492
6 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +4.182
7 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +4.494
8 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +5.550
9 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +6.706
10 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +7.031
11 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +7.036
12 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +7.796
13 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +8.348
14 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +9.570
15 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +9.728
16 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.036
17 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +10.166
18 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +10.773
19 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +11.066
20 Andrew Jordan Toyota Corolla Hybrid +11.621
21 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +13.751
22 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +14.902
23 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +15.589
24 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +15.754
25 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +24.217
Retirements
DNF Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools Damage
DNF Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Mechanical
DNF Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo Mechanical
DNF Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Crash
DSQ Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Ride Height

 

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