Category: BTCC

  • BTCC Brands Hatch – Ingram’s title challenge comes alive after last gasp win

    BTCC Brands Hatch – Ingram’s title challenge comes alive after last gasp win

    Tom Ingram took his second win of the season and took the lead of the championship after a last lap pass on Tom Oliphant. Ash Sutton stole second from Oliphant in a battle to the finish line.

    A six lap safety car period broke up the race after Stephen Jelley and Gordon Shedden collided at Paddock.

    Oliphant had another good start off the line, with Dan Rowbottom atoning for his poor start in race one by rocketing up to second. Shedden is tapped at Paddock Hill bend but recovers. However on lap two he wasn’t as lucky.

    Stephen Jelley saw a chance to dive down the inside and Shedden shut the door too late, with the pair going off into the gravel at Paddock. Shedden resumed but Jelley retired and this brought out the Safety Car.

    After a six lap Safety Car period racing resumed. On lap ten Jake Hill passed Ingram into Paddock Hill in a brilliant move.

    However Hill got a puncture heading into Clearways and lost two laps trying to fix it. Falling from third to the back of the pack.

    Rowbottom challenged Oliphant for the lead and went around the outside of Druids. This left the door open for Ingram who took second by the end of lap 18.

    There were interesting battles throughout the pack, with Jack Goff and Senna Proctor fighting for tenth place. It was the Yorkshireman who prevailed, finishing tenth ahead of Goff.

    On lap 23 of 27 Ingram was on Oliphant’s tail, who was for the second race in a row, defending incredibly well in a much heavier BMW.

    Ingram finally made his move on the last lap as he dove down the inside at Paddock and slightly tapped Olihpant’s rear. He managed to get through at Druids and steal away for his second win of the season.

    Ash Sutton is a driver who can never be ruled out, as he took third from Rowbottom on the penultimate lap before sneaking past Oliphant in a drag race to the finish line.

    Ingram took the win from Sutton and Oliphant on the podium, with Rowbottom, Josh Cook, Dan Lloyd, Chris Smiley, Jason Plato, Aiden Moffat and Senna Proctor rounded off the top ten, with Adam Morgan taking the reverse grid pole position.

    Pos Driver Car Team +/-
    1 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 24:56:451
    2 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +0.489
    3 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +0.527
    4 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +0.972
    5 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +1.213
    6 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +1.630
    7 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1.957
    8 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +2.194
    9 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +8.394
    10 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +8.794
    11 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +9.232
    12 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +10.066
    13 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +10.468
    14 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +11.212
    15 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +11.599
    16 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus MB Motorsport +13.169
    17 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +13.590
    18 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +14.034
    19 Sam Osborne Ford Focus Motorbase +14.909
    20 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +15.251
    21 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +15.518
    22 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +19.035
    23 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +20.337
    24 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +22.885
    25 Andy Neate Ford Focus Motorbase +23.690
    26 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +23.986
    27 Jake Hill Ford Focus MB Motorsport +2 Laps
    Retirements
    DNF Glyn Geddie Cupra Leon Team HARD Mechanical
    DNF Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR Crash

     

  • BTCC Brands Hatch – Oliphant takes 2nd career win after valiant Shedden chase

    BTCC Brands Hatch – Oliphant takes 2nd career win after valiant Shedden chase

    Tom Oliphant took his second career win in round seven at Brands Hatch in the British Touring Car Championship.

    He fended off a ruthless Gordon Shedden chase in his Honda Civic with pole sitter Dan Rowbottom recovering from a poor start to finish third.

    The Team Dynamics driver took his first pole position yesterday, but had a poor start off the line and was engulfed by cars passing him. Oliphant took the lead and it was a lead he never surrendered.

    Aiden Moffat had a good start and flew up to second, with Tom Ingram third but his lap wasn’t without drama as he got sideways coming out of Clearways but recovered without losing too much time.

    Oliphant started pulling away from the chasing pack, with Shedden moving up to second and his hunt of Oliphant began. Behind them Ash Sutton had a great exit out of Paddock Hill bend to almost overtake Shedden and Moffat who were fighting for second.

    By lap eight Oliphant had a 3.5 second lead over Shedden but the Scotsman set the fastest lap as he was attacking to chase down the leader.

    Rowbottom made his way back up to third with Moffat and Jake Hill fightinf for fourth place.

    While Oliphant was leading, his team mates were less fortunate, Stephen Jelley was given a five second penalty for a false start, dropping him to 15th at the checkered flag. Colin Turkington started 14th and had a spin on lap 15, dropping him down to 21st by the end of the race.

    Shedden was really pushing to catch Oliphant, shaving plenty of time off his lead and was only 1.3 seconds behind by lap 19.

    RIck Parfitt and Nicholas Hamilton had a collision at Druids on lap 22 and this put Parfitt into the crosshairs of the leading duo. On the final lap Oliphant was almost held up by Parfitt but it didn’t factor in as Shedden’s valiant chase came up just short, finishing two tenths behind him.

    An impressive win for Oliphant with Shedden and Rowbottom taking a double podium for Team Dynamics.

    Hill, Sutton and Ingram were next with Chris Smiley, Moffat, Josh Cook and Jack Goff rounded off the top ten once Jelley’s penalty was applied.

    Pos Driver Car Team Gap
    1 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team  WSR 19:50:305
    2 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +0.188
    3 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +4.603
    4 Jake Hill Ford Focus MB Motorsport +9.811
    5 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +10.007
    6 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +11.289
    7 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +11.633
    8 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +11.938
    9 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +15.398
    10 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +15.720
    11 Dan Lloyd Vuaxhall Astra Power Maxed +15.982
    12 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +16.339
    13 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +17.510
    14 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +18.771*
    15 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +19.025
    16 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +19.257
    17 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +22.713
    18 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +23.051
    19 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +23.443
    20 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +24.816
    21 Sam Osborne Ford Focus Motorbase +24.883**
    22 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +25.081
    23 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus MB Motorsport +27.159
    24 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +28.500
    25 Jack Buutel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +28.720
    26 Andy Neate Ford Focus Motorbase +33.172
    27 Glyn Geddie Cupra Leon Team HARD +36.402
    28 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +37.808
    29 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1 Lap

    * – Stephen Jelley received a five second penalty for a false start.

    **-Sam Osborne received a 6.2 second penalty for gaining an advantage

  • BTCC Brands Hatch – Rowbottom takes first ever pole in Team Dynamics front row lock out

    BTCC Brands Hatch – Rowbottom takes first ever pole in Team Dynamics front row lock out

    Dan Rowbottom secured his first pole position as Team Dynamics locked out the front row in qualifying at Brands Hatch in the British Touring Car Championship.

    He lapped the Kent circuit in 48 seconds with team mate Gordon Shedden just five thousandths behind in his Honda Civic Type R in what was an odd session at the famous circuit.

    28 of the 29 cars were separated by under a second with only Nicholas Hamilton outside of the second.

    Tom Ingram and Jake Hill set the early pace, with Tom Oliphant in close tow. After the early exchanges not many drivers were improving or setting faster times.

    With Brands Hatch’s Indy layout being used, the biggest issue the drivers face is traffic, with 29 cars trying to find space on what is an incredibly short circuit. The other issue drivers faced was track limits, with drivers such as Ollie Jackson falling foul of them and having lap times removed.

    Ingram and Hill both went wide at Paddock Hill bend when pushing to the limit, thankfully both continued and didn’t get stuck in the gravel.

    With six minutes left in the session Rowbottom went fastest with a 48.0, a tenth faster than Hill’s benchmark before Shedden went second, just five thousandths of a second behind his team mate.

    Rowbottom held on for his first ever BTCC pole, with Shedden behind and Hill third. Title challengers Ash Sutton (7th) and Colin Turkington (14th) have a lot of work to do in the first of three races tomorrow.

    BTCC can be watched in the UK on ITV3 on Sunday.

    Pos Driver Car Team +/-
    1 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics
    2 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +0.005
    3 Jake Hill Ford Focus MB Motorsport +0.105
    4 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +0.110
    5 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +0.244
    6 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +0.258
    7 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +0.296
    8 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +0.298
    9 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +0.333
    10 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +0.354
    11 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +0.354
    12 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +0.357
    13 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +0.359
    14 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +0.383
    15 Sam Osborne Ford Focus Motorbase +0.419
    16 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +0.432
    17 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +0.448
    18 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +0.506
    19 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus MB Motorsport +0.543
    20 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +0.603
    21 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +0.606
    22 Glyn Geddie Cupra Leon Team HARD +0.653
    23 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +0.682
    24 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +0.811
    25 Rick Parfitt Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +0.829
    26 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +0.835
    27 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +0.908
    28 Andy Neate Ford Focus Motorbase +0.910
    29 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +1.251

     

  • BTCC Snetterton – Ingram takes Excelr8’s first win in thrilling race

    BTCC Snetterton – Ingram takes Excelr8’s first win in thrilling race

    Tom Ingram took Excelr8’s first win in the British Touring Car Championship in a thrilling race three at Snetterton.

    After taking the lead on lap five, Ingram strolled to the win to secure the Hyundai i30N’s first win too.

    Stephen Jelley was on pole thanks to the reverse grid draw, and lead from the start. Carl Boardley was tapped coming out of Agostini and retired from the race.

    Ingram managed to pass Jelley but he went back through to keep his lead. Tom Oliphant spun at Agostini and fell down the order with Ash Sutton fighting for another win as he was third by the end of lap two.

    Ollie Jackson was next to retire as Gordon Shedden squeezed up the inside and tapped him. This caused damage to Jackson’s Ford Focus and he struggled to the pits.

    Lap five saw Ingram take the lead as Jelley then had to fend off the trio of Sutton, Shedden, and Rory Butcher for second. Josh Cook was storming up from 14th with no ballast in his BTC Honda Civic and was fifth by the end of lap seven.

    Sutton managed to pass Jelley on lap eight with Shedden getting past at Agostini after a clumsy tap from the Scotsman on Jelley. It was three places lost in as many corners as Cook passed him too.

    Ingram strolled to the win as Shedden was fighting for second with Sutton, but he couldn’t quite pass with Sutton taking second and as a result moving into the championship lead leaving Snetterton.

    Cook, Jelley and Butcher were next with Colin Turkington finishing seventh, Adam Morgan, Jack Goff and Dan Rowbottom rounded off the top ten.

    Pos Driver Car Team
    1 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 23:56:024
    2 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +1.144
    3 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +1.617
    4 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +3.217
    5 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +6.756
    6 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +7.469
    7 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +7.768
    8 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +8.744
    9 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +9.916
    10 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +10.355
    11 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +11.293
    12 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +11.718
    13 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +12.403
    14 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +14.118
    15 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +14.575
    16 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +15.262
    17 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +16.002
    18 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +17.120
    19 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +18.655
    20 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +19.993
    21 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +23.054
    22 Glyn Geddie Cupra Leon Team HARD +27.350
    23 Jessica Hawkins Ford Focus ST Motorbase +37.739
    24 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +38.849
    25 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +48.741
    26 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +1:57.596
    27 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +4 Laps
    Retirements
    RET Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport Damage
    RET Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools Damage

     

  • BTCC Snetterton – Sutton’s scintillating drive secures second win of season at Snetterton

    BTCC Snetterton – Sutton’s scintillating drive secures second win of season at Snetterton

    Ash Sutton took his second win of the season after a blistering drive through the field in round five of the British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton.

    He passed car after car on the quicker soft tyre, and hunted down race one winner Colin Turkington to take another win and bolster his championship defence.

    Ollie Jackson had the best start flying into second place from fifth on the grid. Turkington led from the line. Glyn Geddie and Rick Parfitt collided coming onto the straight and Geddie retired with damage. Tom Chilton also retired with damage to the front of his Ciceley BMW.

    By the end of lap two Sutton was sixth, passing Adam Morgan. Meanwhile Sutton’s team mate Aiden Moffat was given a five second penalty for a jump start.

    Lap four and Sutton was fifth, squeezing down the inside of Stephen Jelley at the Wilson hairpin.

    Next on his list was Hyundai’s Tom Ingram. The Excelr8 Hyundai was heavier than Sutton’s Infiniti and after a fierce battle Sutton boxed clever and passed Ingram.

    The Wilson hairpin was again the scene of a Sutton overtake as he passed Jackson for second place.

    Turkington was clear of the pack but had Sutton on the quicker tyre reeling him in.

    Championship leader Jake Hill had a horror show, falling down the grid in the closing stages.

    Lap nine saw Sutton finally pass Turkington into the Agostini hairpin, having been 1.3 seconds faster on the previous lap.

    The battle for the final podium place was heating up in the final three laps. Ingram and Jackson fought hard, going side by side into Agostini as Ingram snuck past before losing it to Jackson again at the next corner.

    Sutton took the win after a fantastic drive, with Turkington only half a second back. Jackson secured third with Ingram fourth and Rory Butcher fifth. Tom Oliphant and Stephen Jelley came home sixth and seventh respectively for Team WSR. Adam Morgan, Jack Goff and Aiden Moffat rounded off the top ten once Moffat’s penalty was applied.

    Pos Driver Car Team
    1 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools 23:49:604
    2 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +0.451
    3 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +8.603
    4 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +8.769
    5 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +10.524
    6 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +10.859
    7 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +12.065
    8 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +13.364
    9 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +13.662
    10 Aiden Moffat* Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +16.204
    11 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +16.228
    12 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +16.577
    13 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +16.925
    14 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +17.295
    15 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +18.605
    16 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +21.190
    17 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +22.534
    18 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +26.536
    19 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +26.720
    20 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +39.770
    21 Jessica Hawkins Ford Focus ST Motorbase +42.017
    22 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +42.534
    23 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +42.734
    24 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +44.681
    25 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +47.417
    26 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +48.429
    27 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excler8 +56.019
    Retirements
    RET Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley Damage
    RET Glyn Geddie Cupra Leon Team HARD Damage

    *Aiden Moffat received a five second penalty for jumping the start.

  • BTCC Snetterton – Turkington wins at Snetterton for 8th time in dominant victory

    BTCC Snetterton – Turkington wins at Snetterton for 8th time in dominant victory

    Colin Turkington led from start to finish to take his 57th career win at Snetterton in round four of the British Touring Car Championship.

    He took his eighth win at the Norfolk circuit, with Tom Ingram finishing second and Rory Butcher third.

    Turkington led from the start, with the front wheel drive Hyundai of Ingram hot on his tail. The rear wheel drive BMW of Turkington took longer to heat up, giving Ingram chance to capitalise. At the Agostini hairpin Ingram made a move but couldn’t make it stick.

    As Turkington got his car up to speed and pulled away his team mate Stephen Jelley made a good start, taking fourth before losing it to Ollie Jackson.

    Gordon Shedden had pole position taken away from him after a rear wing infringement saw him disqualified from qualifying yesterday. He made a cracking start and was fighting Aiden Moffat with the pair tapping but no serious incident.

    On lap seven Ingram set the fastest lap and appeared to be closing. Jake Hill started to lose ground due to him being championship leader he had maximum ballast onboard his Ford Focus ST. Tom Oliphant made his way through with Sutton trying the same. The reigning champion couldn’t get around the outside and lost a few places.

    Jackson was the highest of the prime tyre runners, which was a slower tyre but longer lasting. Jelley retook his fourth place with Jackson then coming under pressure from Dan Lloyd.

    On the penultimate lap Lloyd made a move on Jackson but it didn’t work and left him vulnerable to the BMW of Adam Morgan who swooped inside and took the place from him.

    Jackson held on however in his slower Focus and held off the challenge of Morgan.

    At the Wilson hairpin on the final lap Tom Chilton lost the backend and spun his BMW. He fell down the order and almost collected Jessica Hawkins in her Motorbase Ford.

    Turkington took the win by nearly three seconds from Ingram and Butcher was seven seconds back in third. Jelley was fourth, with Jackson, Morgan, Lloyd and Oliphant coming next. Jake Hill finished ninth to retain his championship lead, with Chris Smiley finishing tenth.

    Pos Driver Car Team
    1 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR 23:36:287
    2 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +2.932
    3 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +9.451
    4 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +13.960
    5 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +16.921
    6 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +17.572
    7 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +18.049
    8 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +18.373
    9 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +21.951
    10 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +22.583
    11 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +22.852
    12 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +23.759
    13 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +24.993
    14 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +25.415
    15 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +26.015
    16 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +27.736
    17 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +28.663
    18 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +29.382
    19 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +29.942
    20 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +32.857
    21 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +34.464
    22 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +35.358
    23 Jessica Hawkins Ford Focus ST Motorbase +38.361
    24 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +40.530
    25 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +41.030
    26 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +41.774
    27 Glyn Geddie Cupra Leon Team HARD +42.730
    28 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +43.230
    29 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +58.734

     

  • BTCC Snetterton – Gordon Shedden takes pole position in thrilling two-part session

    BTCC Snetterton – Gordon Shedden takes pole position in thrilling two-part session

    Gordon Shedden took his first pole position since returning to the sport at Snetterton in an exciting qualifying session.

    He stole pole position from Colin Turkington, who looked imperious throughout the two sessions, setting quick laps all the way through.

    In the first of three special qualifying formats this season, there was a two-part aspect to it. A top ten shootout followed the first 20 minute session, with some notable names missing out on the final action. Ash Sutton, Josh Cook, Jason Plato, all missed out.

    The track evolved over the original session and the times came down. Turkington went fastest originally with a 1:57.3. Sutton soon went quicker with a 1:56.7.

    Plenty of drivers had times removed for track-limit infringements going wide on the exit of some corners.

    Turkington regained top spot with a 1:55.2 and held on for the last ten minutes.

    By the end of the session Dan Rowbottom missed out by just 88 thousandths of a second in his Team Dynamics Honda Civic.

    In the final session, the ten fastest drivers go through into the shootout. Turkington reigned supreme for the majority of the session, his BMW setting fastest lap after fastest lap.

    Power Maxed Racing’s Dan Lloyd fell a victim of track limits, losing two times, with one being the fastest of the session so far.

    By the chequered flag, Shedden put in a 1:55:2 to steal pole position from the WSR driver, with Turkington having to settle for second, one and a half tenths down.

    Tom Ingram was third, almost half a second down on Shedden, with Rory Butcher, Stephen Jelley, Adam Morgan, Ollie Jackson, Jake Hill, Dan Lloyd and Tom Oliphant rounding off the top ten.

    Pos Driver Car Team Time
    1 Gordon Shedden Honda CIvic Type R Team Dynamics 1:55:2
    2 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +0.163
    3 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +0.492
    4 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo Racing +0.804
    5 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR ++0.822
    6 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport CIceley Motorsport +0.948
    7 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus MB Motorsport +1.054
    8 Jake Hill Ford Focus MB Motorsport +1.195
    9 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed Racing +1.284
    10 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +1.618
    11 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +1.061
    12 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1.166
    13 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport CIceley Motorsport +1.249
    14 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +1.298
    15 Sam Osborne Ford Focus Motorbase +1.417
    16 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +1.425
    17 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +1.515
    18 Jessica Hawkins Ford Focus Motorbase +1.566
    19 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed Racing +1.654
    20 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +1.692
    21 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +1.739
    22 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +1.784
    23 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +1.804
    24 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo Racing +2.207
    25 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +2.553
    26 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +2.926
    27 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +3.025
    28 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +3.164
  • The Debrief – Five talking points from a thrilling opening BTCC weekend at Thruxton

    The Debrief – Five talking points from a thrilling opening BTCC weekend at Thruxton

    The 2021 British Touring Car Championship season burst into life at the weekend at Thruxton. Josh Cook won the first two races before Ash Sutton stormed to victory in a thrilling final race. A few talking points arose from the weekend’s action, with thrills, spills, and strong performances aplenty.

    Never Discount Ash Sutton

    Ash Sutton took victory in race three. (Image Credit: BTCC Media)

    The reigning champ took pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session to kick off his title defence in the best way possible. However, he was tapped by Colin Turkington into the Complex and spun, falling to the back of the grid. Not one to stay down for long, Sutton surged through the field finishing tenth on the road but was promoted to ninth thanks to Turkington receiving a penalty for their first lap collision.

    Another ninth placed finish in race two put him in good position as the reverse grid draw lottery put him third on the grid for race three. The rain-affected race saw Sutton start strong and lead, before Jake Hill on slicks passed him, only for the rain to return and put Sutton back in the ascendancy to take the win. From despair on race one lap one, to victory on race three, final lap.

    Jake Hill – Emergence of a new star?

    Jake Hill is the championship leader leaving Thruxton. (Image Credit: BTCC Media)

    The MB Motorsport team merged with Motorbase for 2021, meaning Hill swapped his Honda Civic FK2 for a new Ford Focus. He was one of the stars of the weekend, taking three podiums and leading the championship as we leave Thruxton.

    His skill and talent were underlined when he drove around the fastest circuit in the UK, on slick tyres, in wet and greasy conditions. That’s no mean feat, and Hill was not only quick, but he could have won if the rain had held off. A strong performance from the MB Motorsport driver, and one he will be sure to build on at Snetterton in June.

    Andy Neate hit with a £2k fine

    Glyn Geddie was caught up in a first lap incident in race two. (Image Credit: BTCC Media)

    On the opening lap of race two there was a big incident involving Andy Neate, Glyn Geddie and Jade Edwards. Neate dove down the inside of Geddie into turn one. Geddie had the corner covered and was tipped into a spin by Neate, sending both into the wall and Geddie’s Cupra Leon pirouetted in the air before landing. Edwards was on the outside and played innocent bystander as she was caught up in it.

    Initially Neate suggested he had brake failure which caused him to hit Geddie. However, after checks there was deemed nothing wrong with his car and Neate was hit with a £2,000 fine and points on his licence for the incident. Why did Neate suggest brake failure instead of admitting he was at fault for the incident? Thankfully all three drivers walked away uninjured.

    Life in Plato Yet!

    Jason Plato secured second place in race three. (Image Credit: BTCC Media)

    The 53-year-old showed he’s not mellowed with age as he took a sixth, a fifth, and a second in the three races this weekend. He got stuck in and showed his great race craft in his Vauxhall Astra. He was involved in dicey battles with the likes of Dan Rowbottom, Dan Cammish and Jake Hill. The latter fighting Plato in a drag race to the line in race three, with Plato coming out on top. A fine weekend back after a year away from the grid.

    Was Turkington’s Penalty Fair?

    Colin Turkington had a quiet weekend following the penalty. (Image Credit: BTCC Media)

    The aforementioned incident between Sutton and Turkington meant the four-time champion was given a 17 second penalty. This dropped him from fourth to tenth. The reason for this was Sutton finished tenth, and so the stewards gave Turkington a penalty which put him behind Sutton.

    However, this is potentially a dangerous precedent to set, as theoretically speaking, if Sutton had finished 30 seconds back, or a lap down, by this logic Turkington would effectively have to be excluded from the results. Would a standard five or ten second penalty have sufficed for what was effectively an innocuous mistake on cold tyres?

    The BTCC is back, and now the long wait begins for the next weekend of action at Snetterton on June 12-13.

  • BTCC Thruxton – Sutton wins rollercoaster rain-affected final race

    BTCC Thruxton – Sutton wins rollercoaster rain-affected final race

    Ash Sutton took the win in a thrilling final race of the day at Thruxton. The weather was a factor with rain stopping and starting again meaning tyre strategies were needed.

    Pre-race Josh Cook and Tom Ingram were handed 30 second penalties for not having their tyres on their cars in time.

    While most of the front were on wets, Tom Oliphant gambled on slicks, meaning he fell down the order at the start. Sutton took second from him with Stephen Jelley led.

    Sutton overtook Jelley at the Complex on lap two while Cook and Ingram served their penalties in the pitlane.

    Jason Plato and Aiden Moffat had a nice battle for fourth until Moffat pulled off the road with a mechanical issue on lap seven.

    On lap six the weather stopped and the drivers on slick tyres were starting to come good. Jake Hill and Oliphant started to surge through the field with Oliphant coming from 18th.

    Dan Cammish and Dan Rowbottom pitted for slicks to try and capitalize on the changing weather but it was the wrong call.

    Hill’s resurgence continued as he passed Plato for third. Tom Oliphant was given a five second penalty for not being in his grid slot correctly.

    Jake Hill is the championship leader leaving Thruxton. (Image Credit: BTCC Media)

    On lap nine Hill was five seconds faster than leader Sutton, and was in second place closing down the leader. By lap ten he was in the lead.

    But just as Hill took the lead it started to rain again, with the pendulum swinging back into Sutton’s favour. The reigning champion regained his lead with ease on lap 14.

    On lap 15 Plato moved into third, but further back Carl Boardley and rookie Rick Parfitt collided at the Complex. Parfitt resumed but Boardley drove into the path of Rory Butcher while recovering and both collided and were out of the race.

    Sutton won but there was a mad dash to the line between Plato, Hill, and Gordon Shedden. Plato had the better exit and stole second place on the line.

    Shedden finished fourth, Plato’s team mate Dan Lloyd made it a good race for Power Maxed Racing with fifth. WSR duo Turkington and Oliphant took sixth and seventh. Jack Goff, Ollie Jackson and Stephen Jelley rounded off the top ten.

    Jake Hill leads the championship after this weekend’s racing by a point from Josh Cook with Jason Plato in third a few points behind.

    Pos Driver Team Car Gap
    1 Ash Sutton Laser Tools Infiniti Q50 22:47:671
    2 Jason Plato Power Maxed Vauxhall Astra +4.789
    3 Jake Hill MB Motorsport Ford Focus +4.859
    4 Gordon Shedden Halfords Racing Honda Civic +5.025
    5 Dan Lloyd Power Maxed Vuaxhall Astra +9.927
    6 Colin Turkington Team WSR BMW 330i M +10.105
    7 Tom Oliphant Team WSR BMW 330i M +13.212
    8 Jack Goff Team HARD Cupra Leon +14.014
    9 Ollie Jackson MB Motorsport Ford Focus +16.377
    10 Stephen Jelley Team WSR BMW 330i M +18.713
    11 Aron Taylor-Smith Team HARD Cupra Leon +21.321
    12 Sam Osborne Motorbase Ford Focus +24.962
    13 Tom Chilton Ciceley BMW 330i M +25.188
    14 Sam Smelt Toyota Gazoo Toyota Corolla +25.722
    15 Chris Smiley Excelr8 Hyundai i30N +38.847
    16 Rick Parfitt Excelr8 Hyundai i30N +40.064
    17 Nicholas Hamilton Team HARD Cupra Leon +52.655
    18 Adam Morgan Ciceley BMW 330i M +55.339
    19 Jack Butel Excelr8 Hyundai i30N +1:04.841
    20 Josh Cook BTC Racing Honda Civic +1 Lap
    21 Dan Rowbottom Halfords Racing Honda Civic +1 Lap
    22 Tom Ingram Excelr8 Hyundai i30N +1 Lap
    23 Dan Cammish BTC Racing Honda Civic +1 Lap
    24 Carl Boardley Laser Tools Infiniti Q50 +2 Laps
    25 Rory Butcher Toyota Gazoo Toyota Corolla +2 Laps
    Retirements
    DNF Aiden Moffat Laser Tools Infiniti Q50 Mechanical
    DNF Jade Edwards BTC Racing Honda Civic Damage
    DNS Glyn Geddie Team HARD Cupra Leon Damage
    DNS Andy Neate Motorbase Ford Focus Damage

     

  • BTCC Thruxton – Cook wins race marred by first lap incident

    BTCC Thruxton – Cook wins race marred by first lap incident

    Josh Cook secured his second win from two races with the race marred by a big first lap incident between three drivers.

    Andy Neate, Glyn Geddie and Jade Edwards were all in a big shunt on lap one which caused a red flag. On the restart Dan Cammish surged into second to back up his temporary team mate with Jake Hill third.

    The race was red flagged on lap one as Glyn Geddie, Jade Edwards and Andy Neate were involved in a first corner collision. Neate dove down the inside at turn one of Geddie and collided. They took Edwards with them as she was an innocent bystander on the outside. Geddie hit the wall and his car pirouetted and rolled and all three were out with considerable damage.

    On the restart Hill got away badly, Cammish capitalized on it and moved into third. Into the complex Ingram was battling Cook for the lead with the pair making contact. As Ingram regained his composure Cammish snuck down the inside to take second.

    The Safety Car was brought out when Rory Butcher started to spin in the high speed section. He went across the track, with drivers doing well to avoid him, before hitting the tyre wall at speed.

    On lap six the race continued, with Dan Rowbottom pulling off a nice move on Ingram as he struggled with ballast in his Hyundai.

    The top three pulled away from Jason Plato in fourth who was being caught by the charging Rowbottom. Having pitted, Ash Sutton surged back through the field, ending the race in ninth.

    Rowbottom finally passed Plato on lap ten as he got the better of the veteran out of the final chicane for fourth place.

    Josh Cook has won two races from two so far. (Image Credit: BTCC Media)

    The top two were the quickest cars, with Cook taking his second win from two with Cammish playing a good team mate to back him up.

    Hill finished third as his encouraging start to the season continues. Rowbottom secured his best ever BTCC finish with fourth and Plato came home fifth. Ingram and Turkington were next, followed by the Laser Tools duo of Moffat and Sutton. Tom Oliphant rounded off the top ten in his BMW.

    Pos Driver Team Car Gap
    1 Josh Cook BTC Racing Honda Civic 23:06:411
    2 Dan Cammish BTC Racing Honda Civic +0.234
    3 Jake Hill MB Motorsport Ford Focus +1.625
    4 Dan Rowbottom Halfords Racing Honda Civic +4.655
    5 Jason Plato Power Maxed Vauxhall Astra +4.976
    6 Tom Ingram Excelr8 Hyundai i30N +6.961
    7 Colin Turkington Team WSR BMW 330i M +7.303
    8 Aiden Moffat Laser Tools Infiniti Q50 +9.291
    9 Ash Sutton Laser Tools Infiniti Q50 +10.055
    10 Tom Oliphant Team WSR BMW 330i M +11.411
    11 Stephen Jelley Team WSR BMW 330i M +13.259
    12 Jack Goff Team HARD Cupra Leon +13.759
    13 Ollie Jackson MB Motorsport Ford Focus +15.311
    14 Dan Lloyd Power Maxed Vauxhall Astra +15.826
    15 Aron Taylor-Smith Team HARD Cupra Leon +16.944
    16 Sam Osborne Motorbase Ford Focus +17.540
    17 Carl Boardley Laser Tools Infiniti Q50 +19.551
    18 Gordon Shedden Halfords Racing Honda Civic +19.914
    19 Jack Butel Excelr8 Hyundai i30N +26.245
    20 Sam Smelt Toyota Gazoo Toyota Corolla +26.623
    21 Adam Morgan Ciceley BMW 330i M +32.085
    22 Nicholas Hamilton Team HARD Cupra Leon +35.931
    23 Chris Smiley Excelr8 Hyundai i30N +1 Lap
    Retirements
    DNF Rick Parfitt Excelr8 Hyundai i30N Mechanical
    DNF Tom Chilton Ciceley BMW 330i M Mechanical
    DNF Rory Butcher Toyota Gazoo Toyota Corolla Crash
    DNF Jade Edwards BTC Racing Honda Civic Crash
    DNF Andy Neate Motorbase Ford Focus Crash
    DNF Glyn Geddie Team HARD Cupra Leon Crash