The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship last hit the track at Oulton Park (22/23 June) heading into the summer break and will return to fast-paced action at Croft (27/28 July).

The opening five race weekends have been as unpredictable as the series has been in the hybrid era. In over half of the races we have seen a different driver on the top step of the podium with eight race winners in the initial 15 rounds.

Along with the number of winners, there have been 13 of the 21 drivers stood on the rostrum with six changes of the championship lead.

In case you have missed any of the door-banging battles of the 2024 season so far, here is a round up of the key moments to keep you up to speed.

Donington Park National - Rounds 1-2-3 - The battle commences

After the top four of 2023 battled it out for pole, Tom Ingram came out on top beating Ash Sutton to the prime starting place by 0.051 seconds. After a tightly fought Saturday, the tension built and built as Sunday's opening exchange would be delayed due to torrential rain.

Once racing got underway it was the polesitter that took advantage of the first race day taking two wins from the three races. It was not as straightforward as winning from pole as Jake Hill passed both Ingram and Sutton off the line in race two leaving the 2022 champion having to work his way back to the front.

The reverse-grid race once again produced fantastic racing with the podium holders starting from second, fifth and eighth. Closing out the day left Aiden Moffat on the top step holding up the fast charging Colin Turkington and Sutton. After the initial victories, Ingram would leave the event leading the championship.

Take a look at the round three encounter below...

Drivers' Standings - Event 1

Brands Hatch Indy - Rounds 4-5-6 - Return to the top

The weather could not have been a more drastic change at Brands Hatch from what it was at Donington Park the fortnight previous. It was a scorching hot weekend with it being the first weekend with the updated hybrid rules coming to affect in qualifying.

Making use of these rules was four-time champion, Turkington. The Team BMW driver took pole position after having more hybrid power available to use than those ahead of him in the championship.

Turkington used the pace advantage right from the off as he lead from lights to flag with victories in both race one and two of the weekend.

By no means did that mean the races were processional as the positions behind could not have been more tightly fought. Adam Morgan started race one as a part of a Team BMW one-two, but later came together with Ronan Pearson removing the pair from contention. Dan Cammish then had a puncture from second place with Josh Cook going door-to-door with Sutton fighting for the place left by the ailing Cammish.

All of the above would swing by race three as Pearson became the latest BTCC winner despite finishing race one two laps down and in 19th place. Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS celebrated more success as they crossed the line with Tom Chilton in second place closing the weekend with a one-two for the EXCELR8-run outfit.

Despite double wins for Ingram in rounds one and two, then also for Turkington in rounds four and five, it would be Sutton topping the championship after six consecutive podium finishes.

Have a look at the classic BTCC action in round five below...

Drivers' Standings - Event 2

Snetterton 300 - Rounds 7-8-9 - Back to front, top to bottom...

As the championship returned to Norfolk, the weather of the opening event at Donington Park returned also. A weekend that saw yet another shake up as it was Hill's turn to be at the forefront whilst circulating the 300 circuit of Snetterton.

Hill went on to win race one leading from start to finish as one-time entrant Bobby Thompson would come home in second for the fourth WSR-run BMW. Sutton would bring his consecutive podium streak up to seven, placing him on every podium so far in the 2024 season.

The #24 of Hill would go on to win race two despite a ten-second penalty for a jump start. A number of drivers, including Sutton, Turkington and Ingram, took a gamble after the formation lap to pit for dry tyres which did not pay off as the rain came back down during the race. The trio would finish 20th, 15th and 16th, breaking Sutton's podium streak. It would be Cammish and Cook joining Hill on the podium.

Race three would throw another wild-race to the BTCC crowd as there was a split between wet and dry tyres once more. Sam Osborne would start on reverse-grid pole before spinning at turn one. Hill, starting from ninth on wet tyres, would be second at the halfway point of the first lap and lead by the end of it.

As the crossover happened on lap 6/12, Hill had a seven second lead over the dry tyre running Toyotas of Cook, Moffat and Rob Huff. By lap 9/12 Huff lead a Toyota one-two-three as the wet tyres lap times plummeted. The #12 would go on to win his first BTCC race in 20 years after making up 13 places in the race to do so.

The manic weekend had left Sutton still on top despite a non-scoring race and still no race wins. The reigning champion left Snetterton with a ten point lead over double winner Turkington and 11 points ahead of double winners Ingram and Hill.

Enjoy all the action across the dry-wet-dry-wet-dry day at Snetterton below...

Drivers' Standings - Event 3

Thruxton - Rounds 10-11-12 - The momentum builds

Thruxton is known for one thing and one thing in particular, speed, and it did not disappoint. Ingram would be the driver to take pole position, returning to front-running form after, the #100 for the weekend, topped the championship after the opening weekend of the season.

This would not translate to a race win in race one on the Sunday as it was Hill who charged forward from third to continue his hot form from Snetterton two weeks prior. Cammish and Sutton would complete the podium making it a NAPA Racing UK double rostrum.

Race two is where more drama would ensue after Ingram would cross the finish line first for what would have been his 30th BTCC win. After shortcutting the final chicane in an attempt to overtake Cammish, Ingram did not concede the place and therefore was penalised meaning the result would mean the #24 BMW of Hill would win with Cammish and Ingram completing the podium.

The win would place Hill at the top of the championship after his four wins in five races, making him the fourth championship leader after Ingram, Turkington and Sutton.

In true champion style, the #1 Ford would retake the championship lead in the very next race, finally getting the first win of the season for the Alliance Racing-run outfit. Despite falling to seventh in the run up to the complex on the opening lap, Sutton drove like he did in 2023 scything his way to the front of the field.

Look at the final race of the day as Sutton climbed through the field below...

Drivers' Standings - Event 4

Oulton Park - Rounds 13-14-15 - The championship swing takes full affect

It was advantage front-wheel-drive in qualifying as Ingram would take pole position with a lap record ahead of championship leader Sutton. The BMW protagonists in Hill and Turkington would qualify in seventh and ninth.

The front-row pair would hold position in race one, not without contact between the two 2023 title protagonists. Ingram would retain the lead despite having to shortcut the Hislop's chicane and would build and hold a gap. Cammish would join them on the rostrum, making it four podiums in a row and continuing to creep up the championship order after a slow start to the season.

Hill would rise up to fifth with Turkington falling to back of the field after a clutch issue at the start. The weekend at Oulton Park is the first we had seen this season to have the soft and hard tyre available creating a big offset in lap time between the tyres. The tyre rule had yet to have a big impact after two rain affected events and Thruxton only using the hard tyre due to its high-speed nature.

Árón Taylor-Smith and Cook in seventh and eighth used their hard tyre in race one to get it out of the way. The top ten from the initial race have to use the hardest tyre available, the hard tyre, for race two whilst they only had the soft tyre.

Cook took immediate advantage after a collision ahead involving Morgan pushed him from eighth to second before passing Ingram for the lead later on the first lap. The #66 Toyota went on to win by an impressively large margin of eight seconds. Taylor-Smith would advance to fifth with teammate Mikey Doble finishing in sixth, earning himself reverse-grid pole for race three.

After the second race Ingram would retake his place at the forefront of the championship after a second place finish and a non scoring race for Sutton. Hill would also close the gap after completing the podium.

The Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing front-row lockout worked to great effect with Taylor-Smith holding off the attacking pack as Doble attempted to retain his lead. It nearly worked as Hill passed the #40 Vauxhall Astra on lap ten before going the whole way to take the lead on Doble on the final lap of the race.

The move meant that Hill had taken the championship lead, giving us three championship leaders in one day. Hill heads into the summer break with four point lead over Ingram after an impressive run of five wins in nine races to close out the first half of the season.

Enjoy the ever-entertaining final day of the opening half of the 2024 season below...

Oulton Park shook up the order to what had been the case at the opening four events. Leaving the likes of Turkington faltering after a worse-than-usual performance at the Cheshire circuit as both Cook and Cammish jump up the order after impressive consistency.

The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns to action at Croft on the 27/28 July.

2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Standings - Round 15