Jake Hill heads to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship finale tied at the top of the Drivers’ points tables following a superb seventh win of the season at an ultra-wet Silverstone.
Hill and fellow BMW 330e M Sport driver Colin Turkington recorded a one-two finish in the second of three races at the Northamptonshire-based circuit to score a landmark result for the WSR team.
That victory for the Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsports driver, which came in a damp second race, was 12th of the season for WSR – the most the team has ever won in a single BTCC campaign.
It was also the Kent racer’s seventh victory of 2024; an all-time season high for the #24, who is now one of six drivers that can be crowned champion at Brands Hatch.
Hill climbed brilliantly from fifth place on the Race One grid to finish second in wet conditions before adding his win and then finishing the day with fifth in a reversed-grid race that was so wet it was truncated by a 30-minute red flag while conditions eased.
The #24's path to the Race One podium was eased by WSR stablemate Turkington, who qualified second and allowed Hill to pass him early on as the Northern Irishman raced to fifth spot.
The four-time series champion added a runner-up finish in Race Two behind Hill to complete a one-two result for WSR and secure a ninth podium of the year.
The #20 spun out of Race Three at the height of the standing water but retains a mathematical chance of winning the Drivers’ title at Brands Hatch.
BMW, who are aiming to win the Manufacturers’ Championship for a record tenth time, are second in the standings, four points from the series lead.
Team BMW's Adam Morgan recovered well from a Race One spin that dropped him to 14th spot and came home 11th. The Lancashire racer added seventh place finishes in both of the later races to move up a spot to ninth in the Drivers’ points table.
Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, said: “It’s been a very good day for me. I started fifth in Race One and came through to finish second; a great result for me and the team that could perhaps have been even better if I’d had more hybrid available. In Race Two I stayed behind Tom Ingram for a few laps, spotted where he was weak and then made the move and got the win, which again was brilliant. I didn’t expect the results to be so good here, but the weather played a big part in it. In Race Three we started sixth and finished fifth; not too bad but the weather conditions were horrendous. We’ve had three good results and I’m super-pleased.”
Colin Turkington, Team BMW, said: “It wasn’t the end to the day I wanted and in Race Three there was a lot of aquaplaning from the start and it was impossible to keep the car on the road. Before that it had been a brilliant day with fifth in Race One and then second in Race Two, but in Race Three there was so much standing water that it became an impossible job. We head to Brands Hatch still firmly fighting for the Manufacturers’ Championship and will be there to support Jake as well. Hopefully we’ll end the season on a high.”
Adam Morgan, Team BMW, said: “Race Three is one of the hardest races I’ve ever driven in. It was a matter of survival and a relief to get that one finished. I’m still kicking myself over the spin in Race One because we had a sixth place nailed on there. But overall we’ve scored good points and had pace from the BMW so we’ll get ready to go one more time at Brands Hatch.”
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “It’s been a great day. We’ve had the most wins we’ve ever taken in a BTCC season now with 12, which is a great achievement. Jake’s still leading the Drivers’ Championship and we’re very close in the Manufacturers’ title race so it’s been a great day and we’ll look forward to Brands Hatch.”
