Team HARD. Racing’s quartet of CUPRA drivers endured a trying time out at Thruxton last month, as the squad struggled to get to grips with the 2.37-mile circuit during the latest rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

Find out how Nic Hamilton, Aron Taylor-Smith, Jack Mitchell and Jack Goff found the weekend below...

Nic Hamilton, ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading, said: “It was a really tough day for the team. We’re struggling with the car. Every time we come to a new circuit, even though we’ve been already to Thruxton this year, we’re trying new things. There are some changes made that have worked and there’s some that haven’t but generally we seem to improve the car throughout the day.

“Race three was my strongest race of the day in terms of race pace. It was a bit stop-start with the safety cars, and there was a lot of instances of avoiding action for me. However, I think race three was definitely my best race of the day, which is something positive that I can take away [from the weekend].

“I’m looking forward to Croft because I think we will be more consistent there in terms of the car; we’re learning more in every race we do. Let’s wait and see what happens at Croft because I think we’ll be a lot more competitive.”

Aron Taylor-Smith, Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions, said: “It was a very, very hard day today. Normally there are some positives as you make a bit of progress here and there, however we didn’t make a huge amount. At the end of the day, a puncture in race one and a driveshaft issue in race two just isn’t what you want.

“Unfortunately, in race three I got caught up in an incident that shouldn’t have been an incident which put a lot of grass in the radiator. That race was marginally better than the last, but we still haven’t unlocked what we need on this hard tyre. I think before we come back here, we’ll do a lot of testing on the hard compound just to figure out what does and doesn’t work. A nightmare of a day but at the same time we are going to Croft where we should perform better, so fingers crossed!”

Jack Mitchell, Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct, said: “It wasn’t really the weekend I was looking for. It was my first time here at Thruxton and I knew things would be difficult, but as a team we all seemed to struggle on pace. We were racing at a low speed most of the time and it got to the point where we agreed that we needed to make some big changes, but they didn’t seem to fix our problems and only made our pace worse. We got slower over the weekend, but I’m glad we made the changes as we needed to try different things. We’ve still got a long way to go with the car and are still developing it at each track we go to but it’s going to be tough. I do feel like we’ll get there in the end, though.”

Jack Goff, Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct, said: “It’s been hard, really hard. But if any positives have come from this, I feel that we improved during the last race. Unfortunately, it’s too late when it’s the last race of the day that you start to find improvements.

“We’ve been working as hard as we can, changing the car drastically every single time we go out, but we just haven’t been able to put our finger on the issue. Even in the last race we weren’t fast enough – even though it was an improvement on the day and meant that we actually got the opportunity to race. In the first two races we weren’t really racing, we were just circulating a little bit, so that was nice. We’ll reset, we’ll go again, and I do believe that getting back on the medium tyre will be a massive benefit to us.”

With the next rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this weekend (18/19 September), the squad heads to Croft in North Yorkshire ready to put Thruxton’s races behind them and continue the development of the new-for-2021 CUPRA Leons.

Everyone involved with the British Touring Car Championship is sad to hear the news that Gordon Spice has passed away at the age of 81.

Spice is rightly regarded as a BTCC legend, and his name is synonymous with the Ford Capri in particular. He took top class honours in the series between 1976 and 1980, taking 25 wins, but such was the scoring system at that time that the overall crown often went to those in lower performing classes.

Gordon also took podiums at the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours and went on to create Spice Engineering, which became a well-known entrant in the World Sportscar Championship. He won the C2 Class of the World Championship in 1988.

We would all like to send our heartfelt condolences to Gordon’s family, friends and colleagues within the wider motorsport family.

PHOTO CREDIT: Jakob Ebrey/Silverstone Classic

Stage is set for more top-level tin-top action

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is preparing for back-to-back race events, with Croft hosting the next stop on the countrywide calendar next weekend (18/19 September). 

A trip to Silverstone just a few days later culminates in this pivotal point in the race for this year’s crown, with six races and more than 130 points up for grabs in just an eight-day period. 

First up is the visit to North Yorkshire, with the BTCC set to provide returning spectators with top-level tin-top action.  

Story So Far 

Four victories for Ash Sutton (Laser Tools Racing) so far this season set him apart from the chasing pack, as the driver of the #1 Infiniti Q50 looks to maintain his 30-point advantage at Croft next weekend. 

The next quartet of stars in the standings are blanketed by just 11 points with Tom Ingram (Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com), Josh Cook (BTC Racing), Jake Hill (MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square) and Colin Turkington (Team BMW) all looking to cement their own championship charge around the popular North Yorkshire venue. 

Four-time champion Turkington is often regarded as the ‘King of Croft’ thanks to an enviable career record around the 2.13-mile circuit, although there are signs in recent seasons that his rivals are catching him up.

Sutton, Cook and Ingram have all reached the top step of the rostrum at Croft since Turkington’s last success there back in 2017, so it remains unpredictable as to who will triumph this time around. 

It could well be Adam Morgan (Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport), who is nicely poised in the top six of the standings and won last time out at Thruxton.  

Triple champ Gordon Shedden (Halfords Racing with Cataclean) is still chasing his first victory of the season and will expect to contend, as will his team-mate Daniel Rowbottom, whilst manufacturer-backed Rory Butcher (Toyota Gazoo Racing UK) will be looking to bring home some silverware. 

Aside from those challengers, victory could be claimed by a local light with Senna Proctor (BTC Racing), Dan Lloyd and Jason Plato (both Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing) all gunning for glory in front of a home crowd. 

Ticket Prices, TV Times and Support Races 

Anticipation continues to build in the North Yorkshire area as BTCC spectators will make a welcome return to Croft for the first time since 2019. 

Britain's premier motorsport series will serve up three pulsating contests that will be jam-packed with wheel-to-wheel moments that will have fans either on their feet or edge of their seats. 

Discounted tickets are available in advance with FREE entry for children 12 and under, whilst 13–15-year-olds will need to hold a teen ticket for this race meeting (£3 on Saturday and £5 on Sunday). Adult weekend tickets are £43 when booked in advance, with Sunday admission £35.

Click here to purchase tickets.

BTCC qualifying on Saturday 18 September will be streamed live on itv.com/btcc from 1445, whilst the race day broadcast on Sunday 19 September commences at 1135 on ITV4.

A bumper support race programme is also confirmed, which includes the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, F4 British Championship and more. 

MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square’s Thruxton podium run continued during the latest rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, with Jake Hill bagging second place during the opening race at the Hampshire circuit last month.

A mixed Saturday preceded Thruxton’s race day for the squad, with Hill securing a front-row result while team-mate Ollie Jackson lined up 20th for Round 16.

Both drivers made impressive starts in race one, with Hill in the thick of the fight for the lead. The 27-year-old got past the BMW of Tom Oliphant in a decisive move before despatching pole-sitter Dan Rowbottom to regain second spot. Hill went on to take second at the chequered flag, having held off the attacks from Oliphant, to secure his fourth podium finish of the campaign.

Jackson, meanwhile, made up an impressive four places during the opening tour but would drop down the order to 18th following a battle with Chris Smiley and Aiden Moffat, although a post-race penalty promoted the #48 machine to 17th.

In a now much heavier #24 Ford Focus ST, Hill dropped to third off the line in the second race of the day. The BRDC Superstar defended the final podium position from the advances of Rory Butcher’s Toyota, but neither of the pair could stop reigning champion Ash Sutton’s charge and Hill dropped to fourth before the conclusion of the opening tour.

After an entertaining battle between Hill and Butcher, the Kent racer would cross the line in fourth at the end of the 16-lap encounter.

Having initially lost places during the first lap, Jackson quickly made his way back up to 18th, where he would remain for the rest of the race.

The final race of the day was ended early for Surrey racer Jackson, with the 37-year-old retiring with just five laps remaining following an issue resulting in an off-track excursion.

Hill was quickly up to fourth place from his fifth-place reverse grid position after getting ahead during a brave move, whilst running three-wide with Oliphant and Butcher into the first corner.

With his progress hampered by a trio of safety car periods, Hill hounded Senna Proctor in a sprint to the finish, but was unable to catch the Honda man and settled for a second fourth-place finish of the day.

The team turns its attention to Croft (18/19 September) now, with little over a week until the next rounds of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

“Sadly, another difficult day for us as we never really got a chance to show what we could do,” reflected Jackson. “I was happy to make up some places in the first race and pushed hard in the second and third but couldn’t quite get the guys ahead. It was a shame to end the weekend with a retirement which adds to the disappointment. We’ll make use of this short couple of weeks and come back stronger at Croft.”

“After Saturday’s performance in qualifying, I was quite confident we could take full advantage of that and take it to the podium,” remarked Hill. “The car felt very good all day and I was thrilled to take P2 in race one for our best result of the season. Our main aim was to get on the podium, but we wanted a top five finish in each race at the very least so I was pleased with fourth in races two and three. The championship is really closing up with little to separate us from second to fifth so it’s all to play for as we head to Croft.”

“Well done to all of the team and everyone at Motorbase for another podium-scoring performance,” added Sporting Director Mark Blundell. “The margins were very close in all three races so the team should be pleased with their efforts and the results. Thruxton is a fast circuit where you’re on the edge all of the time so Jake’s podium is very well deserved. I feel for Ollie after his retirement but I know he’ll use that disappointment to bounce back at Croft.”

Laser Tools Racing braved a roller-coaster weekend at Thruxton in Hampshire, with a quintet of points-scoring finishes the squad’s reward during the latest rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

While current standings leader Ash Sutton secured seventh spot on the grid during Saturday’s qualifying, a puncture and consequent damage for team-mate Aiden Moffat ended his session early and the Scot settled for 18th, while Carl Boardley’s Infiniti would line up 26th for Sunday’s first race.

The opening encounter saw Boardley make up places from the off, battling with the Ford of Sam Osborne to take 24th place. Sutton’s ballast-laden machine took an impressive fifth at the chequered flag, while Moffat’s 16th-place finish became 18th following a post-race penalty.

Firing into third during the opening tour of race two, a determined Sutton picked off the pack during race two in his #1 Infiniti. The 27-year-old continued a strong run, battling with Josh Cook before taking the lead and ultimately his fourth victory of the campaign on lap 11.

Moffat worked his way into the points during the 16-lap contest, crossing the line 13th, as Boardley once again made up places to take 21st.

With Sutton starting race three from eighth, following the reverse grid draw, and Moffat and Boardley in 13th and 21st respectively, the team’s hopes of strong results from the final outing of the day unfortunately didn’t come to fruition.

With an opening-lap incident kicking the race off under the safety car, Sutton struggled with the additional 75kg of success ballast onboard his Infiniti and, despite fighting back against his rivals, settled for a top ten finish by the conclusion of the 19th lap.

Despite moving into 12th after the opening lap, Moffat went on to defend 13th spot to the flag, but disaster struck for the #41 machine. Two bouts of contact from a rival resulted in race-ending damage for Boardley, concluding the 45-year-old’s trip to Hampshire.

The team next heads to North Yorkshire’s Croft circuit (18/19 September), for Rounds 19, 20 and 21, with Sutton holding on to the top spot in the Drivers’ Standings, while the team is tied on points with BTC Racing at the summit of the Teams’ battle.

The 2022 BTCC Hybrid development continues apace over the next seven days as the rear-wheel drive test car officially breaks cover.

The BMW 1-Series is having its maiden shakedown at the Stafford Test Facility today and tomorrow (9/10 September) and will then join the Toyota Corolla Hybrid for a two-day Goodyear tyre test at Snetterton next week (14/15 September).

Prepared by Ciceley Motorsport, the car will be managed by Cosworth Electronics – the company appointed to design, supply and service the BTCC Hybrid System – throughout its intensive testing cycle over the next few months.

After initial installation and systems checks at Stafford, the pace will then be cranked up in Norfolk next week when the stealth-like BMW joins the all-white Hybrid Toyota on-track, with the two cars being run simultaneously for the first time. 

The test also represents a hugely important data gathering process for Goodyear, as the official tyre supplier continues its ongoing tyre evaluation ahead of the BTCC’s Hybrid era.

James Cole and Andrew Jordan will be sharing driving duties between both cars at Snetterton, with the latter warming up ahead of the Silverstone race weekend, where the Hybrid Toyota will make its competitive bow in the Kwik Fit BTCC. 

The outing will also mark the maiden event for the new 2022 customer TOCA engine – developed by M-Sport – which has been run in the Hybrid Corolla throughout its 2021 testing programme.

Although scheduled to compete in all practice sessions, qualifying and the three races, the car will take each race start from the pit-lane so as not to interfere with the championship contenders.

EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com has today (9 September) announced that Nick Halstead will make his Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship debut with the team when the series heads to Croft for Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2021 season on 18/19 September.

The 49-year-old will join the Suffolk-based team for a one-off appearance at the wheel of the Hyundai i30 Fastback N that has been driven so far by Rick Parfitt, who is unable to compete in North Yorkshire having been advised to rest an ongoing back problem.

Halstead joins the grid having enjoyed a varied career in racing since making his on-track debut back in 2017 in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, where he secured a top three championship finish in the Am category at the first time of asking.

He then went on to lift the class title the following season before going on to compete in a range of series in recent seasons and this year, has taken part in both the BTCC-supporting Ginetta GT4 Supercup, and the British GT Championship.

Whilst Croft will mark his debut in the BTCC, Halstead has touring car experience from a part campaign in the 2019 TCR UK, where he secured a pole position at Brands Hatch and ended the season with a top six championship finish.

Halstead will line up alongside team regulars Tom Ingram, Chris Smiley and Jack Butel at Croft, with his outing in the Hyundai being supported by Ascential.

“Since I started racing in 2017, competing in the British Touring Car Championship has been an ambition,” said Halstead. “That only grew once I was on the TOCA package in the Ginetta Supercup and I could really get a sense of the scale of the series and the passion of the fans.

"I’m thrilled to be able to tick that box at Croft thanks to EXCELR8 Motorsport, Rick and Ascential. Although most of my racing has been in rear-wheel-drive GT cars, I’ve been competitive in front-wheel-drive racing before and I’m excited to experience the UK’s top touring car series in the Hyundai.”

"Since Knockhill, my back has been getting worse,” admitted Parfitt. “And although I was able to compete at Thruxton, I’ve been advised by my doctor that the best course of action is to rest it. I’m gutted to miss Croft as it’s a circuit I have never competed at before, but I’m excited that Nick – who is a good friend – is able to come in and take my place.

"Although it is hugely disappointing for me on a personal level, at the same time it’s fantastic that Nick can now fulfil a dream he has to compete in the BTCC. I’ll be rocking on all cylinders when we go to Silverstone."

"It’s a real shame that Rick has been advised to sit out the weekend at Croft given the strong performance he put in at Thruxton, particularly when you consider the discomfort he was feeling with his back,” said Team Owner Justina Williams. "At the same time, it’s great to welcome Nick into the fold for his BTCC debut and we’re looking forward to seeing how he gets on. We know it will be a big challenge for him to step into the car for his debut mid-season, and will provide him with all the support he needs to get the best results possible from the weekend."

MORGAN WINS INCIDENT-PACKED THRUXTON FINALE

Three safety car periods and a wild ride across the final chicane couldn’t prevent pole-sitter Adam Morgan from winning a thrilling Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship finale at Thruxton, as the Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport man led from start-to-finish.

Morgan fended off the hard-charging Team BMW car of Colin Turkington throughout the race, and with both drivers having been selected by the German marque to score Manufacturer points during the weekend, it was a firm but fair fight until the finish.

Various incidents involving the likes of Jade Edwards, Gordon Shedden, Ollie Jackson, Carl Boardley and Sam Smelt meant that the racing action was halted on three occasions, with Morgan having to get the restart right each time in order to stay in front.

Morgan’s main fright came with three laps remaining when the Ciceley star out-braked himself through the final chicane, enforcing an off-track run, but the #33 machine returned unscathed and with his lead intact.

Second place represented important championship points for Turkington, whilst BTC Racing’s Senna Proctor completed the podium, with MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square’s Jake Hill in fourth.

Tom Ingram had yet another scrap with his old team – Speedworks Motorsport – as his #80 Hyundai went wheel-to-wheel with rival Rory Butcher.

Ingram eventually won the fight in his Ginsters-backed Hyundai, as the manufacturer-backed Toyota of Butcher took sixth.

Josh Cook – having already enjoyed a stellar day with a win and a second place – held station to take seventh, ahead of the Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall of Jason Plato.

The Draper Tools-supported Hyundai of Chris Smiley was ninth, as he was one of a few drivers to muscle tenth-placed Ash Sutton down the order.

With the upcoming rounds of the BTCC due to take place at Croft next weekend (18/19 September) you can catch ITV's race highlights below, or click here for Thruxton's Story of the Day.

The BTCC Media Team recently caught up with Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Dan Rowbottom, recording an interview for local BBC Radio. Dan discussed his Thruxton outing, working under the watchful eye of series veteran Matt Neal, and looking ahead to the remainder of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign and more.

Looking back on a frustrating time out at Thruxton last month, having initially bagged pole for the opening race Rowbottom said:

"We didn't really capitalise on what was a really good Saturday. We took pole position, which was lovely, to take our second of the year. We had really good pace, and then it just didn't go to plan. It is what it is ultimately, and I guess that's what the BTCC's about. It's highs and lows – you just have to minimise your lows!"

Discussing his current position in the Drivers' standings, he added:

"At the start of the year, when we started the season, I don't think anyone expected me to be where we are now. So we've got to take a positive in that, that's good. We're showing people that we deserve to be on the grid. But when you know that you can do more it's frustrating. I'm looking quite closely at the points table. I know where I want to be when we're going to Brands Hatch GP."

Catch the full interview below...

Team BMW’s Colin Turkington punctuated a points-scoring weekend at Thruxton with a podium finish during the latest rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship last month.

Check out what the four-time champion had to say about the weekend in the Q&A below…

SCORING ANOTHER PODIUM FINISH MUST HAVE BEEN A GREAT WAY TO END THE RACE DAY?

It was a super way to end the day, and we almost did the weekend in reverse to how we like it. Race one was most difficult with the weight, but in races two and three the car came alive. Thruxton is always more challenging for our cars. It takes longer to get the hard tyre working, so to score over 30 points, after arriving with 57kgs of success ballast, was a great result.

WITHIN THE DRIVERS' STANDINGS, YOU'VE DROPPED TO FIFTH PLACE, BUT ARE ONLY 11 POINTS FROM P2. WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON THIS?

I'm so much happier going to Croft with only 33kgs! I'm only a handful of points from the guys ahead, but being 20 or 30 kilos lighter than them will make a big difference in our potential and expectations for qualifying. It's another important opportunity for me to capitalise on, and I'm super keen to crack on and begin to pull in the top spot.

IT WAS ANOTHER EVENTFUL RACE DAY AT THRUXTON, WERE YOU HOPEFUL OF THE WIN IN THE THIRD RACE?

The final race was a great chance to get a win, yes, but with the various disruptions from safety cars and one thing or another, it just didn't happen. I was pressuring Adam (Morgan) to force an error, which happened, but unfortunately I didn't progress because of it. These things swing around, so I'm sure that the luck will come back my way in the future. P2 was still a top result after how difficult the first race had been.

HOW ARE YOU FINDING RACING WITH FANS BACK IN ATTENDANCE?

The crowd for the drivers' parade was definitely the best yet, and it's a really cool way to start the day. We don't often take a moment to stop and appreciate the vibes on a race day but this time on our Sunday mornings has been a welcomed addition.

We also hosted a Q&A in our team hospitality unit for the first time since 2019, and again this was pretty special. The good results and the podiums with supporters and fans trackside are so much better and I hope we have many more special moments still to come between now and the end of the season.