Jersey racer Jack Butel has vowed to come back stronger in 2022 after a difficult end to his Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship programme at Brands Hatch (23/24 October).

Butel was hoping to draw his campaign to a close on a high at the famous Kent circuit, which was the scene of his maiden points finish in the series last year however, having suffered concussion in an incident during the previous event at Donington Park, he was unable to take up his place in the #96 EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com Hyundai.

With Andy Wilmot drafted for the weekend to drive the car, Butel was left to take a watching brief for the final three races of the campaign, and would cheer Wilmot on from the team garage as he secured a best finish of 19th.

Following a season where he took huge strides forwards, scoring three points finishes and securing two Jack Sears Trophy victories which saw him clinch the accolade during Thruxton’s second event, Butel goes into the winter with his focus firmly on returning to Britain’s premier racing series for a third season in 2022, with the main goal of challenging for the JST title.

"Standing in the garage watching someone else drive my car wasn't how I planned to enjoy the final rounds of the season," said Butel, "and to be fair, I didn't really enjoy it as I just wanted to be out there on track!

"It was a really tough way to end what has been a fantastic season for me. There are things we have managed to achieve that I wouldn't have thought possible at the start of the year.

"My pace has improved a huge amount this season and there have been some huge positives along the way, even though the year has ended on a low.

"I could probably write a book with everything I have learned this year and I think that puts me in a good position going into next season, where I'd love to return and have another crack at the Jack Sears Trophy.

"I have to say massive thank you to everyone in the EXCELR8 team for their efforts, and also thank all of the sponsors who have supported me across the year."

Multiple race-winning team Ciceley Motorsport has today (2 November) announced that it will be fielding a changed driver line-up for the 2022 BTCC season, having amicably parted ways with driver Tom Chilton.

Having taken the decision to switch to the BMW 330i M Sport ahead of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, the squad embarked on an encouraging development season in which Chilton played a key role.

The 36-year-old brought vast knowledge and experience to the outfit and gelled perfectly with the team and its personnel. In terms of results, Chilton’s adaptation to rear-wheel drive machinery was not entirely as hoped for, with a trio of top ten finishes at the Brands Hatch season finale confirming his best weekend of the campaign.

Ciceley Motorsport did win two races outright during its maiden season running the BMWs, as well as numerous Independents’ trophies, and will now be looking for a new driver to join its ranks alongside regular pilot Adam Morgan. The Lancastrian squad is already in talks with numerous candidates, as well as considering other driver options, ahead of the move into the BTCC’s hybrid era.

Russell Morgan, Ciceley Motorsport Team Owner, said: “We are all very sad to see Tom leave Ciceley Motorsport. He was a fantastic ambassador for the team, always extremely positive, and a great help in the engineering of the BMW. Unfortunately, the results do not reflect Tom’s hard work and dedication, but we feel it had just started to click at the end of the season. We understand Tom’s decision and wish him all the very best in the future.”

A little over a week since the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season-closer crowned its 2021 victors, the Official BTCC website is launching its Champions' Audio feature, where an interview with each title-holder will be posted every day this week.

In today's interview, we hear from Laser Tools Racing's Donna Moffat, as she reflects on another stellar campaign for the West Lothian-based squad.

It wasn't until the second race weekend of the campaign that the team staked its claim on the Teams' titles, but the squad went on to top the tables for the majority of the season thereafter.

Just after the halfway mark of the campaign, rivals BTC Racing edged ahead minutely in the Teams' battle, as both teams held the same exact number of points but with more top-points hauls the Brackley-based outfit would hold the advantage.

A strong weekend at Croft put the Infiniti team back on top, the position it would hold for the remainder of the season.

The fight for Independents glory was a similar story, with rivals gaining and losing their advantages throughout the season, while Laser Tools Racing prevailed once again.

The Official BTCC website caught up with Donna Moffat following the final race of the campaign to look back at a successful year for Laser Tools Racing.

Little over a week since the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season closer crowned its 2021 victors, the Official BTCC website is launching its Champions' Audio feature, where an interview with each title-holder will be posted every day this week.

With each clip recorded live just moments after the final podium celebrations at Brands Hatch, you can relive all the excitement and joy of the finale all this week.

First up in the series is Jack Sears Trophy winner Dan Rowbottom, who obtained an unassailable points lead during the penultimate event of the campaign, at Donington Park.

Having kicked off his sophomore year in Britain's premier motorsport series with a pair of JST victories at Thruxton, Rowbottom went on to bag an incredible 23 wins in the class during the 30-round campaign.

The 32-year-old not only made his first appearance on the overall rostrum during 2021 but also took his maiden BTCC victory at Oulton Park, demonstrating an affinity for his Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda Civic Type R as he became a regular frontrunner throughout the season.

Following the third and final race on Brands Hatch's Grand Prix circuit, the BTCC website caught up with Rowbottom to discuss how it felt to sign off the year with a podium finish as well as his 2021 campaign.

Round 28, 29 and 30 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship provided plenty from Brands Hatch, and ITV have you covered over the coming days if you need to catch up on the season finale

The network’s popular highlights programme covering all the reaction as Ash Sutton scooped his third Drivers' title will also be available on the ITV Hub for the next 30 days.

Check out all the times and channels you need to watch along below…

Highlights: Saturday 30 October 
ITV4 & ITV4 HD 1125-1300
ITV 4 +1 1225-1400
ITV Hub Available anytime for the next 30 days

Highlights: Sunday 31 October 
ITV4 & ITV4 HD 0800-0930
ITV4 +1 0900-1030

Highlights: Wednesday 3 November 
ITV & ITV HD 2340-0100
ITV +1 0040-0200

EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com signed off a breakthrough campaign with another podium finish to bring the curtain down on the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season at Brands Hatch (23/24 October).

The Suffolk-based team went into the season finale in contention for championship honours off the back of a strong campaign, with Tom Ingram one of five drivers still in with a chance of winning the overall title.

With concussion ruling Jack Butel out of the season finale, TCR UK racer Andy Wilmot was drafted in for the weekend to join Ingram, Chris Smiley and Rick Parfitt in the four-strong Hyundai line-up, but endured a tough start to the weekend as he was forced to sit out Saturday’s qualifying session having tweaked his back during free practice.

Ingram would lead the team’s challenge in the session as he secured 13th place on the grid despite the additional success ballast he was forced to carry due to his championship placing, with Smiley two places back in 15th – the pair having both lapped within half a second of pole.

Parfitt meanwhile took huge strides forwards across the three Saturday sessions and improved his lap time by nearly two seconds as he took 26th place on the grid.

Despite sustaining damage to his car following contact, Ingram was able to bring home a points finish in race one with 13th place while Smiley also finished where he started, having run in the points throughout.

Parfitt fought hard on track to end the race with 24th spot, with Wilmot returned to action with a new seat insert in place and raced from the back of the grid to 25th.

With the success ballast removed from his car for race two, Ingram was confident of racing his way up the order but instead found himself dropping to the back of the grid after being forced off track on lap one to avoid an incident ahead.

Despite that, he made the most of two safety car periods to work his way back up the order to recover to twelfth place at the finish.

A strong start saw Smiley jump up into ninth on the opening lap and he was pushing hard to make up further ground when he was tagged by a spinning Aiden Moffat at Graham Hill Bend, resulting in being forced into the pits to retire.

Parfitt had also taken huge strides forwards at the start to rocket up into the top 20 before contact saw him drop him back down the order, forcing him into an unscheduled stop that dropped him off the lead lap and left him in 21st spot.

Avoiding the various dramas ahead, Wilmot kept his nose clean to bring his car to the finish in 19th.

With the championship titles decided, all gloves were off for the final race and Ingram showed the pace of the Hyundai with a storming drive through to the pack to grab a ninth podium of the year with a fine third place. That also marked the 50th podium finish of his BTCC career.

Smiley was also a man on the move from 24th on the grid as he showed his speed to work his way up to twelfth place at the finish, whilst Wilmot ended the weekend with 25th place having dropped off the lead lap following an unscheduled stop to check a vibration. Unfortunately for Parfitt, driveshaft failure on the green flag lap would force him into the pits to retire.

The team ends the season having finished fourth in the overall championship and second in the Independents’ Standings, as well as fourth in the Jack Sears Trophy.

"It’s been a pretty positive way to end the season in terms of our pace as the changes we made to the car have brought it forwards again,” said Smiley. “Had we not been taken out of race two in the incident with Moffat then we could have had a P6 there and been in the mix for the reverse grid – and then I think a podium finish would have been on.

"We made up twelve places in the final race which isn’t easy round here and showed the pace that we’ve had all season. I think we’ve ended the year with a car that is quicker and quicker as we have been learning all the time, and it gives us something to build on for next season."

"It was all doom and gloom for me after Saturday when I pulled my back in FP1 and I ended up sitting out qualifying,” said Wilmot. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to race on Sunday and it nearly didn’t happen, but I had so much support and didn’t want to let anyone down.

"Race one was good as I managed to overtake a few people and then, in race two, I took advantage of issues for others to end up with P19. Starting there for race three I was well out of my comfort zone as these guys have been racing all season, and I just wanted to bring the car home in one piece, which we managed to do. Overall, as painful as it was at the start, I really enjoyed the weekend."

"It’s been a frustrating way to end the season and I feel a bit emotional because for me, this year has been the realisation of a dream,” said Parfitt. “I made it to the BTCC and I didn’t embarrass myself on track, and I’m really glad that I had the opportunity to get out there on the grid. They say that you shouldn’t be sad that it’s over, but be happy that it’s happened – and that is the way I feel about the season.

"It’s been a huge learning curve for me, but I feel I’ve become a better driver and am probably a better person as well for the experience and it’s been an honour to race alongside these guys. There are few things I know I’ll need to work on if I’m able to return again next year, but I have a lot more experience and feel a lot calmer as I understand the racing and feel I’ve made good ground across the campaign."

"It’s been a bit of a testing weekend and one of those where we are left to wonder what might have been,” said Ingram. “It was great to end the year with some silverware and my 50th BTCC podium, but at the same time, you are stood there thinking 'that's what we could have won'.

"We started the year with a podium and we have ended it with a podium as well, and I think we’ve had a bloody good season. I’ve had a thoroughly enjoyable time getting to know all the boys and girls in the team and we’ve secured some really good results along the way.

"I wanted to try and get the Independents’ title this season and we fell just short, but it’s been a brilliant season for us, and we have done some great things. We can look back at 2021 with a lot of satisfaction and I think we’ve laid some good foundations looking ahead to the hybrid era."

"The championship title was always going to be difficult at the weekend,” said Team Owner Justina Williams, “but I’m proud of the way we have performed this season and to have been in contention until the final meeting is a massive achievement.

"Considering this has only been our third season in the BTCC, we have been able to establish ourselves as a front-running outfit in the most competitive series in British motorsport, and the effort that has gone in this season will only benefit us going forwards.

"All of the drivers who have been involved this season have played their part, and I have to give huge credit to them and to everyone behind the scenes for the effort that has gone in across the year. With the new hybrid rules coming in, there will be very little time to relax over the winter and we’ll be working hard to ensure that we build on what we have achieved this season when 2022 comes around."

Team HARD. Racing concluded its 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign at the squad’s – and driver Jack Mitchell’s – home circuit of Brands Hatch last weekend (23/24 October) as the Kent-based team brought the Cupra’s maiden year in the BTCC to a close.

Drivers Jack Goff, Aron Taylor-Smith, Nic Hamilton and Mitchell headed into the weekend optimistic of good results on the 2.43-mile circuit, with Goff’s top ten finish in race three a real highlight after a trying day.

Jack Goff said: "It was a typical Sunday for us, as of recently. We seem to have far more pace compared to the pack on a Sunday than we do on a Saturday. We improved the car once again in all three races and it was nice to end the day with eighth following 11th in race two.

“It feels a shame for us to be ending the year now, but we can go into the winter knowing we finished on a reasonable high.

“I would just like to say a huge thank you to all of my partners who make racing possible, along with everyone at Team HARD. who have pushed so hard all year!”

Árón Taylor-Smith said: “Brands GP has always been a really kind track to me; I was full of optimism going into the weekend. The chassis around the Grand Prix track is one of the best touring car chassis I’ve ever driven, and I felt it only getting better as the weekend went on. It’s no secret that we’re looking forward to a change in engine package in 2022, and I firmly believe it’ll make us significantly more competitive.

“My day was marred by a few little incidents in races one and two, but that’s touring cars and you can’t escape it sometimes! Race three was significantly better, coming from outside the top 20 into the points, and running nose to tail with manufacturer team and multiple race winners Team BMW. This goes to show the Cupra has that calibre of being at the front. We saw this with Jack [Goff] as well; he was very competitive this weekend, and I think if we had the opportunity to start further up the grid the two of us could have worked together and cracked into the top five.

“The results don’t justify how quick the car was, but that’s why people love the touring cars – much like myself! We’ll be significantly better off the back of the weekend. I’m leaving happier with how it ended and looking forward to what 2022 will bring.”

Jack Mitchell said: “It was a difficult day in the office at my home circuit, and not the result we were looking for. The balance of the car changed massively from qualifying which made race one very difficult.

“My Engineer, Jeff, did a great job changing the setup over races however to improve the car. In race three the handling was brilliant, and we were in a points position until we suffered contact with another driver. Very gutted as it’s now how you want to end any race never mind the season, especially as I’ve just started getting up to speed.

“However, I’m pleased with the improvements we made. We’ll hopefully be back next year for some more action on the grid!”

Reflecting on the campaign, Team Owner, Tony Gilham added: "Developing the Cupra has come with its challenges. However, the quick progress we've made on the BTCC grid this season has shown its potential to bring home well-deserved victories."

Following 30 races at nine different circuits, the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship reached its conclusion at Brands Hatch last weekend (23/24 October), with Rory Butcher and Sam Smelt both scoring points for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK in the final event of the season.

Butcher got proceedings off to a promising start in the first free practice session by posting the second-quickest lap time amongst the 29 high-calibre contenders, barely 0.1s adrift of the outright benchmark – but the switch to new tyres for qualifying adversely affected the balance of the team’s British-built Toyota Corolla GR Sport, leaving the Scot languishing in an uncharacteristic 19th place.

No shortage of midnight oil was burned in a bid to get to the bottom of the problem, and despite there being scarce real action in Sunday’s first race, Butcher nonetheless made up three spots to finish 16th, just outside of the points-paying positions.

In race two, the former BTCC Independents’ Champion and Jack Sears Trophy winner navigated his way carefully through an opening lap melee to rise to eighth, only to subsequently find himself squeezed off-track by Aiden Moffat at Druids as he attempted an overtake.

To his immense credit, Butcher kept his foot firmly planted and saved a squirrely slide to successfully execute the manoeuvre and snatch seventh place, but his brief ‘lawnmower’ moment left him with grass in the radiator. That sent his engine temperature skyrocketing and forced him into a defensive drive for the remainder of the race, withstanding relentless pressure from behind to cling grittily onto his position right to the chequered flag.

From third on the partially reversed grid for the day’s finale, the 34-year-old Kirkcaldy native was confident of a podium push, but a wheelspin-afflicted launch cost him ground and thereafter he struggled for pace. A ninth-place finish was nevertheless sufficient to cement seventh spot in the overall Drivers’ standings at the end of his maiden campaign with the Speedworks Motorsport-run outfit in the UK’s premier motor racing series.

In the sister Corolla, Sam Smelt wound up less than two tenths-of-a-second behind Butcher in qualifying to seal 23rd position around Brands Hatch’s famous ‘GP’ layout, and he similarly kept pace with his more experienced team-mate in the curtain-raising contest on race day, advancing to 20th by the conclusion of the 17-lap race.

In race two, the 25-year-old Leicester-born ace then pulled off a number of impressive passes to break into points-scoring territory with a 13th-place finish – in so doing, finally ending a luckless run stretching all the way back to Thruxton in May – although his hopes of cracking the top ten in race three were scuppered on the first lap, as he dropped to the very tail of the field following an incident with a rival, from where he recovered to 21st at the flag.

“There’s no bones about it – we had a tough weekend at Brands Hatch,” admitted Team Principal Christian Dick. “We were quick in free practice, but when we bolted fresh rubber on for qualifying, it changed the balance of the car in a way we hadn’t anticipated. That caught us off-guard and there was a lot of head-scratching to try to figure out the reason why.
 
“We made some solid progress before race one but couldn’t really demonstrate it given how little movement there was throughout the field, and we improved the Corolla even more for race two, when Rory did a great job considering the engine problems he was battling. We were constantly monitoring whether we would need to pit, knowing that if we did we would be consigned to the rear of the grid for race three and if we didn’t, we risked blowing the engine – it was that critical, and we were very relieved that he reached the finish.
 
“On the other side of the garage, Sam produced a really strong performance to score three thoroughly well-deserved points, which was great to see. He’s certainly had his fair share of knockbacks this year, but he has increasingly shown what he is capable of, and that result was long overdue. His pace in race one was virtually on a par with Rory’s, and he is coming on in leaps and bounds so we were all extremely pleased for him.
 
“Looking back as a whole, we came into this season having made a lot of changes, from the expansion to two cars to a shake-up of the engineering team, two new drivers obviously and a whole raft of new staff – it was a huge upheaval, and it inevitably took a little bit of time for everything to ‘click’. Since that has happened, I think we have proved we are a match for anybody else in terms of raw pace, and with some more time to fine-tune everything now over the winter, we can’t wait for 2022!”

“That was hard work!” added Butcher. “We were chasing our tails all weekend and never able to pinpoint quite what was wrong – given the Corolla has been absolutely on fire in recent events, the lack of speed was unexpected, to say the least.

“Several big set-up changes between qualifying and the races seemed to bring some sort of resolution, but in so doing, we ran into other issues – we just never found the sweet spot and were particularly struggling over the kerbs out on the ‘GP’ loop. It was difficult to stay consistent and to have the confidence to really attack.
 
“The car was probably at its best in race two, but the grass in the radiator caused the water temperature to shoot skywards. That meant I had to back off and cruise around at nine-tenths to make sure I was looking after the engine, and I came under increasing pressure from behind as the race progressed. I managed to get to the end without losing any positions, which was a great result – although it also went to show what might have been achievable without that problem.
 
“Starting from third on the grid, I felt really hopeful for race three, but we simply didn’t have the pace we thought we would. It was obviously disappointing for the team not to end on a high after all the effort that everybody has put in, but ultimately, that didn’t detract from a brilliant second half of the season overall.”

“As a team, we struggled with the balance of the car at Brands Hatch and were generally lacking rear stability,” said Smelt. “We’d had a few difficulties around the ‘Indy’ circuit earlier in the year too, so we made a lot of changes after qualifying and whilst it still wasn’t quite right, the Corolla felt a lot better on Sunday.
 
“The first race was pretty decent – we had good pace and were in the mix, although there weren’t many opportunities to make up places – and then race two was really enjoyable. I was so pleased to finally get back into the points and to achieve my best finish of the season on the last day – it felt like it had been a long time coming, and it was great to be able to give something back to all the Speedworks guys and girls for their hard work.
 
“I was optimistic of moving forward again in race three, but Carl Boardley lost the rear of his car on the first lap and speared into me, which dropped me down the order and knocked my rear tracking out. I managed to regain some of the lost ground although, in truth, it was my own bad start that had put me in that position in the first place so I also have to shoulder part of the blame.
 
“It’s clearly been a tough year, but it was encouraging to end on a high with some more points and in many ways, it’s a shame we’ve got to stop now as I just want to keep going! Still, we’ve got some really positive momentum to take with us into the winter, so onwards and upwards from here.”

Brands Hatch once again provided an enthralling final weekend of tin-top action, as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship's 2021 campaign came to a conclusion last weekend (23/24 October).

The trio of races on the 2.43-mile Grand Prix loop culminated in the crowning of 2021 BTCC Champion Ash Sutton, but – as has become customary in Britain's premier motorsport series – the action on track saw captivating battles up and down the field as drivers rallied to put on a show for fans both trackside and at home for the final time this year.

Using the audio players below, you can listen to the circuit commentary from each encounter at the Kent circuit at your own leisure and relive all the drama from the final three rounds of the year.

Race 1:

Race 2:

Race 3:

Halfords Racing with Cataclean rounded out the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship with a superb day in Kent, as drivers Gordon Shedden and Dan Rowbottom combined to ensure the team secured a podium finish in each of the three races around Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix circuit.

The pair kept the Droitwich-based outfit at the sharp end throughout the weekend, with Rowbottom topping the times during Saturday’s initial free practice session and netting second in the final race of the campaign, while Shedden took the honours in FP2 before bagging third place in Rounds 28 and 29.

Having shown the speed of the Honda Civic Type Rs in free practice, Rowbottom and Shedden lined up third and fourth respectively for race one, ready to attack the BTC Racing machines of Senna Proctor and Josh Cook ahead.

While the pair both bolted away from the line, it was Shedden who came out ahead, getting past his team-mate into the final podium spot. He then set off in pursuit of Proctor for second but wasn’t able to get close enough to mount a serious attack, although the #52 machine did set the fastest lap of the contest – and a new lap record for the legendary Grand Prix circuit – before taking third at the flag.

Rowbottom fended off an attack from Dan Lloyd, who eventually wriggled by, relegating the Jack Sears Trophy leader to fifth by the second tour. He went on to defend the position from a persistent Ash Sutton for the remainder of the race, making it his 17th top ten finish of his sophomore campaign.

Both drivers would find themselves with additional success ballast for the second encounter, with Shedden battling to get past the fast-starting Vauxhall of Lloyd. The three-time champion was ultimately unable to mount a sufficient attack on the #123 machine and, after Colin Turkington squeezed past Rowbottom, Shedden defended the final podium spot from the BMW man to the conclusion of the 18-lap race.

With Turkington putting massive pressure on the #32 Honda from the off, a tiny slide at Paddock Hill Bend on lap ten was the mistake he needed to get past heading to Druids, with Rowbottom ending the race in fifth once again. A highlight during the encounter saw the Kidderminster racer pip his team-mate’s new lap record as he took the coveted fastest lap point on the 2.43-mile circuit.

Rowbottom began the final race of 2021 from fifth on the grid, by virtue of the reverse grid draw, while his team-mate would start in P7.

The 32-year-old made a good start moving ahead of a pair of rivals, before setting off after Sutton’s race-leading Infiniti. A safety car period hampered Rowbottom’s progress, as the Honda took longer to get its rubber back up to temperature on the restart, and it became a fourth rostrum finish of the campaign as Rowbottom bagged second place.

The final race of the day saw Shedden lose places off the line, before moving through the pack to return to seventh spot at the finish, defending the place from an attacking Jack Goff throughout most of the second half of the contest.

Rowbottom confirmed his Jack Sears Trophy title success at Brands Hatch, taking another trio of victories, resulting in an impressive 23 wins from the 30-round campaign, while Shedden’s consistency in Kent moved him up to sixth in the Drivers’ Standings in a mixed season for the Scotsman.

“It’s been a good season, but frustrating at times,” reflected Rowbottom. “I came into the season aiming for the Jack Sears Trophy and to win that was mission accomplished. A win and two poles proved what I am capable of and so now I reset my expectations and aims for 2022 and go out to win the title. I have always raced to win the BTCC outright and I’m ready to go again and bid to win the championship.”

“On the podium nine times,” said Shedden. “But nine non-scores… the story of my season. My car felt really good over the weekend and obviously we’ve had cracking pace. We’ll start on the front foot next year though; we’ve just got to attack and see how we get on.”