MOFFAT, HILL AND TURKINGTON TRIUMPH AT CROFT

BTCC title chase gathers pace at North Yorkshire circuit

A first victory of the season for Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat was followed by an identical feat for MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square man Jake Hill as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship provided wheel-to-wheel action at Croft.

Colin Turkington ensured that normal service was resumed in the finale, as the ‘King of Croft’ scored his 13th career victory at the North Yorkshire venue.

Despite several title challengers scoring big on the day, standings leader Ash Sutton left the circuit with his points advantage largely intact as he bagged a brilliant trio of top six finishes.

It was Moffat who proved to be the Laser Tools Racing hero this weekend, however, as he converted a first-ever pole position into a commanding lights-to-flag win in the opener.

Moffat controlled the pace from the outset, often cleverly bulking up the bunch behind as his rear-wheel drive Infiniti Q50 exited the final Hairpin, and he expertly fended off the advances of Hill’s Ford Focus throughout to take his first win since Silverstone in 2018.

BTC Racing’s Senna Proctor finished third after he got the better of Team BMW’s Turkington around the outside of Tower Bend on the opening lap.

It was Hill’s turn to produce a masterful display in the second pulsating bout as he made a fantastic early move past the pole-man.

Moffat, running maximum success ballast onboard his Infiniti virtue of his earlier race win, struggled slightly through the Complex as his Goodyear tyres came up to temperature and Hill made the most of his opportunity.

Hill immediately disappeared into the distance as a quite remarkable battle for second ensued.

Moffat hung on to the place, somehow, even after a mid-race hit from the BTC Racing Honda of Josh Cook, which caused a concertina effect behind.

Team BMW’s Turkington was bulked up following contact at the final Hairpin, leading to a further incident at turn one with Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Gordon Shedden, which subsequently enabled Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com’s Tom Ingram and Sutton past both of them.

When the dust settled, it was Cook completing the podium ahead of Ingram, Sutton, Shedden and Turkington in a scrap that will live long in the memory.

It was ‘lucky 13’ for Turkington as he took the spoils in the final contest, continuing his remarkable record around the 2.13-mile circuit.

The four-time champion has often shied away from his ‘King of Croft’ moniker over the years, but this proved to be a vital victory as the Northern Irishman kept his championship challenge on track.

Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Shedden equalled his best result of the season so far with second as he held off Sutton, although the latter still scored an important extra point for setting the fastest lap.

At the conclusion of another dramatic weekend of BTCC action, Sutton now holds a solid 29-point advantage with nine races remaining. Hill, Turkington, Cook and Ingram are separated by just eight points as the quartet look to hunt down the reigning champion.

Laser Tools Racing and Sutton are also holding sway in the Teams’ and both Independents’ tables, whilst BMW still leads the way in the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ championship.

Carl Boardley triumphed in the Jack Sears Trophy although Daniel Rowbottom continues to top the overall table in that category.

It is a quick turnaround for the UK’s premier motorsport series as Rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Silverstone next weekend (25/26 September).

Aiden Moffat said: “It’s my first win in rear-wheel drive! I can’t really use the excuses and say that it was anything to do with the car after watching Ash do it week in, week out, but it was nice to get our first win in rear-wheel drive and to reward the team for putting up with me!

“Jake [Hill] and the Focus have been so fast all year, so I knew my life was going to be very difficult. Through Sunny In to Sunny Out I was really struggling. The car was quick there yesterday, but I was slow on the edge, which was easy to create understeer or oversteer, and being in the lead I thought I’d just try to dial it back and try and use the traction. We had to think about that race a lot and he made it difficult but that just makes it more rewarding to get that first win in rear-wheel drive for Laser Tools Racing.”

Jake Hill said: “You’d have to go back to my Ginetta Junior days to find another win I’ve had as easy as that. Get in there. I’m absolutely over the moon with that. Huge credit to these guys behind me, they’ve done a fantastic job. The car was faultless, even with the weight in it was easy to manage, and the tyres stayed with me right until the end – just a massive thank you to all the team!

“The strong deficit we have compared to the rear-wheel drive cars is the opening laps. I respect Aiden [Moffat] because he left me the room where I needed it and vice-versa and we managed to squeeze through! Once we got into the lead there was the safety car and that was fine, managed that. Off we went – I got my head down and just cracked on with it. It was absolutely fantastic! Mark Blundell (Team Principal) owes me a barbecue now!”

Colin Turkington said: “The ‘King of Croft’ lives on for another year! A win is a great way to end my day. Even sitting on the grid in P1, looking good, I wasn’t believing really that I could do that because you never know the pace or the handling of the car. But once I got through the first few laps I knew the car was better than I’d had all day. I could see Ash [Sutton] was behind Gordon [Shedden] and probably didn’t want to take too much risk, so I just got my head down. Big credit to Team BMW, they had a lot of work to do between races one and two but it paid off!

“I took a look every time coming out of the hairpin and I could still see a black car in front of a blue car so I was quite pleased about that. But I really enjoyed that. As I’ve said many times, Croft is a great circuit to drive and especially when the 3 Series is in the sweet spot. It’s pure delight.

“I’m not sure if P3 [in the Standings] is good or bad. It’s good points and great to get a win, whatever weight we have to carry at Silverstone. We’ll just plan our strategy accordingly. But we’re all going to enjoy this win for now. It was hard earned from race one and race two. Race two we were in the wars and nearly didn’t survive, so it’s great to convert it.”

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Croft

1             Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 16 laps
2             Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +3.500s
3             Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +3.716s
4             Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +7.282s
5             Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +7.896s
6             Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +16.730s
7             Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +18.360s
8             Senna PROCTOR(GBR) BTC Racing +18.979s
9             Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +20.363s
10           Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +20.810s

Penalties:

From Thruxton (Race 3):
Gordon Shedden received an official reprimand and had his licence endorsed by the addition of two penalty points for an incident involving Jade Edwards.

Dan Rowbottom was penalised by the addition of 1 second to his overall race time for overtaking under safety car conditions.

Race 1
Chris Smiley received an official reprimand and had his licence endorsed by the addition of two penalty points for an incident involving Dan Rowbottom.

Aron Taylor-Smith received a verbal warning for an incident involving Dan Rowbottom.

Race 2
Chris Smiley was penalised by the addition of 0.7 seconds to his overall race time for an incident involving Stephen Jelley.

Race 3
Dan Rowbottom received an official reprimand and had his licence endorsed by the addition of two penalty points for an incident involving Stephen Jelley.

LUCKY 13 FOR COLIN TURKINGTON

Colin Turkington took the spoils in the BTCC finale at Croft, as the Team BMW man claimed his 13th career win at the North Yorkshire venue.

The four-time champion has often shied away from his 'King of Croft' tag over the years, but this proved to be a vital victory as the Northern Irishman kept his championship challenge on-track.

"The 'King of Croft' lives on for another year! A win is a great way to end my day. Even sitting on the grid in P1, looking good, I wasn’t believing really that I could do that because you never know the pace or the handling of the car. But once I got through the first few laps I knew the car was better than I’d had all day. I could see Ash [Sutton] was behind Gordon [Shedden] and probably didn’t want to take too much risk, so I just got my head down. Big credit to Team BMW, they had a lot of work to do between races one and two but it paid off!

"I took a look every time coming out of the hairpin and I could still see a black car in front of a blue car so I was quite pleased about that. But I really enjoyed that. As I’ve said many times, Croft is a great circuit to drive and especially when the 3 Series is in the sweet spot. It’s pure delight.

"I’m not sure if P3 [in the Standings] is good or bad. It’s good points and great to get a win, whatever weight we have to carry at Silverstone. We’ll just plan our strategy accordingly. But we’re all going to enjoy this win for now. It was hard earned from race one and race two. Race two we were in the wars and nearly didn’t survive, so it’s great to convert it."

Halfords Racing with Cataclean's Gordon Shedden equalled his best result of the season so far with second as he held off championship leader Ash Sutton, although the Laser Tools Racing man still scored an important extra point for setting the fastest lap.

"It was a tough day yesterday, but we clawed our way back and clawed our way through," said Shedden. "This is a great reward for everyone at Halfords Racing with Cataclean, here on the podium that looked a million miles away! There’s nothing like ten or eleven laps of having Ash Sutton on your back bumper the whole way through just to focus the mind.

"He’s got a championship to win and that’s got to be his focus. He’s not racing me in the championship, and I need every point I can get. He needs to think of the bigger picture, which he did. He had a couple of goes and in a couple of places where I was stronger I could kind of cover it off a bit. But we’ll leave reasonably happy with that result."

In truth, the contest was somewhat of a procession by BTCC standards and it was title contenders Tom Ingram (Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com) and Josh Cook (BTC Racing) that secured fourth and fifth respectively, ahead of Aiden Moffat in the second Laser Tools Racing Infiniti.

MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill rounded off a very productive day with seventh, although a mid-race skirmish with Adam Morgan's Ciceley Motorsport-run BMW slightly blotted his copybook.

Senna Proctor edged Daniel Rowbottom in a Honda Civic Type R battle for eighth, whilst Tom Chilton was finally provided with some reward for plugging away all weekend – a top ten finish for the Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport man.

It's a quick turnaround now for the UK's premier motorsport series as Rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Silverstone next weekend (25/26 September).

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Croft

1             Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 16 laps
2             Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +3.500s
3             Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +3.716s
4             Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +7.282s
5             Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +7.896s
6             Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +16.730s
7             Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +18.360s
8             Senna PROCTOR(GBR) BTC Racing +18.979s
9             Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +20.363s
10           Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +20.810s
11           Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +21.279s
12           Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +22.409s
13           Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +22.600s
14           Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +23.383s
15           Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +26.709s
16           Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +34.310s
17           Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +34.872s
18           Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +36.467s
19           Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +36.939s
20           Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +45.435s
21           Nick HALSTEAD (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1 lap
22           Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1 lap
23           Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1 lap
24           Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +11 laps
25           Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +15 laps
26           Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +15 laps
27           Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +15 laps
28           Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +16 laps
29           Jack MITCHELL (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +16 laps

HILL CLIMBS TO THE TOP

Jake Hill produced a masterful display to triumph in the second pulsating Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race at Croft, as the MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square star also closed the gap at the top of the standings.

The moment of truth in terms of the victory came early in the bout as Hill made a fantastic move past pole-sitter Aiden Moffat in his Laser Tools Racing Infiniti. Moffat, running maximum success ballast virtue of his earlier race win, struggled slightly through the Complex as his Goodyear tyres came up to temperature and Hill made the most of his opportunity.

Hill immediately disappeared into the distance as a quite remarkable battle for second ensued.

Moffat hung on to the place, somehow, even after a mid-race hit from the BTC Racing Honda of Josh Cook, which caused drama as the concertina effect took hold.

Team BMW's Colin Turkington was bulked up behind following the contact ahead at the final Hairpin, which led to a further incident at turn one with Halfords Racing with Cataclean's Gordon Shedden, enabling Tom Ingram's Ginsters-backed Hyundai and Laser Tools Racing's Ash Sutton past both of them.

When the dust settled it was Cook completing the podium ahead of Ingram, Sutton, Shedden and Turkington in a scrap that will live long in the memory.

BTC Racing's Senna Proctor faded somewhat and could only manage eighth, whilst Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan and Team BMW's Stephen Jelley rounded out the top ten.

There was one safety car period when the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Corolla of Rory Butcher clashed with Tom Chilton's BMW on the opening tour, whilst Tom Oliphant (Team BMW) and Nic Hamilton (ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading) both retired following contact in separate incidents.

The final BTCC race commences at 1705 and will be screened live on ITV4.

Jake Hill said: "You’d have to go back to my Ginetta Junior days to find another win I’ve had as easy as that. Get in there. I’m absolutely over the moon with that. Huge credit to these guys behind me, they’ve done a fantastic job. The car was faultless, even with the weight in it was easy to manage, and the tyres stayed with me right until the end – just a massive thank you to all the team!

"The strong deficit we have compared to the rear-wheel drive cars is the opening laps. I respect Aiden [Moffat] because he left me the room where I needed it and vice-versa and we managed to squeeze through! Once we got into the lead there was the safety car and that was fine, managed that. Off we went – I got my head down and just cracked on with it. It was absolutely fantastic! Mark Blundell (Team Principal) owes me a barbecue now!"

Aiden Moffat said: "It was definitely hard not being used to carrying the 75kg. Some parts of the track I thought it wasn’t too bad and then at other parts you really notice it, like coming out of Tower. I was always under pressure coming through the Esses with the quicker cars just behind.

"It was difficult, I had to really park it up, but when you’re in that position you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. I’m sure it’s frustrating for the people behind me but we did what we needed to do for Laser Tools Racing."

Josh Cook said: "It’s just all blurred into one – it was a busy race, wasn’t it! Once I got past Senna [Proctor], I just set down to try and get Aiden [Moffat], but it was a very wide car. It would have been a bit risky to throw a move up the inside.

"Then obviously the cavalry came from behind, so it was a bit of a tricky race. It was about knowing which battles to pick and when to back out. It was a busy race but I’m really pleased for the team to get P3."

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2– Croft

1          Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square 18 laps
2          Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +5.508s
3          Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +6.849s
4          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +7.512s
5          Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +7.749s
6          Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +7.999s
7          Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +10.087s
8          Senna PROCTOR(GBR) BTC Racing +11.254s
9          Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +12.262s
10        Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +12.438s
11        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +12.616s
12        Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +12.771s
13        Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +13.152s
14        Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +13.370s
15        Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +13.810s
16        Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +14.927s
17        Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +15.131s
18        Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +15.330s
19        Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +16.011s
20        Jack MITCHELL (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +16.472s
21        Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +17.225s
22        Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +18.419s
23        Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +19.013s
24        Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +31.145s
25        Nick HALSTEAD (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +33.461s
26        Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1 lap
27        Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +13 laps
28        Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +17 laps
29        Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +18 laps

MOFFAT FENDS OFF HILL FOR RACE ONE WIN

Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat claimed victory in Round 19 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as the pole-sitter fended off Jake Hill’s Ford Focus for the full duration at Croft.

Moffat controlled the pace from the outset, often cleverly bulking up the bunch behind as his rear-wheel drive Infiniti Q50 exited the final Hairpin, and the Scotsman also expertly dealt with an early safety car period.

MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square’s Hill kept the leader honest for the entire 18-laps, but Moffat would not be denied his first victory of the season and his first P1 success since Silverstone in 2018.

BTC Racing’s Senna Proctor finished third after he got the better of Team BMW’s Colin Turkington around the outside of Tower Bend on the opening lap, whilst BTC Racing's Josh Cook completed the top five positions after an early skirmish with the BMW 330i M Sport of Tom Oliphant.

Championship leader Ash Sutton was sixth after his own impressive early pass on Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan through the Complex and exiting the Hairpin, with the latter also dropping another place to the EXCELR8-run Hyundai of Chris Smiley.

Dan Lloyd (Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing) and Gordon Shedden (Halfords Racing with Cataclean) rounded out the top ten after the duo went side-by-side on a number of occasions.

Tom Chilton was 11th in the second Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport BMW, whilst title challenger Tom Ingram made up ten placed to claim 12th in the Ginsters-backed Hyundai.

Halfords Racing with Cataclean's Daniel Rowbottom endured a bruising encounter with three separate incidents involving the likes of Oliphant, Ollie Jackson's Ford and Aron Taylor-Smith's CUPRA, contact with the latter eventually ending his challenge.

Aiden Moffat said: "It’s a first win in rear-wheel drive! I can’t really use the excuses and say that it was anything to do with the car after watching Ash do it week in, week out, but it was nice to get our first win in rear-wheel drive and to reward the team for putting up with me!

"Jake [Hill] and the Focus have been so fast all year, so I knew my life was going to be very difficult. Through Sunny In to Sunny Out I was really struggling. The car was quick there yesterday, but I was slow on the edge, which was easy to create understeer or oversteer, and being in the lead I thought I’d just try to dial it back and try and use the traction. We had to think about that race a lot and he made it difficult but that just makes it more rewarding to get that first win in rear-wheel drive for Laser Tools Racing."

Jake Hill said: "We had a go at Aiden [Moffat], it was good! I think we both drove really well there. It was a good, hard touring car race at the end of the day. I’m thrilled to be coming away with second place. Lots of points again and it’s nice to bump up in the championship and edge closer to Ash [Sutton]. It’s good.

"To be honest I was fairly surprised at how long the car stayed with me [with 48kg of success ballast]. I knew the pace was there for the first five to ten laps but then it was interesting to see just how long it stayed with me. Great job by the team. MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square did a great job and have done all weekend so far, so bring on race two!"

Senna Proctor said: "I’m really happy. I was egging Jake on to have a go at Aiden so that I could capitalise on anything that happened. We had the soft tyre on and by the time that the safety car came out I lost the advantage that I would have had with the tyre earlier on, so it was an up and down race. I’m just happy to have a podium and my home meeting! Everyone at BTC Racing has done a great job so a big thanks to them.

"After the bad start at Oulton Park from pole position, I’ve vowed to never make a bad start again. I got in front of Adam [Morgan] and then Colin [Turkington] going on the run to Tower as they’re a little bit weak on the front tyres due to tyre temps on the first couple of laps. So I capitalised there and it was just a case of follow the leader. Not able to make much impression from there but we’ll put the weight in and go again at race two."

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Croft

1             Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 18 laps
2             Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.520s
3             Senna PROCTOR(GBR) BTC Racing +1.888s
4             Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +2.269s
5             Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +2.877s
6             Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +4.502s
7             Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +5.447s
8             Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +6.728s
9             Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +7.337s
10           Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +8.043s
11           Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +8.808s
12           Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +9.776s
13           Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +10.064s
14           Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +11.970s
15           Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +12.649s
16           Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +13.576s
17           Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +14.276s
18           Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +14.941s
19           Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +15.167s
20           Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +15.167s
21           Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +16.101s
22           Jack MITCHELL (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +17.614s
23           Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +23.884s
24           Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +29.719s
25           Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +30.118s
26           Nick HALSTEAD (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +34.270s
27           Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +1:32.556s
28           Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +15 laps
29           Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +15 laps

QUALIFYING IN QUOTES: CROFT

With a trio of enthralling encounters due to take place during today's Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race day action at Croft, you can relive yesterday's qualifying session ahead of Round 19, which kicks off at 1205.

Interviews with the top three on the grid, Aiden Moffat, Jake Hill and Colin Turkington, and the full session commentary podcast can be heard below, so you can ensure you didn't miss a minute.

Moffat's flying lap, which took place just minutes before the conclusion of the session, secured a maiden pole position for the Laser Tools Racing man:

It was P2 on the grid for a second consecutive opening race for MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill:

Team BMW's Colin Turkington lines up third for race one, having held P1 several times during qualifying:

Listen to Croft's circuit commentary from the full session now:

MARVELLOUS MAIDEN POLE POSITION FOR AIDEN MOFFAT

Laser Tools Racing's Aiden Moffat scored a first-ever career Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship pole position earlier today (18 September) after the Scotsman set a stunning pace at Croft.

Moffat became the youngest driver in BTCC history when he first entered the series at just 16 years old back in 2013, and it has been a lengthy but rewarding process towards this milestone moment for the undoubted talent.

MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square man Jake Hill is still searching for his first pole position after falling short by just 0.040s, although the Kent racer now leads the Goodyear Wingfoot Award as the best overall qualifier over the course of the season so far.

Colin Turkington was left pleased with third on the grid for tomorrow's opener as the four-time champion ensured his Team BMW machine was ahead of a number of title rivals.

BTC Racing's Senna Proctor topped the timesheets during final practice, but had to settle for fourth in qualifying, whilst recent race winner Adam Morgan (Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport) took an encouraging fifth.

Tom Oliphant made it three BMWs inside the top six, as he edged out Josh Cook's BTC Racing Honda. Such was the pace at the head of the field that the top seven drivers were covered by an incredible 0.177s.

Reigning champion Ash Sutton ended up eighth in his ballast-laden #1 Laser Tools Racing Infiniti, whilst Daniel Rowbottom produced a last-gasp effort to fire his wounded Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda up to ninth.

Jason Plato was tenth for Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing.

Gordon Shedden (Halfords Racing with Cataclean), Tom Ingram (Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com) and Rory Butcher (Toyota Gazoo Racing UK) were noticeable absentees from the top ten as the trio could only manage 17th, 21st and 29th respectively. Butcher suffered particular heartache as engine failure halted his session in the opening minutes.

Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will take place at Croft tomorrow with tickets still available on the gate. Those not in attendance can watch the action live on ITV4 from 1135.

Aiden Moffat said: "That’s taken some waiting, hasn’t it! I’ve been in the BTCC since 2013 and that’s my first pole so it’s special, a special moment. We had good pace this year and I can’t thank Team HARD, Laser Tools Racing, BMR Engineering, my engineer Dan and even Ash Sutton for the help he gives me. So it’s nice to get that long-awaited pole.

"Today I felt confident with the car the team gave me, so I wasn't just chasing the car, but working on myself and not overdriving. Adopting the calm Colin [Turkington] technique – I probably should have tried that about six years ago, I’ve wasted a bit of time. The guys gave me a great car so I was able to focus on myself, the driving and the technical stuff, which is what made the difference.

"We know we’ve got a good car; it’ll be good for the races and holds the tyres well. So I think we’ve got a good race car underneath us as well as a qualifying car."

Jake Hill said: "I’m absolutely thrilled. So, so close to my first pole – yet again – especially after Thruxton. But I’m over the moon nonetheless. We’re the highest-placed car with that amount of weight and the other championship contenders are a bit further down the grid, so that’s what matters. We’re driving well, I’m driving well, and the car's behaving itself so I’m really enjoying it at the moment.

"I’m going for the win. Simple as that. We’ve got to just get as many points as we can, and I know the win’s on the cards. Especially if it’s going to be damp or wet tomorrow. I’m really, really excited to see what tomorrow brings. I don’t really care what the weather does, it’s fine as I think we’re quick no matter what – I’m happy."

Colin Turkington said: "I’m in a very good place to start. Obviously, I held top spot for a while but I just got as much as I could out of the car on both runs. My fastest time was on the first. We made a change to try and improve it. The car was very much the same on the second run and I did the same lap time, so I think I achieved as much as I could. But we’re near the sharp end and I’ve given myself a good chance for tomorrow.

"We saved all our new tyres for qualifying and delivered the goods. But it’s never easy because in free practice you’re doing all your fine-tuning on slightly older rubber and just hoping you’re going in the right direction. So it’s nice to have confirmed that once we put the fresh tyres on.

"I wouldn’t say that I need a serious performance, I just need to keep scoring good points and outscoring Ash [Sutton]. We still have 12 races to go, four events. So although we’re into Autumn now, there’s still a lot of points there. It’s about trying not to be too greedy at this stage and chipping away. We know nobody walks away with this championship so we’ll just keep trying to collect points."

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Croft

1             Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing  1:22.037s
2             Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.040s
3             Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.122s
4             Senna PROCTOR(GBR) BTC Racing +0.132s
5             Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.149s
6             Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.153s
7             Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.177s
8             Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.260s
9             Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.293s
10           Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.376s
11           Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.401s
12           Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +0.465s
13           Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.506s
14           Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.508s
15           Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.536s
16           Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +0.566s
17           Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.592s
18           Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.618s
19           Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +0.636s
20           Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.697s
21           Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.809s
22           Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +0.957s
23           Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +1.182s
24           Jack MITCHELL (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +1.239
25           Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1.282s
26           Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1.913s
27           Nick HALSTEAD (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +2.956s
28           Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +5.223s
29           Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK NO TIME

LOCAL LIGHT SENNA PROCTOR RESPONDS TO TOP FP2

The second and final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Croft had a very similar look to the first one, but this time it was BTC Racing's Senna Proctor leading Gordon Shedden and Rory Butcher in the timesheets.

Toyota Gazoo Racing UK's Butcher topped Shedden and Proctor in the morning segment and the same trio led the charge in the lunchtime instalment, albeit in a slightly different order.

Proctor and Halfords Racing with Cataclean's Shedden again showed the prowess of the Honda Civic Type R around the 2.13-mile circuit, and there's little doubting the force of Butcher's Toyota Corolla at the North Yorkshire venue either.

Such has been the form of the three front men at Croft so far, that they'll be regarded as standout contenders for pole position later this afternoon.

Chris Smiley was next in the order in the Draper Tools-backed Hyundai, whilst Daniel Rowbottom (Halfords Racing with Cataclean) and Josh Cook (BTC Racing) made it four Hondas inside the top six.

Stephen Jelley was the quickest Team BMW car in seventh as his team-mates endured mixed fortunes. Colin Turkington could only manage 16th, whilst Tom Oliphant dropped a wheel at turn one and suffered rear suspension damage as a consequence.

MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill and Toyota Gazoo Racing UK's Sam Smelt were eighth and ninth respectively, whilst championship leader Ash Sutton completed the top ten positions in his Laser Tools Racing #1 Infiniti Q50.

Tom Ingram was a notable absentee from the leading lights as the Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com was 22nd, albeit only 0.866s off the ultimate pace.

Jack Mitchell was the only driver not to complete a lap due to an unknown issue with his Team HARD-run CUPRA.

Qualifying for Round 19 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place at 1450, and will be streamed live via www.itv.com/btcc.

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Croft

1            Senna PROCTOR(GBR) BTC Racing +1:22.252s
2            Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.025s
3            Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.103s
4            Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.168s
5            Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.176.s
6            Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.310s
7            Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +0.323s
8            Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.349s
9            Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.354s
10          Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.358s
11          Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.374s
12          Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +0.377s
13          Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.383s
14          Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.453s
15          Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.465s
16          Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.470s
17          Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.491s
18         Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.516s
19          Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +0.516s
20          Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +0.623s
21          Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +0.642s
22          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.866s
23          Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.052s
24          Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.142s
25          Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1.145s
26          Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1.302s
27          Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +2.319s
28          Nick HALSTEAD (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +2.601s
29          Jack MITCHELL (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct NO TIME

BUTCHER BAGS P1 WITH LAST-GASP FLYING LAP

Toyota Gazoo Racing UK's Rory Butcher produced a last-gasp flying lap to top the opening Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Croft.

Long-time session leader – Gordon Shedden – had to settle for second in his Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda Civic Type R, as a battle of the Scotsmen and indeed family members hit the front around the 2.13-mile circuit.

"The car’s feeling fantastic, after shakedown last night, I said we’re definitely in a good place," said Butcher. "It bodes well for today, we’ve just got to keep working, fine-tuning and I’ve just got to keep pushing.

"Gordon’s always up there, we’ll be fighting hard. It’s great to see Sam [Smelt] in there too, the two of us are obviously performing well around Croft. Sam had his best FP1 of the year which is good to see!

"It’s a hard championship to have good fortune, it’s so close. When you’re in the heat of the battle anything can happen, whether it’s your fault or not. To get a clean run through a season, that’s the hardest part; Ash [Sutton] has clearly got that down to a tee and has done a great job. There’ll be a lot of drivers hoping for good fortune this weekend, definitely."

BTC Racing's Senna Proctor and MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill were third and fourth respectively, whilst Sam Smelt enjoyed arguably his best session of the season so far as he joined his Toyota Corolla team-mate inside the top five.

Josh Cook kept his good run of form going with sixth in the #66 Honda, ahead of Team BMW's Tom Oliphant and championship leader Ash Sutton in his Laser Tools Racing Infiniti.

Dan Rowbottom was another to leave it late as almost his first representative lap time fired his Cataclean-backed machine up to ninth, whilst Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com's Tom Ingram rounded out the top ten.

The top 24 drivers were separated by exactly one second, suggesting yet another competitive qualifying session is in store later this afternoon.

Jade Edwards endured an extremely premature end to her FP1 as power steering failure halted her run for BTC Racing, whilst Nic Hamilton pulled off the track late on in his Team HARD-run CUPRA.

"I had a power steering failure, at the fastest part of the circuit as well!" said Edwards. "Thankfully the guys around me on track sensed that I couldn’t steer properly and let me get into the pitlane, and at least it happened at this point and not in qualifying or during the racing tomorrow."

Free Practice 2 will commence at 1205 before qualifying for Round 19 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place at 1450, and will be streamed live via www.itv.com/btcc.

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Croft

1            Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +1:22.275s
2            Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.128s
3            Senna PROCTOR(GBR) BTC Racing +0.219s
4            Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.236s
5            Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.255s
6            Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.264s
7            Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.323s
8            Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.328s
9            Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.339.s
10          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.379s
11          Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.390s
12          Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.398s
13          Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.400s
14          Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.546s
15          Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.597s
16          Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +0.684s
17          Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +0.691s
18          Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +0.752s
19          Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.789s
20          Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.791s
21          Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.846s
22          Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +0.920s
23        Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.926s
24          Jack MITCHELL (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +1.000s
25          Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1.428s
26          Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1.790s
27          Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +1.889s
28          Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +3.391s
29          Nick HALSTEAD (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +3.891s

Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Croft, North Yorkshire this weekend (18/19 September). Tickets are available to purchase on the gate, with further information including FAQs, ticket prices and more on Croft’s website.

HALFORDS RACING WITH CATACLEAN LOOKING TO BOLSTER POINTS AT CROFT

Following another challenging weekend at Thruxton, Halfords Racing with Cataclean heads to Croft for the next rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship with one primary focus: scoring significant points.

Thruxton started well for Kidderminster’s Dan Rowbottom, with the 32-year-old claiming a second pole position of the campaign following a stunning lap. After being run wide in race one, however, he had to settle into the pack and finished in sixth place, while team-mate Gordon Shedden battled through to 13th.

The second race of the day saw both drivers out of luck as technical gremlins curtailed their races, before a spirited drive from the back of the grid for Rowbottom saw the #32 machine finish in the points in 14th during the final encounter. Shedden’s bad luck continued into race three as contact saw him into the barrier at turn one.

Croft has generated some thrilling races over the years for the team, culminating an impressive tally of 15 podium finishes on the 2.13-mile circuit in the past decade, including five race wins over the period.

“It would be nice to convert a pole position to a win wouldn’t it!” stated Rowbottom. “Thruxton just didn’t go my way, the car felt strong, but it is difficult to move through the field there.

“Croft is a circuit that suits my style of driving, it’s a little bit heart in mouth in places, but you have several opportunities to overtake. We go there light on ballast, so I’ll be giving it full beans to climb back up the points table. We need a good weekend to bring us back up in all the points tables and I’ll be particularly keeping an eye on my lead of the Jack Sears Trophy.”

“Thruxton just wasn’t my weekend,” admitted Shedden. “I had a wee off on my fastest lap in qualifying and that kind of set the tone for the weekend!

"I’ve always gone well at Croft, it’s a fast and sweeping circuit out the back and I’ve had some mega battles there over the years. I think I’ve had ten podiums, so I’ll be looking for a strong performance again this weekend. There are some corners there like the Jim Clark Esses where you are threading the eye of a needle, you just can’t see a lot when you are door to door, bumper to bumper, you are driving on feel and intuition. But you can guarantee I’ll be giving it my all as usual and looking to help myself and the team gain some much-needed Championship points.”

DAN LLOYD ‘FIRED UP’ FOR HOME EVENT

Yorkshireman Dan Lloyd is set to make a welcome return to his local track, Croft Circuit, in North Yorkshire this weekend (18/19 September) as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship enters the business end of the 2021 season.

The scene of his first-ever BTCC victory in 2018, the former airfield is a firm favourite of the Huddersfield-based racer who is relishing the chance to compete in front of his home crowd – which also includes a large gathering of family and sponsors – this weekend.

Lloyd heads into the final twelve rounds of the campaign in confident form off the back of a strong performance last time out at Thruxton, where he scored a decent haul of points for the Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing team. The 29-year-old is hoping that past triumphs at Croft combined with strong support will translate into positive results as the championship picks up pace.

“I’m really fired up for this weekend,” said Lloyd. “It’s always a big deal racing at your home circuit. The last time I was here in the BTCC I took my first race win, so I’m excited to be heading back. We made some positive steps forward last time at Thruxton, so hopefully, we can carry that momentum into this weekend and the rest of the season."

Following on from a hugely successful VIP event in Huddersfield last week, Lloyd will also be continuing his fundraising efforts for the Forget Me Not Children's Hospice this weekend, as he hosts a track walk and raffle event at the circuit on Saturday evening.

“I have lots of guests and sponsors joining me this weekend so I’m looking forward to putting on a good show for them all," continued Lloyd. "I’ve been really busy away from the track as well, organising two main charity events. The first one, last Saturday, was a huge success. We’re following that up with the track walk and raffle this Saturday at Croft to help raise some much-needed funds for the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice.

“Everyone is welcome to take part this weekend, and any additional donations via the just giving link would be much appreciated.”