Team Parker Racing enjoyed a return to the Kwik British Touring Car Championship podium under hot, sunny skies on the challenging Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit last time out, and now the squad heads to the scene of its last BTCC win – Oulton Park.

Stephen Jelley – who scored a maiden BTCC podium finish for the team at Brands Hatch last year – repeated the feat with a well-earned third place in race three at the Kent circuit earlier this month, after taking two ninth place results in his BMW 125i M Sport in the opening races.

Lining up fourth on the grid for the final contest of the afternoon, the Leicester driver flew off the line into second place and was challenging for the lead before the rapid Rory Butcher and Ash Sutton sneaked past. However, with a problem for the former, Jelley was able to settle into a comfortable third place, recording a great podium finish for the squad.

Hopes are now high for a continuation of form and good results as the team returns to BTCC action at Oulton Park this weekend. Last year was a memorable visit to Cheshire, as Jelley recorded a maiden series victory for the team, and he is aiming to challenge for further podium finishes this time out too.

“It’s been really good,” said Jelley. “I thought we should have done a little bit better in qualifying at Brands Hatch – the car felt great and we did a solid job, but it’s very competitive and some of the front wheel drive guys can take a bit more of a risk and use the scenery to get the lap time.

“In race trim, two ninth places were good and then we built on that with the reverse grid race three. If you can make a nice start and make it stick, then it’s all good. The front wheel drive cars tend to make a worse start, but their tyres switch on faster, so there is a three or four corner window where our front just doesn’t hook up as well.

“I’m really happy that we were able to hang on because Brands GP is not a natural circuit for our car, and we got another podium for Team Parker Racing and another pot for the shelf!

“We won at Oulton Park last year and I think we’re in a better place this time with what we’ve done to the car. Our general level of performance is better so I would hope we would qualify higher up the grid too.

“It is a circuit that is big on brakes and tyres and that’s something we are good at, so we will look to qualify in the top ten. Come the races, it is a real overtaking circuit which suits our car and one where we can really attack to get that podium finish.”

As ever, fans can watch live coverage of all the action on Sunday (23 August) on ITV4 and online at ITV Hub from 1150, with qualifying being shown on Saturday afternoon at www.itv.com/btcc.

Hot on the heels of his first top three finish of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign at Brands Hatch, Tom Ingram is aiming to keep the momentum going at Oulton Park this weekend (22/23 August), as the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters star continues his pursuit of the most coveted prize in UK motorsport.
 
The undulating Cheshire circuit is home soil for Northwich-based Speedworks Motorsport – the team that operates Ingram’s #80 Toyota Corolla – and it is somewhere that the 26-year-old Bucks-born ace has always performed well, even claiming his first car racing pole position on his maiden visit to the track in the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2009.
 
From 18 BTCC starts at Oulton to-date, Ingram has achieved no fewer than 13 points finishes and a brace of fastest laps. Moreover, he ran in a podium-challenging position there in 2014 and again last year, only for ill-fortune to intervene on both occasions, in the shape of fuel pressure failure and an accident not of his own making – so there is certainly a record to be set straight.
 
The two-time BTCC Independents’ Champion will return sitting fourth in the Drivers’ standings following a superb performance at Brands Hatch, where he fought his way from eighth on the grid to fourth at the chequered flag in race one before improving to second place in race two.
 
Whilst his race three ambitions were halted on the opening lap, Ingram nonetheless proved the pace and potential of Speedworks’ Corolla – which he intends to exploit to the maximum this coming weekend.
 
All of the high-octane, doorhandle-to-doorhandle action from the country’s premier motor racing series will be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV4 on Sunday, beginning at 1150.

“Going to Oulton Park, we know we have a fast car in the Corolla – that much was evident at both Donington Park and Brands Hatch – and having shed a little bit of weight due to what happened in race three at Brands is probably no bad thing,” said Team Principal Christian Dick. “When we’ve been in a competitive championship position before going to Oulton, we’ve normally arrived carrying either maximum or near-maximum ballast and we’ve paid the price for that, so to be slightly lighter this year could play to our advantage.
 
“Oulton is obviously Speedworks’ home track, so it’s always a special one for all the boys and girls in the team and whilst the atmosphere will be very different this year without spectators – of all the circuits in the BTCC, this is probably the one where you feel the fans’ support the most – it’s still going to be an incredibly important weekend.
 
“Yes, traditionally Oulton has favoured rear wheel-drive cars, but I’m confident that the work we’ve done with the Corolla both over the off-season and since Donington Park will stand us in really good stead. We’re heading home with a positive mindset – and gunning for glory!”
 
“Eighteen BTCC races at Oulton Park and still no podiums – I clearly need to pull my finger out this year!” added Ingram. “Being serious, though, in recent seasons we’ve generally gone there with a decent chunk of weight inside the car, and if there’s anywhere on the calendar that you don’t want to be carrying much ballast, it’s Oulton.
 
“Not only does the extra weight hurt your qualifying form due to the nature of the lap, but it’s also extremely difficult to overtake there and work your way through the field, so it can condition your whole weekend – as we know from painful experience. Three years ago, we turned up at Oulton leading the championship and scored just a single point, so in a roundabout sort of way, losing a bit of ground in race three at Brands Hatch might have been a blessing in disguise.
 
“It’s a unique circuit – really full-on and incredibly technical – and with every corner feeding into the next you can’t afford to make even one mistake, because it will cost you the whole way round the lap. That’s a challenge I’ve always enjoyed.
 
“Overall, I think we go there in good shape. We made a lot of changes over the weekend at Brands Hatch that resulted in a big step forward, and whilst we missed out on another decent points haul in the final race through no fault of our own, hopefully we’ll be able to recover some lost ground on Speedworks’ home soil.”

Overtaking them on a circuit may not be an option but here is your chance to out-drive the BTCC stars on the fairways instead!

Once again, thanks to series title sponsor Kwik Fit, you and a friend could be teeing-off with a duo of BTCC speedsters – due to be revealed next week – in 9-hole golf challenge ahead of rounds 10, 11 & 12 of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill.

Following the hugely successful ‘Kwik Fit Majors’ challenge prior to the opening rounds at Donington Park, the BTCC and Kwik Fit are excited to continue the feature throughout 2020, with further golfing events scheduled at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. BTCC drivers are already fired up to take part with the likes of Adam Morgan, Tom Oliphant, Senna Proctor and Michael Crees signed up throughout the year.

If you love golf and motorsport then this is the perfect money-can’t-buy experience for you, so if you want to tee-off ahead of a bank holiday weekend bursting with BTCC action then follow the details below…

Date: 27 August
Time: 1pm
Venue: Within 15 miles of Knockhill

To win this exclusive chance to leave the BTCC boys in the bunker AND RECEIVE A KWIK FIT GOODIE BAG all you need to do is like and comment on the BTCC Facebook or Twitter post and to make sure you follow Kwik Fit on Facebook or Instagram.

Terms & Conditions

By agreeing to take part, you are committing to being at the venue stated and time agreed.

1 like/comment on BTCC post plus 1 like/follow of Kwik Fit Instagram or Facebook = one entry. Winners picked at random. The competition will close at 4pm on Friday 21 August.

The winner will be announced via BTCC social media channels the following morning and will receive a separate email that will require a response within 24 hours.  If this does not happen, another winner will be selected. The prize is non-transferrable.

Precautions in relation to COVID-19 are in place but please do observe social distancing and wear a mask when appropriate. Any communal equipment (buggies/trollies etc) will be sanitised by the golf course prior to use. You will need to supply your own clubs.  Face coverings/masks are not mandatory on the course, but we would recommend wearing one if you are in close proximity to others.

Power Maxed Racing has today (19 August) announced their intention to complete the rest of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, albeit with one car rather than the usual two.

The Warwickshire-based team will field one of its race winning Vauxhall Astras for the remaining seven events of the season, giving a number of up and coming drivers the opportunity to get to grips with the successful front-wheel-drive machinery.

Mike Bushell will be first up, piloting the Astra at Oulton Park and Knockhill, as part of a development programme the team have put together with the 2x Clio Cup UK Champion.

Bushell is no stranger to the BTCC grid, having scored numerous top ten finishes over the last few years, as well as stepping in for Sam Tordoff during the 2019 campaign.

As an accomplished motorsport engineer, having previously run Tordoff’s Honda Civic, Bushell will be engineering the Astra for the remainder of the 2020 season, also doubling up as driver coach, as PMR look to field a number of highly accomplished British drivers throughout the year.

With Jason Plato confirmed for the 2021 season, as well as all existing team partners, the team is keen to use this year as an opportunity to recognise the talents of a number of drivers from the upper echelons of British motorsport, as well as support the championship through these unprecedented times.

Adam Weaver, PMR Team Principal, said: “Our announcement at the start of the season to temporarily withdraw from the BTCC was, as we said at the time, only intended to be for a few rounds. After just two rounds away from the paddock, and with the grid seemingly stronger than ever this year, we simply couldn’t wait to step back into the mix. We’d like to thank all our fans for their support, and we’re excited to get back out on track and give you what you want to see!”

Mike Bushell said: “PMR have proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with since they started racing in 2015, and I’m excited to be working with them this season. Martin (Broadhurst) and his team have put together a great car, as proven by multiple race wins, and I’m looking forward to both driving and engineering the car, as well as working with the great driver line up they are putting together. I’ve had my eye on some of the names for a while, and I think this programme gives them a unique opportunity to peddle a front running car in the world’s best racing series.”

Halfords Yuasa Racing will be looking to turn its front-running speed into more race wins as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship heads to Oulton Park in Cheshire for the third meeting of the 2020 season.

Dan Cammish has already secured two front-row starting positions and two victories in his Honda Civic Type R during the opening six rounds.

After two events and six races on successive weekends, in a BTCC season delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Halfords Yuasa Racing team has had a welcome weekend off. This brief break has given them time to fully address the rare mechanical issues suffered by the cars in sweltering hot temperatures during the most recent rounds at Brands Hatch. They will be determined to again head the pack around the challenging 2.23-mile parkland circuit.

At the 2019 Oulton Park meeting Cammish secured two podium finishes, while in the final race team-mate Matt Neal was spun out of a potentially winning position. Both Halfords Yuasa Racing drivers know they can add to the seven victories the Honda works team has previously scored at Oulton Park, and close the gap to BTCC points leader Colin Turkington.

Rounds seven, eight and nine of the BTCC take place at Oulton Park on 23 August and will be shown live on ITV4 from 1150, while Saturday’s (22 August) qualifying session will be live on itv.com/btcc.

“Brands was frustrating for me after such a good start to the day taking the race one win,” said Cammish. “A minor technical gremlin in the second saw me having to limp round after a strong showing and in the third I got a radiator full of grass and dirt taking avoiding action on the opening lap, causing further technical issues.

“I was on the podium at Oulton twice last year, so that will be my target again, but there are some quick guys in some quick cars this year, so I’ll have my work cut out!  My goal is to take as many points off Colin (Turkington) as I can and try and bring home some more silverware.”

“Brands was one to forget for me,” said Neal. “The car was strong, but lady luck wasn’t on my side; that final race of the day though just showed what pace we had when I drove from 25th to sixth. 

“But onwards and upwards to Oulton, which is a circuit I really like, it’s an old-school track and you don’t get a lot of time on a lap to catch your breath. I was obviously on for the win there last year until my now infamous clash with Jake Hill took me out of the race in pretty spectacular fashion.”

Cheshire circuit marks 60 years since its first BTCC race

The whirlwind ride of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship roars into Oulton Park this weekend (22/23 August) for its third event in the opening four weeks of the rescheduled campaign.

The visit to Cheshire commences another back-to-back run of events as the UK’s premier motorsport series then travels north to Scotland for its annual visit to Knockhill (29/30 August).  

Delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the action has been thick and fast since with four different race winners from the opening six races, and no fewer than ten drivers stepping onto the podium. 

Reigning champion Colin Turkington leads the standings following a win at both Donington Park and Brands Hatch, complemented by a string of other points-scoring finishes for the Team BMW star.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish has also claimed two victories, but the Yorkshireman has been hampered by mechanical issues in a number of other encounters – something that the Honda squad will need to resolve in order to maintain its championship challenge.

Ash Sutton has arguably been the most eye-catching BTCC competitor so far as the 2017 champion launched his switch to Laser Tools Racing with a reverse grid success at the Donington Park curtain-raiser.

Sutton is taking the Infiniti Q50 to places it has never been before, having already scored a first, second and third from the sextet of contests so far, but there is little doubting that the team has worked wonders with the rear-wheel drive machine during the off-season.

Tom Oliphant took a maiden win last time out as he bravely fended off Sutton’s advances for almost the entire race duration at Brands Hatch, and the Tarporley racer will be looking for more of the same at his home race this weekend.

Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters’ driver Tom Ingram has been one of the most consistent drivers in the pack – and remains within touching distance of the championship summit – but an unfortunate collision in the final contest in Kent sees him playing catch up. 

Speedworks Motorsport – which runs the Toyota Corolla of Ingram – is based in nearby Northwich and will be chasing its first home podium this weekend. 

“Eighteen BTCC races at Oulton Park and still no podiums – I clearly need to pull my finger out this year!” quipped Ingram. 

“It’s a unique circuit – really full-on and incredibly technical – and with every corner feeding into the next you can’t afford to make even one mistake, because it will cost you the whole way round the lap. That’s a challenge I’ve always enjoyed.”

There have been a host of other standout podium performances from Rory Butcher (Motorbase Performance), Stephen Jelley (Team Parker Racing), Ollie Jackson (Motorbase Performance), Josh Cook (BTC Racing) and Chris Smiley (EXCELR8 Motorsport) during the first two race weekends.

Notable absentees from the rostrum so far include three-time champion Matt Neal and Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools’ Adam Morgan, with the latter also looking to end a barren run at his local Oulton Park circuit.

There will be three thrilling BTCC races taking place on the picturesque Oulton Park Island circuit this coming Sunday, plus a host of support races from Ginetta, Porsche, Mini and Formula 4.

The 12 corner, 2.23-mile circuit will also be marking 60 years since its first British Touring Car Championship event, but will unfortunately be doing so behind closed doors due to the ongoing situation.

The ITV Network will have fans covered, however, with the entire race day being broadcast live and exclusively on ITV4 and the ITV Hub from 11:50.

As the first race-free weekend approaches since the 2020 season began, you can still catch Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship action through the highlights from rounds four, five and six at Brands Hatch’s legendary GP circuit on ITV4 this Saturday (15 August).

Tune in from 1130 tomorrow to catch all the best bits from the second BTCC event of the campaign.

Highlights: Saturday 15 August
ITV4 & ITV4 HD 1130-1300
ITV4 +1 1230-1400
ITV Hub Available anytime for the next 30 days

Tom Oliphant enjoyed his ‘day of days’ at Brands Hatch last weekend (8/9 August), as he scored his first-ever victory in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

In what proved to be a sweltering second event of the season around Brands’ Grand Prix layout, the Team BMW star didn’t put a wheel wrong in race three to clinch a sensational maiden win, whilst also handing West Surrey Racing their 300th podium in the series.

After kicking off his campaign at Donington Park with a rostrum finish, Oliphant arrived at the Kent venue in optimistic mood and once again underlined his speed in qualifying behind the wheel of his BMW 330i M Sport.

In an ultra-competitive session, the BRDC Member set an identical time to team-mate Colin Turkington to secure sixth place on the grid for the opening encounter, whilst carrying 30kg of success ballast.

Race one saw the 29-year-old have to dig deep and show his fighting spirit, after contact sent him tumbling down the order on the opening lap heading into Westfield.

Managing to keep his rear-wheel-drive machine out of the barriers, Oliphant soon set about bouncing back from the lower end of the top 20. Progressing up through the order during the remainder of the race, the 29-year-old recovered to cross the line in eighth.

Lining up on the fourth row for race two, Oliphant found himself in the thick of the action once again as he battled hard, dropping back to ninth at one stage before managing to fight back to seventh.

Oliphant’s crowning glory came in the 15-lap reversed-grid encounter. Starting sixth, the former Ginetta GT4 Supercup champion made a stunning start to launch into third place by Paddock Hill Bend.

Hounding the top two on the opening lap, Oliphant got a great run on the leaders exiting Clearways and after going three-wide down the start-finish straight, he made a bold move around the outside to take the lead.

From there, Oliphant remained out front but soon had to showcase his defensive driving skills as he was chased by Ash Sutton for the remainder of the race. Despite Sutton’s best efforts, Oliphant wasn’t to be denied and he crossed the line to enter the BTCC winners’ circle for the first time.

Following his breakthrough BTCC victory, Oliphant has now moved up to third in the Drivers’ Championship, 25 points behind team-mate Turkington.

“I’m lost for words - I can’t believe I’m a BTCC race-winner!” said Oliphant. “We’d been in the thick of the action in races one and two so I knew I had to make race three count and try to come away with a big result.

“I made a great start and the overtake for the lead was spectacular – I saw my opportunity and took it! Once I got into the lead and saw Ash in my mirrors, I just thought that I couldn’t have had a worse person behind me because he was always going to give me a hard time.

“We didn’t have the best tyres but the car was mega - huge credit to the whole team - and I was so up for the fight. I knew where our car was strong and where we needed to cover Ash, and thankfully it all came together in the end.

“This victory is for my dad, my girlfriend Gen and the whole family - they’ve been with me through the highs and the lows over the past ten years and it is as much their win as it is mine!”

Next on the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship schedule is a trip to Oliphant’s home circuit, Oulton Park, on 22/23 August.

Solid points and exceptional pace were the highlights of a sweltering Brands Hatch weekend for the EXCELR8 Motorsport team. The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship uncharacteristically visited the Grand Prix circuit during the height of summer – an unusual position for many teams, who are used to ending the season on the layout in cooler autumnal temperatures.

The Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance was a prominent front-runner throughout, with Senna Proctor and Chris Smiley both picking up points for the second-year squad.

Proctor proved to be one of the fastest drivers on-track on Saturday as he qualified seventh, translating that pace on Sunday to pick up 24 of the team’s 28 points at the weekend. Smiley also impressed with his drives through the field in races two and three, showcasing his overtaking ability on the high-speed track.

An exciting start to race day saw Proctor expertly take avoiding action on the opening lap of the first contest. Consequently, he lost a few places, but he was not prepared to hold back, immediately closing in on the battle for seventh. From 15^th on the grid, meanwhile, Smiley was struggling with 24kg of success ballast on board, but he nonetheless showed off his defensive prowess.

An incident later brought out the safety car, bunching up the field. Proctor was quick to act at the re-start, diving past Jake Hill and gaining another place when leader Rory Butcher picked up a puncture. Crossing the line, both drivers had fought back to claim EXCELR8’s first-ever double points finish.

It was a full reset for the team in race two as Proctor and Smiley once again started seventh and 15^th, but any hopes of Smiley joining his team-mate were dashed when he ran across the gravel at Sheene Curve. A safety car neutralised the action after only a handful laps, giving Proctor and Smiley another opportunity to head forward in the Hyundais.

Smiley may have been down, but he was not out, fighting back two places on the first lap of the re-start as Proctor was again stuck in a long queue, this time behind race one podium-finisher Ollie Jackson. Despite strong pace, 24kg of weight hampered the Yorkshireman’s momentum and he crossed the line an admirable eighth.

Having fallen to 26^th and last, Smiley proved the skill that had rewarded the #22 machine with a podium at Donington Park, gaining 13 places to finish 13^th, inside the points and ahead of his original grid spot.

The Northern Irishman’s remarkable race two recovery was made bittersweet after the top twelve were then reversed for race three – one place in front of the Hyundai. The reverse positions conversely gifted Proctor fifth on the grid, but he unfortunately got tangled up with Jack Goff at the start, dropping outside the top ten. He went on to fight back from 15^th to ninth in a race of attrition.

Meanwhile, the forward-thinking Smiley was making light work of those around him, quickly scything up to seventh in the opening few laps. He was far from done though, working all the way up to fourth and into the Independent class podium places. Unfortunately, with two laps to go, he clipped a kerb harder than usual, causing him to spin and hit the barrier, which scuppered what would have been an incredible result.

“Our first double points finish with both Hyundais, what an achievement!” said Team Manager, Justina Williams. “The speed shown by Senna during qualifying underlines the raw pace the team has been able to produce since the start of the season, and Chris’ drive through the field in races two and three are testimony to how easy this car is to mix it with the front-runners.

“On a day during which the higher temperatures affected our rivals, I am proud of the EXCELR8 team for the work they put into the car to make it race-worthy. Chris was unlucky at the end after such an amazing drive; both he and Senna have proven that we can be a regular threat for silverware this season. We’ve now got a slightly longer turnaround before the next one, giving us a chance to further improve on the package we’ve got.”

“I made a mistake, caught the kerb on the exit of Sheene Curve and put a wheel on the grass,” said Smiley. “We’re racing with such fine margins and I apologise to the team after all their work, especially after we got the car up to where we needed and given that I tend not to make mistakes.

“What I showed in race three was genuine pace. I was very happy with the whole team, especially my engineer Danny Kent for doing a good job to get us back into contention.”

It was a case of what might have been for the BTC Racing squad during a challenging second meeting of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch’s GP circuit last weekend (8/9 August).

The impressive pace shown by Tom Chilton, Josh Cook and Michael Crees during rounds four, five and six went relatively unrewarded, with a series of mechanical woes and on-track incidents ruling the Brackley-based outfit out of podium contention on the world-famous GP layout.

Despite the soaring heat conditions, the BTC Racing trio appeared to be on top of the temperature control woes that had plagued them at Donington Park during Saturday’s free practice and qualifying sessions. With only 0.023 seconds separating the pair, Cook and Chilton lined up side-by-side on the fifth row of the grid for race one. A best-ever top ten position for Michael Crees was sadly snatched away, however, with the local Kent racer losing his fastest lap time for exceeding track limits, restricting him to 18th.

A strong start to the weekend opener by both Cook and Chilton saw the duo leap up into seventh and eighth. Setting the fastest lap on the second tour of the circuit, Cook was battling side-by-side with Tom Ingram as they charged through Westfield when contact occurred, resulting in the #66 Honda Civic dropping back to tenth. With the threat of his engine overheating, Cook was forced to pit to allow the BTC Racing crew to clear the debris picked up during his off-track excursion, rejoining the race dead last.

Chilton’s charge up the field continued, with the 35-year-old touching mirrors with Ingram as they duelled during the closing laps. Defending hard from a fast-charging Sutton on the final loop, he held fast to bring the #3 Honda home in fifth.

An excellent start to the day for Clever Baggers-backed Crees saw the Broadstairs racer push forward into the points with a 12th-place finish, whilst maintaining his position as the highest-placed Jack Sears Trophy contender.

Blasting off the start-line with 36kg of ballast on-board in race two, Chilton made a brave lunge past Ollie Jackson at Paddock Hill Bend to steal fourth, before setting his sights on the lead pack.

Further back, his BTC Racing team-mate Cook made up an impressive seven places on the opening lap to take 13th. Regrettably, the squad’s good fortunes ended there.

While challenging fellow Jack Sears Trophy protagonist Bobby Thompson on lap three, Crees’ #777 Honda and the Audi S3 tangled, as both cars were pitched off-track into the gravel and out of the race. A power steering pump failure for Chilton on lap ten forced the #3 FK8 back into the pits, with Cook following shortly after with an overheating issue in the #66 Civic.

Working against the clock with just over two hours before the final race, an outstanding effort by the BTC Racing crew saw all three cars line up at the back of the grid, with a new engine for Cook and extensive repairs for Chilton and Crees.

All three racers charged off the line, as Cook led the trio, making up no less than nine places by the end of lap one. Almost immediately, however, the #66 Civic picked up damage sustained from contact and was forced to pit once more.

Rejoining a lap down, a heroic drive from the Bathonian saw him set the fastest lap time of the race as he pushed the FK8 back up to take 17th when the final flag dropped.

Chilton, meanwhile, continued his assault on the pack, picking off places as the laps unfolded to work his way through the field to cross the line in eighth, collecting another strong haul of points towards his championship challenge. Likewise, the day ended on a high note for Crees, who shone in the #777 Civic, taking no less than 14 spots to claim 11th – his best BTCC finish to-date in the dry.

“If you look at the pace we had over the weekend, the results don’t reflect that,” said Joint Team Principal, Bert Taylor. “Two fastest laps for Josh, Tom was in with a shout of a podium in race two and Creesy gets taken off and comes back again. We’ve had three pretty bruised cars, and couldn’t have asked any more of the drivers and the team in the conditions.

“For Michael to come and race after his heart-breaking family news and still put in a solid performance as he did is a real testament to him. Nobody knows what Michael’s potential is yet. He’s not had the chance to show what he’s capable of, but I feel sure that it’s coming. He’s got a long way to go.

“It doesn’t look great on the board, but the guys and girls worked so hard over the weekend. It’s mega considering what we’ve gone through as a team.”

“The team did a great job with the car to make it faster after Donington Park,” said Chilton. “Straight-line speed is hurting us at the moment. We have the best chassis on the grid. We’re picking up fastest laps but slowest through the speed traps. I’m pleased with a fifth and eighth – just gutted that I missed out on a podium in race two. It was down to a power steering pump failure. It’s not anyone’s fault. It’s just one of those things.

“I’m starting to feel at home with the team and the car; I’m working well with my new engineer and we’ve gone quicker in every race. Oulton Park is up next, which is a chassis circuit so it should suit us well.”

“What can I say? It was a weekend to forget for us really,” said Cook. “I got taken out in race one, lost an engine in race two and was then taken off again in race three. My two fastest laps show that we clearly have the pace in the car. They seem to be about the only points I’m scoring at the moment!

“We just need to put this behind us now, and look ahead to getting our campaign back on-track at Oulton Park.”

“The pace in the car was mega all weekend, but we were still struggling with managing the temperature,” said Crees. “Race three was especially frustrating, to be honest, not being able to push harder. But 11th is my highest-ever finish in the dry. Overall I had a solid weekend on-track.

“I feel that we had the pace to be running higher all weekend. It could have been a whole different story if we’d kept P10 in qualifying. We’ve proven to ourselves that we can do it now, and we’ve held onto our lead in the Jack Sears Trophy.

“Personally, it was one of the hardest weekends of my life, which made it extra tough to go out there. I’d like to thank everyone who sent me and my wife Jodie messages over the weekend. It’s been a great support to us both.”

The weekend’s tribulations saw BTC Racing drop to seventh in the overall Teams’ table and sixth in the Independent Teams’ standings. However, Crees maintains his lead at the top of the Jack Sears Trophy classification ahead of the next race meeting at Oulton Park in Cheshire on 22/23 August.