Halfords Yuasa Racing took the Teams’ title in the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for the fifth time as a constructor entry. In addition to this, the accolade marks the seventh win during Team Dynamics’ BTCC career.

Team BMW retained their lead for the initial post-break event, but for the rest of the campaign, the Worcestershire-based Honda team topped the tables.

Interestingly, looking back at previous records, the team has always won the title for at least two consecutive years, will they retain this record for 2020…?

A monumental effort by all to secure the 2019 @BTCC Teams’ Trophy 🏆#BTCC #TeamDynamics https://t.co/WG80hoWvXU

— Team Dynamics Motorsport (@TeamDynamics) October 13, 2019

Following the news that AmD Tuning would be utilising an entirely new driver line-up for their 2020 campaign, it has today (20 December) been announced that Knockhill race winner Jake Hill will be wielding the Honda Civic Type R with the Essex-based squad, as the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Independent Teams’ and Drivers’ Champions look to defend their title.

The 25-year-old joins the team fresh off the back of his most successful campaign to date, having impressed last season in Trade Price Cars Racing’s Audi S3. Hill claimed his maiden race victory at Knockhill as well as scoring points at all ten meetings, resulting in his fourth-place finish in the Independent Drivers’ category.

Buoyed by those strong performances, Hill is looking forward to a new challenge this coming season as he aims to cement his status as one of the grid’s top driving talents.

“I had a fantastic year with Trade Price Cars Racing,” said Hill. “I am hugely grateful to the whole team and their partners for their support and the opportunity to race with them.

“For 2020 it’s a different challenge and one I am hugely excited about. AmD Tuning was one of the success stories of last season and I know their whole team is hugely motivated to build on that into next season. Like the team, I now know what it takes to win. The challenge for 2020 is to continue that momentum and take it up another gear, claiming more points, podiums and hopefully more wins to establish myself as a regular at the right end of the grid.”

AmD Tuning Team Principal Shaun Hollamby has been a long-term supporter of Hill and is delighted to be working with a driver he feels is one of the most exciting on the grid.

“We first became aware of Jake when he was winning in Ginetta Juniors,” said Hollamby. “We supported him in various series, before running him in British GT in 2015. After he tested the MG at Snetterton in 2018 we could see just how much he had developed. Seeing his successes in 2019 up close, we feel he is now in an ideal position to regularly challenge at the front. We’re all really excited to see what we can achieve.

“The 2019 season was incredible for us. We know we have the right people, the right equipment and in Jake one of the most promising drivers on the grid. We can’t wait to get started and see what can be achieved in 2020.”

BTCC looks back is venturing north of the border to recall all the edge-of-your-seat action from Knockhill.

Rory Butcher and Jake Hill each took a victory, with Andrew Jordan winning the other as he significantly closed the overall points gap to stablemate Colin Turkington, a tactic which would contribute towards his incredibly close second place position in the overall standings at the conclusion of the 2019 campaign.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish claimed two podiums around the tight and twisty 1.27-mile circuit – his tenth and 11th rostrums of the season – as he too strengthened his own championship chances.
 
The day began with Scotsman Butcher getting the home crowd on its collective feet as the pole-sitter reclaimed the lead on the final lap to win an exciting opener.
 
The Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance driver fended off the attentions from BMW Pirtek Racing’s Jordan for almost the entire 27-lap contest, before the Honda Civic Type R clipped the kerbs at the final hairpin on the penultimate lap.
 
Butcher, already struggling to put power down with a lost gear, was doubly sluggish out of the hairpin as a result, compromising his momentum up the hill and across the start/finish line as Jordan stormed around the outside to briefly claim first and a potentially important championship point for leading a lap.
 
Jordan’s joy was short-lived, however, as the 3 Series carried too much speed into Duffus Dip on the final tour and the 2013 champion briefly ran off track, giving Butcher the opportunity he needed to nip back by and into the lead.

The roar from the partisan crowd could be heard above the engine noise and Butcher held firm until the finish to claim his third victory of the season.

Despite the drama, Jordan would finish the race where he started, immediately reducing the points deficit to Turkington in the process, who himself had his own race-long tussle with Cammish and Tom Chilton for the final place on the rostrum.

The title race was then blown wide open as Jordan claimed victory in race two, whilst Turkington was forced out of contention during a podium fight with home hero Butcher.

Butcher lost the lead off the line to the fast-starting 3 Series of Jordan and he was immediately under further pressure from Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Cammish.
 
Cammish – running the Dunlop Sport Maxx soft tyre – was able to scramble by Butcher’s AmD-run Honda on lap six, seemingly bringing Turkington along with him. Team BMW’s Turkington briefly took third from Butcher across the start/finish line but the duo duelled it out through the first few corners of the next lap. 

Butcher nudged his Honda Civic Type R down the inside of the #1 BMW on the entry to McIntyres and inevitable contact followed as Turkington turned in. 

The 3 Series was tipped into a gravel-bound spin that sent Turkington tumbling down the order, whilst Butcher was able to continue relatively unscathed.
 
Jordan, Cammish and Butcher scampered off to complete the podium positions as Turkington recovered to finish 19th.
 
Butcher received a five-place grid penalty for his part in the Turkington incident, as the now seemingly increasing number of title contenders prepared for the final highland fling in Scotland.
 
That bout belonged to TradePriceCars.com’s Hill, who took his first BTCC win with a commanding lights-to-flag performance. Hill’s success was also the first for the Audi S3 in the BTCC, as the Kent driver became the tenth different race winner in the 2019 season so far.
 
Hill kept BTC Racing’s Josh Cook at arm’s length throughout, whilst Mac Tools with Ciceley Racing’s Adam Morgan completed the podium positions after he got the better of Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing’s Jason Plato.
 
The championship drama struck Jordan on this occasion as he was forced into retirement whilst trying to avoid the spinning Subaru Levorg of Senna Proctor.
 
Turkington recovered brilliantly from his race two woes to take tenth in the finale, leaving him with a ten-point advantage in the standings over Jordan, with Cammish only a point further back.
 
BMW headed the Manufacturers’ order whilst Halfords Yuasa Racing was leading the Teams’ table.
 
Josh Cook and Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance held advantages in the Independent Drivers’ and Independent Teams’ standings respectively, whilst Rory Butcher cemented top spot in the Jack Sears Trophy.
 
BTCC looks back will return in 2020 for the final two events of the 2019 season. Check back on Thursday 2 January to review the penultimate weekend, at Silverstone.

For #WinItWednesday week six, our victor is Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher's Tom Chilton!

Chilton’s first time on the top step of the podium since Knockhill last year was in race three at Croft, marking his second win in the Ford Focus RS. The Reigate racer achieved a total of five podiums during his 2019 BTCC campaign, finishing tenth in the overall standings.

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BMW has strengthened its line-up for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign, with the confirmation that Andrew Jordan will join defending champion Colin Turkington and Tom Oliphant in an expanded three-pronged Team BMW assault on the most coveted crown in UK motorsport.
 
BMW secured both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles in the country’s premier motor racing series this year, with Turkington pipping Jordan to overall glory by a scant two points after more than 500 laps around Britain’s major circuits and in a high-calibre, 30-strong field.
 
Turkington’s record-equalling fourth championship was recognised earlier this month when the Northern Irishman was presented with both Autosport’s ‘National Driver of the Year’ accolade and the BRDC Fairfield Trophy at star-studded ceremonies. Jordan’s spectacular fightback from early misfortune, meanwhile, was one of the undisputed stories of the season and deservedly earned the 2013 title-winner the BRDC Silver Star award.
 
Between them, the pair racked up an impressive 11 wins and 19 podium finishes from 30 races, with Oliphant reaching the rostrum twice over the course of his sophomore BTCC campaign and finishing a close second in the Jack Sears Trophy.
 
All three drivers will return to the wheel of the trailblazing BMW 330i M Sport in 2020, with Jordan joining Turkington and Oliphant under the Team BMW banner for the first time – giving the West Surrey Racing-run outfit its strongest possible chance of replicating 2019’s stellar success.

“2019 has been a fantastic year for BMW and our partner West Surrey Racing," said BMW Group UK's Chief Executive Officer, Graeme Grieve. "I’m delighted to announce a three-car line-up for Team BMW in the 2020 BTCC season. We know how talented these drivers are and what a great team we’ve got with WSR. With more time for pre-season testing than we had this year, I’m sure we can build on the success and chase for all three titles next season.”

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the BTCC next season as a Team BMW driver," said Jordan. "I think it’s a powerful statement for BMW to have three cars all looking the same on the grid. I remember watching Steve Soper and Jo Winkelhock in these colours, so for me to now represent them too is something I’m really proud of. It seems trivial, but it’s going to feel really different putting on a white race suit – I’m excited and want to enjoy the whole experience.

"I’m under no illusions that I’ve been in a good position for the last decade with a primary backer behind me. I was single-minded when it came to next season and hadn’t talked to anyone else, which is why I’m so honoured that BMW worked so hard to keep me on-board – I know there will have been loads of people knocking on their door for 2020. Having the same three drivers, team and engineers is good from a continuity point-of-view and I think that will help us to find more gains over the off-season. I hated coming so close this year – just two points shy – but by the same token, that is huge motivation moving forward. I’m raring to go and I’ll come out swinging with Team BMW behind me.”

In the final week of BTCC looks back this year, we’re returning to Thruxton and Knockhill. Firstly, on to Thruxton!

Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship went the way of three different Hondas on a day of thrilling action as the series returned to the UK’s fastest race circuit.
 
Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance’s Sam Tordoff converted pole position into victory in the opening contest, before BTC Racing’s Josh Cook topped the second bout. Dan Cammish then claimed a first win of the season for Halfords Yuasa Racing in a fantastic finale – making it 16 wins from 30 for the Japanese marque in Hampshire over the last decade.
 
The success for Cammish and Cook in particular also brought about a change to the overall title picture, as they closed in on the championship-leading BMWs of Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan, who both experienced a challenging weekend.
 
Tordoff secured a lights-to-flag victory in race one, after fellow front-row starter Jason Plato fell foul of a drive-through penalty having started the race out of position in his Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall.
 
Cammish, Adam Morgan and Cook kept Tordoff honest until the finish, with the quartet covered by a little over a second at the chequered flag.
 
Cook then scored an eye-catching victory in the second summer BTCC bout in Hampshire, making one of the moves of the season as he went from third to first in the blink of an eye. 
 
The success ballast-laden AmD Honda of Tordoff held the advantage in the early running, but the Yorkshireman had Morgan’s Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes-Benz and Cook’s Civic Type R swarming all over the back of him. 
 
Morgan made his attempt down the inside on lap four exiting Church – the fastest corner in the country – while Cook tried the outside on the run down to the final chicane. All three cars made it through without any contact and emerged across the start/finish line with Cook leading the way. He never looked back, winning from Morgan by nearly two seconds.
 
A huge scrap for third ensued behind with a ballast-laden Tordoff the cork in the bottle at the head of a queue of cars. Unfortunately for the race one winner, the pressure eventually told on lap 11, and he was shuffled down the order.
 
Team BMW’s Tom Oliphant and Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal ran third and fourth respectively as the final place on the podium was decided at the last corner. Neal’s Honda Civic Type R got a great run on the BMW 3 Series ahead of him and the triple BTCC champion nipped around the outside at the final chicane to reach the rostrum – crossing the line just 0.080s ahead of Oliphant.
 
Cammish – scorer of eight podiums from the previous 14 races – then broke his, and Halfords Yuasa Racing’s 2019 duck in the reversed grid contest.
 
A sticky start in the second contest had sent Cammish slightly down the order, and lightning looked like it might strike twice when he fell to third from the front row in the final encounter.
 
It was the fast-starting BMW of Oliphant that snuck in front of Cammish, while Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing’s Rob Collard led the way.
 
The lead trio pulled away whilst battles raged throughout the order, but it was all eyes on the front-runners as Cammish slipped into second midway through the scheduled 16 laps.
 
With grey skies looming, rain began to fall on the classic 2.4-miles of Tarmac, sending cars twitching gingerly around the fastest circuit in the country.
 
The moment of truth came on lap ten when Collard’s Vauxhall Astra wiggled through Church, dropping its rear-left wheel on the grass in the process. With that loss of momentum on the run to the final chicane, Cammish was able to blast his Honda Civic Type R around the outside and into an unassailable lead.
 
Collard held second until the finish but it was Oliphant who was now struggling in the damp conditions as he dropped to seventh, meaning Neal would eventually join his Honda team-mate on the podium.
 
Turkington and Jordan collectively endured their toughest weekend of the season to that point, taking a best result of ninth and seventh respectively, meaning Cammish and Cook’s impressive points hauls reignited their championship hopes.
 
The standings leaving the Hampshire circuit were as follows: Turkington led the Drivers’ contest by 30 points from Jordan, with Cammish and Cook just a handful of points further back.
 
BMW topped the Manufacturers’ order but Halfords Yuasa Racing had moved ahead in the Teams’ table.
 
Cook and his BTC Racing squad were at the summit of the Independents’ classification, whilst Rory Butcher still held the advantage in the Jack Sears Trophy.
 
Thursday will see BTCC looks back heading north of the border to discuss all of the action from Knockhill.

For the first time in the series, 2019 saw the same driver take both the Independent Drivers’ title and Jack Sears Trophy in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

Having joined the series mid-way through 2017, 2019 was clearly Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance driver Rory Butcher's year as he achieved his first podiums, wins and fastest laps in the BTCC, alongside the two Championship titles.

By the mid-summer break, Butcher had maintained his lead in the JST and gained the lead of the Independent Drivers’, with a 43 and six-point advantage in the two, respectively.

As the Brands Hatch finale approached, Butcher had once again slipped in the Independent Standings, leaving BTC Racing’s Cook 22 points ahead. But it was a trio of commanding drives on finals day that saw the 32-year-old rise to take the top spot by day's end, beating his main opponent by a mere two points, having both achieved the same number of wins and podiums in the class.

Butcher’s bid for the Jack Sears Trophy prior to the conclusive event was stronger, with the Scot leading the standings approaching the Kent circuit’s legendary Grand Prix layout. With Team BMW’s Tom Oliphant only 11 points in arrears, it was still all to play for.

It was two top place finishes in the category that sealed JST victory for Butcher, leading Oliphant by 36 points as the curtain came down on his third campaign in the championship.

The 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship marked AmD Essex celebrating their tenth year in the UK's premier motorsport series, highlighted by Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance’s victory in the Independent Teams’ Championship.

Throughout the campaign, the Essex-based team achieved an impressive 11 maximum points hauls, notching up more double wins at events than any other Independent squad, fuelling their championship bid.

As the series entered its traditional summer break the team found themselves 15 points in arrears of BTC Racing, who were topping the table at the time. The second half of the season saw AmD raise their game to outscore their points from the initial five events by 17.

“Sealing the Independent Teams' Championship is unbelievable. It just shows the amount of work and dedication the team have put in this season.”

 - Rory Butcher 

As the Brands Hatch finale approached, Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance led the standings by four points, but with BTC Racing hot on their heels, the fight wasn’t over yet. A strong weekend from the collaborative efforts of drivers Rory Butcher and Mike Bushell alongside the whole crew's determination saw Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance maintain their position at the top of the Independents Teams’ Championship, concluding the season 29 points ahead of BTC Racing.

In addition to clinching the Independent Teams’ trophy, their third-place finish in the overall standings shows the squad's strength in 2019 and their potential going forward.

“It couldn’t have gone much better. It’s a big step forward for us, it’s been the first season we’ve been winning races, definitely the first where we’re challenging for titles. It’s the first step on the ladder.

“Next year, which we’re planning already, we’re looking to move forward and see if we can push for the overall title. That means strengthening the crew, making changes and updating the car, and then looking at drivers as well.”

- Team Principal Shaun Hollamby 

August saw the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship roar back into action at Snetterton. BTCC looks back at Tom Ingram, Colin Turkington and Rory Butcher claiming a win apiece on the Norfolk circuit’s 300 layout.

Team Toyota GB with Ginsters’ Ingram sealed a first pole position for the new Corolla during yesterday’s qualifying session, and he duly converted that success into a second race win of the season.

Turkington started his race day with a steady fourth-place finish, before nipping by race one winner Ingram to take victory in the second encounter.
 
Having provided sensational entertainment throughout the weekend, the UK’s premier motorsport series saved the best until last with a final race that will live long in the memory.

Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance’s Butcher eventually won the barnstormer as he benefitted from a breathtaking battle between Jason Plato and Ash Sutton.

A further layer of intrigue was added to the triple-header with the inclusion of all three Dunlop Sport Maxx tyre compounds – hard, medium and soft. Each compound had to be used on race day for the first time in BTCC history, which created exciting racing throughout the field.

The day began with Ingram kicking off the second half of the BTCC season in the best way possible as he produced a dominant display in the opening race.

While Ingram’s first victory of 2019 came in the reversed-grid race at Donington Park, this was the first time the car had been the pace-setter from the outset. The Bucks ace fended off Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish in the early running but the 2018 Championship runner-up gradually stretched his legs to win by more than three seconds.
 
Cammish claimed a lonely second whilst Sam Tordoff completed the podium positions in his Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Honda Civic Type R.
 
Title-chasing Turkington then came out on top of a five-car battle to win the next race.
 
It was the tenth victory so far in 2019 for the WSR-run BMWs, while a rostrum for stablemate Andrew Jordan meant the team also secured a 200^th podium for the WSR/BMW partnership.
 
Cammish made it two successive second-place finishes as he showed stellar pace in the manufacturer-backed Honda Civic Type R (FK8).
 
Scotsman Butcher then won arguably the race of the season up to this point as the curtain came down in enthralling style at Snetterton.

BTC Racing’s Chris Smiley held the initial lead from pole position before Plato sneaked through in the Sterling Insurance Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall.
 
Sutton was soon into second and the Adrian Flux Subaru Racing star then immediately closed in on his old team-mate Plato. The pair battled for what seemed like forever, swapping paint several times as the crowd collectively held its breath. 
 
Plato and Sutton went side-by-side on lap five before the latter eventually slipped through two tours later. Further contact followed and Plato’s Astra recaptured the lead at Agostini. 
 
The chasing pack was closing in with myriad changes taking place as the likes of Butcher and Josh Cook had scythed their way through from 12th and 15th on the grid respectively.
 
The race was building towards an exciting climax when Plato, Sutton and Butcher went three-wide down the back straight and that simply wouldn’t work going into Brundle’s. A heart-stopping moment followed as Butcher carved his way down the inside of both, as Plato ran wide and slid into Sutton’s Subaru. The Levorg was tipped into a spin while Plato also lost ground, and suddenly it was Butcher’s Honda sailing away to take his second win of the season.
 
BTC Racing duo of Cook and Smiley took a comfortable second and third respectively, with the latter being the only driver to score a podium on the Dunlop Sport Maxx hard tyre today.
 
At the conclusion of the action, Turkington had extended his advantage at the top of the Drivers’ standings with BMW stable-mate Jordan 36 points in arrears.
 
BMW and Team BMW topped the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ order, whilst Rory Butcher and his Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance squad led both Independents’ tables, as well as the Jack Sears Trophy.
 
Next week BTCC looks back will relive all the action from events seven and eight of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, at Thruxton and Knockhill.

Our fifth #WinItWednesday star is Tom Ingram; the Buckinghamshire driver fired his Toyota Corolla to victory a total of four times in its maiden campaign.

Ingram’s first triumph of 2019, and his only during the first half of the campaign, came in round six at Donington Park. Following the annual mid-season summer break, the 26-year-old converted pole position to a race one success at Snetterton and achieved his first double win in the championship at Silverstone.

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