Scotsman Rory Butcher has won arguably the race of the season so far as the curtain came down in enthralling style at Snetterton.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has provided sensational entertainment throughout the weekend in Norfolk but the UK's premier motorsport series saved the best until last with a race that will live long in the memory.

BTC Racing's Chris Smiley held the initial lead from pole position before Jason Plato sneaked through in the Sterling Insurance Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall.

Ash Sutton was soon into second and the Adrian Flux Subaru Racing star 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 were closing behind with myriad of changes also taking place there as the likes of Butcher and Josh Cook had stormed their way through from 12th and 15th on the grid collectively.

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, Plato was bumped wide and slid into Sutton's Subaru. The Levorg was tipped into a spin as Plato also lost ground and it was Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance's Butcher into the lead to take his second win of the season.

"Once I took the lead I thought 'this is going to happen on the road'," said Butcher. "I wasn't going to lose that one there. I've struggled this weekend with the car and the track. We flipped it on its head in terms of set-up for race three and it worked! There were so many opportunities where Ash (Sutton) almost got by Jason (Plato). I wondered how long I could do it for and I held my breath under the bridge! It was massive relief when I came out in front. I'm so happy for the team. I've kept my championship alive with that win.

BTC Racing duo of Cook and Smiley were now in 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.

"It's been a long day," said Cook. "We were a little out of position in qualifying and had to get rid of the hard tyre and ballast in race one. We're still working the car out. I didn't make up as much ground as I wanted in race two. It was a busy one in the finale. Fair play to Rory (Butcher) and Mike (Bushell) they've worked so hard for it. Double podium for us. We needed that."

The PMR boys of Rob Collard and Jason Plato were fourth and fifth at the finish after the two-time champion let his team-mate through late on. 

BMW Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan was one of very few drivers to keep his nose clean throughout the 12 lap contest and he claimed sixth ahead of Sam Tordoff and Tom Ingram – the Toyota man making a great surge from 23rd on the grid.

Ollie Jackson rounded off a hugely impressive day as the Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher claimed ninth – his third top ten of the day and his ever weekend points haul in the BTCC.

Team BMW's Colin Turkington allowed the frenetic action to carry on ahead of him, choosing to pick up valuable championship points with tenth.

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 18 – Snetterton

1 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance 12 laps
2 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +1.450s
3 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Racing +8.275s
4 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +8.748s
5 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +9.598s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +9.873s
7 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +7.123s
8 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Team Toyota GB with Ginsters +10.465s
9 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +16.985s
10 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +17.385s
11 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +17.517s
12 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +18.483s
13 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +19.449s
14 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +20.270s
15 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +20.556s
16 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +21.150s
17 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +21.552s
18 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Motorbase +26.560s
19 Rob SMITH (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +26.912s
20 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +27.567s
21 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +33.725s
22 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +3 laps
23 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +3 laps
24 Jake HILL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +13.324s
25 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +5 laps
26 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +6 laps
27 Mark BLUNDELL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +6 laps
28 Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Cataclean Racing with Ciceley Motorsport +10 laps
29 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +11 laps
30 Michael CREES (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +12 laps

Team BMW's Colin Turkington came out on top of a five car battle to win Round 17 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton.

It is the tenth victory so far in 2019 for the WSR-run BMWs – a record number achieved by the Surrey outfit in a single season – but it proved to be one of the team's toughest.

"That was the plan," said Turkington. "I wasn't confident beforehand as in the BTCC you never know. You should be faster on the softs but you can never be sure. I knew it was switched on from turn one and I had to be patient to make the right move and get the traction on exit from the 3 Series BMW.

"I don't think it's any more than I did in 2014. The 1 Series was very strong back then too. The guys made a decision to up the game still for this year. We wanted to be better and we built a faster car - we're reaping the rewards."

Dan Cammish claimed second for Halfords Yuasa Racing after fighting back shortly after mid-distance, whilst BMW Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan took the final spot on the podium –  the 200th BTCC rostrum in total for the WSR/BMW partnership.

Tom Ingram has kicked off the second half of the BTCC season in the best way possible by producing a dominant display in the opening race at Snetterton.

The Team Toyota GB with Ginsters driver stormed to 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.

While Ingram's first victory of 2019 came in the reversed-grid race three at Donington Park, this was the first time that the car has proven to be the pace-setter from the outset. The Bucks ace fended off Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish in the early running but last year's runner-up gradually stretched his legs to win by more than three seconds.

"It's hot, hard work out there," said Ingram. "It's about 25 degrees above ambient when you're in the car! That was just how I wanted it to go. I was happy to try and get a gap at the start and manage it from there. I was more than happy to make it a boring race for me!

"We've made a massive step forward at the test. It was so important for us. The way that the BTCC works over a race weekend, time is so tight and you can't try the things you'd like to. The team have worked so hard to get every single last bit out of it. It was better there than the Avensis ever was, and if we're there already – it's a real good sign."

Cammish claimed a lonely second whilst Sam Tordoff completed the podium positions in his Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Honda Civic Type R.

"That's a good 19 points on the board," said Cammish. "I didn't have the best of starts. It looked close to start with but I couldn't keep up and we didn't have enough in the car. He had a bit of a quicker package this morning. I could see where he was good and couldn't match it. They've worked hard, we all are. They found time that we couldn't between FP2 and Quali. I'm not just here to beat him though, I'm here to beat the rest as well."

"We'll take that," responded Tordoff. "It was a good start to the day. Dan (Cammish) was in a bit of a different race to me, even with the soft tyre on the car. The hard tyre won't be the tyre to choose. I'll ask my team-mate to see how he got on with it but we'll try and get some more points in the bag in race two."

The final place on the rostrum looked to be heading the way of Tom Chilton before a puncture fired his Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher Ford Focus out of the race.

The lead trio all ran the soft Dunlop Sport Maxx tyre with the BMW duo of Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan being the first medium compound runners home in fourth and fifth respectively.

Jordan was involved in the most high profile manoeuvre of the race as he muscled his way past Jason Plato on lap 10. Both cars touched through the Esses and Jordan completed the move at the Bombhole. 

Rob Collard followed his Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing team-mate past the chequered flag to take seventh, ahead of Ollie Jackson in the Shredded Wheat-backed Focus. Jackson was involved in an earlier incident which led to the retirement of Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal, after the pair made contact.

The top ten positions were completed by Matt Simpson (Simpson Racing) and Jake Hill (TradePriceCars.com). Ninth place for Simpson was his best result of the season, having only previously scored one championship point so far, whilst Hill was the first driver to finish on the Dunlop hard tyre.

A trio of title contenders faced a difficult race with Rory Butcher, Ash Sutton and Josh Cook finishing 11th, 12th and 20th respectively.

A special mention for Aiden Moffat and Laser Tools Racing as the Infiniti Q50 finished just narrowly outside of the points on its debut. 

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 16 – Snetterton

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Team Toyota GB with Ginsters 12 laps
2 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +3.o71s
3 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +7.199s
4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +12.499s
5 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +16.918s
6 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +19.783s
7 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +20.333s
8 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +20.492s
9 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +21.090s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +28.584s
11 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +29.419s
12 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +29.689s
13 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +33.946s
14 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Racing +34.871s
15 Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Cataclean Racing with Ciceley Motorsport +36.178s
16 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +44.997s
17 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +45.475s
18 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +45.886s
19 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +46.199s
20 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +52.334s
21 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +53.244s
22 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Motorbase +53.834s
23 Mark BLUNDELL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +56.934s
24 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +58.699s
25 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1m03.242s
26 Rob SMITH (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +1m06.880s
27 Michael CREES (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +1m41.591s
28 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +7 laps
29 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +8 laps
30 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +11 laps

Toyota star tops Honda's Dan Cammish by just 0.002s at Snetterton

Team Toyota GB with Ginsters' Tom Ingram claimed an incredible Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship pole position after producing a sensational lap at Snetterton.

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish had already dipped well under the qualifying lap record, before Ingram pipped the manufacturer Honda driver's effort by just 0.002s. The Snetterton 300 layout is the longest on the BTCC calendar at 2.97-miles, making the margin between the top two all the more impressive. 

Cammish had topped both earlier practice sessions and seemingly looked in control of qualifying in the early stages, but Ingram's stunning 1:54.737s lap time proved decisive in grabbing a first pole position for the all-new Toyota Corolla.

While Ingram and Cammish proved to be the class of the field, it was Sam Tordoff who claimed best of the rest honours in the Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Honda.

Tom Chilton – pace-setter in the recent two-day test at the Norfolk circuit – claimed fourth in the Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher's Ford Focus, ahead of championship leader Colin Turkington. Team BMW's Turkington still produced a mightily impressive effort and he'll be happy to be lining up on the third row in his ballast-laden 3 Series.

Jason Plato had to settle for sixth after admitting he had extracted the maximum potential of his Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra during the earlier practice session, where he had trailed Cammish's morning benchmark by a less than two tenths of a second.

Andrew Jordan has won five times already this season and the BMW Pirtek Racing star will look to claim top honours again tomorrow from seventh on the grid. Jordan is currently Turkington's closest challenger in the overall standing's and he line-up directly behind his BMW stablemate in the opening contest.

Matt Neal was seven tenths off his Honda team-mate but it was good enough for eighth, whilst Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan and Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing's Rob Collard were next in the order. Morgan made a welcome return to form during the recent test and ninth today proved to be his best qualifying result of the season, whilst Collard ensured both Vauxhall Astras were inside the top ten.

A number of title contenders endured a challenging afternoon with Rory Butcher (11th), Ash Sutton (18th) and Josh Cook (19th) all failing to trouble the leading lap times.

Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Snetterton tomorrow with tens of thousands of fans expected at the Norfolk track, whilst ITV4 has everybody else covered with live coverage commencing at 10:45 and running through until the end of the day at 18:15.

A further layer of intrigue and excitement has been added to tomorrow's triple header with the inclusion of all three Dunlop Sport Maxx tyre compounds. For the first time in BTCC history, each one must be run on race-day.

Tom Ingram said: “It’s fantastic and I’m so pleased. We’ve been quietly going about trying to understand everything about the car just nibbling away. We’ve found some amazing things at the tyre test and ticked a lot of things off that we wanted to try. Everyone will have made a step, and we’ve gone another step further still. A heck of a lot of work has gone in behind the scenes. It’s great to get the Corolla’s first pole and the first on Team Toyota GB’s BTCC return. It’s always close here and I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. I’ll sleep tonight as I’ve got that monkey off my back!”

Dan Cammish said: “Two thousandths of a second is nothing but there wasn’t any more I could do. For Tom (Ingram) to jump one better is fair play. I’ve got nothing to feel bad about – the car feels great and I did my maximum. The season got off to a bad start, I made mistakes, but since Thruxton we’ve been strong, scoring podiums and outscoring those around us. Tomorrow’s another chance to do that. It’ll be different with the tyre choices this weekend. It depends a lot on where you qualify. Race three is a bit of a lottery and you’ve got to take points out of races one and two.”

Sam Tordoff said: "I'm really happy with the lap time and what we put together there. I was disappointed we were only third there. I would have taken a 1m55.000s all day long so to break into the 54's is really pleasing. The lap time was in the car and it was just a case of extracting it. I struggled to go any quicker after my first run. In some ways, third is a better place to start than second here with the line into turn one. We need to keep our championship momentum going. There's the tyre unknowns and I'm not sure what we'll do but you want the least risky option to consolidate a good starting position." 

Honda's Dan Cammish topped the timesheets once again at Snetterton, this time in Free Practice 2, and in the process became the first driver to head the way in both Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship practice sessions on a given weekend this season.

The Halfords Yuasa Racing driver went well back in testing at the Norfolk venue a fortnight ago, ending up second-quickest overall at the two-day Dunlop Tyre Test, and the Honda Civic Type R (FK8) is looking like a potent package so far this weekend. His 1m55.546, set early on, was enough to see him head the way for the remainder of the session - though it was slightly slower than his morning benchmark.

Cammish's margin to the chasing pack was 0.029s in the opening session but final practice proved even closer as Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing's Jason Plato fell just 0.017s short of the Honda man's flyer.

"Having the test here a few weeks ago helps," said Plato. "We ran through some set-ups and bolted onto the car all the things we know worked. That lap of mine just then was as good as it'll get. I feel like I've got a good car underneath me - maybe a winning one but we're still down in the speed traps. We're losing a few tenths around the back of the lap. You've got to make the best of what you're given."

30-year-old Cammish and double champ Plato proved the class of the field as Sam Tordoff (Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance), Chris Smiley (BTC Racing) and Tom Ingram (Team Toyota GB with Ginsters) were next on the timesheets.

Matt Neal backed-up Halfords Yuasa Racing's pace by going sixth – one better than he did this morning – whilst Tom Chilton again produced top ten speed in the Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher Ford Focus.

Adam Morgan showed improved form at the recent two-day Snetterton test and he's continued that run here with eighth, ahead of Andrew Jordan's BMW and Jake Hill's Audi.

Interestingly, four of the top five drivers in the current overall standings failed to make the top ten in this session as Rory Butcher (12th), Colin Turkington (13th), Ash Sutton (17th) and Josh Cook (19th) continue to get to grips with their ballast-laden machines around the Snetterton 300 layout – the longest BTCC circuit on the calendar at 2.97-miles.

Qualifying for Round 16 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will take place at 15:00 and will be streamed live via www.itv.com/btcc.

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Snetterton

1 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 1m55.546s
2 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +0.017s
3 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +0.921s
4 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Racing +0.543s
5 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Team Toyota GB with Ginsters +0.580s
6 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.652s
7 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +0.793s
8 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +0.843s
9 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.849s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +0.895s
11 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +0.931s
12 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +1.008s
13 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.019s
14 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.025s
15 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +1.124s
16 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.141s
17 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.197s
18 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.419s
19 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +1.524s
20 Mark BLUNDELL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +1.547s
21 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.555s
22 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +1.752s
23 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.868s
24 Michael CREES (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +1.971s
25 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Motorbase +2.272s
26 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +2.376s
27 Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Cataclean Racing with Ciceley Motorsport +2.525s
28 Rob SMITH (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +2.853s
29 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +3.659s

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish has set the early Snetterton pace in the opening Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship practice session.

Matt Simpson led the way for much of the segment in the previous spec Honda Civic Type R before manufacturer man Cammish stretched his legs in the new Fk8 to top the times by just 0.029s.

It was an incredibly close session, despite being the longest circuit of the BTCC calendar, as Team Toyota GB with Ginsters' Tom Ingram was just a 0.030s further back.

BMW Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan was next in the order, followed by the Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall duo of Rob Collard and Jason Plato.

Teams arrived at Snetterton having enjoyed a two-day test at the Norfolk circuit just two weeks ago, but lap times at the head of the field are already more than half a second quicker than last month's benchmark effort from Tom Chilton.

Matt Neal was seventh this morning for Halfords Yuasa Racing, ahead of Team BMW's Tom Oliphant and TradePriceCars.com's Jake Hill, whilst Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher's Chilton rounded out the top ten.

Not only were teams carrying out their own practice programmes following the five-week summer break but they're also preparing for the first ever BTCC weekend to include a trio of Dunlop tyre compounds. Each car will be required to run hard, medium and soft Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres across the three races tomorrow, so tactics will also come into play throughout the day.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will be back on track for FP2 at 12:00 before qualifying commences at 15:00, with the latter being streamed live www.itv.com/btcc.

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Snetterton

1 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 1m55.478s
2 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.029s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Team Toyota GB with Ginsters +0.030s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.439s
5 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +0.641s
6 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +0.727s
7 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.780s
8 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.803s
9 Jake HILL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +0.817s
10 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +0.829s
11 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +0.877s
12 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +0.899s
13 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +0.921s
14 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.034s
15 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.041s
16 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.070s
17 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Racing +1.230s
18 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +1.236s
19 Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Cataclean Racing with Ciceley Motorsport +1.239s
20 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.359s
21 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.455s
22 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +1.467s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.535s
24 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Motorbase +1.566s
25 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +1.700s
26 Rob SMITH (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +1.774s
27 Mark BLUNDELL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +2.150s
28 Michael CREES (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +2.219s
29 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +3.255s
30 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +3.397s

Cataclean Racing has unveiled a revised look to its Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Mercedes-Benz A-Class, thanks to a trio of new brands taking up prominent positions on the car's livery.

Cataclean’s American distributor, Holley, has seized the opportunity to be involved in the world’s foremost tin-top championship and its increased American television coverage to highlight two of its key brands: Accel and Superchips.

Holley has been a leader in fuel systems for over 100 years, with its carburettors/injection systems powering every NASCAR Cup team and nearly every NHRA Pro–Stock champion for four decades.

Accel specialises in spark plugs, spark plug wires and ignition boxes along with myriad other products, while Superchips specialises in extra performance from vehicles by installing an engineered performance calibration on a vehicle’s computer, yielding improved fuel economy, optimised shift patterns, and an elevated driving experience.

“We are delighted to be able to welcome Holley, Accel and Superchips to the BTCC,” said Ross Baigent, Managing Director of Cataclean Global Ltd. “We are seeing the benefits of being involved with the championship through increased sales and a far greater presence and awareness, and the boost that the BTCC is enjoying on American television makes this a perfect time for Holley to come on board.”

“The BTCC is working exceptionally hard to help teams maximise their sponsors’ exposure. The fact we have been able to attract a brand such as Holley to BTCC is proof that the package works. This gives Cataclean the chance to work much closer with our American distributor to help it promote Accel and Superchips alongside Cataclean in the UK.

"Equally, Holley recognises it has a great opportunity to utilise and capitalise on the global reach of the championship, raising brand awareness within its domestic US and export markets.

“We are confident that they will enjoy the same rewards that Cataclean has done as we enter the second half of the 2019 season.”

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher is set to resume its title push this coming weekend as the second half of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season gets underway at Snetterton Circuit (3/4 August).

The Motorbase-run outfit heads to Norfolk in confident form after topping the times during the annual Dunlop tyre test on the Snetterton 300 circuit two weeks ago.

Tom Chilton took top honours from the two-day programme, clocking up the most Km’s and setting the fastest lap-time, with team-mate Ollie Jackson closely paced, posting the third-fastest time overall.

Having unlocked key potential in the Ford Focus RS during the extensive mid-season test, Chilton and Jackson are more determined than ever to close the gap to the championship leaders as the title battle picks up pace once more.

14-time BTCC race-winner Chilton is looking to add more silverware to the race win and three podiums already under his belt this season, with Jackson keen to build on his promising race pace from the first half of the campaign as he pushes for consistent top-ten finishes.

“Coming back from the break we’re keen to keep the momentum of our mid-season test going, and to show our strength for the whole of the second half of the season,” commented Team Manager Oly Collins.

“We had a great test at Snetterton recently with both Tom and Ollie setting the fastest times on each of the two days, which was great. That said we don’t know quite where our competitors were, we only know what we were doing. But we know it was a positive test for us in many ways.

“I feel sure the normal protagonists will be quick with BMW and Honda in particular but hopefully we can repeat that pace this weekend. It looks like the weather may play a part in the results as well as the mix-up of the new tyre regulations for Snetterton, with all three compounds coming into play on Sunday.”

“We managed to qualify third and finish fifth here last year in the 60th-anniversary race which was quite something,” said Chilton. “After setting the fastest time in the test a couple of weeks ago we’re arriving with very positive heads to get our second half of the year underway in the right manner.

“Oulton Park did not go our way at all, but it did mean that we looked at the car closely during the test, and the Focus is in a much better place now. We covered a lot of ground during the two days, and we now have the right set-up for each tyre.

“The BMWs will be the cars to beat for sure this weekend, even with full weight, but we’ll be a good position to give them a run for their money! Hopefully, my years of experience will put us in good stead. Experience equals points; that’s what I’m hoping for. I really want to get a win this weekend; it’s been a while since I’ve taken a win at Snetterton.”

“On paper, it should be a good weekend for us,” said Jackson. “We’ve made great strides forward with the car. I’m feeling at one with it, so hopefully, we can convert that into good results and get the monkey off our back.

“If we can run confidently and comfortably in the top ten and then push for the top five and maybe steal a reverse grid result I’d be really happy with that. I think we deserve a break.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how things play out with the three different compounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of the grid runs the same tyre in the same races, so it might not mix things up as much as usual. We’ve got a handle on the set-ups for each now so we should be in a good position for all three races come Sunday.”

Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Snetterton circuit, Norfolk on August 3/4. Live coverage of Sunday’s events will be shown on ITV4, ITV4HD and via the ITVhub from 10:45 – 18:30; with itv.com/btcc featuring live timing and streaming of Saturday’s (August 3) qualifying session from 15:00.

Mark Blundell is set for the next rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship competition this weekend (3/4 August) as the UK's premier racing series heads to Snetterton for another trio of races.
 
Prior to the race weekend in Norfolk, Blundell completed the two-day official in-season tyre test at the circuit where he clocked up an impressive 144 laps in his Audi S3 to mark a positive performance where progress was evident.
 
"The tests we completed at Snetterton a few weeks ago showed that progress has been made," said Mark. "We do still have a long way to go, but we are heading in the right direction after some positive results in the test. It was the first time we have had some sustained running in the car and it gave us the opportunity to try out a few things we have been wanting to do for a little while.
 
"We have been making more progress internally over the past few rounds, so I am looking forward to racing at Snetterton this weekend. Being an East Anglian circuit, Snetterton is as close as it comes to a home race for me! It is a track that I've enjoyed success at previously and one that I visited on many occasions across my junior career. This weekend will be the first time I've raced its new configuration but it is one I am really looking forward to."
 
As ever, Saturday will have two practice sessions, commencing at 09:30 and 12:00 respectively, before qualifying is streamed live via ITV Sport at 15:00. Sunday will play host to three 12-lap races. The first will get underway at 11:35 with the second at 14:10. The weekend will finish race three at 17:30. All three showpieces will be broadcast live on ITV4.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship makes its return at Snetterton next weekend (3/4 August) after its traditional summer break, with Team BMW's reigning champion Colin Turkington holding the initiative.

Last time out, just over a month ago at Oulton Park, the Northern Irishman secured a pair of lights-to-flag victories as he further tightened his grip at the top of the Drivers' standings.

His BMW stablemate, Andrew Jordan, notched a pair of podiums to move into second in the running, ahead of BTC Racing's Josh Cook. Stephen Jelley rounded out a thrilling weekend at the picturesque Cheshire circuit with a popular victory in the finale - his first in the BTCC since 2009.

Snetterton always throws up a treat for the tens of thousands of fans that make their way to the Norfolk circuit, with the very best BTCC action delivered over a sun-soaked mid-summer's race weekend.

As always, for those that can't make it to East Anglia, qualifying and race-day is broadcast live and exclusively via the championship's long-term broadcast partners, ITV Sport, with some eight hours of the best of British motorsport come race-day screened live on ITV4.

The BTCC enjoys exclusive television bragging rights in 2019, as the only major motorsport series to be broadcast on a leading UK free-to-air television network. All ten race weekends are screened live on ITV4, the ITV Hub and streamed via itv.com/BTCC with six hours of programming at every race-day this season.

Snetterton: 3/4 August

Qualifying LIVE: Saturday 3 August
ITV.com/BTCC from 1500

Raceday LIVE: Sunday 4 August
ITV4 & ITV4 HD 1045-1815
ITV4+1 1145-1915
ITV Hub 1045–1815
ITV.com/BTCC 1145-1915

Highlights: Saturday 10 August
ITV4 & ITV4 HD 1030-1200
ITV4 +1 1130-1300
ITV Hub Available anytime for the next 30 days

Highlights: Sunday 11 August
ITV4 & ITV4 HD 0650-0805
ITV4 +1 0750-0905

Highlights: Wednesday 14 August
ITV & ITV HD 2345-0115