Sam Tordoff enjoyed his most successful weekend of the season during Rounds 13, 14 & 15 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship with a return to the rostrum at Oulton Park. 

The Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance driver showed his early promise with two top-five finishes, an Independent race win, and third-placed podium in the final race of the fifth BTCC meeting at the picturesque Cheshire circuit.

Strong off the mark during Saturday’s practice sessions, Tordoff carried his consistently proficient form into the afternoon qualifying session, securing a front-row start in P2.

Swamped off the line, Tordoff put up a valiant defence as he charged into the first corner. Batting to hold position, he slipped to fourth before a brave lunge through Island Bend from team-mate Rory Butcher dropped him back to fifth, which he held until he crossed the line.

After a strong start, an opening lap melee resulted in an early safety car appearance in race two. Allowing the lead pack to bunch-up, Tordoff came under immediate pressure from the charging pack as the encounter got back underway. The 30-year-old held off challenges for the 18-lap contest to claim his second fifth-place finish of the day and third Independent race win of the season.

Starting from seventh on the grid following race three’s reverse grid draw, Tordoff managed to avoid contact during an incident on lap three before finding himself under unrelenting pressure from BMW’s Tom Oliphant. An impressive defensive drive for the full distance was repaid with a P4 finish, which was later amended to P3 after the race winner was handed a twenty-second penalty.

“Two fifths and an Independent win is a great result and then getting a podium in race three was a really good way to end the day," said Tordoff. "We lucked into a few incidents out on track today but you have to be there to pick up the chances when they come along.

“We’re still lacking that little something extra. We’re asking for a little bit more, but that’s the extra bit between a win or not.

“It’s been a positive weekend. We’ve not quite been the fastest but we’ve scored some good points. It’s nice to have a consistent Saturday and Sunday at last and we can go into the summer break happy.

“Looking ahead we’ve got some strong tracks coming up for us. We’ll be looking to refine the car at the Snetterton test in a couple of weeks. We’ve learned a bit more [at Oulton Park] so we’ll be putting that into practice, too.”

Tordoff’s excellent weekend of results have helped to propel him up the order in the Championship standings, and he now sits fourth in the Independent Drivers' points. The Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance squad also lies third in the overall Teams’ standings and second in the Independents as the BTCC heads into its annual summer break before reconvening at Snetterton on August 3/4.

BTC Racing battled hard on track to secure a brace of points scoring finishes as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship reached the half-way stage at Oulton Park.
 
The Brackley-based team made the trip to Cheshire with drivers Chris Smiley and Josh Cook hopeful to bring home some solid results to take into the traditional summer break.
 
A challenging Saturday for the team would find both drivers on the back foot going into race day, leaving Smiley in 11th place on the timing sheets and Cook down in 22^nd.
 
With Smiley carrying a five place grid penalty into the weekend, the Northern Irishman started race one from 16^th place on the grid and would slip back to 18^th in the opening laps as drivers battled for position in the midfield pack.
 
By lap three, Cook had worked his way up to 19^th place and would close onto the rear of Smiley’s car as the pair set about fighting their way towards the points.
 
Incidents for Matt Neal and Adam Morgan allowed the duo to climb up to 16^th and 17^th, with Cook briefly getting ahead before Smiley took the place back with two laps to go; the pair just missing out on adding to their points tally.
 
Hopes were high of pushing for points in the second race of the weekend but a dramatic opening lap saw Smiley unfortunately forced to retire after contact at the Island Hairpin.
 
Cook was caught up in the same incident but escaped unscathed to end the first lap running in 14^th spot, and he battled his way forwards to tenth at the finish - a result that looked set to leave him third on the grid for race three by virtue of the reverse grid draw.
 
A five place grid penalty for Cook for the race two incident instead saw him line up for the start in eighth spot, with Smiley lining up at the back of the field after the team worked hard to repair his damaged car in time for the finale.
 
Having lost a place on the opening lap, Cook would survive a chaotic encounter to bring his car home to the finish in seventh spot, which would later become sixth due to a penalty for Jake Hill’s Audi.
 
Smiley however would be unable to build on a solid start to the race when a mechanical issue resulted in him being forced to retire to the pits.
 
At the half way stage of the season, Cook sits third in the overall championship standings and second in the Independents’ title race, with Smiley 17^th overall and ninth best Independent.
 
BTC Racing meanwhile sits fourth in the Teams’ Championship and heads the Independents Teams’ Championship going into the summer break, with the action getting back underway at Snetterton in early August.
 

“I feel I’ve been strong all weekend but have just had the worst luck you could imagine,” said Smiley. “I’m disappointed with the results, but at the same time, I’m not disappointed with the way I’ve driven as there was nothing I could have done differently to change anything.
 
“We have a base set-up that works on the car and we are very close to being in the sweet spot with it. I’m looking forward to the two-day test at Snetterton to try some changes and do some of the work that we can’t do on a race weekend, and then we can come out fighting in the second half of the season.”
 

“Qualifying was always going to be tough at Oulton Park with the weight and when you add in a small problem with the car, we had work to do on race day,” said Cook.
 
“The first two races were all about trying to make up places which is what we did, although it was unfortunate with what happened on the opening lap of race two and with the grid penalty I picked up as a result.  
  
“It meant we couldn’t benefit from the reverse grid as much as I hoped, but to come away from race three with a top six finish and to retain third in the standings at the half way stage of the season is really good.
 
“So far this year, we’ve had some weekends where everything has just gone to plan and things have been easy, but a weekend like this where you have problems to deal with shows how good the team around you is.
 
“The guys did a fantastic job all weekend and worked late into the night on Saturday on both cars to sort out some issues for race day. They are the best team I’ve driven for in my touring car career to date, and having been competitive throughout the season so far, I’m hoping we can build on our results when the action resumes at Snetterton.”
 

“It’s been a challenging weekend for us and neither driver has been able to really get the results that their pace deserved,” said Bert Taylor, BTC Racing team principal. “The whole team has worked hard to deal with everything that Oulton Park has thrown at us and I’m proud of the way that every single member of the team has performed.  

“It’s been a good season so far for us with the FK8 but there is still a long way to go, and we’ll keep pushing hard for more silverware in the second half of the season.”

Honda’s Dan Cammish added two more podium finishes to his 2019 total in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park on Sunday, but the day ended in frustrating fashion for the Halfords Yuasa Racing squad when contact compromised team-mate Matt Neal’s race winning position in the final race.

After both Halfords Yuasa Racing cars topped the times in practice drivers, Cammish and Neal were confident going into qualifying. A tight session on the challenging Cheshire track saw Cammish forced to settle for third, while Neal's Civic Type R qualified sixth.

Cammish made a strong start to race one, snatching second place and beginning the chase after leader Colin Turkington.

Neal had been holding a strong sixth and closing on the cars ahead, when a mechanical failure forced the Honda into retirement at the fast Druids corner. In the ensuing safety-car period Turkington was able to keep Cammish's Honda behind following the restart.

Both Honda drivers started race 2 on the softer tyres. Cammish made another good getaway from second on the grid but was beaten into the corner by Turkington and his team-mate Andrew Jordan. Thereafter the Honda completed a solid race to rack up another podium finish with third.

Neal's race was anything but quiet. The Halfords Yuasa Racing team worked to repair the damaged Civic Type R in only 90 minutes, seeing the Honda driver on the grid in 29^th for race two. Neal then matched their efforts, passing cars on virtually every lap to make up 18 places, finishing 11th and earning potentially vital championship points.

More reward quickly followed as the draw for the reverse-grid final race placed Neal's Honda on the outside of the front row. While beaten off the line by pole-sitter Jake Hill, going into lap 3 the Honda powered past, this was unfortunately followed by contact with Hill, causing Neal’s Civic Type R to spin out of the lead.

Neal recovered, dropping to 17th and then fighting his way back to cross the line in 12th. This became 11th when Hill, who had won the race, was penalised 20 seconds for the contact with the Honda. Cammish, who had started tenth, was also badly delayed in the melee from Neal's spin, dropping to 24th but recovering to finish 16th, just out of the points. 

The Honda squad will now put the meeting behind them and head to the next Rounds at Snetterton in Norfolk next month– where the team had a major triumph last year when Neal took the BTCC’s 60^th Anniversary ‘Diamond Double’ race.

“Another weekend that promised much but did not deliver all of it,” said Cammish. “I was pleased to keep racking up the podium finishes as consistency has so often proven so important in this championship. But what happened in the last race was so frustrating.

“We were clearly [one of] the strongest teams … so we will go to Snetterton next month in confident mood. I was on the podium there last season so I'm looking forward to the races.”

“A weekend to forget for me,” said Neal. “I was strong in the first race only to be robbed by a mechanical issue. That put me on the back of the grid for race 2 and I was pleased to battle my way up the field, especially when the grid draw put me on the front row for race 3. But then of course it all went wrong. The only thing to do is put this meeting behind us and head on to Snetterton, a meeting I'm really looking forward to after my win in the 'Diamond Double' last year.”

Motorsport UK and BARC (TOCA) Limited today announced that an extension has been signed between the two parties, contracting TOCA to continue to operate and promote the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) until the end of 2026.

Motorsport UK previously reappointed TOCA as the organiser and promoter of the BTCC for five years from 2017, with the option to extend for a further five years from 2022.

Given the continued success and profile of the series TOCA has extended the agreement early in order to provide for the organisation to enter into major obligations beyond 2021.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “It’s important for the long-term stability of the BTCC for us to be able to confirm that we will continue to operate this great Championship until at least the end of 2026.

“This enables us to now embark on firm planning and making those extended commitments – including the introduction of hybrid energy – that are vital to ensure the continued growth of this fantastic championship.”

David Richards CBE, Chairman of Motorsport UK, added: “The British Touring Car Championship is one of the best-loved and most successful Championships in the world, let alone the UK, with packed grids, high profile manufacturer support, live television coverage and crowds of up to 40,000 attending every event.

“TOCA has done an exceptional job in organising and promoting the Championship, which continues to deliver exceptional, action-packed racing at circuits throughout the UK. Motorsport UK is delighted to be extending its agreement with them until at least 2026.”

BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan maintained his recent strong form in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship with two more podium finishes in the latest rounds of the season at Oulton Park.

Despite losing track time as a result of a spin in second practice, Jordan qualified on the second row of the grid for the opening race of the weekend.

The BMW 330i M Sport rocketed off the line to go side-by-side with Dan Cammish into turn one, slotting into third place behind his rival and maintaining his position throughout the race despite a brief Safety Car period.

Another strong start to the second race allowed Jordan to vault ahead of Cammish to run second to West Surrey Racing team-mate Colin Turkington, with the 2013 champion once again retaining his position throughout an 18 lap encounter that would twice go behind the Safety Car.

With the top twelve on the grid reversed for race three, Jordan headed into the final race before the summer break seeking to fight for more points and quickly worked his way into the top ten when the lights went out.

Avoiding an incident ahead on the third lap, Jordan rose into the top six and would eventually cross the line in a solid fifth spot – which would later become fourth when on the road winner Jake Hill was handed a penalty.

A strong haul of 45 points means Jordan now goes into the summer break sitting second in the championship standings, 33 points behind Turkington, whilst BMW Pirtek Racing sits seventh in the BTCC Teams’ Championship as best placed single-car team.

“The aim was to come out of the weekend in P2 and whilst Colin has extended his lead slightly, we’ve moved into a good position ahead of the summer break so it’s mission accomplished for me,” said Jordan. “To have five wins and seven podiums myself at this stage with a new car is fantastic, and the fact that the 3 Series now has nine victories in total is testament to the work that everyone at West Surrey Racing has put in.

“I didn’t feel quite as comfortable in the car this weekend as I did at Croft but that is something you expect. Colin had the edge on me a little bit this time around in the same way I had the edge on him at Croft but it’s so close; we’re talking a tenth of a second here or there.

“That’s something I think we’re going to see between us through the rest of the season as things ebb and flow, but I’m really enjoying the battle between and I’m buzzing about the rest of the year.”

TradePriceCars.com experienced a rollercoaster of a weekend as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship visited Oulton Park.

After making progress in practice, new British Racing Driver’s Club member Jake Hill qualified in P10 for race one.

Contact early in race one saw Hill’s machine hampered, although he was able to slip back to 13^th place by the finish, picking up points to kick-start his weekend.

Race two saw an eventful round, with Hill gaining and losing positions over the course of the race. The TradePriceCars.com Audi S3 crossed the line in P12, which proved fortuitous in the reverse grid draw, where he started from pole, a first for Hill and the team.

The final, action-packed race of the weekend saw Hill cross the line in first place. Hill's joy was short lived, however, by the news that an incident between him and Matt Neal was being investigated by stewards. Following this, it was decided that Hill would be given a 20 second time penalty, resulting in him dropping to 14^th place in the results.

Fellow TradePriceCars.com driver Mark Blundell showed solid pace in practice, before qualifying 26^th for the opening race of the weekend.

Battling hard for position from the moment the lights went out, Blundell was starting to make up places before on-track contact damaged the rear of the car and he was forced to retire when rising engine temperatures saw him pull off in the closing stages.

The Audi S3 showed stronger pace in the second race of the weekend, lapping nearly a second quicker than in race one, en-route to 23^rd place.

Despite dropping back to 25^th on the opening lap of race three, Mark was able fight his way back up the order to take the flag in 18^th place for his fourth top 20 result of the season.
 
 “The BTCC is all about small margins and ultimately, a small error has cost me my maiden win in the series,” said Hill. “I’m absolutely gutted not just for myself, but also for the whole team. It was a misjudgement when we were battling for position and there was no malice whatsoever on my part.
 
“Until that point we’d worked hard to improve the car as we were struggling for grip in the first race and the boys had done a great job to give me a car that was a fast as it was in that final race.
 
“Whilst I’m disappointed with the way that the weekend has drawn to a close, it only makes me more determined to come back after the summer break to try and fight for the win we should have had here.”
 
 “We’ve made progress again this weekend and whilst it might not show externally in the results, we can see that progress internally within the team,” Blundell said. “Performance wise, I feel I’ve closed the gap to Jake again this weekend and now I’m hoping to get some solid running at the upcoming test to try a few things out that we can’t do on a race weekend.
 
“I have a better understanding of the technique required to drive these cars now and hopefully that will pay off in the test so we can work to get the Audi better suited to me for the second half of the season.”

Ashley Sutton experienced a demanding fifth event of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season this past weekend (June 29/30) at Oulton Park, scoring a pair of points finishes. 

Having enjoyed success around the picturesque Cheshire venue in recent years, the Adrian Flux Subaru Racing driver entered the meeting optimistic of continuing his front-running consistency in front of a packed-out crowd. 

Running inside the top ten at one stage early on in qualifying, Sutton had his fastest time removed during the mid-point of the session due to exceeding track limits. Fighting back to set a 1:26.581s lap time, the Subaru driver salvaged P14, which then became P13 following a grid penalty for Chris Smiley.

During race one, the 25-year-old found himself in the thick of the action from the start, picking up two places on the opening tour. Sutton showcased his overtaking skillset with a late dive down the inside of Jason Plato’s Vauxhall at the hairpin to secure eighth, where he would go on to ultimately finish, on the penultimate lap.

Following a five-place grid penalty due to contact in the first race of the day, the former Jack Sears Trophy champion saw his chances of progress from 13^th on the grid halted on the first lap of race two, after contact sent him spinning at the exit of Cascades.

Forced to pit with resulting damage, Sutton rejoined as the field followed behind the safety car. As soon as racing resumed the Subaru driver was soon on the move and scythed his way from the back of the grid to 16th, narrowly missing out on a points finish. 

Lining up on the eighth row of the grid for race three, the push for points continued as the manufacturer-backed driver charged into the top ten, capping off his weekend in seventh place. 

Heading into the annual five-week summer break, Sutton remains inside the top five in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship, placing fifth, whilst Adrian Flux Subaru Racing sit third and fifth in the BTCC Manufacturers' Championship and BTCC Teams’ Championship standings respectively.

“It has been a frustrating weekend but I sort of expected that we would struggle,” said Sutton. “Everyone at Adrian Flux Subaru Racing has worked tirelessly once again and we are giving it the full fury of the car. I don’t think I could have got any more out of the package.

“We’ll get our heads down during the summer break but our little toolbox that we delve into to try and extract more out of the car is becoming empty. It’s a nice time to hit the reset button and we will come back stronger at Snetterton.”

Sutton's team-mate Senna Proctor continued his challenging start to the campaign at Oulton, although he did complete all three races in 22nd, 18th, and 20th respectively.

Sutton, Proctor and Adrian Flux Subaru Racing are set to join a majority of teams at Snetterton on July 16/17 for the traditional in-season test before the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns to the Norfolk venue on August 3/4 for Rounds 16, 17 & 18.

Reigning champion Turkington scores half century of victories in the BTCC

Team BMW star Colin Turkington has notched up a fantastic half century of Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship victories after producing a dynamic double at Oulton Park.

The reigning champion scored two lights-to-flag wins as he further extended his impressive advantage at the top of the current standings.
 
BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan grabbed consecutive podiums to move into second overall, ahead of BTC Racing’s Josh Cook.
 
Team Parker Racing’s Stephen Jelley eventually won the final thrilling race at the picturesque Cheshire venue – his first in the series since Rockingham in 2009 – after on-the-road winner Jake Hill was handed a post-race penalty.
 
Turkington ran relatively untroubled in the opener to covert pole position into his third victory of the season.
 
Dan Cammish kept the leader honest throughout, but the Halfords Yuasa Racing man had to settle for second at the finish, while Jordan completed the podium positions.
 
Triple champion Turkington’s milestone moment came in the second encounter as the Northern Irishman swept to his 50^th BTCC victory with another commanding triumph.
 
The trio of manufacturer-backed BMWs stormed into a 1-2-4 off the line as Jordan relegated Cammish’s Honda down to third, whilst Tom Oliphant also hauled his fast-starting 3 Series into contention.
 
A couple of safety car periods interrupted proceedings, but the lead positions remained unchanged until the chequered flag as Turkington led home Jordan, Cammish and Oliphant.
 
Jelley then took his first BTCC victory in ten years after a dramatic finale around the 2.23-mile circuit.
 
TradePriceCars.com’s Hill led away from pole position, but immediately had to deal with attention from Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal.
 
The main talking point came on lap three when Neal had slid down the inside of Hill across the start/finish line and took the lead. As Neal’s Honda Civic Type R tucked ahead of the Audi S3 into Old Hall, contact was made and the manufacturer Honda car was spun across the track. 
 
A gaggle of oncoming cars tried to find their way through a cloud of smoke and when the air finally cleared it was Hill leading from Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance’s Rory Butcher and Jelley, as Neal tumbled down the order.
 
Scotsman Butcher pushed hard, and latched his AmD-run Honda onto the back of Hill and there would be one final push for a change in order. Butcher overcooked things into Island Bend and his chance was over, all but confirming Hill’s victory on-the-road.
 
Jelley held second from Team BMW’s Tom Oliphant, who finally got the better of Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance’s Sam Tordoff late on.
 
Celebrations for Hill were then cut short post-race after he was adjudged to have caused the incident involving Neal. Twenty seconds were subsequently added to the Kent driver’s overall race time, which ensured Jelley would take a first ever BTCC win for Team Parker Racing.
 
With today’s triple-header signalling the midway point of the 2019 BTCC season it is Turkington currently leading the way from Jordan and Cook in the overall standings.
 
BMW/Team BMW now top both the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ tables, whilst BTC Racing heads the Independents Teams’ order.
 
Butcher holds advantages in both the Independent Drivers’ championship and the Jack Sears Trophy.
 
The BTCC now enters its traditional mid-season summer break before resuming at Snetterton on 3/4 August. 

Colin Turkington said: “Qualifying on pole with maximum ballast was way beyond my expectations, and to then convert that into two race wins and cap it off with my 50th career BTCC victory will unquestionably be one of the highlights of my career. I’m really proud about that – it’s a great moment for us all. 
 
“I can only win these races with the support of a team like WSR who consistently give me the equipment to do the job. The 3 Series was clearly the fastest car again all weekend so we can take confidence from that, but now is when the hard work really starts and we need to dig even deeper.”
 
Stephen Jelley said: “I just saw a load of smoke and thought ‘where do I go?’. It worked out and then it was just head down. Rory (Butcher) was quick and he just overcooked it into that hairpin. I was giving it everything I could to put Jake (Hill) under pressure.
 
“Well done to everyone at Team Parker Racing. It’s been a long time coming; it’s taken two and a half years to get to this point and I’m sure we can do it on-the-road as well and get another one before the year is out. Thanks to all of our sponsors who have backed us – it is greatly appreciated.”

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 13 – Oulton Park

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 18 laps
2 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.021s
3 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +2.731s
4 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +7.222s
5 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +7.613s
6 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +8.109s
7 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Team Toyota GB with Ginsters +8.957s
8 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +9.612s
9 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +10.654s
10 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +12.293s

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 14 – Oulton Park

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 18 laps
2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1.229s
3 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.859s
4 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +2.460s
5 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +3.662s
6 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +3.802s
7 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +5.785s
8 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Team Toyota GB with Ginsters +6.306s
9 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +6.756s
10 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +7.627s

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 15 – Oulton Park

1 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing 15 laps
2 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +1.114s
3 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +2.709s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +2.994s
5 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +4.510s
6 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +5.973s
7 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +6.271s
8 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +6.416s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +11.323s
10 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +12.719s

Penalties:

Race 1:
Ash Sutton received a five-place grid penalty and five penalty points on his licence for an incident involving Adam Morgan
Senna Proctor was disqualified from the results of Round 13 relating to a turbo boost infringement

Race 2:
Rob Collard received a verbal warning following an incident involving Ash Sutton
Josh Cook received a five-place grid penalty and three penalty points for an incident involving Jack Goff

Race 3:
Jake Hill was officially reprimanded, was penalised by the addition of 20 seconds to his race time and received two penalty points for an incident involving Matt Neal

Team Parker Racing's Stephen Jelley took his first Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship victory in ten years after on-the-road winner Jake Hill received a post-race penalty.

TradePriceCars.com's Hill led away from pole position in the Oulton Park finale, but immediately had to deal with the attention from Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal.

The main talking point came on lap three when Neal had slid down the inside of Hill across the start/finish line and looked to have stolen the lead. As Neal's Honda Civic Type R tucked ahead of the Audi S3 into Old Hall, contact was made and the manufacturer Honda car was spun across the track. A gaggle of cars tried to find their way through a cloud of smoke and when the air finally cleared it was Hill leading from Rory Butcher and Stephen Jelley, as Neal tumbled down the order.

Butcher pushed hard, and latched his AmD-run Honda onto the back of Hill and there would be one final push for a change in order. Butcher overcooked things into Island Bend and his chance was over, all but confirming Hill's victory on-the-road.

Jelley held second from Team BMW's Tom Oliphant, who finally got the better of Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance's Sam Tordoff late on.

BMW Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan was ahead of the recovering Butcher, whilst BTC Racing's Josh Cook eventually claimed sixth. The Bath racer enjoyed a great race-long battle with Ash Sutton and Colin Turkington with the three title contenders keeping it clean until the finish.

The Mercedes duo of Aiden Moffat and Adam Morgan completed the top ten.

Celebrations for Hill were then cut short post-race after he was adjudged to have caused the incident involving Neal. Twenty seconds was subsequently added to the Kent driver's overall race time, which ensured Jelley would take his first win since a double victory at Rockingham in 2009.

Reigning champion Colin Turkington claimed his 50th career BTCC victory with another lights-to-flag triumph at Oulton Park.

The triple BTCC champion and current standings leader now adds a half century of wins to his ever growing list of accolades, as the Team BMW superstar commanded this latest contest with consummate ease.

BMWs stormed into a 1-2-4 off the line as Andrew Jordan relegated Dan Cammish's Honda down to third, whilst Tom Oliphant also hauled his fast-starting 3 Series into contention.

The drama commenced behind as Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Sutton went off following slight contact with Rob Collard's Vauxhall on the opening lap, whilst a touch between Josh Cook's Honda and Jack Goff's VW eventually caused a high impact incident with Chris Smiley's BTC Racing Civic Type R.

Cook seemingly tapped Goff ahead of him under braking, which left the Team HARD car running out of control on the grass. Goff's CC then slid back across the track before careering into the unaware Smiley.

A lengthy safety car period followed, which had looked to scupper Matt Neal's surge through the order from the back of the grid. Undeterred by the delay, however, Neal would continue his charge in his Halfords Yuasa Racing car in the latter half of the race.

Another safety car interrupted proceedings after Sam Osborne's MG went heavily into the barrier at Old Hall, but the lead positions stayed the same until the finish as Turkington led home Jordan, Cammish and Oliphant.

Sam Tordoff was fifth and the top independent driver for Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance, whilst Team Parker Racing's Stephen Jelley produced a hugely impressive drive to take sixth. The BMW 1 Series driver made a number of stellar moves during the race, including a classic pass by double champion Jason Plato.

Rory Butcher's Honda and Tom Ingram's Toyota were seventh and eighth respectively, whilst Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing's Plato and BTC Racing's Josh Cook completed the top ten order.

Notable results outside of the top ten included Jake Hill's 12th for tradepricecars.com, which also gave the Kent driver pole position for the reversed race three grid after his ball was picked out at random by MSV Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer.

Cataclean Racing with Ciceley Motorsport's Daniel Rowbottom took 15th and with his first ever BTCC championship point.