Ash Sutton won a wet-dry penultimate round of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch as the Laser Tools Racing star edges closer in his quest to win a second Drivers' title.
The majority of cars went to the grid on Goodyear wet tyres before a flurry of changes shortly before the start, but it was those choosing to stick with grooved rubber that initially had the better of the contest.
BTC Racing's Tom Chilton hit the front early on after choosing to run the wets – ahead of the slick-shod Sutton – with Andy Neate surging into third in the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus.
Chilton's joy was short-lived, however, as those running the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport dry tyres were soon in the ascendancy.
Sutton scythed his way into an unassailable lead, also taking fastest lap on his way to his fifth victory of the season, whilst the other contenders all survived bruising encounters.
Toyota's Tom Ingram and Honda's Dan Cammish endured a sychronised half spin at Paddock Hill Bend on the first lap, whilst BMW's Colin Turkington was caught up in contact with BTC Racing's Josh Cook and MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill shortly after mid-distance.
The title chasing trio were left to play catch up during the race and they eventually did exaclty that with Ingram taking second, ahead of Turkington and Cammish.
There was one contentious and heart-in-the-mouth moment when Team BMW's Turkington made it by Halfords Yuasa Racing's Cammish on the run-up to Druids. The Audi S3 of Paul Rivett was left stranded on-track in a separate incident, and Turkington was able to pass Cammish while taking avoiding action of Rivett's car ahead of him.
In summary, the result leaves Sutton nine points clear of Turkington, with Cammish the only other driver still in contention. Ingram's valiant title fight has come to an end but his second place again showed what a fierce competitor he is.
Motorbase Performance's Ollie Jackson had his second successive top five finish, ahead of the Ciceley Motorsport-run Mercedes of Adam Morgan. Hill survived to finish seventh.
Excelr8 Motorsport's Senna Proctor continued his day-long recovery – following his crash in qualifying yesterday – to finish eight, whilst BTC Racing's Josh Cook and Motorbase man Rory Butcher completed the top ten positions.
There was cause for celebration further down the order as Michael Crees moved into an unassailable points lead in the Jack Sears Trophy, capping off a wonderful season for the Kent driver at his home track.
Round 27 – the grand finale – takes place at 1515... all the action is live on ITV4 and a champion will be crowned.
Ash Sutton said: “Obviously, on the opening lap everybody’s a bit cautious and all hell broke loose behind me. I got a little tap from Tom [Ingram], but it’s just those conditions – there was nothing he could do, I think he was getting pushed from behind. From that moment on, it was just a case of getting my head down, keeping out of trouble and pulling the gap we needed. It’s touring cars, and it can change so quickly. Obviously I would have liked a few more cars between myself and Colin [Turkington], but he took advantage of what happened on lap one and came through. Anything can happen in the reversed grid race, so we’ll wait and see. We’re in a good position as it is, so it’s just going to be a case of managing the points gap to Colin.”
Tom Ingram said: “I got a really good launch off the line and got a bit of momentum. I knew I had to try to make up as many places as I can, so it was a case of ‘lick the stamp and send it’ and see what happens. I just got to the outside, but lost the rear, did a bit of rallycross and kept going. I think we were down in 13th at one point and it was just a case of battling forwards from there. They’re conditions I absolutely love. It takes me back to being six-years-old and my dad was too tight to buy me wet tyres for my go-kart! It was mega fun and good to recover from where we were.”
Colin Turkington said: “I’m just thankful I avoided [Paul Rivett] – that’s the biggest shock you can have as a driver. Paddock Hill Bend is blind on the entry, so I had no idea he was there at all and there were no yellow flags out. It was such a shock to get to almost the bottom of the hill and see the road blocked. Just at the last moment I dived right, and I thought Dan Cammish was on the inside. I was expecting to get speared across the front of him, but those are the little bits of luck that you need to win this championship. It could be a pivotal moment. It was a really strong race for me even before that. We obviously made the call to go on slicks, and the car took a while to get going but once it did, it just switched on and I had excellent pace, so really well done by Team BMW.”
2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Brands Hatch Indy
1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 24 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters +4.762s
3 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +9.370s
4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +9.688s
5 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +10.832s
6 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +13.422s
7 Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +14.088s
8 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +14.418s
9 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +14.919s
10 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +17.900s
11 Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +22.605s
12 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +28.823s
13 Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +33.011s
14 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +37.119s
15 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +37.712s
16 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +42.984s
17 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +43.415s
18 Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +1 lap
19 Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +1 lap
20 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1 lap
21 Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1 lap
22 Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +1 lap
23 Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +1 lap
24 Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +1 lap
25 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +3 laps
26 Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +22 laps
27 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +23 laps
Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish produced one of the best performances of his BTCC career to claim victory in the opening race at Brands Hatch, whilst Laser Tools Racing's Ash Sutton moved ahead of Team BMW's Colin Turkington at the head of the overall standings.
Finals day kicked off amid awful conditions at the famous Kent venue as four of the five title contenders went wheel-to-wheel at the front of the field while reigning champion Turkington was forced to take a back seat in the opener.
Sutton's Infiniti Q50 made the best getaway as he blasted by Rory Butcher's Motorbase Performance Ford Focus off the line, slotting into second behind pole-sitter Tom Ingram, and Cammish was soon into third as he took the wider line through Paddock Hill Bend.
The contest was simmering in the early laps before the Honda of Sam Osborne and VW of Glynn Geddie had a coming together on the run up to Druids on lap seven, bringing about a brief safety car period.
The battle resumed following the restart and the moment of truth came on lap 13 as Cammish squeezed his Honda Civic Type R down the inside of Ingram's Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters' Corolla as the pair climbed the hill towards Druids Hairpin. It was a tense moment as Cammish braked as late as he dared, just about stopping his #27 machine on the run through the slowest corner on the track.
It was a fantastic move and one that saw Cammish largely cruise away... that was until Sutton also took his opportunity to pass Ingram through Surtees. Sutton set the fastest lap as he closed in on Cammish but his challenge came too late.
As the chequered flag fell it was Sutton who has now taken a two point lead over Turkington, whilst Cammish is just 13 points in arrears with another pole position to come for the Honda star in race two. Ingram's solid podium still saw him lose ground in the title fight with Butcher's fourth place forcing him out of overall contention.
Local team beat local driver to fifth place in this contest as Motorbase's Ollie Jackson held off MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill, with Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal taking a relatively lonely seventh.
BTC Racing's Josh Cook passed Turkington following the restart to take eighth, with the latter seemingly struggling for pace in the wet conditions. Turkington's team-mate – Tom Oliphant – rounded out the top ten with the pair unable to extract any more pace from the BMW 3 Series.
All the drama is taking place live on ITV4 with the second race due to commence at 12:32, as the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continues towards its climax later this afternoon.
Dan Cammish said: “It’s all about trying to score as many points as you can, and when you’ve got a car that’s clearly got the potential, you’ve got to use it. In touring cars, you get your moments and you have your days where you can take advantage and you’ve got to. I’ve been in many fights with Tom Ingram this year where he’s had a slight advantage, but this morning, we managed to reverse that. You’ve got to give as good as you get. I’m really pleased with the result, both for myself and for everybody at Team Dynamics. We were quick yesterday and we knew we had a good race car, so I’m really glad we put it to good use. First blood to me, but we’ve got to go back and see if we can improve again because everybody else will.
“After what happened last year, I think my outlook’s probably changed a little bit – you don’t get ahead of yourself until you’re on your way home, halfway up the motorway with the trophy in your hand! Anything can happen in this game and it usually does, as I proved last year! I’m just here to enjoy it. I think sometimes, I get a bit caught up with the pressure and the racing that I forget that I’m in a very privileged position to do what I do. I love what I do, and I hope the fans enjoyed it at home today. I can’t wait to see you all again next year!”
Ash Sutton said: “I felt like we had a very good car at the end of the race – it really came alive. Just before the safety car, it felt like, ‘hang on a minute, I’ve got a car underneath me here’ but then we had to start again and it wasn’t until the latter stages of the race that I had the pace to put a move on Tom [Ingram] and then try and hunt down Dan [Cammish]. The tyres just started to come in – they seemed to take a very long time, but I saw Tom was wounded to some extent and he was falling into my lap. I did play it safe, but if the move was 100 per cent on then I was doing it.”
Tom Ingram said: “The conditions were super tricky in race one, and it seemed like they were changing every lap – we even had another short downpour midway through! We were just struggling with the front tyres and I didn’t really have an answer for Dan [Cammish] or Ash [Sutton] towards the end, but it was pleasing to get a podium nonetheless.”
2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Brands Hatch Indy
1 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 27 laps
2 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.813s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters +3.160s
4 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +6.538s
5 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +7.952s
6 Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +9.273s
7 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +10.164s
8 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +13.519s
9 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +18.283s
10 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +19.339s
11 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +21.167s
12 Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +21.621s
13 Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +23.221s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +23.649s
15 Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +31.348s
16 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +31.760s
17 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +32.939s
18 Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +36.294s
19 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +38.121s
20 Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +39.758s
21 Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +42.563s
22 Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +45.018s
23 Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +45.798s
24 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +59.266s
25 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +9 laps
26 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +21 laps
27 Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +21 laps
For the final time in 2020, the Official BTCC website caught up with the top three qualifiers from this yesterday's session at Brands Hatch Indy.
Find out what they had to say below...
Securing his first pole position of the 2020 campaign, catch up with Tom Ingram:
Rory Butcher starts the opening race from P2:
Laser Tools Racing man Ash Sutton will be aiming to get ahead from third on the grid:
Listen Again – Brands Hatch Final - Qualifying Circuit Commentary
Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters' Tom Ingram claimed the final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship pole position of the season earlier today (14 November) as the 27-year-old mastered the wet conditions on Brands Hatch's Indy circuit.
Not only was it a stellar display from Ingram, but it has also hauled the Toyota star one point closer to standings leader Colin Turkington ahead of tomorrow's triple-header finale.
With a quintet of drivers still in contention to claim the most coveted prize in British motorsport, it was the two title outsiders that produced the goods, as Motorbase Performance's Rory Butcher completed the front row positions.
Another pair of title chasers were next in the order as Laser Tools Racing's Ash Sutton pipped Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish to third. Such was the competitiveness of the session that the top four cars were separated by just 0.083s.
Ollie Jackson made it a double celebration for Motorbase Performance as he grabbed fifth at the team's local circuit, fresh from his victory at Snetterton last time out and continuing his sensational run of form during the second half of the season.
The rain made for an exciting session for those watching but it was a nerve-wracking experience for the 27 drivers on track.
Paddock Hill Bend is one of the most notorious corners in the world of motor racing, but it was Surtees, Druids and Clearways that initially proved most tricky. Matt Neal (Halfords Yuasa Racing), Carl Boardley (HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD), Senna Proctor (Excelr8 Motorsport), Jack Butel (Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools) and Cammish all had off-track moments in the first half of the session before Paddock eventually took its first victim.
Neal – the most experienced driver on the grid – endured his second skirmish as he ran through the gravel at Paddock, before local man Jake Hill went even deeper into the corner and eventually made contact with the barrier, bringing about a second red flag stoppage.
Proctor's aforementioned incident caused the first halt to proceedings whilst Boardley's third and final incident brought the session to a premature end.
MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Hill lost his fastest lap – part of the penalty for causing a red flag – but had still set a quick enough backup time to take sixth on the grid ahead of Neal.
Defending champion Turkington had to make do with eighth in his maximum ballast-laden BMW 3 Series, but was rewarded with the Goodyear Wingfoot Award thanks to his superior qualifying positions across the season.
Paul Rivett (GKR TradePriceCars.com) starred to take ninth in his Audi S3 and will line up alongside BTC Racing's Josh Cook for tomorrow's opener.
Rounds 25, 26 and 27 of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place tomorrow with all the action aired live on ITV4 from 0920. The races start at 1000, 1232 and 1514 respectively with the title race set to go down to the wire.
Team BMW's Turkington holds a nine-point advantage over Sutton ahead of this unmissable finale, while Cammish is a further 16 points in arrears. Ingram is eight points behind Cammish, whilst Butcher only holds an extremely slim mathematical chance of claiming the crown.
Tom Ingram said: "That was super tricky, it was really slippery! It took quite a while to get into a rhythm because the circuit felt very different from Free Practice, so we were actually chasing some of the set up during the session. My engineer came over the radio with some really inspired set up choices which we went with and it just transformed the car. It was a challenging session but I’m very, very pleased to get it done.
"A lot of the time it’s about a bit of luck, maybe just catching it at the right time, you’ve got your tyre temp just at the right time and you get a bit of clear space. The wet tyre is a very good tyre but you get such a small margin for it to be at its absolute peak performance, especially on such a short lap, when there’s a bit of traffic and so many people going off.
"I feel really relaxed this weekend, more than any other event previously, I think it’s probably because there’s no direct pressure on me? I can do the best job I can, qualify on pole and win all three races tomorrow, but if everyone else we're fighting against is directly behind then it’s null and void. The team and I can only do the best job we can, and if it’s enough, it’s enough. So I feel very relaxed, very chilled, which actually is a nice place to be."
Rory Butcher said: "It was all about finding that window, I was setting up the car throughout the session and then it came. We got that lap at the end and for a moment we were on pole and then Tom just pipped us.
"It’s not my title to win this year, I’m a bit like Tom in that the pressure’s off now. We’re so far off in terms of points that our focus is just to have a good end to the year and go into winter feeling really positive. We’ve started the weekend really well with a front row start and we just need to keep that going."
Ash Sutton said: "We were caught out with that last red flag, we couldn’t respond to what Tom and Rory had put in. Obviously we were sitting pretty for about 75% of it so really happy. There’s a little bit left on the table, I didn’t want to be the driver again like at Croft where I went off, caused a red flag and lost my best lap. So there’s a little bit left on the table, we put in a good lap, we’re in a good position, unfortunately we just didn’t get to respond to Tom and Rory.
"I’m in my element, I absolutely love the wet. Whatever car, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, it’s my favourite. I feel at home, there’s a little bit of pressure for me taking off because obviously going against Colin in the BMW is hard, but I feel much more in my comfort zone when it comes to the wet."
2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Brands Hatch Indy
1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters 54.950s
2 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.024s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.034s
4 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.083s
5 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.189s
6 Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.306s
7 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.329s
8 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.431s
9 Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +0.454s
10 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.499s
11 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +0.531s
12 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.534s
13 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.577s
14 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +0.772s
15 Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +0.819s
16 Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +0.849s
17 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +0.916s
18 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +0.917s
19 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +1.035s
20 Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.125s
21 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.204s
22 Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +1.363s
23 Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +1.378s
24 Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.540s
25 Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +1.566s
26 Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +2.445s
27 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +2.496s
Colin Turkington won the inaugural Goodyear Wingfoot Award on Saturday, rewarding his impressive and consistent qualifying performance throughout the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.
Goodyear established the Wingfoot Award to celebrate the driver with the best qualifying results across the season, awarding points based on each driver’s qualifying positions at every race weekend. For this weekend’s season finale at Brands Hatch, Turkington qualified eighth to secure his title as the inaugural recipient of the Wingfoot Award.
Turkington will be fighting for his fifth BTCC drivers’ championship on Sunday. The Team BMW driver currently leads the championship with 309 points, but four other drivers - Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish, Tom Ingram and Rory Butcher - are still in contention for the 2020 title.
This weekend’s nail-biting finale brings to a close a thrilling BTCC season which has been Goodyear’s first since becoming Official Tyre Supplier. Every car on the BTCC grid races with Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport race tyres, and the Goodyear team works closely with teams up and down the pitlane to maximise their performance.
This dedication is particularly important for qualifying, where this season’s action has shown battles to be closer than ever. At Brands Hatch earlier in the season, Turkington and teammate Tom Oliphant crossed the line with the exact same lap time, down to the thousandth-of-a-second. In a field this competitive, Turkington’s consistency deserves to be rewarded.
Andy Marfleet, Goodyear’s Marketing Director UK & Ireland, said: “Colin is a deserving winner of our Wingfoot Award. Qualifying sessions have been just as exciting as the races this season and we’re pleased to reward this important performance and recognise Colin’s success with the Goodyear Wingfoot Award. It’s been a fascinating BTCC season and we’re all eagerly awaiting the final races of the year.”
Speaking to ITV after receiving the Goodyear Wingfoot Award trophy, Turkington said: “That’s been a great reward for our qualifying performances all year. It has been probably one of our biggest strengths, getting the car up onto the first couple of rows consistently, nearly every weekend. Of course that dictates such a big part of Sunday, so I think it’s a just reward.”
The 2020 British Touring Car Championship will crown its champion on Sunday with three races on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
Kent man Jake Hill kicked off his home race weekend by topping a drizzly Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Free Practice session at Brands Hatch.
It was dry when the hour-long session commenced, hence the majority of the fastest laps being set early on before a downpour of rain descended on the famous venue.
Hill’s MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square Honda has always been a potent weapon around the 1.2-mile Indy circuit and that proved to be the case again in mixed dry-wet conditions.
"I love Brands," said Hill. "It’s my home and we’ve always gone well here. That’s the second free practice session we’ve topped here this year so that’s good.
"It’s been a great start to the morning, can’t get any better than that!
"I'm feeling ready for it definitely. The car's really great. It's hooked up and we've definitely got something left in the tank so I'm feeling positive."
The performance followed yesterday's news that Hill will be staying with the same outfit for the 2021 BTCC season.
"It’s fantastic to sign with MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square for 2021," he continued. "The team's been fantastic to me this year and we know that if we hadn't had those engine issues at the start that we'd be heading into this final fight for the championship as well. I’m very happy with where I am and I can’t wait to get going with them next year.
"I’m going to just do my thing this weekend and obviously try my best to not get tangled up with anyone. It's their championship to lose. If they want to play the game with me they're going to have to try hard."
Despite the rain, more than 1000 laps were completed by the field as the track remained busy for the duration.
Title contenders Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish, Tom Ingram and Rory Butcher were close behind on the timesheets, with Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat among them.
The two Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundais of Chris Smiley and Senna Proctor were inside the top, as was Motorbase Performance’s Ollie Jackson and BTC Racing’s Josh Cook.
Our colleagues at ITV Sport have you covered later today with an extended Saturday online streaming session via www.itv.com/btcc.
BTCC qualifying will commence at 12:35 – a critical session ahead of Sunday’s grand finale – and the coverage will include all the on-track drama, as well as driver interviews with Louise Goodman and the rest of the ITV Sport team. Furthermore, the session will conclude the battle for the Goodyear Wingfoot Award, as this year’s best overall qualifier will be crowned.
Motorsport fans will then be treated to a quintet of crucial support races as the Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Mini Challenge, Ginetta Junior, British F4 and Carrera Cup GB reach an exciting climax across the weekend.
2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice – Brands Hatch Indy
1 Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square 54.678s
2 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.225s
3 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.330s
4 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.376s
5 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters +0.393s
6 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.515s
7 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.610s
8 Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +0.753s
9 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +1.024s
10 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +1.039s
11 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +1.048s
12 Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +1.078s
13 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +1.111s
14 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.125s
15 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.202s
16 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.207s
17 Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +1.452s
18 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.530s
19 Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.641s
20 Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.691s
21 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +1.702s
22 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.838s
23 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +2.056s
24 Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +2.210s
25 Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +2.358s
26 Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +2.489s
27 Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +2.629s
On the eve of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship finale it seems fitting that we should look at the defending champion Colin Turkington, as a potential record five titles would set him apart in the history of the UK’s premier motorsport series.
Stars such as Jason Plato, Matt Neal and Andy Rouse all have multiple titles to their name, whilst F1 legends such as Nigel Mansell and Jim Clark have all tried to succeed during the BTCC's illustrious 62-year history, but for now it’s Team BMW star Turkington who stands on the cusp of greatness.
“I try to focus on the job at hand and not really think about the number of titles,” said Turkington.
“I can’t just rest on my laurels and look at my trophies because ultimately that attitude could stop me from winning a fifth title. The new breed of guys coming through are seriously hungry to win it, I’ve been there, so I have to maintain the same focus.”
The Northern Irishman is embroiled in a battle royale for the overall Drivers' championship with Laser Tools Racing's Ash Sutton just nine points behind, whilst Honda’s Dan Cammish and Toyota’s Tom Ingram also remain in contention, with a huge 67 points still on offer in Kent this weekend.
“Every championship is different and every one of them means a lot because I know how hard they are to win,” continued Turkington.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so emotional in a race car as I was when I crossed the line to win it last year. That wasn’t part of the plan, but it was just an outpouring of emotion because we won the title on the penultimate lap of the season.
“This year has been another huge fight and it will be right up until the chequered flag falls on Sunday. Realistically, there are four of us that can win it and I’m sure the weather will play its part to.
“It’s a real privilege to be involved in days like this and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
With the fading winter light now upon us the crucial triple-header of races will get underway earlier than usual this Sunday, with the coverage commencing on ITV4 from 0920.
MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square has today (13 November) revealed that British Touring Car Championship race winner Jake Hill has committed to the team for the 2021 season.
Together, Hill and the team have enjoyed a hugely successful 2020 campaign to date, qualifying inside the top-ten at every round of the championship so far – including three front-row starts – as well as scoring the team’s five podium finishes and their maiden Independents’ victory last time out at Snetterton.
The BRDC Superstar has garnered a reputation as one of BTCC’s most talented racers and is regularly featured in the hunt for wins and podiums. The Kent-based driver has starred in the championship since 2013 with his first full-time campaign in the UK’s premier motorsport series coming in 2016.
Since then, Hill has driven to eight overall podium finishes including a maiden BTCC victory at Knockhill in 2019.
His inaugural campaign with MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square has delivered his most successful season yet and Hill is excited at the prospect of further advancing his relationship with the team.
“I’m thrilled to be continuing with MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square for 2021,” said the 26-year-old. “Together we’ve had a great year with some real success and I am in the best possible place to continue that progression.
"The team are like a family to me and the help and advice that Shaun and Mark offer me is invaluable. The team dynamic is fantastic, we all get along so well and I really feel that helps push us on to these results. This season was only just the beginning, there’s plenty more great things to come from us yet. As always, I have to send the biggest of thank yous to my wonderful array of partners who make my continued success possible.”
“It’s the best possible news that Jake will be staying with us in 2021," added Team Principal Shaun Hollamby. "His drive, determination and talent is clear to see and we’re thrilled that we get to continue to utilise his skills. Jake is a great character who lifts the morale of everyone in the team and then lifts it further by scoring some great results. By remaining with us, together we’ll enter 2021 with the stability and hunger to push ourselves even harder.”
"I’m over the moon that Jake is continuing with us next season," remarked the team's Sporting Director Mark Blundell. "We’ve built a great foundation together this season and there’s plenty of scope to build on that in 2021. In my mind, Jake is one of the very best out there on that grid and someone who is only getting better with each race. We’re firm in our belief that he can help push us towards even greater success in the future and that we have the perfect environment around him for him to take that next step too.”
The final day of the Official BTCC website's series of top five championship contender interviews takes us to the man at the summit of the standings, defending champion Colin Turkington.
Heading into the season finale nine points ahead of his nearest championship rival, Turkington has notched up five race wins and a further eight podiums throughout the 2020 campaign and, with a potential record-breaking fifth BTCC title on the cards, the Northern Irishman will be leaving nothing to chance at Brands Hatch.
Catch the full interview now...
