Tom Onslow-Cole will make a return to Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship machinery at the Dunlop tyre test at Snetterton on 11 July, piloting one of the Team HARD-built Volkswagen CCs.

Onslow-Cole last raced with the outfit back in 2012, driving what was the first VW CC to appear on the BTCC grid to great success – sealing a second, third and fourth place finish at Thruxton in the then newly-built car’s third race weekend. The platform has proven a regular success since, and the team are continuing development to find its sweet spot.

The squad’s engineers have been working hard during the first half of the season, following on from an intensive winter programme but as yet have only been able to proffer glimpses of consistent front-of-the-grid pace – such is the intense level of competition in the championship.

Team Principal Tony Gilham is hopeful that bringing Onslow-Cole in to the fold will help the team find what has been missing as it looks to unlock its potential.

 “The BTCC is bigger and better than ever and although I have been away from the grid building a successful GT career, the appeal of the BTCC never goes away,” said Onslow-Cole.

“It will be interesting to drive an RML-specification touring car to see how things have changed over the last few years. I have always kept in touch with Tony (Gilham) and the team, so the invitation to come down to help the team progress further was too good an opportunity to miss.”

 “Tom is a very professional, proven racing driver in many disciplines and so to get him in to work with us to develop our BTCC car with his touring car experience is a no brainer,” added Gilham.

“We believe Tom can add a massive amount to our programme. It’s no secret we have invested a lot of time and money over the winter, so we need and want to find the maximum performance possible from the cars.

“It has been a tough start to the season and we haven’t achieved so far what we set out to. We have some developments to bring to the table and hope to find what we are looking for.”

Onslow-Cole continued: “I recently met with Tony and the team to discuss what we will be working towards on the day and I feel that I can help them in the areas required. It will be very interesting to see how we end up at the test and go from there.

“I’ll always have a place in my heart for the BTCC and would never rule out a return at some point as long as it fits in and around my other commitments both on and off track.”

Former Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Andrew Jordan is well and truly in the fight for another tin-top title, having enjoyed a consistent first half to his 2018 campaign.

The BMW Pirtek Racing driver completed a solid weekend on track at Croft last time out to go into the summer break having moved into the top four in the points standings.

"We’ve shown good pace in the car this season and there is still a long way to go in the title race," he said. "We’re within striking distance of the top and it’s a good position to be in going into the summer break."
 
Jordan headed into the fifth weekend of the season buoyed by a strong performance previously at Oulton Park and was confident of picking up another good haul of points at a circuit where his BMW 125i M Sport was expected to be strong.
 
Qualifying saw Andrew leading the BMW challenge in third place on the grid, a result that marked his best qualifying performance of the season to date.
 
Although he briefly got up to second when the opening race got underway, Andrew found himself shuffled back to fourth spot in sweltering conditions at the North Yorkshire circuit but a mistake at turn one saw him run off track and drop back down to tenth place.
 
A solid recovery drive in race two saw Andrew come through to fifth spot and he added another top six finish in the final race of the weekend after a race long battle with team-mate Colin Turkington and defending champion Ash Sutton.
 
The end result was more solid points to add to his championship tally with Andrew going into the summer break having moved up to fourth in the title race.
 
“It’s good to end the weekend having moved up to fourth in the standings,” concluded Jordan. “Qualifying went really well but for some reason in the opening race, we were struggling with oversteer in the car. I hold my hands up that I then made a mistake and was kicking myself over it because we lost a solid P4.
 
“We made some changes for race two and made some good forward progress and then there were more good points in race three despite being on the hard tyre.
 
“Okay so we could have scored more points this weekend but we’ve achieved our aim of moving up the standings going into the summer break.
 

AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing secured three more points finishes as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season hit the half way stage at Croft.
 
The West Thurrock-based team made the long journey north hoping to challenge inside the top 15 with the pair of MG6 GTs it is campaigning for the first time this year.
 
Having shown strong pace through free practice, Fife-racer Rory Butcher qualified in 13^th place on the grid for the opening race with a best time just eight tenths of a second away from pole position.
 
Despite running the less favourable hard tyre, Butcher was able to take 13^th in the opening race having come out on top of a late battle with fellow AmD racer Ollie Jackson’s Audi S3.
 
Maintaining his position at the start of race two, Butcher then about working his way through the pack and he would match the pace of the leading pack en-route to tenth place – just missing out on pole position for race three when the reverse grid draw took place.

“It’s been a good weekend to take us into the summer break," said Butcher "We took a step forward in qualifying and then end result was that is allowed us to challenge for points in all three races; it certainly made life a bit easier.
 
“It was a difficult start to race day with the hard tyre but we did what we could with it and the second race it was really good to break into the top ten. Whilst we then struggled with the tyres a bit for some reason in race three, we picked up more points on the board.
 
“So far this season I think we’ve done well but now we need to try find what we need to make that next step forwards. I’m looking forward to the test at Snetterton to try and few things so that when the season resumes, we can push regularly inside the top ten and start to aim for the top six.”

A 13^th place finish in the final race of the weekend means the Scot heads into the summer break sitting 19^th in the overall standings and tenth in the Independents’ Trophy. He now also holds second place in the Jack Sears Trophy for drivers who haven’t finished on the overall podium.
 
Forton-based team-mate Tom Boardman was left with work to do on race day having qualified in 31^st spot, with a handling issue on his car preventing him from securing a place higher up the grid.
 
Having finished the opening race in 26^th place, Boardman was making good progress up the order in race two to sit on the fringes of the top 20 when a stone thrown up by a car ahead pierced the radiator on his car and forced him back into the pits to retire.
 
Starting at the back for race three as a result, Boardman fought his way through to 23^rd place at the finish, with the positions gained across the weekend seeing him move to the head of Dunlop’s #ForeverForward standings – which is based on how many places a driver can make up across the season.
 
Boardman sits 27^th in the overall standings and 18^th amongst the Independents’ at the half way stage of the season.

“It was a very difficult weekend for me after qualifying when we didn’t have the set-up quite right on the car, and it meant I was on the back foot going into the races," said Boardman.
 
“It was always going to be tough from the back but I was focused on the #ForeverForward standings and trying to make up as many places as I could. It was all going well until the second race when a stone got thrown through the radiator which was a shame as we were getting closer the points, and I felt we could have scored before the end of the day.
 
“Being at the back again in race three meant I wasn’t expecting a lot but we managed to make up quite a few places and pull a little result out of the back which means I lead the #ForeverForward standings but I’ll be hoping to push for more points after the summer break.”
 
Shaun Hollamby, Team Principal, added: “It’s good that we have reached the summer break with some more points finishes for the MGs, and Rory has done a good job this weekend. It shows that qualifying is so important in this series as a good performance there set him up well for race day and he made the most of it.
 
“Tom was unlucky because of what happened in the second race when he was pushing forwards through the pack and I think there was the potential for him to also score some points. The fact he tops the #ForeverForward standings shows what he can do in the races but we need to find more from qualifying.
 
“We have the test coming up at Snetterton which will provide us with chance to try a few things on the car away from the pressures of a race weekend to allow us to take a step forwards after the summer break.”

Ash Sutton and Jason Plato celebrated their first visits to the podium of 2018, at Croft in North Yorkshire this past weekend in what has been a tough Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign for BMR Racing to date.

Sutton won the opener, with Plato following close behind to seal a Subaru one-two. The former then followed up with a second win of the day, making him the first driver this year to notch a win-double on a race-day.

Qualifying saw the Adrian Flux Subaru Racing duo secure a front-row lock-out with pole position for Sutton second spot for Plato, which was duly converted into a one-two finish – Sutton's victory lights-to-flag.

Autoglym Academy's Josh Price in the sister Levorg managed a season-best 18^th.

Sutton lost his lead in the opening blows to Tom Ingram's Speedworks Toyota in race two but kept his nerve to re-take the initiative and first place – a second win on the day signalling the start of his title defence proper.

Plato was penalised with a drive-through penalty for a jump start which resulted in him dropping back down the order to 28^th position.  The double BTCC champion fought his way through the field with an outstanding drive thereafter – making his way all the way back up into the points-scoring positions and 14^th.

Price's Subaru, meanwhile, suffered temperature issues in what were the hottest ambient temperatures experienced this season. His battle in traffic was the cause of the issue, resulting in his retirement from the race.

Sutton rounded out race three in sixth with Plato and Price, both on the Option-Hard tyre, finishing 19^th and 24^th respectively.

Sutton, though, was given a one second time penalty post-race following an incident with Andrew Jordan which saw him fall to seventh spot. It was enough, still, to see him seventh in the Drivers' standings heading into the summer break.

"It’s very positive having myself and Jason at the sharp end of the grid with strong pace," said Sutton. "But part of that was due to the fact that we were at a rear-wheel drive circuit which made our lives much easier for qualifying and race one with zero ballast. 

"I think we picked up one of the strongest points hauls in the past 18 months of my journey with Subaru, which just brings that little bit of hope for defending my title but that is still a long shot."

“I’m very proud of everyone in the team for getting us back on track in the championship this weekend but I’m conscious that improvements still need to be made," added Warren Scott, Team Principal. "This is a rear-wheel drive circuit and Snetterton is going to be a whole new challenge.”

“After a difficult period of disappointing results, it all came good for us at Croft," said Paul Tunnicliffe, Automotive Development Director, Subaru UK. "A little bad luck cost us dear, especially in race three, when Ash looked good for another podium, but we move to Snetterton in good heart. There’s plenty more left in this championship, and we intend being there at the finish.”

The sun shone as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship sped into Croft Circuit last weekend, with thousands of fans enjoying riveting racing capped by a new, homegrown winner and helping to raise more than £550 for a local charity.
 
On a weekend of sky-high temperatures, the action on-track was every bit as sizzling, with the best very much saved until last as Huddersfield’s Dan Lloyd converted pole position into his and BTC Norlin Racing’s maiden triumph in the UK’s premier motorsport series in dominant fashion – to the clear delight of the packed spectator banks.
 
In a true victory-against-the-odds story, both BTC Norlin cars had to be completely rebuilt after incurring heavy damage not of their own making in a start-line shunt at Oulton Park two weeks earlier – with Lloyd’s spectacular success, in only his fourth race for the team, repaying the mechanics for all their hard work.
 
“I’m absolutely buzzing – just lost for words and so, so happy,” the 26-year-old enthused at the end of the weekend. “This win means so much to the team – we didn’t even know if we were going to be out at Croft after the damage at Oulton, so full credit to the boys. Emotionally, I was really having to hold it all together for the last few laps. To finish the weekend with this kind of result is just awesome – absolutely perfect.”
 
Lloyd was joined on the race three rostrum by Power Maxed TAG Racing’s Senna Proctor (Driffield), while a third Yorkshireman – Halfords Yuasa Racing ace Dan Cammish – may have been out-of-luck on the circuit but made his own mark by organising and leading a track walk on the Saturday evening in aid of nearby Butterwick House Children’s Hospice.
 
Along with Lloyd, Chris Smiley, Stephen Jelley and Ollie Jackson, Cammish visited the Stockton on Tees-based hospice – which cares for babies, children, teenagers, young adults and their families – and was so moved by what he saw that he was determined to set up a fundraising activity over the weekend.
 
A track walk for spectators was hurriedly devised, with more than 100 fans joining Cammish, Lloyd, Smiley, Jackson, Andrew Jordan, Tom Ingram, Rory Butcher and local hero Max Coates for a rare opportunity to spend some time with the BTCC stars and an even rarer opportunity to literally follow in their wheeltracks.
 
“Doing what we do and with the profile that the championship enjoys, we are in a position to make a difference in this kind of situation,” Honda driver Cammish explained. “Going to the hospice and seeing the vital work they do, there was a lot to take in and I was in no doubt that we needed to do something to help them.
 
“It was all pulled together very last-minute, but it was great to see so many people turn out for the track walk. It’s good for the fans to spend some time with us – everybody that came along said how much they enjoyed it – and most importantly of all, we raised some vital funds for Butterwick House, which is what it was all about.”
 
A total of £551.30 was collected, while Jelley has additionally established a Virgin Money Giving page in aid of the hospice for the Ironman UK challenge he will tackle in Bolton on 15 July, comprising a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a marathon. Donations can be made at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/StephenJelley
 
Next up during Croft’s summer of non-stop entertainment will be No Limits two-wheeled thrills on 14/15 July, the fast-and-furious MSA British Rallycross Championship on 29 July and the much-loved Nostalgia Festival on 4/5 August, showcasing a feast of retro racing, classic cars, military magic and culture from yesteryear. Discounted advance tickets are available for all events from www.croftcircuit.co.uk/racing or by calling 01325 721815.

More information on all of Croft’s driving experiences and racing events can be found at www.croftcircuit.co.uk.

Sam Tordoff left home soil in high spirits heading into the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship mid-season break after collecting three top ten finishes and a strong points haul over the Croft weekend.

The Yorkshireman’s qualifying and race pace caught the eye again, with the 29-year-old picking up two fourth place finishes and a top eight result in the Team GardX Racing with Motorbase Ford Focus RS, collecting 34 well-earned championship points.

Tordoff claimed fourth in qualifying, just 0.203 seconds off the benchmark time and the highest-placed front-wheel drive car on a circuit that favours rear-wheel drive machinery. This ensured he'd remain this season's best qualifier.

Tordoff dropped to fifth off the line with the Yorkshireman forced to defend hard against fast-charging ‘King of Croft’ Colin Turkington in the opening laps. Managing to keep the two-time BTCC champion at bay as the laps unfolded, the GardX-backed racer was able to move up a spot with Andrew Jordan taking to the Clervaux gravel. He held fourth to the chequered flag.

With 48kg of ballast on-board for race two, Tordoff had a tough task ahead of him to keep the Team BMW duo of Turkington and Collard at bay for the 15 lap contest. A steady hand and strong defensive drive was repaid with his second fourth placed finish of the day – boosting him up into 10^th in the standings.

With the reversed grid draw slotting the #600 Focus RS into sixth for the final race of the day, Tordoff had the double task of running on the Option-Hard tyre with another 48 kilograms of success ballast on-board. Dropping places off the line against the faster starting BMWs, Tordoff found himself tussling with Tom Ingram for eighth. He lost out to the Speedworks man on lap three but a real battle followed and on the final lap Tordoff snatched the place back as the duo raced across the start/finish line by just 0.097 seconds.

“Overall it was a good weekend,” said Tordoff. “We’re back in the hunt! It’s been great racing at my home circuit, I’ve had lots of friends and family here supporting me and it does make a difference.
 
“It would have been nice to get onto the podium but we never really expected to do that at Croft. I’ll keep taking fourth, it’s a good amount of points and not a hideous amount of weight. It’s all a step in the right direction.

“Running the hard tyre in race three hard was always going to be tricky, particularly with the typical scenario where most people throw caution to the wind to some extent. There were a few fast people coming through, so overall I think we can be happy with eighth in the last race.

“The car was good,” he added. “It’s surprised me how good really. Croft's a rear-wheel drive circuit and they’ve not dominated this time around. We’ve been the most competitive front-wheel drive car and we've been mixing it in the top five in all three races so that’s a pleasant surprise. I thought it would be a real struggle this weekend, and I’m looking forward to the summer break now.”

The weekend’s points haul lifted Tordoff to 11^th in the overall Drivers’ standings and fifth in the Independents’ championship.

“We’ll arrive at Snetterton with next to no weight which means hopefully we can qualify well there,” added Tordoff. “With double points on offer for race 3 as well, you never know, we might be leaving there in a much more favourable position.”

Team BMW's Rob Collard topped Dunlop's #ForeverForward honours at Croft this past weekend with 18 positions gained in typically swashbuckling style. Tom Boardman, meanwhile, rose to the top of the overall running.

Adrian Flux Subaru Racing duo, reigning champion Ash Sutton and stablemate Jason Plato, locked out the front row in qualifying – the former producing a carbon copy of his 2017 performance. Andrew Jordan qualified third – right in the mix in the BMW Pirtek Racing 1 Series, with Sam Tordoff, Tom Ingram and Colin Turkington next on the grid.

Sutton elected to run Dunlop’s Sport Maxx Option-Hard tyre in the opening race, as he looked to pull off a repeat performance of his charge in 2017. Plato and Jordan both started on the Primes, with Ingram also electing to run the Option-Hard. 

After an early safety car, track action was relatively subdued until lap 11 when Plato rounded Jordan on the outside at turn one and made it stick at turn three to complete Subaru's one-two.

Elsewhere on the grid, AmD Tuning with Cobra Exhausts' Sam Smelt gained seven positions on the Option-Hard, while fans voted Plato’s overtake on Jordan as the #ForeverForward favourite.

Race two fired into life with a stunning double-pass from Speedworks' Tom Ingram seeing him sweep past both Subarus at Clervaux and into take the lead.

A ballast-laden Sutton eventually stole back the position, though, while team-mate Plato served a drive-through penalty for a jump-start. Impressively, he did manage to climb from the back of the grid to 14th position come the chequered flag. 

Rob Austin scythed through the pack, gaining 17 positions, Aidan Moffat and Stephen Jelley made up 11 spots. Fans voted Matt Neal’s lap 14 overtake on Senna Proctor as their #ForeverForward pick.

BTC Norlin Racing’s Dan Lloyd started on pole for the reverse grid race three, and went on to produce a lights-to-flag victory for the first time in his BTCC career.

Sutton made a move on Matt Neal on lap eight at the Hairpin, only for Neal to return the favour into Clervaux, with Sutton ending up in the gravel and losing ground. Renowned race-day specialist Collard gained 17 positions – a total of 18 across the weekend – while Josh Cook overcame race two adversity to gain 14 positions.

#ForeverForward – Croft

1.   Rob COLLARD, 18
2.   Rob AUSTIN, 17
–   Adam MORGAN, 17
4.   Josh COOK, 16
5.   Stephen JELLEY, 15
6.   Tom CHILTON, 13
–    Tom BOARDMAN, 13
8.   Matt SIMPSON, 12
–    Bobby THOMPSON, 12
10. Aiden MOFFAT, 11
–    Chris SMILEY, 11

#ForeverForward – Overall Standings

1.   Tom BOARDMAN, 78
2.   Adam MORGAN, 76
3.   Jake HILL, 74
4.   Josh COOK, 67
–    Tom INGRAM, 67
6.   Ollie JACKSON, 66
7.   Senna PROCTOR, 65
8.   Rob AUSTIN, 62
9.   Stephen JELLEY, 60
10.   Rob COLLARD, 58

Two victories for reigning champ Sutton and Lloyd becomes latest BTCC race winner

Reigning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Ash Sutton ignited his title defence with a double victory at Croft, before BTC Norlin Racing’s Daniel Lloyd became the latest BTCC race winner by taking the honours in the final contest at the North Yorkshire venue.
 
Adrian Flux Subaru Racing’s Sutton claimed pole position on Saturday and followed that up with a dominant lights-to-flag win in Sunday’s opener. The 24-year-old then fought his way past Tom Ingram’s Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis to win the second bout.
 
Subaru scored a one-two finish in the first race as Sutton and team-mate Jason Plato fended off their rivals.
 
Sutton took his win in relative comfort as Plato battled with BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan for much of the contest. Jordan nipped into second on the run down to turn one on the opening lap, and the BMW 125i M Sport driver spent most of the race trying to defend from Plato. The 2013 champion couldn’t hang on, however, and eventually had to relinquish second to the #99 Subaru Levorg.
 
Things got worse for Jordan as, struggling with his rear tyres, he lost grasp of a podium place after running off-track through Clervaux late on, which allowed the impressive Ingram by to complete the rostrum order.
 
Team GardX Racing with Motorbase’s Sam Tordoff produced a masterful defensive drive to take fourth as he held off the Team BMWs of Colin Turkington and Rob Collard for the entire 17-lap race, whilst Power Maxed TAG Racing’s Josh Cook looked on from behind.
 
Sutton, Ingram and Plato then went three-wide on the run down to Clervaux at the start of the second race and when the dust settled it was Ingram’s Avensis that had been muscled to the head of the pack.
 
Plato was adjudged to have jumped the start and handed a drive through penalty, shortly before Sutton had slipped back by Ingram at the hairpin on lap two.
 
After the early action fallout we were left with Sutton leading home Ingram, with Turkington’s BMW closely following in third.
 
As in the first race, Tordoff settled in fourth place. Incredibly it was the sixth time that the Yorkshireman had finished fourth on his return to the series, although he’s yet to make the podium this season.
 
BTC Norlin Racing’s Lloyd then became the latest new BTCC race winner in the thrilling finale around the 2.13-mile circuit.
 
Not only was it the first ever BTCC win for local man Lloyd, made even sweeter by coming at his home track, but it was also the first top-step success for BTC Norlin Racing in Britain’s premier motorsport series.
 
Tom Chilton took second for Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher after he impressively fired his Ford Focus off the line from fourth on the grid.
 
Senna Proctor completed the podium positions for Power Maxed TAG Racing, yielding yet another great return for the fledgling Vauxhall-backed squad. The team endured a difficult meeting last time out at Oulton Park and looked set to miss out on more trophies here in North Yorkshire, but Proctor’s podium proved a perfect tonic for the outfit going into the mid-season summer break.
 
A trio of top five finishes for Team BMW’s Turkington kept him on top of the overall standings, which he now leads from Ingram by 19 points, with Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal a further 17 in arrears.
 
BMW holds the advantage in the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ tables, whilst Tom Ingram and Speedworks head both the Independents’ orders.
 
Lloyd also took a clean sweep of wins in the Jack Sears Trophy at Croft, although Honda’s rookie Dan Cammish still leads the way in that particular category.
 
The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship now enters its five-week mid-season hiatus and will return to action on 28/29 at Snetterton in Norfolk.
 
Ash Sutton said: “I have to say, the car has been phenomenal – Adrian Flux Subaru Racing have done a mega job preparing it. The Subaru Levorg has been absolutely awesome. I’m not sure if I caught Tom [Ingram] napping, but he didn’t make it too hard and didn’t shut the door on me. After that, I focused on trying to build up a gap to him and it was full push! This definitely felt a long way away two weeks ago – I certainly didn’t expect to be standing where I am now. I’m a little bit further behind in the championship than I was at this stage last year, but you never give up trying and I always give it my best shot and now there’s a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel.”
 
Daniel Lloyd said: “I’m absolutely buzzing – just lost for words and so, so happy. This win means so much to the team – we didn’t even know if we were going to be out this weekend after the damage at Oulton Park, but the boys all worked so hard and to repay them like this is amazing. It’s been a big weekend for us, and to finish with this kind of result is just awesome – absolutely perfect. I wasn’t nervous at all in race three; I know I’m quick and I knew I could do it and I’m so pleased with the way we did do it. All credit to the team. This is only my fourth day in the car, so to come out and win is unbelievable. Emotionally, I had to hold it all together for the last few laps, but I didn’t back off because that’s when mistakes tend to creep in. By taking the win and setting fastest lap too, we really did it in style.”
 
Colin Turkington said: “In my opinion it’s been a super weekend. Coming in with a heavy car you can very easily get stuck at the back all weekend. We had a strong qualifying and got faster through the weekend, which is quite common on our side of the garage. Of course it’s nice to win, but we did what we set out to do which was secure points and build on our championship lead. These days everybody is fast in this series and it‘s easier to lose points than it is to earn them, so to be 19 ahead at the end of this weekend is mission accomplished.”

Micky Butler, Manager, UK and One Brand Motorsport Events, said: “Croft was as hard as ever on the tyres, but we’re very pleased with the performance of the option tyre, although it didn’t have the optimal grip of the prime tyre it remained more consistent throughout the full race, all drivers have been praising the tyres all weekend due to their ability to overcome the abrasive nature so we are extremely pleased overall.”

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 13 – Croft Circuit

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 17 laps
2 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.863s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +8.897s
4 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +11.293s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +11.450s
6 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +11.696s
7 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +12.304s
8 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +16.247s
9 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +18.222s
10 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +19.114s

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 14 – Croft Circuit

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 15 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +4.284s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +11.450s
4 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +5.147s
5 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +6.573s
6 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +11.754s
7 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +13.653s
8 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +14.112s
9 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +14.387s
10 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +21.701s

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 15 – Croft Circuit

1 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing 15 laps
2 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +5.835s
3 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +6.326s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +7.775s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +8.172s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +8.906s
7 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +9.739s
8 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +14.330s
9 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +14.427s
10 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +15.602s

Penalties:

Weekend
Adrian Flux Subaru Racing has had 10 points deducted from the Manufacturers' and Teams' Championships having changed an engine above the number permitted

BTC Norlin Racing has had 10 points deducted from the Teams' Championships having changed an engine above the number permitted

Qualifying
Matt Simpson was verbally warned for driving in a manner incompatible with general safety or departing from the standard of a reasonably competent driver

Race 1
Josh Price received a verbal warning for an incident involving Aiden Moffat

Race 2
Rory Butcher was officially reprimanded and received two penalty points for an incident involving James Cole

Race 3
Tom Oliphant was penalised by the addition of 9.5 seconds to his race time for gaining an unfair advantage. This does not count as a strike

Ash Sutton was penalised by the addition of one second to his race time for gaining an unfair advantage. This does not count as a strike

BTC Norlin Racing's Daniel Lloyd has become the latest new race winner in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship having produced a fantastic lights-to-flag victory in the final encounter at Croft.

Not only was it the first ever BTCC win for Yorkshireman Lloyd, made even sweeter by coming at his home circuit, but it was also the first top-step success for BTC Norlin Racing in Britain's premier motorsport series.

Tom Chilton took second for Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher after the Ford Focus man made most of his ground off the line. Chilton blasted away in his striking yellow machine as the lights went out and he was immediately into second, having started the race from fourth. For a period it looked as if Chilton may challenge Lloyd for the overall laurels but he eventually had to settle for second. The result, however, still represented massive progress for a team that struggled during qualifying yesterday.

Senna Proctor completed the podium positions for Power Maxed TAG Racing, yielding yet another great return for the fledgling Vauxhall-backed squad. The team endured a difficult meeting last time out at Oulton Park and looked set to miss out on more trophies here in North Yorkshire, so Proctor's podium is a perfect tonic for the outfit going into the mid-season summer break.

It was the fight for fourth that proved the most contentious as three champions in the shape of Matt Neal, Colin Turkington and Ash Sutton battled it out. Neal's Honda held sway early on but he was then passed by Sutton's Subaru, before the two clashed again late on. When the chequered flag fell it was Neal in fourth from championship leader Turkington and today's double winner Sutton.

BMW Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan was nudged down the order to seventh, whilst Sam Tordoff completed his solid day with eighth place for Team GardX with Motorbase. Tom Ingram – arguably one of the drivers of the day – finished ninth while Tom Oliphant provided some respite on a difficult weekend for Ciceley Motorsport to take tenth.

Daniel Lloyd said: "I’m absolutely buzzing – just lost for words and so, so happy. This win means so much to the team – we didn’t even know if we were going to be out this weekend after the damage at Oulton Park, but the boys all worked so hard and to repay them like this is amazing. It’s been a big weekend for us, and to finish with this kind of result is just awesome – absolutely perfect. I wasn’t nervous at all in race three; I know I’m quick and I knew I could do it and I’m so pleased with the way we did do it. All credit to the team. This is only my fourth day in the car, so to come out and win is unbelievable. Emotionally, I was having to hold it all together for the last few laps, but I didn’t back off because that’s when mistakes tend to creep in. By taking the win and setting fastest lap too, we really did it in style."

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 15 – Croft Circuit

1 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing 15 laps
2 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +5.835s
3 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +6.326s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +7.775s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +8.172s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +8.906s
7 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +9.739s
8 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +14.330s
9 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +14.427s
10 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +15.602s
11 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +19.657s
12 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +19.797s
13 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +24.733s
14 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +24.804s
15 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +24.923s
16 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +24.955s
17 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +25.208s
18 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +25.228s
19 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +28.177s
20 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +30.536s
21 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +30.928s
22 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +35.055s
23 Tom BOARDMAN (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +35.882s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Autoglym Academy Racing +36.361s
25 Jake HILL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +38.767s
26 Sam SMELT (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +40.137s
27 Michael CAINE (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +41.919s
28 Brett SMITH (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +46.227s
29 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +5 laps
30 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +8 laps
31 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +10 laps
32 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +10 laps

Reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton has taken his second win of the day at Croft, this time fighting back past the Speedworks Motorsport Toyota of Tom Ingram to take the victory.

Sutton, Ingram and the other Subaru Levorg of Jason Plato went three-wide on the run down to Clervaux on the opening lap and when the dust settled it was Ingram's Avensis that had been muscled to the head of the pack.

Plato was adjudged to have jumped the start and handed a drive through penalty, shortly before Sutton had slipped back by Ingram at the hairpin on lap two.

Following the fallout of all that early action we were left with Sutton leading Ingram, who had Colin Turkington's BMW closing him down in third.

As he was in the first race, Sam Tordoff was settled in fourth in the Team GardX Racing with Motorbase Ford Focus – a position he would again hold until the finish. Incredibly it is the sixth time that Yorkshireman Tordoff has finished fourth on his return to the series, although he's yet to make the podium this season.

Two BMWs fought tooth and nail over fifth place with Rob Collard initially holding off stablemate Andrew Jordan. That all changed late on, however, as Jordan made his move and the Team BMW 125i M Sport of Collard suffered with a puncture.

Collard's woe promoted Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher's Tom Chilton up to sixth, ahead of Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal. Three-time champion Neal has fought hard for points in both races so far in the new Honda Civic Type R and the BTCC legend is still nicely poised in the overall standings.

Senna Proctor (Power Maxed TAG Racing) and Daniel Lloyd (BTC Norlin Racing) took eighth and ninth repectively and were further rewarded with a front row start in the reverse grid race, which takes place later today. The MG of Rory Butcher rounded out the top ten with the Scotsman having shown solid pace throughout the day.

Josh Cook endured a heart-in-mouth moment when he went off at high speed on the opening lap, but the Vauxhall man was able to recover after a long trip across the fields.

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 15 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +4.284s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +11.450s
4 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +5.147s
5 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +6.573s
6 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +11.754s
7 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +13.653s
8 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +14.112s
9 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +14.387s
10 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +21.701s
11 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +22.310s
12 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +23.238s
13 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +26.658s
14 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +27.090s
15 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +27.391s
16 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +31.605s
17 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +37.039s
18 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +40.730s
19 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +41.010s
20 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +41.025s
21 Brett SMITH (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +41.341s
22 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +43.776s
23 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +44.404s
24 Sam SMELT (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +44.943s
25 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +50.843s
26 Jake HILL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +53.167s
27 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +1 lap
28 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +2 laps
29 Josh PRICE (GBR) Autoglym Academy Racing +4 laps
30 Michael CAINE (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +6 laps
31 Tom BOARDMAN (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +9 laps
32 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +10 laps