Reigning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Champion Ash Sutton is enjoying his most competitive day of the 2018 season so far, following up his third place finish in FP1 with a pace-setting performance in the second session.

"It’s good to be back!" said Sutton. "Everybody has upped their game this year and the grid is a lot closer than it used to be, which is making my job of defending the title tough!

"I wouldn’t read too much into it, though. A chunk of it is down to it being a rear-wheel drive track, and with Colin [Turkington] carrying maximum ballast, in theory, it should be Andrew Jordan, Rob Collard and ourselves up there. That said, the front-wheel drive cars are not that far away and I’m sure a few people have a bit more left in the tank for qualifying, so let’s hope we can dig a little bit more out too."

Sutton's mid-session flyer was enough to see off the challenge from Sam Tordoff's Ford Focus, by just 0.009s. Yorkshireman Tordoff has been quick on his return to the BTCC this season, but fortune has not always been on his side in terms of results. Croft marks a pivotal weekend for Tordfoff... not only because this is his home circuit, but also because the Team GardX with Motorbase driver is currently languishing down in 12th in the standings.

Vauxhall, BMW, Alfa Romeo, Toyota, MG and VW made it eight different marques in the top eight positions during practice with Josh Cook (Power Maxed TAG Racing), Rob Collard (Team BMW), Rob Austin (HMS Racing), Tom Ingram (Speedworks Motorsport), Rory Butcher (AmD with Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing) and Jake Hill (Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing) completing places third through to eighth. 

Jason Plato confirmed Subaru's return to form with a ninth place backing-up his top four result earlier in the day, whilst BMW Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan rounded out the top ten.

The session was red flagged briefly on two occasions when cars had made contact with a tyre stack through the chicane.

Qualifying for Round 13 of the 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will take place at 15:20 and will be streamed live via www.itv.com/btcc.

 

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Croft Circuit

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 1m24.721s
2 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +0.009s
3 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +0.053s
4 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.126s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +0.245s
6 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.245
7 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.309s
8 Jake HILL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +0.332s
9 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.338s
10 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.350s
11 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +0.482s
12 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +0.532s
13 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +0.547s
14 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.571s
15 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.582s
16 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.588s
17 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +0.602s
18 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.650s
19 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.722s
20 Josh PRICE (GBR) Autoglym Academy Racing +0.746s
21 Brett SMITH (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +0.789s
22 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.827s
23 Michael CAINE (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +1.008s
24 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +1.028s
25 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +1.039s
26 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +1.126s
27 Tom BOARDMAN (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.146s
28 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.221s
29 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.244s
30 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +2.207s
31 Sam SMELT (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +3.470s
32 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +5.323s

Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram returned to the top of the timesheets to set the pace in the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Croft.

The Toyota star is no stranger to P1 but he has endured two relatively low-key weekends at Thruxton and Oulton Park over the last month or so. Ingram has critically collected points during those aforementioned weekends, however, and now it seems he is ready to fight for victories once again.

"A positive start to the weekend," he said. "We know this place does tend to favour rear-wheel drive cars and we fully expect them to come on stronger as the day goes on, but it’s obviously good to start on top and without really pushing. We still have quite a bit more to find from the car here, but the balance of the car feels good with the weight on-board – we’re just lacking performance out of the hairpins.

"We’ll keep working hard and hopefully we can qualify somewhere inside the top ten this afternoon.”

Ingram left it late in this session to pip the all-new Alfa Romeo of Rob Austin, which has shown flashes of speed in its maiden season. Austin suggested his HMS Racing team had made solid progress with the car coming into the Croft weekend, and that has been confirmed with its early showing in practice.

Another squad seemingly bouncing back to form is Adrian Flux Subaru Racing as Ash Sutton topped the order for much of the session. The reigning champion had to settle for third at the finish, and was closely followed by team-mate Jason Plato. Driver of the #99 Subaru Levorg sat in the pits for more than half an hour as his team worked frantically on an electrical problem, but as soon as his Levorg was ready to go the BTCC legend clocked some very quick times.

Mike Bushell was fifth in the Team HARD-run VW as he impressively saw off the challenge from three former champions, with Matt Neal, Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan next in the order.  The Mercedes duo of Aiden Moffat and Adam Morgan completed the top ten positions.

The final practice session will take place at midday before the all-important qualifying session – you can keep up to date with all the action via our LIVE section on the website, which provides live commentary and timing. Qualifying for Round 13 of the 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will be streamed live on www.itv.com/btcc from 15:15.

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Croft Circuit

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 1m24.600s
2 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +0.074s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.246s
4 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.301s
5 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +0.343s
6 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.416s
7 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.437s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.458s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.500s
10 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +0.521s
11 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.526s
12 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +0.549s
13 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.611s
14 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +0.761s
15 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.940s
16 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.942s
17 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +1.034s
18 Josh PRICE (GBR) Autoglym Academy Racing +1.098s
19 Jake HILL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +1.110s
20 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +1.118s
21 Michael CAINE (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +1.126s
22 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +1.196s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +1.316s
24 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.332s
25 Brett SMITH (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +1.547s
26 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.600s
27 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +1.615s
28 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.744s
29 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.990s
30 Tom BOARDMAN (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.161s
31 Sam SMELT (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +5.702s
32 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars NO TIME

Not many would have predicted Matt Simpson's maiden Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship victory last time out at Oulton Park.

Having sealed a first pole position on the Saturday, many experts on discussing the chances of the number 303 Honda Civic Type R were pointing to the intense pressure that would be on his shoulders in leading from the front.

In the end, there was no doubt. Simpson led from start to finish. After all, Oulton Park is a narrow and so, if you get ahead and don't make a mistake, a win should be there. In oval racing, where Simpson cut his teeth, you need to be good at defending and standing your ground, thus making it nigh on impossible for anyone to get past, especially in a non-contact Hot Rod formula – let's not forget, the Simpson Racing man is a European Hot Rod champion.

Matt is one of a long line of oval racing converts to circuit racing, both drivers and team personnel, and if you have never seen it, oval racing is a branch of the sport that one needs to witness first-hand. It is motor racing in the raw and it is no wonder that the drivers who make the transition successfully are so good.

Take former works Vauxhall BTCC driver Derek Warwick, who, on his way to Formula 1 stardom, was the Superstox World Champion. Or former BMW and Toyota BTCC racer, now Sam Tordoff’s manager, Tim Sugden who bought himself a BriSCA Formula 2 stock car. “It’s the hardest racing I’ve ever done,” he told me. “You’re busy concentrating on your own race when someone whacks you up the rear!”

Back in the 1970s, Hot Rod racing – now National Hot Rod racing – had its so-called Big Three. The stars of the show were Barry Lee, Mick Collard, and George Polley. If those names sound familiar, you are spot on. In the days when ITV’s World of Sport Saturday afternoon show would televise key races, the three drivers, all of different characters, won fans aplenty.

George, the underfunded underdog, has a BTCC link thanks to racer son Ryan working for WIX Racing with Eurotech, where his daughter Jo is Jeff Smith’s partner. Mick Collard, or 'Duffy' as he was known thanks to a lifetime of duff passes as a rugby player, passed away but a couple of years ago, but the arch-enthusiast was a proud witness to son Rob’s BTCC successes, while Lee actually raced in the championship.

Oh yes, he did. Back in 1984, Lee was one of the Class C brigade in a Ford Escort RS1600i. In those days, the RACMSA as organisers didn’t like three-digit competition numbers so he had to give up his famous 351 number from his Hot Rod to run his Total-backed Escort as number 84. Short of funds, the project bombed and Lee went off to truck racing and back to the ovals. Mind you, a Corgi model of the Escort was made that year.

More recently, Aiden Moffat has transitioned from ovals – from the Junior Banger racing ranks no less. A sneak into the programme cupboard at Addison HQ shows a Cowdenbeath entry list from 1999 when Matt James and I headed down the road from Knockhill and watched one Bob Moffat, Aiden’s dad, do battle in the Banger Racing World Cup that night. Aiden reckons his wet weather prowess is down to car control on grotty surfaces, and Rob Collard puts his rocket-ship starts down to oval racing where often there is now warm up lap, it was then just a straight dive into battle with quick reflexes and cold tyres.

Rob Austin drove in the National Hot Rod National Championship weekend, qualifying for the title race, BTC Norlin boss Bert Taylor guided Ian McKellar to National Hot Rod World Final glory and his son Ben has raced a Hot Rod. Speedworks Motorsport boss Christian Dick cut his teeth in Ministox on the ovals as well – the list goes on. Even Andrew Jordan’s dad, Mike, had a go in a Stock Rod in the early ‘90s. He won, of course.

Plenty of people sneer at oval racing, but if you come from a non-contact class where the cars are quick and the margin for error is minimal or a contact class where you have to deal with aggro from all sides, the chances are that you will become a very good circuit racer and one well-suited to the hurly-burly of the BTCC.

Matt Simpson’s dad Jeff was a multiple champion in his time, so little wonder Matt shone on ovals as well. Now, heading to Croft, we get our first chance to talk about Matt as a BTCC race winner, forced as he was to sit out races two and three at Oulton Park. With his confidence up and a win and a pole to his name, let’s see what he can do this weekend.

See you at Croft. Oval and out.

Fans will have ‘plenty to get excited about’ when the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races into North Yorkshire this weekend says Tim Harvey, as the 1992 title-winner forecasts more magic moments in the Croft Circuit story.
 
Croft first hosted the BTCC all the way back in 1968 – then known as the British Saloon Car Championship – making 2018 the 50^th anniversary of the circuit’s relationship with the series.
 
That initial stint lasted until 1971, and while a major Croft regeneration in the 1980s meant the championship did not return to the north-east until 1997, it has featured on the calendar every year since, becoming a hugely popular stop on the schedule for competitors and spectators alike.
 
Harvey was on the grid for the 1997 event – one that very nearly didn’t go ahead due to rain flooding the circuit – and he has fond memories of the track.
 
“Croft always generates great action, with plenty of opportunities for overtaking and, dare I say it, incidents!” reflected the 16-time race-winner turned ITV4 commentator. “It’s a difficult circuit to master; the first half of the lap is a high-speed challenge, before you get to the Complex, where you need to slow it all down. There’s a bit of everything, which is what the drivers really appreciate.
 
“I always enjoyed racing at Croft, whether in the BTCC, Porsche Carrera Cup GB or my one-off outing in the Ginetta GT SuperCup a few years ago. The first year – 1997 – was certainly an interesting one. The one thing no venue can control is the weather, and Croft didn’t drain well back in those days – it’s much, much better now – but it’s testament to the circuit’s strength-of-character that the race meeting went ahead and went well, and Croft has remained a favourite on the BTCC calendar ever since.”
 
Fast forward 19 years to 2016, and Croft provided the platform for Ashley Sutton to scythe through the spray in changeable conditions to claim his breakthrough BTCC victory. Barely a year later, the Subaru star clinched the coveted Drivers’ crown at the end of only his second season, but it was Yorkshire where he first made his mark.
 
“That was a really significant moment – the point at which people properly sat up and said, ‘boy, this kid has got something special’,” acknowledged Harvey. “He made the most of his opportunity in tricky conditions, so I’d say Croft was where he really announced his arrival – and in some style. And then obviously he went on to fulfil that potential by winning the championship last year.”
 
Results might be proving hard to come by for Sutton at present, but the man currently leading the charge – BMW’s Colin Turkington – has earned the sobriquet ‘King of Croft’ for his stellar success at the track over the years, tallying 12 race wins, 19 podium finishes and eight fastest laps. Harvey, however, suggests the Ulsterman won’t have it all his own way this weekend, with a quartet of local heroes all eager to steal the spotlight for themselves.
 
“Colin’s results can be attributed to consistently putting the standout rear-wheel drive driver in the best rear-wheel drive car,” he opined. “That said, things have now evened out a bit in terms of the front-wheel drive/rear-wheel drive difference at Croft, and while I still expect him to have a slight edge, running with maximum ballast in qualifying and race one as championship leader certainly won’t make life easy for him.
 
“The BTCC is proving absolutely impossible to predict this year, with ten or 15 drivers that can realistically win races – including the four Yorkshiremen in the field. None of them will be carrying any extra weight, and Sam Tordoff in particular has been quick everywhere while Dan Cammish is due a good weekend and the Honda he drives has traditionally gone well around Croft – so there should be plenty for the home crowd to get excited about.”
 
Tickets to the BTCC’s only North-Eastern event of the year can be purchased on the gate, priced at just £15 for Saturday, 23 June, £30 for Sunday, 24 June or £38 for the full weekend. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free of charge.

Evesham racer Rob Austin says his target for this coming weekend’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship visit to Croft Circuit is to be the top front-wheel drive competitor, at a track which traditionally favours his rear-wheel drive competition. 

Heading to North Yorkshire for rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the season, which will be contested this Sunday, 24th June, the DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing driver is carrying realistic expectations into the fifth event of 2018.

Last time out at Oulton Park in Cheshire just over a week ago, Austin was on course to steer his Alfa Romeo Giulietta to a richly deserved season-best second place in the third of the event’s races, until differential failure with just a few laps to go triggered a bitterly disappointing retirement.  

While the whole team was left crestfallen with the second rostrum of the season so near yet so far, the increasing competitiveness of the Swindon squad’s new car – which is still very much in development – means there is a lot of positivity in the air as the BTCC reaches its half-way point.

“Oulton Park was a rear-wheel drive circuit which saw the BMWs get two out of three wins and a podium lock-out in race three, but Croft usually hands the rear-wheel drive cars their biggest advantage of the season by far,” explained the DUO, Northgate and Close Brothers backed driver.

“With that in mind, you have to be realistic and alter your expectations and, unfortunately, that means we are extremely unlikely to be challenging for a podium in race one. Once the success ballast comes into play, and with the reverse grid for race three combined with some luck, chances might open up but I think our realistic target has to be to aim to be the top front-wheel drive car.”

After taking a memorable podium on the opening weekend of the season at Brands Hatch, when the newly constructed Alfa Romeo had only experienced three days of running, Austin freely acknowledges the direction of travel with set-up thereafter went the wrong way. 

“We really turned a corner with the car at Oulton and it felt great, there’s still more to come but we took a big step in the right direction and are absolutely on the right track now – I’m very excited for the rest of the season,” he added.

“I’ve said all along that the DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing boys have built an incredible car and once we hook it up it’ll be a winner. We are getting very close to hooking it up now, our tails are in the air and we are hungry for silverware!” 

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship hits the half-way point of its 60th anniversary year next weekend (23/24 June) at Croft Circuit, with 'King of Croft' Colin Turkington leading the charge and four Yorkshireman ready to battle for honours on home soil.

Last weekend at Cheshire's Oulton Park, three different drivers took to the top step of the rostrum – including a maiden BTCC victory for Matt Simpson in the opener. Team BMW pair Colin Turkington and Rob Collard wrapped up Rounds 11 and 12 between them, with the latter round also a 1-2-3 finish for the West Surrey Racing-run BMW trio – quite the achievement in one of the most competitive motor racing series' around, which has so far seen nine different drivers take home the laurels this season.

Turkington's race two victory and weekend points haul saw him leap up the Drivers' standings and into pole position heading to Croft – a circuit which has been a favourite of the double champion throughout his career in Britain's top flight.

Croft, celebrating 50 years since it first held a BTCC meeting, is a circuit that naturally favours rear-wheel drive machinery and the Northern Irishman will be among the favourites as he looks to double down on his points lead heading into the traditional summer break. Turkington has garnered the most victories, podiums and fastest laps there in the last 20 years – 12, 21 and 11 respectively. Little wonder he's earned that 'King of Croft' moniker.

Hot on Turkington's heels are Adam Morgan, Jack Goff, Tom Ingram and Josh Cook. The championship's next generation have been showing the way and will hope to sustain their charge into the mid-season hiatus.

A strong crowd is expected to descend on the charming, charismatic and challenging Croft Circuit to enjoy the mid-June sun and all the action is broadcast live and free-to-air by the BTCC's longstanding partner ITV, on ITV4 the ITV Hub and online at itv.com/btcc. 

The Four Yorkshiremen
Four of the 32 drivers on the BTCC grid are proud Yorkshiremen – a larger representation than from any other county. It's somewhat of a hotbed then for touring car talent, and each would count themselves as potential race winners heading into next weekend.

Honda rookie Dan Cammish is new to the series this year, and is best placed of the home quartet in the standings so far, with a brace of podiums to his name. The Leeds-born racer is adapting nicely to the cut and thrust of one of the world's most fiercely competitive tin-top challenges, having made a name for himself in Porsche Carrera Cup GB as a two-time champion.

"Racing a touring car around Croft is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” said Cammish. “It’s great to finally be in the main show! I’ve driven round Croft a lot – it’s a fast circuit where you really get a sense of speed, and I’ve gone well there in the past – but I’ve never driven the Honda there before. Hopefully we can do a good job for the home crowd, and I see no reason why we can’t pick up some very solid points.
 
"Being in Yorkshire, I’m sure I’ll have a fair few supporters and I’m really looking forward to it. There’s definitely a bit of home advantage, and you do get a real kick out of knowing the crowd’s behind you – the Croft paddock is always a great place to be."

Hot on Cammish's heels in the points tally are Vauxhall man Senna Proctor from Driffield and Bradford's Sam Tordoff – returning to the championship this year with Motorbase Performance. It's the former's second campaign in the BTCC, having made the step up from the Renault UK Clio Cup in 2017, and this year, he claimed a breakthrough victory in a dramatic weather-affected race at Brands Hatch.

"I’m looking forward to going to Croft,” said Proctor. “I love the circuit and always receive a lot of home support there, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be fighting up at the front. It’s a real drivers’ circuit; you’ve got to push flat-out through the first two sectors and just hold your breath, before refining it all for the last sector. There’s obviously a bit more pressure than usual going to my home race meeting, but nothing I can’t handle and I’m feeling more confident than ever and working harder than ever to keep this dream going and keep the results coming."

Tordoff, meanwhile, has endured a tough 2018 to-date, through little fault of his own. Come race-day he has been caught up in contact on more than one occasion and, alongside some technical issues, he's been unable to take advantage of what is by far the best qualifying record of anybody in the field. He seemingly has the pace, he now just needs the breaks.

"I’ve got fond memories of Croft,” added Tordoff. “Last time I was there with BMW, we had a fabulous set of results. It’s always great when you finish on the podium at your home event, and I’m hoping to do so again this year in the Focus RS. I really think we can be up at the front. We’ve been blighted by bad luck so far this season but it’s slowly coming round our way, and in terms of one-lap qualifying pace, we are as quick as anybody. The local support always helps, and with a lot of family coming, it just feels like home."

Huddersfield's Daniel Lloyd made his BTCC comeback last time around at Oulton Park, joining BTC Norlin Racing.
 
"I love going to Croft," he said. "It’s my home track and I always get a warm welcome there. It’s where I made my BTCC debut back in 2010, and then to qualify on the front row two years ago was really special. It’s great to be back and with such a potent package as the Honda Civic Type R and no ballast on-board, I’m confident of being able to challenge right up at the sharp end again."

Timetable and tickets 
All three BTCC races on Sunday, 24 June alongside the rest of the day's action will be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV4, via the ITV Hub and streamed live at itv.com/btcc. Those in attendance at the circuit can stay in touch with the commentary and live timing from every session, available at btcc.net/live throughout the weekend.
 
The support series' on the TOCA package are also guaranteed to thrill with a double digit total of races set to entertain the crowds. The Renault UK Clio Cup, F4 British Championship and two Ginetta series' will all be in attendance in North Yorkshire, making for a packed weekend of truly unmissable racing.

Tickets can be purchased at discounted advanced prices at £15 on Saturday 23 June and £30 on Sunday 24 June, or £38 for the full weekend. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free. Pre-orders can be made online at www.croftcircuit.co.uk/racing/btcc or over the phone (01325 721815) up to and including Tuesday, 19 June. After this date, tickets can still be purchased on the gate.
 
More information on all of Croft’s driving experiences and racing events can be found at www.croftcircuit.co.uk.

It was announced earlier this week that Thruxton is set to host two race meetings in the 2019 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, and several of the series' drivers have expressed their excitement at travelling to the UK’s fastest circuit not once but twice next year – for the first time in more than a decade.
 
An annual fixture on the calendar of Britain’s premier motorsport series since 1968 – the year the circuit opened in its current configuration – Thruxton has always been a popular stop amongst competitors and fans alike, with its high-speed layout and flat-out sweepers generating superb slipstreaming scraps and no shortage of spectacle. Next year, fans will be able to enjoy that action twice – on 18/19 May and again on 17/18 August.
 
Over the years, many of the biggest names in the BTCC have tamed Thruxton’s formidable challenge to climb onto the top step of the rostrum in Hampshire – amongst them the likes of Andy Rouse, Steve Soper, Gabriele Tarquini, Alain Menu and Jason Plato, tin-top legends all.
 
“Thruxton is a completely unique circuit,” acknowledged 1992 BTCC Champion-turned-ITV4 commentator Tim Harvey, who came within a whisker of scoring Peugeot’s breakthrough victory in the series there in 1997. “The layout has gone largely unchanged over all these years, and as a driver, it remains mightily challenging. I have many happy memories of going there and I always love going back. Thruxton invariably produces great racing – and long may that continue.”
 
Three-time title-winner Matt Neal is one of the most successful of the current BTCC crop around Thruxton, achieving his 62^nd and most recent career win at the track last month.
 
“I think it’s brilliant we are going to Thruxton twice – it means double the fun!” he smiled. “It’s an awesome place to go and one of my favourite circuits on the calendar because it is unspoiled, challenging and heart-in-mouth – a proper old-school, balls-out track that really rewards the brave, and as a driver, that’s exactly what you relish. It’s also like a home grand prix for us, with Honda’s UK manufacturing base just up the road in Swindon, so the fact we will be having two events there will be absolutely fantastic and I cannot wait.” 
 
Hailing from Bath, Josh Cook counts Thruxton as his local circuit and the 26-year-old stormed through the field to register his second BTCC victory on ‘home’ soil earlier this year. Like Neal, he is thrilled to be returning twice next season.
 
“I love Thruxton!” Cook enthused. “Winning there last month was an amazing feeling, to get to stand on the top step of the podium in front of family, friends and sponsors who have supported me for so long. It’s a wonderful place to go racing – a proper white-knuckle ride the whole way round, and a case of ‘he who dares, wins’. It’s the kind of track where you really get to push your car to the limits – and to have chance to do that six times in 2019 is hugely exciting.”
 
“Thruxton is a phenomenal circuit,” echoed fans’ favourite Rob Austin. “It’s somewhere that has always been close to my heart, and with HMS Racing being based in Swindon, it’s our ‘local’ track too. The effort that has gone into the venue in recent years to improve facilities for fans and competitors alike is tremendous, and for Thruxton to be given another event on the 2019 BTCC schedule is just reward for Bill Coombs and his loyal, hard-working team. I think it’s brilliant news!”
 
The investment to which Austin alludes is part of a long-term plan designed to keep Thruxton firmly at the forefront of the national motor racing scene. Earlier this month, the state-of-the-art new Thruxton Centre was officially inaugurated by Nigel Mansell CBE and Murray Walker OBE at the circuit’s 50^th Anniversary Celebration – just the first stage in a multifaceted improvement programme over the coming years.
 
“Thruxton is in the midst of a multi-million pound development,” explained Thruxton Group Managing Director Coombs. “We have worked hard – and continue to work hard – to enhance the safety aspect to ensure our venue conforms to the most exacting of standards, and the new Thruxton Centre has shifted the goalposts in terms of our corporate offering at and away from race weekends.
 
“There are further exciting plans in the pipeline to significantly upgrade facilities for competitors, spectators and media, and we are delighted to see that hard work repaid with a second British Touring Car Championship visit next season. As the country’s foremost car racing series, the BTCC always draws huge crowds and delivers outstanding entertainment – so there’s more to look forward to than ever at Thruxton in 2019!”

Power Maxed TAG Racing were riding the crest of a wave ahead of Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park, with Josh Cook just a point off the Drivers’ standings summit and the team leading both the Manufacturers' and Teams' tallies.

Results didn't quite follow for the outfit, though, with ballast always costly around the undulating Cheshire circuit and clear air in qualifying hard to come by.

Cook managed two clear runs and just 20th position – though only 0.8 seconds from pole, such was the competitiveness of the session – while Senna Proctor took up 26th ahead of the opener.

Cook found himself alongside then-standings leader Adam Morgan – damage limitation would be the watchword. He passed the Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport man in race one, finishing 17th and holding station in the championship running. Proctor fought hard before technical issues saw him slip back to a frustrated 28th.

Both drivers started the second encounter well. Contact at turn one, though, had Cook off and into the gravel at Cascades. He rejoined but the damage was done, forcing him into a precautionary pitstop. Conversely, Proctor was able to make good on his start, keeping out of trouble in tight surrounds at Oulton Park as he sliced his way from 28th to 16th.

After a red flag caused a restart in race three, Cook scythed his way through from the back of the pack to 12th place – an indicator as to why he is where he is in the championship running. Proctor's progress was also strong – making up yet more ground to an eventual 12th spot.

Power Maxed TAG Racing finds itself right in the hunt for honours – second in the Manufacturers' championship, third in the Teams' with Cook fifth and Proctor 11th in the Drivers' chase.

“We knew from Thruxton that the weight I’d be carrying into this weekend was going to slow us down," said Cook.

"It’s a shame that we had a component failure during qualifying, but the guys did really well to get me back out for the last two laps.

"I think if I’d had more track time I could’ve bettered my time, but with the company I was in, I was fairly happy with 20th.

"Race three, the car really came alive, and I’m happy with the ground I made up after the restart. On the good side, we bagged some more points and haven’t lost too much in the championship hunt.”

Proctor added: “An electrical fault in the opener caused me to drop back to 28th, but finishing 12th in the last race was a great result for all the team and my sponsors.

"We struggled with the weight around the hilly circuit on Saturday, which made Sunday that bit more difficult. However, I’m now looking forward to my home circuit, Croft, in just two weeks-time.

"It's one of my favourites on the calendar, so I’m really champing at the bit to get back out next weekend and bagging us some more points”

Technical Director Martin Broadhurst added: "Even if a race event doesn’t go our way, we can draw a number of positives from it.

"Every weekend is an opportunity for us to learn and gather information, and the relentless heat and uphill nature of the weekend has given us invaluable data.

"Croft is notoriously a rear wheel drive circuit, but I’m confident that we can make up the points we missed out on at Oulton Park."

Jake Hill held a slender four-point advantage atop Dunlop’s #ForeverForward tally heading to Oulton Park for the fourth meeting of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign and leaving Cheshire, he still holds top spot with Stephen Jelley taking weekend honours.

Oulton is one of the more difficult circuits on the calendar for overtaking, as evidenced by the total pass count topping 200, rather than the 400 we saw over the opening three weekends.

In qualifying, Matt Simpson put in the perfect lap, two-tenths of a second ahead of Sam Tordoff to secure his maiden pole position, with Tom Chilton third.

All three race winners in 2017 used Dunlop’s Option-Soft tyre, and three of the top four went down that route for the opener on Sunday. The only top-four driver on the medium compound tyre, Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher's Chilton, started well – moving beyond stablemate Tordoff at lights out and off after race leader Simpson.

Simpson kept his head down into Knickerbrook and set about sealing his first BTCC win. In the pack, there were notable manoeuvres from Rob Austin on Brett Smith, and a clinical move from Colin Turkington on James Cole which was voted the #ForeverForward fan-favourite in race one.

Simpson kept his cool and completed a dream triple-header; qualifying on pole, securing the fastest lap and scoring a lights-to-flag maiden victory. Chilton held on to second to take his and Motorbase's first rostrum of the season.

Chilton inherited race two pole for Motorbase after Simpson's weekend was brought to a premature end thanks to engine trouble. Clinical and decisive overtaking moves by Turkington saw the champion quickly climb the order – passing Tordoff, Andrew Jordan and Chilton to steal the lead, ahead of a charging Matt Neal on Option rubber. Chilton produced a stellar performance, holding third for the remainder of the race.

Neal looked strong in second but Turkington was a level higher still as he secured an emotional first win of the season. Fans voted Tom Ingram’s move on BTC Norlin Racing’s Chris Smiley as their #ForeverForward overtake of race two, while Rory Butcher made the most ground, claiming 12 places.

Austin was drawn as reverse grid pole-sitter with Rob Collard the only driver in the top three running the Dunlop Option-Soft tyre. As ambient temperatures pushed 27 degrees, things were hotting-up on the grid for the race, and Collard produced a trademark swashbuckling start to steal the lead from Austin. 

A red flag and restart handed Austin another chance but Collard flew off the line once again and into first, with stablemates Jordan and Turkington following Collard through – earning West Surrey Racing and BMW a podium lockout. Fans voted Turkington’s lap six move on James Cole as their #ForeverForward favourite.

Stephen Jelley left Cheshire as top mover with a total of 19 places gained across the three rounds. Race three produced the most overtaking action (119), while Josh Cook made the most ground in one race (15).

Jake Hill, meanwhile, retained top spot in the overall running.

 #ForeverForward – Oulton Park

1.   Stephen JELLEY, 19
2.   Josh COOK, 18
3.   Tom BOARDMAN, 16
4.   Senna PROCTOR, 15
5.   Mike BUSHELL, 15
6.   Sam SMELT, 13
7.   Adam MORGAN, 13
8.   Rory BUTCHER, 12
9.   Jake HILL, 12
10. Colin TURKINGTON, 11

#ForeverForward – Overall Standings

1.   Jake HILL, 70
2.   Tom BOARDMAN, 65
3.   Tom INGRAM, 64
4.   Ollie JACKSON, 61
5.   Senna PROCTOR, 59
6.   Adam MORGAN, 59
7.   Mike BUSHELL, 57
8.   Rory BUTCHER, 53
9.   Josh COOK, 51
10.  Ash SUTTON, 49

Daniel Lloyd battled his way through a tricky return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at the weekend, with contact in the final round at Oulton Park curtailing his race-day progress.

After inking a late deal with BTC Norlin Racing on Wednesday last week, the Huddersfield driver had to contend with 45 kilograms of late entry ballast aboard his Honda Civic Type R. Driver and team worked hard to find the best set-up for the Yorkshireman and the best solution to manage the additional weight. This effort was rewarded a competitive car, closely-matching his team-mate Chris Smiley on race pace.

Despite the added ballast and with the Honda struggling with a gear cut issue, Lloyd managed to secure a creditable 22nd in qualifying.

“Unfortunately, we picked up a gear cut issue in Free Practice and qualifying so that dropped us back a bit, but the team did a great job to get it sorted for Sunday and the Civic was handling really well,” said Lloyd.

The weekend’s opening race was damage limitation for Lloyd, who raced to 25th at the flag.

“Race one was hard going with the weight and we just lost the brakes at the end,” explained Lloyd. “We had good pace in race two though – it’s just so tough to overtake there, but we managed to stay out of trouble and all things considered, finishing 17th was a great result.”

Free of the weight for race two, the 26-year-old made progress on the narrow circuit, cutting his way cleanly through the pack to claim 17th in the #26 Type R – just outside of the points.

Sadly, a start-line incident in the final race of the day put paid to Lloyd’s progress, with both BTC Norlin Racing Hondas unavoidably caught up in the melee and taken out of the contest with race-ending damage.

“We were really optimistic for the final race as we’d been getting quicker all day and closer to the points so it was such a shame to get caught up in someone else’s incident. I don’t know what caused the crash, someone just came across and into me on the start/finish straight and wiped myself and my team-mate Chris (Smiley) out of the race.”

Next up, it's Lloyd’s home circuit – Croft in North Yorkshire – for Rounds 13, 14 and 15, 22/23 June. Heading into the pivotal mid-season meeting free of any weight, Lloyd is hopeful that he’ll be able to challenge for points to help the BTC Norlin team’s championship campaign – and he's qualified on the front-row there before during his time at Eurotech Racing, again in the Civic Type R.

“I’d like to say a big thanks to Bert [Taylor] for offering me the chance to join the team and also massive thanks to the guys for making me feel so welcome. I really enjoyed working with them all this past weekend.

“I feel like we made some positive changes to the car to fit me better and I’m really looking forward to heading to Croft without the weight on-board, and seeing what we can do."