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."

Thruxton doubles up in fresh look for next season

Series organiser, TOCA, has today (13 June) released the official calendar for the 2019 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Britain’s biggest motor sport series is in the midst of its 60^th anniversary season and is already in the position of being able to confirm its calendar for next year’s campaign, which most notably will see Rockingham not included, as the possible impending sale of the facility didn’t provide TOCA with sufficient clarity at the time of finalising the calendar.
 
Whilst Brands Hatch will still bookend the season, Thruxton has been rewarded with a second event – adding an August summer visit to its regular May date – with the additional visit to Hampshire replacing Rockingham on the roster.
 
The BTCC is firmly established as the UK’s flagship motor sport series and its highly successful run of ten events will continue, with Croft and Oulton Park changing berths in the order of events – the latter now following on from the trip to North Yorkshire.
 
The 2019 season will commence on 6/7 April on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, moving on to Donington Park, Thruxton, Croft and Oulton Park. Then it’s time for the traditional summer break prior to the trip to Snetterton, with the second Thruxton weekend taking place before the series heads north of the border to Knockhill in Scotland. Silverstone hosts the penultimate event, ahead of the season finale back in Kent on the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
 
For its 30 rounds, the BTCC selects the most renowned circuits with the best facilities to ensure as many spectators as possible are afforded a special, enthralling trackside experience. Throughout the season, hundreds of thousands of fans experience the action first hand, ensuring the package is the UK’s biggest most alluring motor racing offering. Each of the ten weekends on the calendar comprise three BTCC races of equal distance.
 
ITV4 continues as the BTCC’s long-term broadcast partner and it will broadcast every race-day live, free-to-air and in high definition throughout 2019, with live streaming also available via the ITV Hub. Highlights programmes follow each event and are screened on ITV, ITV4 and on demand via the ITV Hub.

2019 BTCC Calendar:

Rounds          Date                                                    Circuit, County
1,2,3               Sat 6/Sun 7 April                             Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent
4,5,6               Sat 27/Sun 28 April                        Donington Park, Leics
7,8,9               Sat 18/Sun 19 May                         Thruxton, Hampshire
10,11,12        Sat 15/Sun 16 June                        Croft, North Yorkshire
13,14,15        Sat 29/Sun 30 June                        Oulton Park, Cheshire
16,17,18        Sat 3/Sun 4 August                        Snetterton, Norfolk
19,20,21        Sat 17/Sun 18 August                   Thruxton, Hampshire
22,23,24        Sat 14/Sun 15 September            Knockhill, Fife          
25,26,27        Sat 28/Sun 29 September            Silverstone, Northants
28,29,30        Sat 12/Sun 13 October                  Brands Hatch (Grand Prix), Kent

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher celebrated a double podium and six top ten finishes via Tom Chilton and James Cole as it kickstarted its campaign over Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park.

Chilton led the charge for the Motorbase-run outfit, claiming the squad’s first two podiums and a maiden Independent win of the season, with team-mate James Cole delivering a trio of top nine finishes to help propel them up to fourth in the overall Teams’ Standings.

A strong qualifying performance from the duo on Saturday afternoon saw Chilton snatch third in the session’s closing minutes, just 0.332 seconds off pole, with Cole placing a solid eighth.

Chilton stormed to second off the line in the opener and deflected a robust challenge from Andrew Jordan’s fast charging BMW with an excellent defensive drive. He eventually brought the #3 Focus RS home in second for the team’s first podium of the season.

Cole also pulled off a textbook start launching the #20 Focus RS up into sixth on the opening lap. Chasing down Matt Neal’s Honda, the Liverpool-based driver looked set to deliver a strong top six finish before losing out to a brave lunge from Colin Turkington on the penultimate lap which dropped him back to seventh at the flag.

With race one winner Matt Simpson unable to start race two due to engine trouble, Chilton was promoted to pole position. Running on the softer option tyre with 66kg on-board, the 33-year-old had a task on his hands against the lighter competition but another strong showing from the Reigate-based driver was rewarded with third, an Independents' race win and his second rostrum visit of the day.

Also running on the soft compound tyre, Cole battled to hold off the charging pack and after trading places with his Motorbase stablemate Sam Tordoff on lap seven, managed to retain his fifth spot to the flag.

After an initial race three red flag, starting from third and laden with 48kg of ballast, Cole was bested by Jordan’s fast-starting BMW off the line. A hard-fought race followed with the #20 coming under persistent challenges from the lighter pack before contact on the final lap forced Cole onto the grass. He recovered well but dropped back to claim ninth overall.

Chilton’s strong weekend was sealed with seventh in race three. Despite picking up a mechanical issue on the warm-up lap, he served up a steadfast defensive drive. Whilst under pressure, he managed to salvage another credible points haul to complete his best weekend of results so far this season.

As the highest scoring Independent team of the weekend, Oulton Park’s results have launched Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher into fourth place in the overall standings and third in the Independent Teams’ standings.

Chilton has also moved up into eighth place overall and fourth in the Indy Drivers’ tally, with James Cole in 15^th and ninth respectively as the team heads to Croft in North Yorkshire for Rounds 13, 14 and 15 on 23-24 June.

“It’s been a great weekend for Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher," said Team Principal David Bartrum. "We’ve bagged a really good haul of points, which is exactly what we needed to turn our championship challenge around.

"We’ve moved forward in the standings as a team and also with Tom in eighth and James in 14th now. It gives us something solid to go to Croft with and get ourselves into a strong position at the half way point of the season.

“We had the pace again this weekend. Oulton Park can be very difficult with the heat, but I’m very happy to say that we delivered a car that was very competitive. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the whole team this weekend.”

Tom Chilton added: “This has been the best weekend of the year for me and the team. I’m really happy to get the first podium - not one but two – and an Indy race win as well. We came here 11^th in the standings and leave in eighth so we’re getting a lot closer to where we should be.

“We had a very unusual mechanical issue in race three which caused a few problems and without that I think we could have finished around fourth but we managed to hang on in there and get a good result.

“The team have all worked really hard since Thruxton so it’s great to get some silverware! Roll on Croft.”

Oulton local James Cole said: “It’s been a good weekend, all credit to the car #20 crew.

"I’d have liked to given them a podium but it wasn’t too be. Race three was a frustrating end to the day, going from sixth with a lap to go to ninth, but I can’t really complain with qualifying in the top ten and then following that up with three top ten finishes.

"We’ve come away with a great points haul from the weekend and moved up in the standings. We bounced back from our horror weekend at Thruxton which is what we planned and we can carry this into Croft now in two weeks’ time.

"If we can finish every weekend in the top five or six then eventually we’ll get our podiums and wins.”

Team BMW’s Colin Turkington took a commanding Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race two victory at Oulton Park earlier today (10 June), moving to the standings summit in the process.
 
The two-time BTCC champion immediately dedicated his first win of the season to his late mother, who sadly passed away last week. 
 
The Northern Irishman was also part of an historic 1-2-3 finish for German manufacturer BMW in the final race, as Rob Collard headed home stablemates Andrew Jordan and Turkington.
 
Matt Simpson kicked off a memorable day of racing in Cheshire as he converted his first BTCC pole position into a dominant lights-to-flag victory in the opener.
 
The Honda Civic Type R driver made a steady getaway off the line, as Motorbase duo Sam Tordoff and Tom Chilton swapped positions on the run down to Old Hall Corner for the first time.
 
Whilst Chilton, Tordoff and the Pirtek-backed BMW of Jordan kept Simpson honest throughout the 15-lap contest, it was ultimately only a scrap for second place that was ever on the cards.
 
Chilton held position in second for the entire race but he first had to fend off an attack from the sister Ford Focus RS of Tordoff, and then from Jordan’s BMW 125i M Sport after he had scythed by the Yorkshireman across the start/finish line on lap eight.
 
Jordan’s best chance of dislodging Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher’s Chilton came on lap 12 at the Island Hairpin, as things bunched up at the tightest corner on the track. Former champion Jordan touched the rear of Chilton’s striking yellow machine, but the latter held on, exiting the turn still in charge of the position.
 
There was a brief scare for Simpson in the latter stages with smoke coming from his front left wheel as Chilton closed in, but the Simpson Racing driver wouldn’t be denied what he called a ‘dream come true’ maiden victory.
 
Turkington’s win came next after he made up good ground from the start. He was into second early on, but it was his textbook pass by then-leader Chilton that secured the deal. Chilton’s ballast-laden Ford Focus couldn’t hang on as Turkington fired his BMW 125i M Sport down the inside at Lodge Corner.
 
The BMW star never looked back as he claimed a comfortable win ahead of Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal, who also got by Chilton in the second half of the contest. The Motorbase man held on impressively for third, however, as he claimed his second podium of the day.
 
The racing concluded with a sensational 1-2-3 finish for BMW as Collard grabbed his first win of the season ahead of Jordan and Turkington.
 
Collard blasted his Team BMW 1 Series off the line and immediately past pole-sitter Rob Austin in the DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing Alfa Romeo Giulietta. Austin kept the pressure on Collard in the early stages before heartache cost him the chance of a second podium of the season. A broken differential forced Austin into retirement and promoted BMW Pirtek Racing’s Jordan into second.
 
Championship leader Turkington was now up to third after he had made a number of stellar passes, most notably by the Motorbase Ford duo of Chilton and James Cole. WIX Racing with Eurotech star Jack Goff followed Turkington through and eventually claimed fourth place.
 
The fight for fifth was an enthralling one and it went the way of local racer Adam Morgan. The Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport man started the race in 11th place but made early progress in his Mercedes A-Class, and then benefitted from a number of scraps towards the end of the race.
 
Toyota hotshot Tom Ingram and three-time champ Matt Neal went wheel-to-wheel at Druids on lap eight, which allowed Morgan through as the Honda of Neal ran wide and tumbled down the order. Morgan then made his own move by Chilton’s Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher car and the Lancastrian would go on to end a challenging weekend on a high.
 
After the huge crowd left the circuit and the dust settled on another exciting BTCC race day, it was Turkington leading the standings by 12 points from both Morgan and Goff, with Ingram a further nine points in arrears.
 
Team BMW heads the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ standings, whilst Jack Goff and his WIX Racing with Eurotech squad top the Independents’ tables.
 
Ollie Jackson and Mike Bushell shared Jack Sears Trophy honours at Oulton Park, but Honda rookie Dan Cammish is leading that particular contest overall.
 
The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship returns in two weeks’ time (23/24 June) at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire.
 
Matt Simpson said: “We had mega pace yesterday in Free Practice 2 and qualifying and I would just have been happy to finish this race as it was already a massive achievement from where we’ve come from. I had to get away cleanly into turn one and managed to get there in the lead. I saw Tom (Chilton) looming but I held on – I’m over the moon as it’s a dream come true. It was the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had I think last night after the concentration yesterday. When I saw the smoke coming off the car, I didn’t want to look at my lap board as the minute you start overthinking is when you start to make mistakes. My brakes were fading and I knew I had a bit of a cushion and used that so I didn’t make a silly error.”
 
Colin Turkington said: “Winning always feels good, especially in the BMW. Around here, we’ve found the magic ingredient for race two. I didn’t see it coming. Starting fifth, there are a lot of fast guys out front. My pace in race one was good but it wasn’t winning pace. We’ve improved the car a lot and it merits all the hard work we’ve put into it. I enjoyed being out front and in the groove. I sensed soon on I had a strong car and it was time to strike. I’m over the moon for everybody. I just want to dedicate this one to my mum, who’s not here for the first time. Mum, that was for you.”
 
Rob Collard said: “I’m so pleased with that. We knew we had it in the car yesterday and I didn’t maximise our potential in qualifying. I knew, though, if I was two tenths off the quick guys then it’d be all to play for on race-day. It’s a great feeling to see all three BMWs on the podium. It doesn’t happen very often, so congratulations to BMW – it’s a great achievement. We had a win here last year, and we were right there until that horrible accident at Silverstone, which ruled me out of the championship. I’ve struggled for form since then but any win in the BTCC leaves you walking on water. When I saw the red flag I thought it was just my luck but to then repeat my great start was ideal. I just focussed then on pulling out a gap.”

Micky Butler, Manager, UK and One Brand Motorsport Events, said: “Overall, very pleased. The Option tyre performed as expected, with both compounds running well on a hot track. The drivers said the softer compound gives the feeling of the car coming alive, which creates confidence to charge forward. Again, the Option-Softs won two out of the three races… onwards and upwards to Croft.”  

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 10 – Oulton Park

1 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing 15 laps
2 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +0.265s
3 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.630s
4 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +1.630s
5 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2.828s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +3.165s
7 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +5.127s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +6.587s
9 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +7.125s
10 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +7.485s

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 11 – Oulton Park

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 15 laps
2 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +5.372s
3 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +7.800s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +8.598s
5 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +13.121s
6 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +13.347s
7 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +15.304s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +18.205s
9 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +18.308s
10 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +18.493s

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 12 – Oulton Park

1 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW 12 laps
2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +3.881s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +7.647s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +9.333s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +13.385s
6 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +15.374s
7 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +16.360s
8 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +16.786s
9 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +18.153s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +18.403s

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

Race 1
Rob Collard received a verbal warning for an incident involving Brett Smith

Colin Turkington received a verbal warning for an incident involving Brett Smith

Race 2
Chris Smiley received a verbal warning for an incident involving Brett Smith

Race 3
Dan Cammish received a verbal warning for an incident involving Ollie Jackson

Jake Hill was penalised by the addition of one second to his overall race time after gaining an unfair advantage in an incident with James Cole. This does not count as a strike

 

German marque BMW scored a sensational 1-2-3 finish in the final Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Oulton Park as Rob Collard headed home stablemates Andrew Jordan and Colin Turkington.

Collard blasted his Team BMW 125i M Sport off the line and immediately past pole-sitter Rob Austin in his HMS Racing Alfa Romeo Guilietta. Austin kept Collard honest for much of the contest before heartache cost him the chance of a second podium of the season. A broken differential on the Alfa forced Austin into retirement and promoted BMW Pirtek Racing's Jordan into second.

Championship leader Turkington was now in third after he had made a number of stellar passes, most notably by the Motorbase Ford duo of Tom Chilton and James Cole. WIX Racing with Eurotech star Jack Goff followed Turkington through and would eventually claim fourth place, although ended the bout with a slow puncture and could count himself fortunate to reach the chequered flag. 

The fight for fifth was an enthralling one and eventually went the way of local man Adam Morgan. The Ciceley Motorsport man started the race in 11th place but made early progress in his Mercedes A-Class, and then benefitted from a number of scraps towards the end of the race.

Toyota hotshot Tom Ingram and Matt Neal got into eachother at Druids on lap eight, which allowed Morgan through whist the recovering Honda of Neal tumbled down the order. Morgan then made his own move by Chilton's Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher car and the Lancastrian would go on to end a challenging weekend on a high.

Ingram grabbed sixth ahead of Chilton, whilst Mike Bushell and Jake Hill secured some much needed respite for Team HARD in eighth and ninth respectively. The VW CCs has progressed in terms of pace throughout the weekend and Bushell would be further rewarded by sharing the Jack Sears Trophy with Ollie Jackson.

James Cole completed a good day for Kent-based Motorbase by taking tenth in front of his home fans. The Liverpudlian was muscled down the order in this one but a trio of top ten finishes proved to be a productive day for the BTCC race winner.

The race was originally red flagged when a huge accident off the line sent Chris Smiley, Tom Oliphant, Daniel Lloyd and Rory Butcher immediately into retirement. All drivers involved were unharmed in the crash, with the delayed race being run over a reduced distance of 12 laps.

Rob Collard said: "I’m so pleased with that. We knew we had it in the car yesterday and I didn’t maximise our potential in qualifying. I knew, though, if I was two tenths off the quick guys then it’d be all to play for on race-day. It’s a great feeling to see all three BMWs on the podium. It doesn’t happen very often, so congratulations to BMW – it’s a great achievement. We had a win here last year, and we were right there until that horrible accident at Silverstone which ruled me out of the championship. I’ve struggled for form since then but any win in the BTCC leaves you walking on water. When I saw the red flag I thought it was just my luck but to then repeat my great start was ideal. I just focussed then on pulling out a gap."

Andrew Jordan said: "That was a cracking result for the team, West Surrey Racing and BMW. To get a 1-2-3 with the championship as strong as it is now is a great achievement and it’s capped a very good day for us. A second, third and fourth for me has got to be up there around Colin (Turkington) for top points-scorer of the weekend. Croft should favour us. I scored my first ever touring car win there and my first car win full-stop there – so hopefully we’ll be on for a first win of the year."

Colin Turkington said: "It feels great to be top of the pile. It’s been such a strong weekend for Team BMW. It’s only normally Croft where we can match this kind of result but all three West Surrey Racing cars were in the groove, so it’s a big pat on the back for the guys behind the scenes doing all the engineering. We’ve got the easy job bar the heat! It’s a nice thought leading the championship into Croft but we go there with a heavy car. We hope we’ll be able to get a few more points in the bag. I think we’ve all earned a cool beverage today!"

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 12 – Oulton Park

1 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW 12 laps
2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +3.881s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +7.647s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +9.333s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +13.385s
6 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +15.374s
7 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +16.360s
8 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +16.786s
9 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +18.153s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +18.403s
11 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +18.910s
12 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +18.974s
13 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +19.206s
14 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +19.559s
15 Tom BOARDMAN (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +21.584s
16 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +21.944s
17 Sam SMELT (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +25.031s
18 Brett SMITH (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +26.111s
19 Michael CAINE (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +41.924s
20 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +42.622s
21 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +1m21.197s
22 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1 lap
23 Josh PRICE (GBR) Autoglym Academy Racing +3 laps
24 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +3 laps
25 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +8 laps
26 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +12 laps
27 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +12 laps
28 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +12 laps
29 Dan LLOYD (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +12 laps
DNS Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase
DNS Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing
DNS Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars