Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Ashley Sutton set the quickest time of the day in this afternoon's Free Practice session, with more than two-thirds of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship field taking part in the annual TOCA Support test day at Thruxton Circuit.

Sutton headed Mike Bushell, whose late lap fired him second and just 0.026s shy of the Subaru man. Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal lapped third quickest – recovering from throttle issues in the morning's running to reveal a little more of the new Honda's potential.

"That was unexpected, I'll be honest," said Sutton. "It's been a fast day in general and everyone's been quick. We've come here looking for track time and I think we've found a few key things. It's been a general test, not just a Thruxton test.

"We hadn’t done mileage prior to Season Launch at Donington Park, then Brands Hatch later that week but that was rained off. We've come to make up time on the others and we've achieved some key things and we hope some of those will carry over to Donington."

Jack Goff, Sam Tordoff, Josh Cook and Dan Cammish rounded out the top seven – with each setting times beneath Matt Neal's qualifying lap record around the Hampshire circuit. Though as is always the case with testing, it's more about the time out on circuit than outright pace as teams and drivers work through their programmes in what is a learning process early on in the season.

More than 1,100 laps were completed across the day, with a focus on Dunlop's Thruxton-specific rubber as well as chassis and setup development for the forthcoming campaign.

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – TOCA Support Test – Thruxton Circuit

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 1m15.717s
2 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +0.026s
3 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.094s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +0.143s
5 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +0.245s
6 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +0.264s
7 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.280s
8 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.326s
9 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +0.371s
10 Brett SMITH (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +0.470s
11 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.484s
12 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +0.522s
13 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.524s
14 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.695s
15 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +0.774s
16 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +0.945s
17 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +1.101s
18 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.211s
19 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +1.234s
20 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +1.267s
21 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.420s
22 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.544s
23 Michael CAINE (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +1.641s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Autoglym Academy Racing +1.657s
25 Sam SMELT (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +2.807s

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher's Tom Chilton headed the way in the opening Free Practice session from Thruxton Circuit this morning.

Twenty-three of the 32-car field made the trip to Hampshire for the annual TOCA Support Test and it was the Ford Focus RS leading the early running as teams began to work through their busy programmes for the day. Chilton's 1m15.979s was inside Matt Neal's pole time, and lap record, set in qualifying here last year. 

"Thruxton's one of my favourite circuits, along with Brands Hatch. I do love it here." said Chilton. "I used to be an instructor here, so I know it very well. We worked through some qualifying runs this morning and we may use some newer Dunlops this afternoon to see where we can go.

"You've got the combination today where the track's warm enough for the tyre to work well but it's cool enough for the engine. I was pushing quite hard, and we'll change the set up to see if there's any more time to gain this afternoon."

Senna Proctor continued where he left off at Brands Hatch with the second fastest time of the morning, just a tenth-of-a-second shy of Chilton's timesheet-topper, with his Power Maxed with TAG Racing team-mate Josh Cook making it two Vauxhall Astras in the top three.

The new-generation FK8 Honda Civic Type R, in the hands of Dan Cammish, rounded in fourth spot with reigning champ Ash Sutton and Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing's Mike Bushell completing the top six.

As is always the case in testing, however, pace is not always the immediate priority – especially during the opening throes of the campaign. Teams and drivers are continuing the learning process as they look to unlock their 2018 machinery and evaluate the Dunlop SportMaxx compound for the Thruxton race weekend, 19-20 May.

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – TOCA Support Test – Thruxton Circuit

1 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher 1m15.979s
2 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +0.130s
3 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +0.168s
4 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.240s
5 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.396s
6 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +0.538s
7 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +0.584s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.686s
9 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.709s
10 Brett SMITH (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +0.792s
11 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.860s
12 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +0.960s
13 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +0.972s
14 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +0.998s
15 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.106s
16 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.162s
17 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +1.483s
18 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +1.604s
19 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.810s
20 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.829s
21 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.985s
22 Josh PRICE (GBR) Autoglym Academy Racing +2.335s
23 Sam SMELT (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +2.826s

BTC Norlin Racing made good progress at Brands Hatch as it starts life with a newly-aquired pair of Honda Civic Type Rs but the team are hungry for more next time around.

Qualifying proved frustrating, with Chris Smiley and James Nash lining up 16th and 26th respectively but the outfit were confident of their ability to make progress come raceday. Duly, after an early safety car period, the two were up to tenth and 17th come the chequered flag in the opener – some typically touring car scrapping doing the business. Having briefly caught Team Boss Bert Taylor prior to the weekend's action getting underway, he would be satisfied with that as a start for what are two freshly-built Hondas.

The debate over tyre choice was the talk of the grid prior to race two, with Norlin electing to run wets. With the Dunlop Sportmaxx shod runners flying on the drying track, Smiley and Nash battled as high as sixth and seventh respectively before the BluResponse wets started to suffer. Nash would bring his Type R home in 14th – more points for the team and his first of the season, while Smiley took the chequered flag 17th. Race three yielded 16th for Smiley, though terminal damage put paid to Nash's efforts.

“It’s unbelievable to finish in the top ten at the opening race of the season," said Smiley. "This was my aim for the day and I’m delighted to have made up six positions.”

“The rest of the day was frustrating, running sixth for much of race two, until the track dried and we were caught on the wrong tyre. Race three looked as though ninth was possible, until I was caught up in someone else’s incident at Druids on the last lap, but that is touring car racing.

"I can’t wait to get to Donington Park with the awesome guys and girls from BTC Norlin Racing.”

“For various reasons we were only able to do minimal running before this weekend and so today has been pretty much a very public test session for us," said an optimistic Nash.

"The most important thing is that we’ve sorted the handling problem that had handicapped us through qualifying and the opening race. I’m confident we’ll do well at Donington Park.”

Winter has been flat out for Bert Taylor's outfit, now into the second year of its BTCC return, having put together a pair of new cars and welcoming aboard several key partners including The Range and Hampton by Hilton.

“As a minimum this weekend, we wanted to have both cars within the top 15 during the three races,” said Team Manager Bert Taylor.

“Whilst we didn’t quite get the results that we wanted, we have seen that we are comfortable racing towards the front and have shown that we have the tools to get the job done this season.”

“We wanted to be leaving the circuit with a better haul of points, but we're happy that we have understood the cars better and moved closer during each race to where we know we should be.

"We're now focusing on Donington Park, so expect more passion and determination than ever before from BTC Norlin Racing, we want more!”

WIX Racing with Eurotech's 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship got underway in fine style at Brands Hatch this past weekend, with the outfit leaving Kent atop the Teams' Championship with a race win in the bag.

The outfit's Honda Civic Type Rs were potent throughout 2017 and a one-two in the opening Free Practice session of the season, Goff from team-mate Brett Smith, set the tone once again.

That pace was evident throughout the remainder of Saturday's action, reaching a crescendo with Goff's scorching qualifying time – enough to seal a third pole on the bounce for the 27-year-old and Eurotech, as well as a Brands Hatch Indy double following Jeff Smith's pole last year. Smith Jr. set a time good enough for 10th, while Matt Simpson, in the Eurotech-backed Simpson Racing Type R made it a hat-trick of top tens for the stable with eighth spot.

Goff was able to covert his start-line advantage into a maiden race win of 2018, fending off Team BMW's Colin Turkington in difficult wet conditions. Smith meanwhile, brought his Honda home in 11th.

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBTCC/videos/1920019784706129/

 

Changing conditions in race two, however didn't favour the pair, who had opted for the Dunlop BluResponse wet tyres. The drying track surface favoured those who had gambled on fitting slick rubber prior to lights-out and Goff clung manfully onto 10th, with the maximum allotted 75kgs of success ballast aboard his Type R. Smith rounded in 20th, but it was Simpson in the sister Civic who really impressed. He was one of the drivers to take the risk on dry rubber and fired his Type R to seventh – a best-ever result in the series, and right from the back of the grid to boot following his opening race DNF.

The weather held off for Round 3 and an elbows-out performance from Goff yielded eighth, with Simpson able to swashbuckle his way to another seventh placed finish. Smith, meanwhile, found himself in the midst of the action but was shuffled down the order to 22nd after contact.

"It couldn't have gone much better than that," said Goff. "You never really know what to expect when it rains like it did overnight but to come away with a win from Round 1, it's taken a lot less time than it did last year, so I'm chuffed with that. It's all thanks to the fantastic guys here at WIX Racing with Eurotech who've given me a fantastic car. We've shown we're quick and we want to show it more in races – we've done that here. Credit to Colin (Turkington). He's a fair racer and I like to think I am too. We didn't give each other much room but just enough!"

Team Principal Jeff Smith said: "What an amazing way to start our 2018 campaign, pole positon and all three cars in the top ten for qualifying, followed by a great win by Jack Goff in the opener. We have clearly given Matt a car he can put up the sharp end, too, and we are looking to continue scoring results like this with all three cars under our banner.’

Round 2 of the 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship threw up a fantastic spectacle, with a trio of drivers making their maiden visit to the rostrum.

Power Maxed TAG Racing's Senna Proctor took the race win, and he was joined by Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing's Jake Hill and AmD with Cobra Exhausts' Ollie Jackson on the podium. All three rolled the dice, gambling on Dunlop SportMaxx dries when more than two-thirds of the field elected to start on BluResponse wets in mixed conditions. It proved to be the prudent choice, with the track surface coming to those on slicks later in the race.

"On the grid for race two, my Team Manager and I said over the radio 'on three shout which tyres to go for' and we both shouted slicks," said Hill. "From 25th on the grid we didn’t have much to lose and very quickly I realised we had made the right choice”

By lap 11, Hill had set the fastest lap of the race and the tide turned towards the gamblers. He and team-mate Bushell traded fastest laps and made quick progress. Aiden Moffat in the Laser Tools Mercedes-Benz was the one catching the eye right off the bat, overcoming a major moment to take the race lead before hitting the tyre barriers at Druids after contact. 

This left the door open for Proctor, with Hill and Jackson also scurrying through – as did the AmD MG of BTCC returnee Tom Boardman, then taking fourth position.

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBTCC/videos/1920133324694775/

 

“Oh my word that was crazy!" added Hill. "The car was mega, I had a look at passing both Proctor and Moffat but they were so defensive so it wasn’t worth the risk.

"I am beyond happy! I am so, so grateful to so many people who have helped me get to this point - obviously the legendary Tony Gilham and the boys at Team HARD, especially Geoff (Kingston) and Jamie, Josh, Carl, Nathan and Gary – the engineers who have been working on my car – as well as my amazing supporters.

"I have to say, I would not be racing in anything - let alone BTCC - without their help.

“I’m worried I will forget anyone - but my 2018 partners Rolec Racing, Trade Price Cars, the awesome Richard Wheeler from Brisky Racing, Ecoflam, Danfoss, Bill Rawles Classic Cars, AWS Appliance Spares, Scoria Tech, Zynth, Jakob Ebrey Photography, Spine Optics, P1 Nutrition, Tech Max Pro Gear, Torq, the BRDC. There's one person who has been with me since the beginning, from Ginetta Juniors in 2010 to today and has never, ever let me down is John Miskin from Sportif Motor Group."

AmD with Cobra Exhausts' Jackson was equally over the moon. He was also one of those to gamble ahead of race two, so, early on, he slipped back down the order. As circuit conditions improved, though, he started to rapidly climb through the field. From 21^st at the end of lap twelve, Jackson had raced his way into the top eight and continued to pick off the drivers ahead to run in a four-car train battling for the lead with three laps to go, eventually storming to third place and securing a maiden BTCC podium – a first for the Audi S3 Saloon and the team’s first since Knockhill in 2014.
 
“It’s been an emotional weekend," said Jackson. "We’ve worked so hard as a team to improve the Audi and have been getting quicker and quicker, and today we’ve been able to fight for strong results across all three races.
 
“Race one was perhaps the race of the day to be honest and to come from where we where on the grid to finish twelfth was really good and helped to set up the result in race two.
 
“We knew it was a gamble to go with slicks but also knew that the circuit was only going to get drier and it proved to be the right call. The car was absolutely fantastic and to bring home a podium was beyond our expectations coming into the weekend.
 
“Even with the success ballast onboard for race three, we could well have had a top five finish had we not been hit off track a few times, which also cost us the Jack Sears Trophy this weekend.
 
“However, I can’t go away from a weekend where I’ve taken my first podium feeling disappointed and I think we have shown this weekend that we deserve to be taken seriously in this series and aren’t just here to make up the numbers. We have to now try to build on this and fight for regular points as the season goes on."

It's hard to see past this past weekend's action as perhaps Power Maxed Racing's best-yet in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, with the outfit, on its first competitive outing as Power Maxed TAG Racing, securing a maiden victory in the series.

Following on in perfect fashion from his 2017 Jack Sears Trophy triumph, Senna Proctor stormed through the field from 27th to take victory in one of the most incredible BTCC races in recent memory. 

“I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet," said Proctor. "I didn’t even know that I’d won until I pulled into Parc Ferme and realised that no one was there in front of me - it was a very surreal moment.

"I can’t thank Martin (Broadhurst – Team Manager) and the team enough for putting together an incredible package, and the decision to bring Rob Peacey (engineer) in is definitely going to stand us in good stead for the season.

"Starting at the back of the grid, being the furthest down of the nine cars that made the decision to run on slicks, we didn’t expect to take the victory, but it’s proved that we’re here to win.

"I'm looking forward to this season even more than I was before and I know that between Josh and I, we’ll be seeing a lot more podiums. Thanks again to all my sponsors - we literally wouldn’t be here without you.”

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBTCC/videos/1920133324694775/

 

The decision to gamble on the Dunlop SportMaxx option tyre in drying conditions proved the right one, and the 19-year-old made dreams come down in the PMR garage, not least for an understandably emotional Team Principal in Adam Weaver.

“As with pretty much everyone in the paddock, I’m a life-long BTCC fan," said Weaver. "I remember watching the likes of Steve Soper and Andy Rouse as a kid, determined that at some point I’d be there, doing that.

"To win the second race of the season in the championship’s 60^th anniversary year is an indescribable feeling, and to do it from almost the back of the grid is something that none of the thousands of spectators watching will forget in a hurry. Seeing Josh (Cook) fight his way up from 28^th to fifth spot within just a few laps had my heart racing, but it was just unfortunate for him that the track dried out as it did.

"I can’t overstate how proud I am of Senna, Josh, Martin Broadhurst, and of the team he’s pulled together over the past four years. Bring on Donington!”

PMR Team Manager and Technical Director, Broadhurst, spoke with equal pride.

“The drive Senna put in was absolutely spectacular," he said. That race will, quite rightly, go down in history as one of the greatest drives of the NGTC era, and the decision by Senna and Race Engineer Rob Peacey to stick with the option tyre was a risk that I backed one-hundred percent.

"Yesterday was the culmination of four years' hard work, and both Adam and I made sure to personally thank every single person that played a part in getting those cars onto the grid.

"I take pride in the team we’ve put together and I know I speak for us all when I say that each and every one of them puts literally everything into making the cars the best they can possibly be, and this weekend it paid off - our first race win and fastest laps by both Josh and Senna, to boot. Getting both drivers home in the points isn't a bad feeling either!”

Former Jack Sears Champion Josh Cook had a weekend of mixed emotions.

“I was a little disappointed about an incident in Race 1, as the car was feeling fantastic and I genuinely think we would’ve been on for a really strong result, but that’s racing!" said Cook.

"If the track had stayed damp in Race 2, I would’ve been up at the pointy end. We were the fastest car on wets, and I’d battled my way up to fifth before the tyres unfortunately started to go off. Had that happened, though, Senna wouldn’t have had his first win, and I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am for him.

"As a team, I think we’ve shown that the cars are competitive and that we’re a force to be reckoned with this year. I spent the majority of Race 3 defending, whilst battling with power steering issues, which didn’t allow me to push on quite as much as I would’ve liked. A solid 10^th puts us in the points and sets us up well for Donington in a few weeks’ time. I’m so glad I made the decision to come back to PMR this year - it’s good to be home!"

The 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship kicked off in typically dramatic fashion last weekend with opening weekend records tumbling.

Three thrilling races provided three different winners with a victory apiece for Jack Goff, Senna Proctor and Tom Ingram, whilst incredibly nine different drivers filled the nine podium positions on offer.

If that wasn’t #BTCC enough for you then the current top ten championship positions should catch your eye, with ten different marques and ten different teams filling those positions – underlining the level-playing field and high-class competitiveness throughout the capacity 32-car grid.

Add this to the ever-changing conditions at Brands Hatch, tyre choice drama and one of the most incredible races in the series’ illustrious 60-year history and it seems that the BTCC is in better health than ever.

Roll on Donington!

Title sponsor and official tyre supplier, Dunlop, have reviewed the weekend's action and what an exciting one it was... with tyre choices and the ever-changing conditions at the centre of the action at Brands Hatch.

Mike Bushell's return to the series was marked with an impressive fifth place finish in the final race, which also secured him Dunlop's #FOREVERFORWARD spoils for making the most passes during the day. 

Here's Dunlop's take on proceedings following a dramatic weekend in Kent:

FOREVERFORWARD STANDINGS

1. Mike Bushell – 27 points
2. Senna Proctor – 26 points
3. Tom Boardman/Matt Simpson -24 points

KEY FACTS

• Dan Cammish nearly had perfect start to his BTCC career, but had provisional pole disallowed after a pitlane red light infringement
• Jack Goff would eventually take pole with the entire field separated by just 1.181s
• Turkington and Jordan would take the BMW 125i M Sport’s 100^th BTCC podium in Race 1
• 3 different winners and 9 different drivers stood on the podium
• Top 10 is currently held by 10 different teams with 10 different manufacturers represented

RACE 1

• Rain would cause the entire field to run the new blue side-walled BluResponse tyre for the first race of the day
• Loop-hole in tyre regulations were taken by certain drivers, including the #2 on the grid, Sam Tordoff: By running the option tyre to the grid, then switching onto wet tyres, this would count as his allocation. If a driver went to the grid on wet tyres, he would have to use the option tyre in the following race
• Jack Goff would hold off a race-long attack from Turkington to convert pole to a win
• Jordan had an electric start which saw him jump from 5^th to 3^rd (voted as fan favourite of the race on social)
• Further down the grid, Jackson, Butcher and Sutton would all gain 11 places. The latter with a valiant charge in the dying laps to gain valuable points.

RACE 2

• A race that will go down in BTCC history. A drying track had many ponder switching from wet to dry tyres. 9 drivers would take the gamble sitting further down the field, with Bushell and Turkington both also switching later on
• At the start of the race it was business as usual, Ingram led Goff and Jordan and those on slicks fell to the back of the field. However around lap 22 the conditions cleared in the dry runners favour. Able to lap 4 seconds a lap quicker, the deficit was overturned almost instantly. Within one lap the lead trio changed from Ingram-Goff-Jordan to Moffat-Proctor-Hill. The former trio would fall to the tail end of the top 10
• Moffat would run wide at Druids and suffer contact with Proctor, however he would eventually finish fifth
• That left Senna Proctor to claim his maiden BTCC win (on soft tyres), Hill to take his first BTCC podium (on prime tyres) and Jackson to also claim his first podium (on soft tyres). 
• Showing the difference a tyre makes, Proctor would get the FF honours after starting in 27^th on the grid to take his first win. Mike Bushell would charge from 32^nd  to 8^th,  Austin from 29^th to 6^th, Hill from 25^th to 2^nd

RACE 3

• Due to many not running their soft tyre allocations in Race 1 & 2, many were forced to for race 3 in the dry conditions. This would lead to 24 drivers running the option tyre and 8 running the prime
• Ingram was on form on the option tyre, charging from 11^th to 1^st to take his first victory of the season (his overtake on Austin on L13 would be voted fan favourite)
• Ciceley motorsport also had a strong performance, with Morgan coming from 13^th to 2^nd and Oliphant from 31^st to 20^th
• FF honours would be claimed by a recovering Turkington, charging from 27^th to 9^th, closely followed by Matt Neal from 29^th to 12^th

Dunlop BTCC SportMaxx – what a difference a tyre makes

• Mike Bushell tops Dunlop #ForeverForward Award with 27 place gains
• Senna Proctor gains most places in one race, 26th to first in race two
• Prime, Option and Wet compounds used across the three races in thrilling season-opener

The opening round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch on Sunday will go down in the record books as one of the most thrilling and entertaining events in the series’ 60-year history. Tyre choice was to play a major role; Dunlop’s BTCC SportMaxx Prime and Option tyres, and the BluResponse ‘Wet’ all contributed to the staggering amount of moves in Dunlop’s ForeverForward table.

Top movers in the day’s wet opening race, which saw the entire field use the new blue side-walled BluResponse tyre, were Ollie Jackson, Rory Butcher and reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton, who all gained 11 places from their start position.

But it was the second race of the day that really shook up the order and produced a real edge-of-the-seat cliff-hanger. A drying track had many drivers pondering whether to switch from wet to dry tyres, with subsequently nine drivers taking the gamble at start, and Colin Turkington and Mike Bushell switching later in the race.

Over the opening lap Tom Ingram led Jack Goff and Andrew Jordan, all making the best use of their wet tyres to grab the immediate advantage on the wet track, as the slick runners fell back. However, as track conditions improved, and a dry line formed, the slick runners were quickly lapping around four seconds a lap faster and the deficit was instantly overturned.

Within one lap the lead trio had changed as Aidan Moffat, Senna Proctor and Jake Hill capitalised on the Dunlop slick’s grip to surge ahead. On lap 26 Proctor came off best from brief contact with Moffat, and went on to record his maiden BTCC victory, utilising the SportMaxx Soft option tyre, and gaining a staggering 26 places in the process. Jake Hill clawed his way through from 25th to finish second on the prime tyre, with Jackson also on the soft option tyre, third for his first podium finish.

Other top movers across race two were Mike Bushell (24 places) and Rob Austin (23).

With 24 drivers not running their soft tyre allocation in races one or two, under the BTCC tyre rules, they were required to use them in race three in dry conditions, with eight on the prime tyre. ForeverForward honours were claimed by a recovering Colin Turkington, who charged from 27th to ninth on the prime tyre, closely followed by Matt Neal who came through from 29th to 12th on the option tyre.

Ingram was on form on the option tyre, charging from 11th to 1st to take his first victory of the season, his overtake on Austin on lap 13 subsequently voted the fan’s favourite. Other notable performances came from Adam Morgan and Tom Oliphant both on the Soft option tyre who gained 11 places each.

1.	MIKE BUSHELL	27pts
2.	SENNA PROCTOR	26pts
3.	TOM BOARDMAN	24pts
4.	MATT SIMPSON	24pts
5.	JAKE HILL	23pts
6.	ROB AUSTIN	21pts
7.	OLLIE JACKSON	20pts
8.	ASH SUTTON	19pts
9.	COLIN TURKINGTON	19pts
10.	MATT NEAL	18pts

Wins for Goff, Proctor and Ingram on opening 2018 BTCC weekend

Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram tops the early Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship table after claiming victory in the final race at Brands Hatch today (8 April).

Pole-sitter Jack Goff won the season-opener with a lights-to-flag performance, before Power Maxed TAG Racing's Senna Proctor took the spoils in one of the most incredible races in the series’ illustrious 60-year history.
 
WIX Racing with Eurotech’s Goff produced a stellar display in race one as he fended off Team BMW’s Colin Turkington in a near race-long duel.
 
Turkington’s biggest chance to seal the win came on lap 14 of 27 as he pulled side-by-side with Goff’s Civic Type R through Clearways. The Honda driver hung on, however, and he was able to fend off Turkington’s advances for the remainder of the race.
 
BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan completed the rostrum positions, and with it scoring the 100^th podium for West Surrey Racing in the BTCC.
 
Race two will live long in the memory for the thousands who witnessed it at the famous Kent circuit and the many more watching the action live on ITV4.
 
The contest commenced in wet conditions, but the rain had already stopped prior to lights out, and nearly a third of the field decided to gamble on Dunlop SportMaxx dry tyres.
 
The first half of the race went the way of the Dunlop BluResponse wet runners and Ingram’s Toyota in particular. Jordan had blasted his BMW past Goff off the line in order to take the lead early on, before the trio enjoyed a fantastic battle for the next ten laps.
 
Reigning champion Ash Sutton joined the party as he claimed third from a fading Jordan, but the headline story was going on behind as Team HARD’s Mike Bushell became the first driver to set a fastest lap on dry tyres.
 
Conditions changed dramatically and on lap 22 of 27 the leaders had Aiden Moffat’s Laser Tools Racing Mercedes and Proctor’s Vauxhall Astra all over the back of them. The cars on wet tyres simply couldn’t hang on, with a clear dry line having emerged around the 1.2-mile circuit, so both Moffat and Proctor stormed past the early leaders across the start/finish line.
 
Jake Hill’s Team HARD-run VW and Ollie Jackson’s AmD-run Audi were also flying and quickly nipped into third and fourth respectively, whilst series returnee Tom Boardman moved into fifth.
 
The action was far from over, however, as new leader Moffat ran wide through Druids and then contact was made between him and Proctor on the run down to Graham Hill Bend. Moffat’s Mercedes hit the barrier as Proctor inherited the lead, with Hill, Jackson and Boardman following him through.
 
The crowd were on their feet as the quite staggering encounter drew to a close and it was Proctor who took the chequered flag from Hill and Jackson – providing an all-new BTCC podium. Proctor also became the 18th race-winner in the hugely impressive 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship line-up as the PMR squad also grabbed their first ever victory.
 
To underline the incredible final positions, the lead trio of Proctor, Hill and Jackson had started the race in 27th, 25th and 12th respectively.
 
Race three was a tamer affair as Ingram eventually got the better of pole man Rob Austin.
 
Austin made a stellar getaway off the line in the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulietta as he initially defended from the likes of Jackson’s AmD with Cobra Exhausts Audi and Moffat’s Laser Tools Racing Mercedes.
 
Ingram’s first lap was even better. The Toyota star surged from 11th on the grid up to sixth, and he was also past Mike Bushell’s VW for fifth shortly after.
 
Jackson began to fade and Ingram was into second by the end of lap seven, before he began hunting down DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing’s Austin.
 
Ingram made his move for the lead stick on lap 13 as he scythed past Austin on the run to Paddock Hill Bend, and the Speedworks star would never look back – taking his first win of the season and with it the early championship lead.
 
Adam Morgan in the Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes made fantastic progress throughout the bout and he eventually got by Austin on the penultimate tour to grab second, although the HMS Racing squad would still take a memorable maiden podium with its new car.
 
BMW hold a slender lead in the Manufacturers’ standings, whilst WIX Racing with Eurotech top the Teams’ order. Ingram and Speedworks also have the early advantage in the Independents’ tables, whilst Honda debutant Dan Cammish claimed Jack Sears Trophy honours.
 
The BTCC returns in three weeks’ time at Donington Park (28/29 April).

Jack Goff said: "That was the perfect start to the season for WIX Racing with Eurotech and all our amazing sponsors – we’ve all been working flat-out behind-the-scenes over the winter, and if we can end the season in the same position I’ll be well happy! It was extremely greasy out there – the last corner in particular was like an ice-skating rink! Colin had better traction out of Clearways being rear-wheel drive and we had a little rub on one occasion, but he’s a very fair driver and we came out fighting. It’s such a competitive field out there, so to emerge on top of the pile when everyone is on zero ballast means a lot to us."

Senna Proctor said: "I don’t really know what to say – I didn’t have a speech prepared after the way race one went! I’m over the moon – I’ve winded myself jumping up and down celebrating. This is unbelievable, and all credit to the boys at Power Maxed TAG Racing and all of our sponsors – they’re the reason I’m stood here today. I went round on the green flag lap and said to my engineer, ‘there are a few dry patches forming’, so he replied, ‘let’s put slicks on then’. I said, ‘we’re not going to win the race on wets but we just might on slicks, so let’s give it a go’ – and look what we’ve done! When Aiden went a little bit wide on the brakes at Druids, I was able to seize the opportunity. I’m still waiting to wake up from this dream – it’s amazing. Now I just need to resist drinking this champagne on the podium!"

Tom Ingram said: "Fantastic! What a great end to the weekend. There was a lot of pressure on us coming into this weekend, with people expecting us to qualify on pole and win the first race, but we had a bit of an uphill battle. We genuinely really struggled with pace in free practice and qualifying; the car didn’t feel fantastic, but my engineer Spencer and Christian (Dick, Team Principal) did one hell of a job to give me one hell of a race car today and it was really enjoyable out there. We’ve really found the sweet spot with the Avensis. It was fun being able to just throw it down the inside of people into Clearways – the car was so stable on the brakes. I can’t say enough good things about this team and all our awesome sponsors."

Mickey Butler, Manager, UK and One Brands Motorsport Events (Dunlop) said: "Race 1 was a very equal playing field for both the FWD and RWD cars, the Dunlop BluResponse performed well in testing conditions. In Race 2 for the first 16 laps the wet tyre was the right tyre, but it just dried too quickly for them and anybody that chose the option tyre quickly pushed through. We’ve never really run that tyre in a wet condition before but it held up incredibly. Race 3 was just classic British Touring Car Racing. Green track, wet, soft tyres. It all worked. The team are over the moon with the performance of the tyres this weekend, Race 2 will certainly go down in BTCC history!"

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 1 – Brands Hatch Indy

1 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech 25 laps
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.547s
3 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +2.481s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +3.577s
5 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +11.290s
6 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +12.263s
7 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +14.578s
8 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +15.087s
9 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +15.612s
10 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +15.715s

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 2 – Brands Hatch Indy

1 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing 27 laps
2 Jake HILL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +0.568s
3 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +1.761s
4 Tom BOARDMAN (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.393s
5 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +3.348s
6 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +9.395s
7 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +16.386s
8 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +17.145s
9 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +17.770s
10 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +22.213s

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 3 – Brands Hatch Indy

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 27 laps
2 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +3.237s
3 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +4.202s
4 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +8.939s
5 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +10.376s
6 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +10.500s
7 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +10.992s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +11.913s
9 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +12.068s
10 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +12.503s

Penalties

Race 1

James Nash received a verbal warning for an incident involving Senna Proctor

Chris Smiley had 0.6s added to his race time for gaining an unfair advantage in an incident involving James Cole
 
Race 2

Tom Boardman received a verbal warning for an incident involving Matt Neal

Senna Proctor received a verbal warning for an incident involving Aiden Moffat
 
Race 3

Mike Bushell received an official reprimand and his licence was endorsed with two points for an incident involving Aiden Moffat

Ash Sutton received a verbal warning for an incident involving James Nash

Senna Proctor received an official reprimand and his licence was endorsed with two points incident involving James Nash

Stephen Jelley received an official reprimand and his licence was endorsed with two points for an incident involving Tom Chilton

Jack Goff received a verbal warning for an incident involving Ollie Jackson

Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram claimed victory in the final Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Brands Hatch after getting the better of pole-sitter Rob Austin.

Austin made a stellar getaway off the line in the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulietta as he initially defended from the likes of Ollie Jackson's AmD with Cobra Exhausts Audi and Aiden Moffat's Laser Tools Racing Mercedes. 

Ingram's first lap was even better as the Toyota star surged from 11th on the grid up to sixth, and he was also past Mike Bushell's VW for fourth shortly after. 

James Cole's Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher Ford and Team BMW's Rob Collard had a coming together on lap three, which left the 1 Series stranded in the gravel at Druids. A safety car period followed and Ingram caught Scotsman Moffat napping shortly after the restart, moving the reigning Independents' champion into third.

Jackson began to fade and Ingram was soon into second, before he began hunting down DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing's Austin. Bushell and Moffat then made unfortunate contact at Clearways, sending the latter tumbling out of contention.

Ingram made his move for the lead stick on lap 13 as he scythed past Austin on the run down to Paddock Hill Bend, and the Toyota star would never look back – taking his first win of the season and with it the early championship lead.

"Fantastic! What a great end to the weekend," enthused Ingram. "There was a lot of pressure on us coming into this weekend, with people expecting us to qualify on pole and win the first race, but we had a bit of an uphill battle. We genuinely really struggled with pace in free practice and qualifying; the car didn’t feel fantastic, but my engineer Spencer and Christian [Dick – Team Principal] did one hell of a job to give me one hell of a race car today and it was really enjoyable out there.

"I honestly didn’t expect to win race three from that far down the grid – I’m proper chuffed. The Avensis was an absolute joy to drive, which made my life very easy – I could pick people off where I wanted. Once I had cleared Rob, my mind went into looking after the tyres and this car is just phenomenal. We put weight in it and it’s mega; we take the weight out, it’s mega. We’ve really found the sweet spot with the Avensis. It was fun being able to just throw it down the inside of people into Clearways – the car was so stable on the brakes. I can’t say enough good things about this team and all our awesome sponsors."

Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan made fantastic progress throughout the bout and he eventually got by Austin on the penultimate tour to grab second, although the HMS Racing squad would still take a memorable maiden podium with its new car.

Ashley Sutton showed his prowess during the day and duly backed-up his calibre with a solid fourth place for Adrian Flux Subaru Racing, ahead of Bushell – the Team HARD man having scored his best ever BTCC result to date.

Rory Butcher marked a memorable event for the AmD squad on home soil, as he took another top six finish result for the Essex team, whilst Matt Simpson completed arguably his most competitive BTCC weekend so far with seventh.

Race one winner Jack Goff was eighth, ahead of Team BMW's Colin Turkington and Power Maxed TAG Racing's Josh Cook.

2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 3 – Brands Hatch Indy

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 27 laps
2 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +3.237s
3 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) DUO Motorsport with HMS Racing +4.202s
4 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +8.939s
5 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +10.376s
6 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +10.500s
7 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +10.992s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +11.913s
9 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +12.068s
10 Josh COOK (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +12.503s
11 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +12.894s
12 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +14.628s
13 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team GardX Racing with Motorbase +15.033s
14 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +15.127s
15 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed TAG Racing +15.634s
16 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +17.254s
17 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +17.321s
18 Tom BOARDMAN (GBR) AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing +20.438s
19 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +21.777s
20 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +22.413s
21 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +22.831s
22 Brett SMITH (GBR) WIX Racing with Eurotech +26.435s
23 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +26.775s
24 Michael CAINE (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +26.953s
25 Sam SMELT (GBR) AmD with Cobra Exhausts +28.041s
26 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) Team HARD with Trade Price Cars +29.288s
27 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +2 laps
28 Josh PRICE (GBR) Autoglym Academy Racing +2 laps
29 Jake HILL (GBR) Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing +2 laps
30 James NASH (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +20 laps
31 James COLE (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +26 laps
32 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +26 laps