Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS secured plenty of silverware from the fourth meeting of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season at Thruxton, with two podium finishes and victory in the Jack Sears Trophy.

On a weekend where the team celebrated its 100th race with title partner Bristol Street Motors, things started in promising fashion in free practice, with Tom Ingram - running the #100 to celebrate the milestone, as well as Bristol Street Motors’ centenary - topping the times during the second session.

With Tom Chilton also lapping inside the top ten and Ronan Pearson not far behind, confidence was high going into qualifying, where Ingram and Chilton both made it through to the final Quick Six shootout for pole.

Despite limited hybrid due to his championship position, Ingram stormed to pole by more than a quarter of a second, with Chilton ending up in sixth spot for his best qualifying result since Silverstone last year.

For Pearson and Nick Halstead however, it would be a more difficult session, with Halstead ending up 19th on the grid having dropped out of the session in Q1 and Pearson failing to even leave the pits due to an unfortunate throttle issue on his car.

A tough start to race one saw Ingram overhauled off the line when the lights went out as he slipped back to fourth, which is where he would ultimately then finish having put pressure on defending champion Ash Sutton following an early caution period to move a tyre stack dislodged at the chicane.

Chilton meanwhile moved up into fifth spot on the opening lap of the race but was overhauled by both Dan Rowbottom and Josh Cook after the restart to leave him in seventh spot. Post-race, Rowbottom was penalised for having drawn alongside Chilton too early on the restart, resulting in him being demoted in the result and moving Chilton up into P6.

The dislodged tyre stack on lap one proved to be beneficial to Pearson as he took advantage of cars scattering in front of him to make up five spots and jump into the points, ultimately taking the finish in 15th place. Halstead was able to stay out of trouble to bring his car to the flag in 19th.

A fine start in race two saw Ingram battling for third spot with Dan Cammish going into the chicane.

Overhauling Sutton when he picked up damage to his splitter, Ingram then drew up to leader Jake Hill before taking the lead with a fine move at Church, going on to secure a 30th career win.

Post race however, Ingram was handed a two-place penalty for gaining an unfair advantage when passing Cammish, which demoted him back to third spot.

Shuffled back to eighth on the opening lap, Chilton ran strongly in the midfield pack but would ultimately slip to just outside the top ten by the finish, putting him directly ahead of Pearson after a strong showing from the Scot saw him battle back from a difficult start - where he dropped down to 18th place - to rise up into twelfth.

Halstead repeated his result from the earlier race, taking the flag in 19th, but lapping nearly a second quicker than he had in race one.

The final race of the weekend kicked off with Ingram lining up in eighth place on the reverse grid and he was soon making up places, with impressive moves on Jake Hill and Josh Cook helping him work his way up into fifth. A strong move around the outside into the chicane then resulted in Ingram grabbing fourth from Colin Turkington before he repeated the move on Adam Morgan a lap later.

Ingram would ultimately grab third spot before taking the flag for a second podium finish of the weekend, to remain third in the championship standings going into the next round.

Chilton ran in the top ten in the early stages before a small battery fire forced him to pull off and retire the car, meaning it was Pearson who was the second Hyundai home as he completed his comeback from the issue in qualifying with a solid tenth place. That meant he was the highest scoring Jack Sears Trophy driver from the weekend to secure the round win.

Unfortunately for Halstead, the weekend would end in disappointing fashion when he put a wheel on the grass on the high-speed run through Goodwood and went off into the tyres, leaving him shaken but uninjured.

Tom Chilton, #3 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Thruxton has been a blast, particularly Saturday when we made it through to Q3. I gave it everything in that session and it was a lot of fun at the wheel of the car. The first race was a good way to start things off despite some contact from a few drivers that I think stopped us from finishing higher, but race two was more of a struggle.

“The circuit conditions changed a lot between the two races and we were just outside the window, which meant I dropped down the order to P11. Then, in race three, we had a battery failure which caused a small fire and killed all the electrics which meant there was no power steering into turn one, which was an experience. I’m gutted not to finish the race as we could have potentially come through the pack, but we’ll take the positives from Saturday and look ahead to the next one.”

Ronan Pearson, #14 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I wasn’t feeling in a good place after qualifying so to come back from the disappointment of Saturday and race through the field into the top ten - and win the Jack Sears Trophy - is really pleasing. This isn’t the easiest circuit for overtaking, so the fact that we managed to make up ten spots from where we started is really pleasing, and there were moves I made that I certainly wouldn’t have felt confident making twelve months ago.

“The Jack Sears Trophy has been my big focus this season so it’s great to get a first round win of the season under my belt and we’ve also been able to claw some points back in the standings. Like Brands Hatch, this weekend has shown how important it is not to give up, and we’ve battled back well."

Nick Halstead, #22 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I’m going to feel a bit sore in the morning but pulled muscles are fixable and the car is fixable. The final race had been a tough one as I was suffering with understeer, and I just got a wheel on the grass at one of the fastest parts of the circuit where there is no margin for a mistake. Unfortunately it was at a point where the barriers come closer to the track and there was no way to avoid a big hit.

“This is a circuit where I’ve not done anywhere near as many laps as everywhere else and is always going to be my most difficult weekend of the season. I’d made progress compared to last season, which is the positive for me to take away from the meeting, and now I’ll just look forward to Oulton Park and a circuit that I’m much more comfortable around.”

Tom Ingram, #100 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Obviously I’m disappointed to have lost the win in race two because I felt that avoiding the potential of a collision was the best thing to do. Dan had rolled off the brakes after the first part of the chicane to try and edge back ahead, so cutting the chicane made sure there was no contact between us - and ultimately I got penalised for it.

“Despite that, we’ve actually come away from the weekend with a decent haul of points on the board, which is the key thing we need to be doing at this stage of the season. Our pace was clear to see in qualifying on Saturday and although I didn’t get away as well as I hoped in race one, we had good pace in the race to bring it home in fourth.

“The reverse grid race was also pleasing as we made some really good moves to make our way through into the top four before being forced wide, and to end up with a double podium means we’ve retained our championship position heading to Oulton Park next time out.”

Justina Williams, Team Owner, said:
“It’s frustrating that some decisions haven’t gone our way today and have ultimately cost us a race win that our pace deserved, as once again the Hyundai has shown its speed this weekend. We’ve performed well across race day and to come away with two podium finishes and the Jack Sears Trophy is really pleasing although by the same score, we know it could have been even more.

“Of course the big positive is that Nick if okay after a big hit in the final race of the weekend, and we’ll have his car fighting fit and ready to go for Oulton Park in a few weeks time.”

Josh Cook continued his stellar form at his home circuit of Thruxton last weekend (8-9 June), fighting hard to secure a full house of top six finishes in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship behind the wheel of his LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ Toyota Corolla GR Sport.
 
Cook has always been a contender at Thruxton – the fastest track in the country – and he duly lined up eighth on the grid amongst the 20 high-calibre protagonists in qualifying. He missed out on advancing to the session’s final phase – the ‘Quick Six’ – by a scant 14 thousandths-of-a-second, or in layman’s terms, next-to-nothing.
 
In front of the live ITV4 cameras and a capacity trackside crowd the next day, passes on Adam Morgan and Tom Chilton saw the Bath-born ace – two times an Independents’ title-winner in the UK’s premier motor racing series – climb to sixth in the curtain-raising contest, prior to being elevated to fifth when another driver picked up a penalty. The third-quickest lap time – bettered only by the top two finishers – further underscored Cook’s mastery of the daunting Hampshire circuit.
 
The 32-year-old fleetingly ran fourth in race two as he took advantage of a squabble ahead. For a while, he looked like he might mount a threat for the podium, before slipping back to sixth and thereafter artfully fending off four-time BTCC champion Colin Turkington to the close. He repeated that result in the weekend’s finale, in which he featured as high as second over the course of a feisty opening few laps and put Morgan under intense pressure for the lead.
 
In the sister British-built Corolla – prepared by Northwich, Cheshire-based Speedworks Motorsport – team-mate Aiden Moffat was denied a late chance to escape Q1 in qualifying by yellow flags that thwarted the Scot’s efforts to improve, leaving him a frustrated 14^thon the grid.
 
With overtaking no easy task around Thruxton, the 27-year-old Dalkeith native took the chequered flag in the same position in race one – engaging in a prolonged duel with fellow Toyota driver Andrew Watson along the way – and then progressed to finish 12^th in race two. 
 
Moffat was on the move again in race three and had just passed Chilton for ninth on lap two when the lightest of contact between the pair pitched him off the road at high speed at Church corner. Despite skilfully keeping his Toyota away from the barriers, the delay sent him plummeting well down the order, from where he recovered to 15^th to sneak the final point on offer.
 
LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ will travel next to Speedworks’ home circuit of Oulton Park on 22-23 June, for the final event ahead of the BTCC’s traditional summer break.
 
Christian Dick, Team Principal, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, said:
 
“After the high of the double podium and all-Toyota top three finish at Snetterton, it was always going to be a tall order to replicate that kind of form at Thruxton, but we certainly gave it our best shot and it was encouraging to see Josh fighting right up towards the sharp end throughout race day.
 
“We all know how quick he is around there, and he consistently hustled every last drop of performance out of the Corolla to achieve three very strong finishes that keep him firmly in contention in the championship standings.
 
“Aiden obviously had a trickier weekend, and when you start further back at Thruxton, it’s tough to come through as the field is so closely-bunched and overtaking is difficult. He was going really well in race three until the contact with Chilton, which denied him a top ten result, but thankfully there was no damage to the car and he will come back stronger at Oulton Park, I have no doubt.”
 
Josh Cook, Driver, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, said:
 
“It wasn’t a bad weekend overall – just not quite as good as we had been hoping for. I had a bit of a feeling going to Thruxton that it wouldn’t necessarily be our strongest circuit, and while we took steps forward in every session, we were missing a little bit of balance and grip through the high-speed sections. It’s always such fine margins there – you’re fighting for less than a tenth-of-a-second – and it’s so fast-and-flowing out the back of the lap that if you’re not completely in the window, it soon adds up.
 
“I went into Sunday targeting three solid points scores, which we achieved and I think we extracted the maximum out of what we had, but ultimately we just weren’t quite quick enough. The Corolla is still new to me, though, and the positive is that we’re making it better every time – Thruxton was the happiest I’ve felt in the car so far.
 
“We’re obviously not there yet, but it’s been a steady start to the season and we’ve been working methodically and slowly building. Whilst I clearly want to be up there winning, the most important thing is to make sure we are playing the long game and focussing on the bigger picture, and hopefully that approach will pay off in the end.”
 
Aiden Moffat, Driver, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, said:
 
“That was what I guess you would call a character-building weekend! We travelled to Thruxton aiming to keep the momentum going from our success at Snetterton, but at the same time, mindful that it was a very different kind of circuit that might not play to our advantage quite so much.
 
“Sadly, that turned out to be the case, and following another ‘tyre-saving’ Saturday, when we had some issues with the rear of the car and consequently struggled for speed, we went into Sunday fully focussed on moving forward.
 
“We scored a few points in races one and two and looked like coming away with a significantly bigger haul from race three, which would have been a good way to finish the weekend but then we had the contact with Chilton at Church, and that really isn’t the kind of place where you want to be sent spinning across the grass! Luckily we didn’t hit anything and were able to recover, but by that stage, any chance of a decent result was gone.
 
“That was obviously disappointing just as we had seemed to finally be getting somewhere, but let’s take the positives from the weekend and move on to Oulton Park, where we will hopefully be more competitive.”

In case you missed it, another hugely successful 'Kids in Motorsport presented by Kwik Fit' event took place at Thruxton ahead of the BTCC race weekend and it's something we're extremely proud to be a part of.

Entertainment, engagement and education were the themes throughout day and you can read our full story here or watch the short video below:

Kwikfit Saturday Social: Kwik Fit opens the doors for the BTCC for Hampshire school children, giving them a behind the scenes look at the many roles and possibilities they could go into within motorsport.#SaturdaySocial #BTCC #kwikfit #kwikfitbtcc @BTCC pic.twitter.com/wTNXSs90oV

— Kwik-Fit (@Kwik_Fit) June 8, 2024

You can also see our full gallery of images from the latest Kids in Motorsport event below:

Sutton and Hill share the spoils as title chasing duo top the table

Jake Hill has enjoyed one of the best fortnights of his BTCC career, having followed up his Snetterton double victory last time out with another here at Thruxton today (9 June).

Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship were not without drama as Hill inherited one victory after title rival Tom Ingram was handed a post-race penalty.

A huge crowd descended on the hugely popular Hampshire venue as the fastest track in the country provided the highly anticipated thrills and spills.

The final reverse grid race was won by NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton – his first of the season and the 40th of his BTCC career so far – as the Essex driver moved back to the summit of the standings, five points ahead of Hill.

Ingram is third with Colin Turkington fourth, whilst Dan Cammish hauled himself back into championship contention with an impressive trio of second place finishes at Thruxton.

Alliance Racing/Ford and its NAPA Racing UK outfit tops both the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ tables.

Árón Taylor-Smith and his Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing team continue to dominate the Independents’ order, whilst team-mate Mikey Doble still holds sway in the Jack Sears Trophy.

The BTCC returns at Oulton Park in two weeks’ time (22/23 June).

Hill climbs the summit with race one win

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport's Hill became the first treble winner of the season with victory in the opener.

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Ingram bogged down from pole position, as Hill blasted his #24 BMW 330e M Sport off the line. He immediately nipped between second placed Cammish and ahead of Ingram, as the latter got swamped by a trio of NAPA Racing UK cars.

There was contact further down the order early on as a clash between Team BMW's Adam Morgan and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK's Andrew Watson dislodged the tyre stack at the final chicane, resulting in a brief safety car period.

Things settled down among the top positions following the restart, albeit at a ferocious pace, as Hill led home the NAPA Racing UK duo of Cammish and championship leader Sutton.

Jake Hill inherits victory after Ingram penalty

Hill made it a double-double in race two as he inherited the victory following a post-race penalty for on-the-road winner Ingram.

Kent driver Hill came into the Snetterton weekend last time out languishing behind in the standings, but an incredible four victories from five races propelled him up to the top of the order.

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Ingram initially fired his Hyundai i30N to the chequered flag first but was later demoted to third after gaining an unfair advantage in an incident involving Cammish.

Having relinquished pole position in race one – eventually having to settle for fourth – Ingram was keen to put things right in the second contest.

Pole man Hill made a stellar getaway in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW, as the NAPA Racing UK duo of Sutton and Cammish tried to keep Ingram behind.

Ingram got by Cammish as the duo ran side-by-side towards the final corner, the former being adjudged to have gained an unfair advantage as he straight-lined the chicane.

Sutton and Ingram hounded Hill for the win, but the #1 Ford Focus suffered damage to the front splitter around mid-distance.

Struggling for traction at the ultra-high-speed Hampshire circuit, Sutton was soon relegated to third by Ingram, who then blasted by Hill a few laps later before romping away.

Sutton was further demoted by his NAPA Racing UK team-mates – Cammish and Dan Rowbottom – and eventually had to settle for fifth, but the headlines belonged to Hill after Ingram’s post-race penalty.

Sutton returns to standings lead after 40th BTCC career victory

The BTCC saved the best until last with an exciting reverse grid race at Thruxton, as Sutton returned to the top of the standings with his first win of the season and the 40th of his impressive career so far.

Starting from fourth on the grid Sutton initially dropped back and was embroiled in a scrap with some of his rivals, but he soon set about rising through the order.

He saw off NAPA Racing UK team-mate Cammish and he eventually got the better of long-time leader Adam Morgan.

Team BMW’s Morgan was then tangled in another incident, as on-the-track race two winner Ingram experienced a case of Déjà vu when approaching the final chicane late on in a fight for fourth.

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Ingram looked to have got past Morgan before being hit in the side, forcing him to straight-line the chicane for the second successive race, but this time through no fault of his own.

Ingram rejoined in third to complete the podium behind race-winner Sutton and Cammish – the latter having taken an impressive podium hat-trick during the day.

Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, said: “What a day! I didn’t think we could possibly do any better than Snetterton, but amazingly we have. Thruxton; you’ve been a diamond; two wins and a fifth place. I’m over the moon. The Laser Beemer has been unbelievable and I’m over the moon. We’re only a couple of points off the lead, which has been a mega comeback since Brands. We’ll go to Oulton ready to get some more.”

Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, said: “I massively fancied my chances. I knew we had a quick race car, we saw glimpses of that in race two. To go out there and utilise that was mega and to reward the guys was awesome. It’s been a bit harder this season, everyone else around us has upped their game. We just chose to go about it a bit differently this year with the new hybrid rules and option tyres, but when the opportunity comes and the car is beneath me, I will go out there and deliver!”

2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Thruxton

1. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport 18 Laps

2. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +1.216s

3. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +1.955s

4. Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS +2.518s

5. Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ +13.147s

6. Tom Chilton, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS +15.696s

7. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK

8. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +18.765s

9. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +19.151s

10. Árón Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing +19.752s

2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Thruxton

1. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport 16 Laps

2. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +1.262s

3. Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS

4. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK +2.745

5. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +5.582s

6. Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ +7.002s

7. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +7.402s 

8. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +9.809s

9. Árón Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing +12.512s

10. Rob Huff, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +15.073s

2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Thruxton

1. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK 19 Laps

2. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +4.449s

3. Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS +7.962s 

4. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +8.039s

5. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +8.198s

6. Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ +8.376s

7. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +9.464s 

8. Árón Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing +10.002s

9. Rob Huff, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +10.275s

10. Ronan Pearson, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS +10.990s

Penalties:

Qualifying

Árón Taylor-Smith was formally reprimanded during qualifying for Round 10 of the championship, for driving in a manner deemed to be potentially dangerous to others

Race One

Dan Rowbottom received a two place penalty during Round 10 of the championship, for gaining an unfair advantage during a restart on Tom Chilton

Race Two

Tom Ingram received a two place penalty during Round 11 of the championship, for gaining an advantage after leaving the track on Dan Cammish

Ronan Pearson received a one place penalty during Round 11 of the championship, for gaining an unfair advantage after leaving the track on Aiden Moffat 

The BTCC saved the best until last with an exciting reverse grid race at Thruxton, as Ash Sutton returned to the top of the standings with his first win of the season and the 40th of his impressive career so far.

Starting from fourth on the grid Sutton initially dropped back and was embroiled in a scrap with some of his rivals, but he soon set about rising back through the order.

He saw off NAPA Racing UK team-mate Dan Cammish and he eventually got the better of long-time leader Adam Morgan.

Morgan was then embroiled in another incident, as on-the-track race two winner Tom Ingram must have had a case of Déjà vu as he approached the final chicane late on in a fight for fourth.

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Ingram looked to have got past Morgan before being hit in the side, forcing him to straight-line the chicane for the second successive race.

Ingram rejoined in third to complete the podium behind race-winner Sutton and Cammish – the latter having taken a podium hat-trick during the day.

Morgan held onto fourth ahead of double race winner Hill in the sister Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW, whilst LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ's Josh Cook and Team BMW's Colin Turkington were next in the order.

Árón Taylor-Smith (Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing), Rob Huff (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK) and Ronan Pearson (Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS) completed the top ten order.

Thruxton - Race 3 - Classification

P/	No/	Name/	Entry/	Laps/	Time/	Gap/	Best/	On/
1	1	Ashley SUTTON	NAPA Racing UK	19	27:20.097		1:15.753	2
2	27	Dan CAMMISH	NAPA Racing UK	19	27:24.546	4.449	1:16.548	3
3	100	Tom INGRAM	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	19	27:28.059	7.962	1:16.622	5
4	33	Adam MORGAN	Team BMW	19	27:28.136	8.039	1:16.429	3
5	24	Jake HILL	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	19	27:28.295	8.198	1:16.528	7
6	66	Josh COOK	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	19	27:28.473	8.376	1:16.457	2
7	20	Colin TURKINGTON	Team BMW	19	27:29.743	9.646	1:16.577	3
8	40	Árón TAYLOR-SMITH	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	19	27:30.099	10.002	1:16.979	3
9	12	Rob HUFF	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	19	27:30.372	10.275	1:17.292	6
10	14	Ronan PEARSON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	19	27:31.087	10.99	1:17.398	9
11	88	Mikey DOBLE	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	19	27:31.412	11.315	1:17.215	4
12	11	Andrew WATSON	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	19	27:32.959	12.862	1:16.905	5
13	77	Sam OSBORNE	NAPA Racing UK	19	27:33.940	13.843	1:16.908	5
14	222	Chris SMILEY	Restart Racing	19	27:34.824	14.727	1:17.428	15
15	16	Aiden MOFFAT	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	19	27:35.283	15.186	1:17.076	4
16	29	Scott SUMPTON	Restart Racing	19	27:53.253	33.156	1:17.729	3
17	32	Daniel ROWBOTTOM	NAPA Racing UK	18	27:31.736	1 Lap	1:16.570	5
DNF	22	Nick HALSTEAD	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	18	26:32.544	1 Lap	1:19.887	3
NC	18	Daryl DELEON	Duckhams Racing With Bartercard	12	28:40.583	7 Laps	1:18.060	10
DNF	3	Tom CHILTON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	7	9:17.982	12 Laps	1:17.351	4

Tom Ingram has been given a two place penalty for gaining an advantage in an incident involving Dan Cammish.

Therefore, Jake Hill inherits the win, Cammish is classified second ahead of Ingram.

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Tom Ingram fired to victory on-track for Round 11 of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton, but was later demoted to third after gaining an unfair advantage in an incident involving Dan Cammish.

Jake Hill inherited the triumph after the post-race penalty - his second win of the day and fourth of the season – with Dan Cammish second and Ingram completing the podium.

Having relinquished pole position in race one, eventually having to settle for fourth, Ingram was keen to put things right in the second contest.

Pole man Hill made a stellar getaway in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW, as the NAPA Racing UK duo of Ash Sutton and Cammish tried to keep Ingram behind.

Ingram got by Cammish as the duo ran side-by-side towards the final chicane, the former being adjudged to have gained an unfair advantage as he straight-lined the chicane.

Sutton and Ingram hounded Hill for the win, but the #1 Ford Focus suffered damage to his splitter around mid-distance.

Struggling for traction at the ultra high-speed Hampshire circuit, Sutton was soon relegated to third by Ingram, who then blasted by Hill a few laps later before romping away.

Sutton was further demoted by his NAPA Racing UK team-mates – Cammish and Dan Rowbottom – and eventually had to settle for fifth.

LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ's Josh Cook was sixth, ahead of the Team BMW duo of Colin Turkington and Adam Morgan. Turkington made a late move by his team-mate for seventh, but Morgan will have been consoled somewhat by securing pole position for the reverse grid race later this afternoon.

Árón Taylor-Smith took ninth and with it another Independent win for Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, whilst TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK's Rob Huff secured tenth after a few impressive late moves.

Hill now leads the overall Drivers' standings by just three points with the lead trio – Hill, Sutton and Ingram – covered by only five points.

Race 3 is set to getaway at 1725 with the action now live and exclusive on ITV4.

Thruxton - Race 2 - Thruxton

P/	No/	Name/	Entry/	Laps/	Time/	Gap/	Best/	On/
1	100	Tom INGRAM	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	16	20:44.662		1:16.941	7
2	24	Jake HILL	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	16	20:47.290	2.628	1:17.140	5
3	27	Dan CAMMISH	NAPA Racing UK	16	20:48.552	3.89	1:16.467	2
4	32	Daniel ROWBOTTOM	NAPA Racing UK	16	20:50.035	5.373	1:17.016	4
5	1	Ashley SUTTON	NAPA Racing UK	16	20:52.872	8.21	1:17.172	4
6	66	Josh COOK	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	16	20:54.292	9.63	1:17.155	4
7	20	Colin TURKINGTON	Team BMW	16	20:54.692	10.03	1:16.798	6
8	33	Adam MORGAN	Team BMW	16	20:57.099	12.437	1:17.065	3
9	40	Árón TAYLOR-SMITH	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	16	20:59.802	15.14	1:17.744	4
10	12	Rob HUFF	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	16	21:02.363	17.701	1:17.738	2
11	3	Tom CHILTON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	16	21:03.130	18.468	1:17.405	3
12	14	Ronan PEARSON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	16	21:05.552	20.89	1:17.451	6
13	16	Aiden MOFFAT	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	16	21:06.240	21.578	1:17.660	3
14	88	Mikey DOBLE	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	16	21:06.489	21.827	1:17.291	3
15	77	Sam OSBORNE	NAPA Racing UK	16	21:09.938	25.276	1:17.893	4
16	222	Chris SMILEY	Restart Racing	16	21:11.833	27.171	1:18.307	6
17	18	Daryl DELEON	Duckhams Racing With Bartercard	16	21:14.688	30.026	1:18.294	4
18	29	Scott SUMPTON	Restart Racing	16	21:19.311	34.649	1:18.427	6
19	22	Nick HALSTEAD	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	16	21:32.010	47.348	1:18.616	3
DNF	11	Andrew WATSON	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	1	1:28.078	15 Laps	1:28.078	1

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport's Jake Hill became the first treble winner of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as he backed up his recent Snetterton double by winning the opener here at Thruxton.

It's also the first time this season that a race one pole-sitter hasn't converted that to victory, as Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Tom Ingram bogged down at the start.

The #24 BMW 330e M Sport of Hill blasted off the line and nipped between second placed Dan Cammish and ahead of Ingram, as the latter got swamped by a trio of NAPA Racing UK cars.

There was contact further down the order early on as a clash between Team BMW's Adam Morgan and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK's Andrew Watson dislodged the tyre stack at the final chicane, resulting in a brief safety car period.

Things settled down among the top positions following the restart, albeit at a ferocious pace, as Hill led home the NAPA Racing UK duo of Cammish and championship leader Ash Sutton.

Ingram had muscled his way back into fourth to rescue some vital championship points, whilst Rowbottom and LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ's Josh Cook completed the top six places.

The feisty Tom Chilton continued to entertainment the crowds on his way to seventh, as he held off the Team BMW pairing of Morgan and Colin Turkington.

Chilton was further rewarded post-race when Rowbottom was found to have overtaken him before the conclusion of the safety car period and was therefore demoted two positions.

Árón Taylor-Smith took tenth and with it the Independents' victory, having staunchly defended his position from team-mate Mikey Doble.

The BTCC will be back on track for race two at 1435 with the finale taking place at 1720 – the action is already live and throughout the rest of the day on ITV4 with every race also being streamed live via the ITV Sport TikTok channel.

Jake Hill said: "The win, fastest lap and leading a lap – all those points count. The victory comes at a place I wasn't necessarily expecting to win. The car didn't feel like a race winner yesterday, it didn't feel dominant like it did at Snetterton, but I can't thank Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport enough. Tom fluffed the start and we managed to get the job done - and finally a win for me at Thruxton."

Thruxton - Race 1 - Classification

P/	No/	Name/	Entry/	Laps/	Time/	Gap/	Best/	On/
1	24	Jake HILL	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	18	25:25.141		1:16.246	5
2	27	Dan CAMMISH	NAPA Racing UK	18	25:26.357	1.216	1:16.306	6
3	1	Ashley SUTTON	NAPA Racing UK	18	25:27.096	1.955	1:16.758	7
4	100	Tom INGRAM	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	18	25:27.659	2.518	1:16.931	10
5	66	Josh COOK	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	18	25:38.288	13.147	1:16.564	6
6	3	Tom CHILTON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	18	25:41.880	16.739	1:17.380	8
7	32	Daniel ROWBOTTOM	NAPA Racing UK	18	25:33.059		1:16.716	7
8	33	Adam MORGAN	Team BMW	18	25:43.906	18.765	1:17.563	9
9	20	Colin TURKINGTON	Team BMW	18	25:44.292	19.151	1:17.798	8
10	40	Árón TAYLOR-SMITH	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	18	25:44.893	19.752	1:17.962	9
11	88	Mikey DOBLE	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	18	25:45.119	19.978	1:18.038	7
12	12	Rob HUFF	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	18	25:46.020	20.879	1:17.936	11
13	11	Andrew WATSON	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	18	25:49.758	24.617	1:18.149	17
14	16	Aiden MOFFAT	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	18	25:52.105	26.964	1:18.307	8
15	14	Ronan PEARSON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	18	25:52.541	27.4	1:17.744	11
16	77	Sam OSBORNE	NAPA Racing UK	18	25:53.542	28.401	1:17.780	7
17	222	Chris SMILEY	Restart Racing	18	25:59.850	34.709	1:18.498	8
18	18	Daryl DELEON	Duckhams Racing With Bartercard	18	26:02.135	36.994	1:18.683	8
19	22	Nick HALSTEAD	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	18	26:14.065	48.924	1:19.521	6
DNF	29	Scott SUMPTON	Restart Racing	13	19:23.060	5 Laps	1:18.759	6

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Tom Ingram bounced back from a challenging weekend at Snetterton last time out to claim pole position for Round 10 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton earlier today (8 June).

The fastest circuit in the country is always one for the brave with pole position bringing extra bragging rights, as Ingram turned what will be one of the quickest laps this season.

Sporting the #100 on his Hyundai i30N for the first time – in celebration of BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' centenary – the 2022 champion produced the high-speed spectacular to become the first driver this season to claim two pole positions.

NAPA Racing UK's Dan Cammish will line up on the front row, despite having felt poorly for much of the week, as the Ford Focus driver made dramatic improvements on-track throughout the day.

Jake Hill provided huge entertainment for the banks of fans as he pushed his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport machine to the absolute limits. Some drifting and heavy braking featured during his final stint, but it was still enough to grab third on the grid – a good follow up from his double victory at Snetterton.

The NAPA Racing UK duo of Dan Rowbottom and Ash Sutton were next in the order, although both drivers experienced different qualifying sessions. Rowbottom showed fantastic pace and looked to be a contender for pole, whilst Sutton had to sneak his way through both the first and second segments of qualifying, having to contend with the minimal hybrid deployment that his championship leading position bestows.

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Tom Chilton again showed his competitiveness in 2024 by making it into the qualifying 'Quick Six' session, the Surrey driver will line-up sixth for tomorrow's opener.

Adam Morgan (Team BMW), Josh Cook (LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ), Andrew Watson (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK) and Colin Turkington (Team BMW) completed the top ten positions.

Rob Huff (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK) and Aiden Moffat (LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ) were arguably the most notable drivers that failed to progress from part 1 of qualifying.

One driver that made it through, but not without drama, was Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing’s Árón Taylor-Smith.

The Irishman had already set a good enough benchmark to progress, but fired off his Vauxhall Astra at Noble on a following flier, which sent his #40 machine spiralling towards the barrier at high speed.

Taylor-Smith was able to crawl back to the pitlane with broken suspension and incredibly his team repaired the car for the second segment. The current Independent standings leader eventually had to settle for 12th behind team-mate Mikey Doble.

Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will take place at Thruxton tomorrow. The action will be broadcast live in the UK on ITV4 from 1100 with every race also being beamed around the world via the ITV Sport TikTok channel.

Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, said: "Really pleased. The car has been fantastic today, we've worked hard at it, but I felt confident coming into the race weekend. It's felt alive right from the get-go and everyone in the team has done a fantastic job, even better to celebrate 100 years of BRISTOL STREET MOTORS and also my 100th race with EXCELR8 this weekend.

"This is the biggest qualifying day of the year. This place is tough, we are all so on the edge. It's a really unique challenge to unlock this place. It's a circuit I've always really enjoyed but it's a circuit where you need everything to align. It's a great result but now we've got to maximise the points score tomorrow."

Thruxton - Qualifying - Classification

Qualifying - Part 1 - Group 1
P/	No/	Name/	Entry/	Laps/	Time/	Gap/	On/
1	27	Dan CAMMISH	NAPA Racing UK	7	1:16.216		5
2	100	Tom INGRAM	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	6	1:16.384	0.168	5
3	66	Josh COOK	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	6	1:16.684	0.468	4
4	33	Adam MORGAN	Team BMW	7	1:16.827	0.611	5
5	1	Ashley SUTTON	NAPA Racing UK	6	1:16.885	0.669	6
6	11	Andrew WATSON	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	6	1:16.896	0.68	5
7	12	Rob HUFF	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	6	1:16.979	0.763	4
8	222	Chris SMILEY	Restart Racing	6	1:18.017	1.801	6
9	29	Scott SUMPTON	Restart Racing	6	1:18.997	2.781	4
Qualifying - Part 1 - Group 2
P/	No/	Name/	Entry/	Laps/	Time/	Gap/	On/
1	32	Daniel ROWBOTTOM	NAPA Racing UK	6	1:15.908		5
2	3	Tom CHILTON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	6	1:16.285	0.377	4
3	24	Jake HILL	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	7	1:16.303	0.395	3
4	40	Árón TAYLOR-SMITH	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	5	1:16.411	0.503	4
5	88	Mikey DOBLE	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	6	1:16.745	0.837	3
6	20	Colin TURKINGTON	Team BMW	7	1:16.833	0.925	5
7	16	Aiden MOFFAT	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	6	1:17.278	1.37	4
8	77	Sam OSBORNE	NAPA Racing UK	7	1:17.470	1.562	4
9	18	Daryl DELEON	Duckhams Racing With Bartercard	6	1:17.733	1.825	6
10	22	Nick HALSTEAD	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	6	1:19.129	3.221	6
Qualifying - Part 2
P/	No/	Name/	Entry/	Laps/	Time/	Gap/	On/
1	32	Daniel ROWBOTTOM	NAPA Racing UK	6	1:15.388		3
2	100	Tom INGRAM	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	6	1:15.614	0.226	4
3	24	Jake HILL	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	6	1:15.799	0.411	3
4	3	Tom CHILTON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	6	1:15.910	0.522	4
5	27	Dan CAMMISH	NAPA Racing UK	7	1:16.012	0.624	4
6	1	Ashley SUTTON	NAPA Racing UK	7	1:16.158	0.77	3
7	33	Adam MORGAN	Team BMW	7	1:16.167	0.779	7
8	66	Josh COOK	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	5	1:16.172	0.784	4
9	11	Andrew WATSON	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	6	1:16.396	1.008	4
10	20	Colin TURKINGTON	Team BMW	7	1:16.476	1.088	6
11	88	Mikey DOBLE	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	6	1:16.513	1.125	3
12	40	Árón TAYLOR-SMITH	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	3	1:16.629	1.241	2
Qualifying - Quick Six
P/	No/	Name/	Entry/	Laps/	Time/	Gap/	On/
1	100	Tom INGRAM	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	6	1:15.379		4
2	27	Dan CAMMISH	NAPA Racing UK	6	1:15.644	0.265	3
3	24	Jake HILL	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	6	1:15.668	0.289	3
4	32	Daniel ROWBOTTOM	NAPA Racing UK	7	1:15.678	0.299	3
5	1	Ashley SUTTON	NAPA Racing UK	7	1:15.822	0.443	3
6	3	Tom CHILTON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	6	1:16.139	0.76	4

Click here for the full Qualifying classification.

Tom Ingram showed elements of his opening round of the season, topping the final practice on his final flying lap of the session at Thruxton. The 2022 champion returning to the top of the timesheet after a difficult weekend at Snetterton.

Behind the Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS #100 for this weekend was a pair of NAPA Racing UK Fords, with Dan Rowbottom heading the Alliance Racing-run team. Rowbottom was 0.231 seconds behind Ingram, but only 0.010 seconds ahead of teammate Ash Sutton in third.

The session saw a number of black and white flags being handed to drivers for track limits violations as the high-speed nature left the drivers looking for minimal gains to make the difference. The accumulation of these brought a stoppage to the session as the red flag was brought out to replace the tyre barriers at the Club chicane.

The highest Independent was once again the fast-charging Árón Taylor-Smith in the Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra in fourth.

Rounding out the top five was the Team BMW of Adam Morgan, who has continually shown great one lap pace so far this season. The pack is as tight as ever as at one point in the session Morgan was 0.003 seconds behind Taylor-Smith as Jake Hill split the pair.

Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport) could not replicate his morning pace on his way to sixth ahead of Andrew Watson (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing) as the leading Toyota in seventh.

Mikey Doble (Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing) continued to show the pace as both Astra's featured prominently inside the top ten in eighth. Another outfit showing strong pace was the NAPA Racing UK cars as Dan Cammish made it three Fords inside the top ten in ninth.

Tom Chilton rounded out the top ten, only three quarters of a second behind his Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS teammate Ingram. The top 13 were all within one second of Ingram.

Qualifying gets underway at 1525. All sessions will be streamed live on the ITV Sport YouTube channel.

Thruxton - Free Practice 2 - Classification

P/	No/	Name/	Entry/	Laps/	Time/	Gap/	On/
1	100	Tom INGRAM	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	16	1:15.436		15
2	32	Daniel ROWBOTTOM	NAPA Racing UK	16	1:15.667	0.231	14
3	1	Ashley SUTTON	NAPA Racing UK	16	1:15.677	0.241	16
4	40	Árón TAYLOR-SMITH	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	14	1:15.725	0.289	12
5	33	Adam MORGAN	Team BMW	19	1:15.811	0.375	16
6	24	Jake HILL	Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	17	1:15.919	0.483	8
7	11	Andrew WATSON	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	17	1:16.024	0.588	14
8	88	Mikey DOBLE	Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing	16	1:16.169	0.733	14
9	27	Dan CAMMISH	NAPA Racing UK	17	1:16.173	0.737	13
10	3	Tom CHILTON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	16	1:16.191	0.755	14
11	12	Rob HUFF	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK	18	1:16.333	0.897	15
12	20	Colin TURKINGTON	Team BMW	16	1:16.360	0.924	14
13	66	Josh COOK	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	12	1:16.380	0.944	11
14	16	Aiden MOFFAT	LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ	17	1:16.776	1.34	14
15	14	Ronan PEARSON	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	14	1:16.902	1.466	6
16	77	Sam OSBORNE	NAPA Racing UK	17	1:17.093	1.657	14
17	222	Chris SMILEY	Restart Racing	15	1:17.258	1.822	13
18	18	Daryl DELEON	Duckhams Racing With Bartercard	16	1:17.545	2.109	15
19	29	Scott SUMPTON	Restart Racing	16	1:18.246	2.81	14
20	22	Nick HALSTEAD	Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS	19	1:19.231	3.795	6