There is just over a few days to go until we return to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship after the annual mid-season break, to Croft Circuit (29/30 July). Until then, the official BTCC recap series can catch you up with all the action so far…
Up next in is the first race at Thruxton.
Check out ITV Sport’s Race in 110 seconds highlights clip below.
As the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship prepares to resume from its mid-season break, Tom Ingram has warned his rivals that he is ‘ready to come out fighting’ in his quest to successfully defend his hard-won Drivers’ crown.
Ingram’s consistency over the opening 15 races of the 2023 campaign has been commendable as he has finished inside the top ten in every outing. He ascended the podium on nine occasions – taking his overall tally to 71 – and triumphed at Snetterton in May behind the wheel of his Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance.
That leaves him placed second overall and six points shy of Ash Sutton at the summit of the standings with 15 races still to run. As a statement of intent, earlier this month, Ingram posted the fastest lap during the annual Goodyear tyre test around Donington Park’s famous ‘GP’ layout, which returns to the BTCC calendar this summer for the first time in more than two decades.
Before that, however, the Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 driver will head north to Croft in Yorkshire (29/30 July) and Knockhill in Scotland (12/13 August) where he will be looking to add to his victory count and ramp up his efforts to add a second championship title to his CV.
Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session from Croft will be streamed on ITV Sport’s YouTube channel from 15:15, with every moment of Sunday’s doorhandle-to-doorhandle action to be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV4 from 11:30.
Tom Ingram, Driver, Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8, said:
“We’re in a good position and I feel like we’re in decent shape. The first half of the season was so frenetic, bouncing from one race weekend to the next, that we didn’t really get time to pause and evaluate everything but we’ve since had the opportunity to take stock and reflect and have found a little bit more time from the car.
“My team-mate Tom Chilton was quickest in the morning at the tyre test and I was quickest in the afternoon, which was really encouraging, and I think we need to just keep on doing what we’ve been doing – this is not the time to start reinventing the wheel, because we know what works for us and what doesn’t and fundamentally, we’ve got a very good package.
“We tested at Croft earlier in the year and were comfortably under lap record pace without running light or deploying any hybrid, and we’ve obviously further improved the car since then so I would like to think we can begin the second half of the campaign as we mean to go on. The key is to keep focussing on ourselves and doing the very best job we can, and I genuinely feel more excited right now than I did prior to the start of the season. I’m ready to come out fighting!”
Goodyear will bring all three slick tyre compounds to Croft to add spice to the race strategies across the three-race weekend of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
The North Yorkshire circuit kickstarts the second half of the season, with six drivers having taken victory so far this year.
Following the success of Snetterton in May which saw the mandatory use of the Goodyear soft, medium and hard tyres across Sunday’s races, the same rules will apply at Croft this weekend.
Each of the three tyre compounds must be used over the course of Sunday’s races, which will give drivers and teams the opportunity to play with the strategy in order to maximise their weekend’s points haul. In qualifying, all drivers will run mediums.
Goodyear’s tyre compounds are denoted by their distinctive coloured sidewall to help fans trackside and viewers of ITV4’s live coverage. The softest in the range features a white sidewall, medium is yellow, and hard is green.
Croft features a 2.05-mile layout with a mix of fast and medium speed corners, a tricky final section, and a hairpin to finish the lap. This variety means teams have to set their cars up to maximise both high speed stability as well as traction from the slow corners.
Michael Butler, Goodyear Event Leader said:
“We’re looking forward to an exciting second half of the season. At Croft, the brilliant flowing layout challenges the drivers every lap. By making all three sets of tyres available, it provides far more strategic opportunities for drivers up and down the grid.
“We saw at Snetterton that introducing a third compound added a layer of complexity. Assuming the weekend stays dry, drivers can choose one of six different strategic combinations, so expect a lot of variety up and down the field.”
The ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA announced it shall continue to be part of TOCA’s British Touring Car Championship support package until the end of 2026.
The premier UK motorsport package provides a host of benefits to the championship, its teams, drivers and sponsors. Live free-to-air TV makes the racing accessible to millions of viewers on ITV4, while tens of thousands of spectators witness the exciting racing at the best circuits that Britain has to offer.
The British F4 drivers get their first taste of F1 style autograph sessions and racing in front of capacity grandstands and big crowds, all while developing their race-craft at a critical time in their careers adding to the experience for the future.
Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive said:
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with the F4 British Championship that will see it remain on the TOCA package until at least the end of the 2026 season.
“Having been on the bill since its inception back in 2015, the F4 British Championship has already helped shape some of the talent on the current Formula 1 grid, as well as entertain the millions of fans that have tuned in to watch the action.
“The F4 British Championship will continue to benefit from the huge trackside audience that the TOCA package attracts as well as the many hundreds of thousands more that enjoy ITV’s live free-to-air coverage. I am sure this will be another hugely successful period ahead and we look forward to continuing our partnership for many years to come.”
Eve Lake-Grange, ROKiT F4 British Championship Manager said:
“Being on the TOCA package is very much part of the DNA of British F4. Our drivers really appreciate showcasing their skills both to a massive free-to-air terrestrial TV audience at home and in front of the enormous crowds that BTCC and the support package generate.
“The benefit of the reach and profile of the TOCA package, combined with a festival atmosphere at each and every round is very special. It made sense to be able to announce the continuity of the package for the next three years and give certainty for our teams, championship partners and prospective drivers alike.”
With the summer break now over, CarStore Power Maxed Racing return to action in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Croft Circuit this weekend [29-30 July].
The Bidford-on-Avon team resume their push for both the Independent Teams and Jack Sears Trophy titles at the 2.1-mile Yorkshire venue after a six-week summer hiatus, having worked hard at their 2023 campaign thus far.
In just half a season, the team has already exceeded its total points haul for 2022, with the new trio of Aron Taylor-Smith, Mikey Doble and Andrew Watson pushing the Vauxhall Astra to the sharp end of the grid.
The synergy between the drivers and team has delivered a number of highlights, including Jack Sears Trophy victories at Donington, Thruxton and Oulton Park last time out, a steady haul of points finishes, plus some top-ten shootout appearances in qualifying.
As a result, the team enters Croft 35 points shy of the summit in the Independent Teams’ standings. Just ten points separates the top three among the Jack Sears runners, with Doble and Watson looking to go on the offensive from second and third place respectively.
Offering a blend of high and low-speed corners, technique is the key to achieving a lap time around Croft. The heavy breaking zone at Tower, the sweeping Jim Clark Esses and the final hairpin offer plenty of overtaking opportunities, and the annual trip to Yorkshire often delivers a typically action packed weekend of BTCC action.
Qualifying kicks off the competitive action at 15:25 (BST) on Saturday, after two free practice sessions to get dialled in. Sunday features the usual triple-header of ITV4-televised action, with lights out at 12:10, 14:35 and 17:00 respectively.
Andrew Watson (#11) said: “I’m feeling really good, in general, heading to Croft. We had a really positive tyre test during the break, and the gap gives the team a proper chance to strip the cars back to the components and then re-prep them.”
“I’m feeling refreshed and re-charged in myself. We had great pace during the first half of the season but didn’t always convert it. I’ve learnt a lot, and I’m looking forward to putting it into practice, starting at Croft.”
Aron Taylor-Smith (#40) said: “As a team, we can definitely go into the second half of the season with a lot of confidence. We’ve made a lot of progress on the chassis, especially at the Goodyear tyre test, and we can be really in contention going forwards.”
“Croft is the start of a sequence of tracks which are among my favourites, too, so that’s always nice. I truly believe we have one of the fastest packages underneath us.”
Mikey Doble (#88) said: “I’m absolutely chomping at the bit to get back on track in the BTCC this weekend at Croft. I’ve had a really strong first half of my rookie season, and I’m looking to continue that form and pick up more Jack Sears Trophy victories, and some overall points finishes over the remaining five race weekends.”
“Croft – much like Thruxton last time out – is in my ‘top 3’ circuits, as a driver. So, I’ll be aiming for a similarly strong qualifying result, and that should set us up for another string of good finishes.”
As we return to the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship after the summer break, we’ve collated the key timings to watch the action over the Croft race weekend (29/30 July).
We left the first half of the season at Oulton Park which was the fifth instalment on the BTCC calendar.
NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton claimed second place finishes in races one and two, before a retirement in race three reduced his championship lead to just six points.
BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8’s Tom Ingram closed in with two podium finishes over the Oulton Park weekend in a bid to replicate the strong form the team had last season at the circuit.
CarStore Power Maxed Racing banked another Jack Sears Trophy win, which put them second in the Independent Teams’ standings behind One Motorsport with Starline Racing.
This weekend’s race day action will feature LIVE on ITV4 (1130-1830) on Sunday (30 July), while ITV Sport’s own YouTube channel will host qualifying on Saturday (29 July) from 1525.
Check out the full TV schedule below:
Qualifying LIVE: Saturday 29 July
ITV Sport YouTube from 1525
Raceday LIVE: Sunday 30 July
ITV4 & ITV4 HD 1130-1830
ITV4 +1 1230-1930
Let’s take a look back at the final race from Snetterton this season, Round 9, where 2022 Champion Tom Ingram fought his way from seventh to his first win of the season.
Check out the next BTCC round recap in the form of a race report below.
BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8’s Tom Ingram fought his way from seventh on the grid to win Round 9 of the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton.
An all Team BMW front row of Stephen Jelley and Adam Morgan held sway at the start of the race, but with all the Bavarian machines running the Goodyear harder tyres they were soon subject to attack from behind.
NAPA Racing UK’s Dan Rowbottom carved his way into the lead on lap two and looked to have victory in his sights, but the Hyundai of Ingram, Toyota of Rory Butcher and Ford Focus of Dan Cammish were gradually making similar progress.
Ingram disposed of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK’s Butcher early on and then made a move stick for the lead by Rowbottom at Riches on lap five. Butcher got past Rowbottom on the same lap and the leading pair began pulling away.
NAPA Racing UK’s Cammish – starting 11th on the grid – had got by team-mate Ash Sutton and was then let through by Rowbottom, as he set about attacking for victory in the closing stages.
Butcher had to relinquish second to Cammish with just two laps to go and the latter immediately carved into Ingram’s advantage.
Ingram fended off Cammish until the finish by just 0.587s, but there was drama post-race when the latter’s car failed ride height checks and he was subsequently disqualified from the result.
“At the end of the day what will be will be, we all abide by the same rules, whether it’s track limits, whether it’s car discretions,” said Cammish. “I’m just a man in the seat and I can go away with my head held high that I did my bit.
“At the end of the day it is a team sport, I gave one away yesterday and no one looked at me for blame. We race as a team, win as a team and lose as a team. Proud of the guys today.”
Butcher inherited second, bringing some reward for his TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK squad, whilst the NAPA-backed duo of Rowbottom and Sutton completed the top four.
Josh Cook produced one of the drives of the day to carve his way from 26th on the grid to fifth at the finish, as he blasted by a quartet of BMWs late on.
The four BMWs of Jelley, Colin Turkington, Morgan and Jake Hill ended up inside the top ten, as did the One Motorsport with Starline Racing Honda of Aiden Moffat.
Tom Ingram said: “That was hard work – the whole day has been fairly hard work! I’m glad to have got that one done and got today done. Definitely very, very pleased to finish it off with a win. It’s really good.
“This place [Snetterton] has always been really good to us as a team over the years. We got out first win back in 2021, the first win for EXCELR8, and it’s a circuit I’ve always just really enjoyed and done well at. Really, really pleased. Good way to top it off, that’s for sure!”
Rory Butcher said: “We kind-of planned this all-day, we knew race 3 is what we were going for! Felt the pain of race 1 with the hards and then it was a bit better with the mediums, but those softs just switched on. The amount of people that were on hards around us, we were able to make hay while the sun shined!
“I think we are missing a little bit at the moment. We have a bit to find, but that podium is really nice for everyone as we have worked so hard these last three rounds.”
2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Snetterton (300)
1. Tom Ingram, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 11 Laps
2.Rory Butcher, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +5.594s
3. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK +6.869s
4. Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +9.428s
5. Josh Cook, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +15.122s
6. Stephen Jelley, Team BMW +16.241s
7. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +16.349s
8. Aiden Moffat, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +16.993s
9. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +17.832s
10. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +18.096s
11. Tom Chilton, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +18.976s
12. Bobby Thompson, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils +19.364s
13. Dexter Patterson, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +19.665s
14. Ricky Collard, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +26.688s
15. Mikey Doble, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +29.578s
16. Jack Butel, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +30.287s
17. Daniel Lloyd, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils +30.601s
18. Andrew Watson, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +32.242s
19. Will Powell, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +33.785s
20. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK +44.431s
21. Nick Halstead, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +1:05.177s
22. Nic Hamilton, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +3 Laps
23. Ronan Pearson, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +8 Laps
24. Árón Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +9 Laps
25. George Gamble, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK DNF
26. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK DSQ
Second half of 2023 season to get underway at Croft
Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship are set to take place at Croft circuit next weekend (29/30 July), marking the end of the annual mid-season break.
The 2.13-mile circuit brings the BTCC to the North East of England and thousands of passionate race fans. Renowned for its challenging, technical nature, Croft is set to provide three thrilling BTCC encounters.
Heading into the weekend with a six-point advantage, NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton will lead the way into the second half of the campaign. With six wins under his belt, the three-time champion will be looking to extend the gap to his challengers – especially after a DNF at Oulton Park (17/18 June) left room for rival Tom Ingram (BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8) to close in on the top spot.
Despite only claiming one win during the season so far, reigning champ Ingram has seemingly maximised the potential of his race package with consistent podiums keeping him well and truly in the title fight; which, with only five events left on the calendar, is certainly starting to heat-up.
Yet, it was Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill who almost completed a perfect day at Oulton Park, after taking two wins, a second place and three fastest laps. His BMW stablemate Colin Turkington (Team BMW) then rounded out the day with a victory in the final bout. The results catapulted BMW to the top of the Manufacturers' standings, and Hill to third in the Drivers’ Standings (192 points) while Turkington is just a further nine points in arrears.
A consistent haul of Jack Sears Trophy points for Dexter Patterson across the first 15 rounds has given the Re. Beverages with Bartercard and Team HARD racer the lead in that particular category, whilst Josh Cook and his One Motorsport with Starline Racing outfit hold sway across the Independents' honours.
Now, the BTCC turns to Croft to kickstart the second instalment of the 2023 season. Some new and some familiar faces are entering the fold, with Michael Crees joining Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils, and Daryl DeLeon signing for Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD, whilst Jade Edwards has made a mid-season switch to the One Motorsport with Starline Racing squad.
Local Lights
Sitting fifth in the Drivers’ Standings and looking to mount his own championship charge, Leeds racer Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) heads to his local event aiming to build further on his solid season-opening.
Dan Lloyd (Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils) is also set to perform in front of a home crowd in North Yorkshire, with Croft also being the scene of his maiden BTCC victory.
TV, Timetables and Tickets
Complimenting the tin-top racing will be a sensational line-up of support series, as The Legends Elite Cup, Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain, ROKiT F4 British Championship and The Vertu Motors MINI CHALLENGE completes the schedule of exciting races.
Saturday’s qualifying session will be streamed live via ITV Sport’s YouTube channel from 1515. On Sunday, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will be LIVE on ITV4 from 1130-1830.
Tickets are available in advance or can be purchased on the gate throughout the weekend – visit here for more details.
There is just over a week to go until the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns from its annual mid-season break, at Croft Circuit (29/30 July). Until then, the official BTCC recap series can catch you up with all the action so far...
Up next in is the second bout at Snetterton.
Check out ITV Sport’s Race in 160 seconds highlights clip below or watch the whole 12-lap contest here.
Alternatively, click here to catch-up with the full race report.
Next up in the official BTCC round recap series is the third event of the 2023 Championship, Snetterton. During the opening bout at the Norfolk circuit, Ash Sutton held off Jake Hill to take the victory.
Check out the next BTCC round recap in the form of a race report below.
NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton took his 30th career BTCC victory in the opening contest at Snetterton, as the three-time champ held off a late charge from Jake Hill’s Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW.
Sutton made a sensational start, immediately pulling away from the chasing pack, which included a sluggish getaway from Tom Ingram (BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8) from second on the grid.
WSR stablemates Colin Turkington and Jake Hill slipped into second and third respectively, whilst Ingram’s frustrating first lap went from bad to worse.
The reigning champ’s #1 machine was squeezed out wide at least twice on the opening tour and he eventually found himself towards the lower end of the top ten.
Sutton had pulled out a three second gap after just three laps with Ingram’s fightback providing the entertainment to the packed banks of fans.
The i30N was the quickest car on-track by mid-distance as Ingram set the fastest lap of the race, and he was soon back into fourth, with Ricky Collard (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK) also dropping out with a water pump problem.
Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) – running the hard Goodyear compound – was busy making extraordinary progress from the back of the grid and he found himself in tenth late on.
Ingram and Cammish’s pace – for differing reasons – began to settle with the former unable to attack the BMWs ahead and the latter eventually losing a top ten spot to Aron Taylor-Smith, but both had made their mark on the contest.
A fight for the lead eventually materialised when Hill made an opportunistic move by Turkington for second, with the place being secured through the Bomb Hole.
Hill’s pace was blistering in the closing laps as he hauled in Sutton’s #116 Ford Focus at a rapid rate. Unfortunately for the Kent driver, he simply ran out of time with the pair separated by just 0.270s as the chequered flag waved.
Turkington claimed a podium ahead of Ingram and a lonely Team BMW duo of Adam Morgan and Stephen Jelley.
Dan Rowbottom (NAPA Racing UK) was the highest finisher on the harder rubber, ahead of Josh Cook (One Motorsport with Starline Racing), Rory Butcher (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK) and Taylor-Smith (CarStore Power Maxed Racing).
Ash Sutton said: “We had to pounce at the start, we know how long it takes for the rear-wheel drive cars to get the tyres up to temperature. Especially on the soft there, we had to be cautious. I just treated the first three laps like a qualifying session. That is where the gap came from and ultimately that gap won us the race.
“You saw the rate that these guys come at us. I think we had a bit of a helping hand when they were all squabbling as well. One more lap and it may of been a different story – old Jakey boy may have got me! We hung in there and that is the main thing. We’ve got the softs still to come, and we all have the hards to play. It’s going to be an interesting day.”
Jake Hill said: “You can’t think about what could have been and only on what there was – and what happened was a great ending! P2 and lots of points on the board again. Especially after my puncture during Race 3 at Brands Hatch, it’s nice to come to Snetterton and have a good start.
“When we were catching Colin [Turkington] we had a really good couple of sectors there onto the back straight, and used all the hybrid. Colin saw me late I think, and it put me on the grass which wasn’t ideal, but we hung on in there, got the move done and went after Ash [Sutton]. It was a nice chase at the end there, I’m hopeful it made good viewing for everyone!”
Colin Turkington said: “We had good pace early on. The first few laps my car was quite pointy, so that means that the front was really strong. Unfortunately that means the rears struggled to keep up a bit, so by midway through the race I was using the rear tyres pretty hard and dropping and dropping. That quite often happens on the softs.
“I could see Jake was quite quick in the middle part of the lap and obviously he got the tow and the hybrid to get up behind me, so I could see he had more pace and there was no point being too feisty. We both want to get home on the podium.
“It was a solid start to the day. We started P3 and finished P3. We’ll just try nudge the car in the right direction for the next.”
2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Snetterton (300)
1. Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK 12 Laps
2. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +0.270s
3. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +3.553s
4. Tom Ingram, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +4.541s
5. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +12.961s
6. Stephen Jelley, Team BMW +13.177s
7. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK +24.648s
8. Josh Cook, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +29.285s
9. Rory Butcher, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +32.283s
10. Árón Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +32.562s
11. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +33.619s
12. Ronan Pearson, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +34.895s
13. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK +34.897s
14. George Gamble, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +40.414s
15. Daniel Lloyd, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils +42.828s
16. Bobby Thompson, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils +42.950s
17. Mikey Doble, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +43.591s
18. Andrew Watson, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +43.899s
19. Aiden Moffat, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +48.238s
20. Dexter Patterson, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +48.429s
21. Jack Butel, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +49.702s
22. Will Powell, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +57.327s
23. Nic Hamilton, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +57.986s
24. Tom Chilton, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +1:02.401s
25. Jade Edwards, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +1:03.750s
26. Nick Halstead, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +1:12.115s
27. Ricky Collard, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +8 Laps