Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport enjoyed the most victories of any team, as 2024 Drivers’ Champion Jake Hill took eight wins in the memorable year of 24-in-24…

Snetterton

Hill made light work of the opposition in qualifying’s changeable conditions, taking pole position by 0.806 seconds, to kickstart one of the most dominant weekends of the season.

Fast forward to race day, the #24 commanded the opening bout from lights to flag, but the second exchange of the day was even more impressive. The win looked out of reach after Hill jumped the start and gained a ten-second penalty, before the pacesetter pulled out an incredible 16 second advantage to make it two from two in Norfolk.

Round 9 would be the closest that anyone came to winning all three races in a weekend in 2024. Starting on the favoured wet tyre from ninth on the grid, the Kent racer quickly found himself at the front of the field. The potential win gradually slipped away as the track dried out, but the weekend display from Hill still represented one of the standout performances of the season.

Thruxton

Snetterton kicked off an impressive run of four wins from five races, which included another dynamic double at Thruxton, as pole position was followed by two more stellar triumphs for the fast-starting WSR-run BMW 330e M Sport. 

Two wins and a fifth-place finish at the Hampshire venue represented an even better points return than the brilliant Snetterton weekend previously, as Hill’s title charge really began to take shape. 

With half of Hill’s eight triumphs across the season coming in this fantastic fortnight, both Snetterton and Thruxton proved to be a pivotal part of the campaign for the eventual champion.

Oulton Park

After a podium in the second bout, a great reverse-grid race was in store for the WSR star.

The Evans Halshaw Power Maxed duo of Árón Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble defended valiantly from the front for much of the contest, but Hill was on a charge in the closing stages.

Having disposed of Taylor-Smith, Hill set about attacking the sister Vauxhall Astra on the final lap. The #24 would close onto the tail of the #88 before getting a great run around the outside on the exit of the hairpin, eventually clinching the deal to secure his fifth win of the season in dramatic fashion.

Brands Hatch GP

It would be difficult not to talk about this weekend in what was one of the most exciting title battles in recent memory. Hill would strike first after heading into the weekend level on points with Tom Ingram. 

The Hyundai i30N driver would claw back almost all of those lost points in the second bout as Ingram won with Hill in second, bringing the gap down to just one point with the 30th and final round of the year remaining.

Ingram’s #80 would initially get the better of the BMW 330e M Sport driver, launching ahead in the greasy conditions, before a change in pace saw a swing in performance.

Closing in on his rival, the #24 would effectively take the title by going around the outside of Ingram at Surtees. Once the move was completed, Hill’s pace never wavered as he stormed off into the distance to become the 2024 BTCC Drivers’ Champion.

LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ finished the year inside the top half of the Teams’ championship with race-winning duo Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat providing the squad with many memorable moments along the way.

Donington Park

Moffat would triumph in the curtain-raising trip to the Leicestershire circuit on his first weekend in a brand-new car. Starting on the front row in the final race of the day alongside former WTCC Champion Rob Huff in identical Toyota machinery, the #16 was poised for a great result.

As the lights went out, the Dalkeith-born racer was jumped off the line by the fast-starting BMWs of Adam Morgan and Colin Turkington. Dropping to fourth did not phase Moffat as he would charge past both Team BMW drivers after a lock up from Morgan.

Trading positions lap after lap, Moffat and Huff would fiercely battle it out for top spot with the former ending up on top. Taking the fifth BTCC win of his 11-year career, Moffat would leave Donington fifth in the Drivers’ standings.

Snetterton

In far from ideal conditions, the final bout at the Norfolk circuit saw a masterful drive from both LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ racers. Starting on dry tyres on a wet circuit, the duo would shine on a drying track.

Starting on the front row, Moffat would see a spinning Sam Osborne ahead into the first turn, before taking a sizeable lead through the first sector. The trickiest track conditions were in the final segment of the circuit and two-time winner on the day, Jake Hill, would take the lead of a third successive race.

Chasing down Hill as the circuit would dry, the #16 would slide wide letting through Huff, before both would past the eventual Drivers’ champion. Also following past Hill was a fast-charging Cook from seventh on the grid to complete a double podium for the team.

Oulton Park

A race that was won in a mind-blowing opening lap as the #66 would lead into lap two, having started from eighth. After missing a first corner collision ahead, having already gained three places off the line, Cook was on a charge against his fellow title contenders.

Incredibly, by the time the ITV feed cut back to the live pictures after a replay of the first corner incident, the then 18-time BTCC race winner had already passed Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish and Hill. Not only pulling off three moves in quick succession, but immediately onto the rear bumper of Tom Ingram vying for the lead.

Heading into Lodge on the first tour of the Cheshire-based circuit, the #66 was through with arguably the best first lap of any driver all season. Cook’s raw speed continued as he would build a comfortable eight second advantage all the way to the chequered flag.

Croft

The Bath-born racer charged to another race two victory from eighth on the grid, impressively repeating the feat from the previous event. Following Huff through the field once again, it was not until the pair had reached the front before the spectacle truly got underway.

Heading into the high-speed supposedly ‘single line’ chicane the #66 got a tremendous run on the #12 as the latter defended the inside, before the pair pulled off some of the best side-by-side racing of the season.

With arguably one of the standout moves of 2024, Cook impressively once again completed a charge from eighth to first. Holding off Huff and eventual third-place finisher Dan Rowbottom, the win was even sweeter for the now 20-time BTCC winner as the podium was covered by just 0.954 seconds.

NAPA Racing UK enjoyed Teams’ Championship success once again in 2024, making it a hat-trick of victories since 2022. In what turned out to be a season based on consistency – taking a quarter of the victories it managed a year prior – the Northampton-based squad enjoyed some extremely memorable weekends in 2024…

Snetterton

The trip to Norfolk saw the blue and yellow team have celebratory moments in each and every race. In the opening bout, four-time BTCC champion Ash Sutton would stand on the podium for the seventh straight race, making it a 100% success rate since the start of the season.

Dan Cammish would enjoy the spoils of the second exchange, as the Yorkshireman would extend Sutton’s work to give the team an eighth podium in a row – an unmatched feat by any team during the 2024 season.

After a slip up in race two it would be Sutton jumping back to the forefront as, starting from 20th, the #1 would climb up the order to come home fifth in the finale. In what was far from ideal conditions, the Ford Focus ST would slice through the field on his pilgrimage back to the points.

Thruxton

Winning over half of the races in 2023, it is hard to imagine that the Alliance Racing-run group would go 11 rounds without a victory. Even though this was the case, it was a momentous occasion to pick up the win.

Sutton started the final race of the day in fourth place with Cammish behind in sixth. The duo would work their way forward to not only take the team’s first win of the season, but a one-two finish as well.

The final bout would bookend an impressive weekend for the Ford Focus ST-driven squad. Cammish would collect major points having finished second in every race while Sutton scored two podiums, one of those the triumph that closed out the day.

Donington Park GP

Another weekend of success for NAPA Racing UK, taking two overall victories and a Jack Sears Trophy (JST) win as well. The JST success would come in the opening bout of the day for Sam Osborne, alongside Sutton taking another podium with a second-place overall finish.

Race two, the #1 would take it one step further with a dominant victory after passing fellow four-time BTCC Champion Colin Turkington early on. The gap would never drop, and Sutton would sail off into the distance.

Despite only one victory before this weekend, the team tripled that count by the end of race day – this time it was the #27’s turn to take top spot. After a light shower and a brief safety car period, the pressure was on for the Yorkshireman to bring the car home in one piece, a feat Cammish managed superbly.

Brands Hatch GP

The final race of the 2024 campaign saw NAPA Racing UK win everything on offer. Sutton would take his third and the team’s fourth victory of the campaign as the sun set on the most recent season.

In doing so, the Northampton-based team won its third successive Teams’ Championship, winning every one it has entered since 2022.

Completing the weekend was Osborne’s double JST victories that would bookend an incredible second half of the season for the #77.

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS returned to the BTCC in 2024 with four drivers behind the wheel of the Hyundai i30 N. Taking home eight wins, the joint most for a team across the campaign, the EXCELR8 Motorsport-run outfit enjoyed many great races.

2022 BTCC Champion Tom Ingram spearheaded the team alongside experienced multiple race winner Tom Chilton. Completing the lineup was the sophomore season pairing of Nick Halstead and Ronan Pearson, later replaced by Dan Zelos, all combining for an impressive total of 19 podiums.

Donington Park

The opening event of the season was nothing short of a fierce statement of intent from the Hyundai-driven squad. Ingram took to the Leicestershire circuit taking the bull by the horns qualifying on pole position and taking victories in both race one and two.

It was the second bout of race day that let the world know what we would be in store for in 2024. After getting jumped off the line by a fast-starting Jake Hill in third, it would be the first time we would see the eventual title protagonists battle it out door-to-door.

Despite how dominant Ingram was early on at Donington Park, it would not come close to the emotion the #80 would show after the second visit to the infamous GP circuit four months later.

Brands Hatch Indy

In the final bout of the day, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS displayed its depth of driver talent with an ever impressive display from both Pearson and Chilton. Starting on reverse grid pole, the young Scotsman would lose his lead off of the line to eventual Independent Drivers’ Champion Árón Taylor-Smith.

The #14 would strike while the iron was hot as the then 22-year old went and passed the Vauxhall Astra on the very same lap. Pearson would not relinquish his lead for the remainder of the contest to take home is maiden BTCC victory.

Making the occasion even more impressive was Chilton coming home on the shoulder of his teammate to finish in second. It had happened with the same manufacturer in the same season but was the first of only two occasions in which one team would accomplished a one-two finish in 2024.

Croft

Just past the half way mark of the season, the Droitwich-based outfit would be the first to have three race winners under one roof. Chilton would lead from lights to flag as the driver in his 18th year of BTCC action would bring home his 16th career victory.

As much as the #3’s lead was impenetrable, the work behind from teammate Ingram certainly helped. From the offset the #80 found himself in an edge-of-the-seat battle between Dan Cammish and Taylor-Smith as the trio would trade places for half a lap.

Cammish would eventually split the two Hyundai i30 Ns come the chequered flag as the same-name duo would bring home another haul of points.

Donington Park GP

A drive from 19th to second. It sounds like a tall order but that is what Ingram achieved after an outstanding drive in the final contest of the day. After a gut wrenching end to race two after the radiator of his Hyundai was pierced, the 2022 Champion pulled off an excellent drive to keep his title challenge in tact.

Completing move after move, Ingram would continuously slice his way through the field making over one overtake per lap in the 17-lap exchange. Falling short only to Cammish who would taste victory, an emotional Ingram was greeted by the team as the hunt for the second BTCC title was still on the cards.

Brands Hatch GP

As the day started, Ingram and Hill were level on points. After race one, the #80 had slipped to four points behind. The performance shown in the second contest was of someone who would simply not let the opportunity pass without putting up a fight.

Colin Turkington held Ingram behind perfectly in the opening exchange but could not do so again after a brave pass around the outside at Hawthorns on the very first lap. This move set the tone for the race as the #80 drove inch perfect in his hunt for the championship.

Crossing the line for the start of lap two Hill was ahead, but the #24 was displaced before even reaching Paddock Hill Bend. The High Wycombe-born driver pulling off a late lunge to lead the race, a position that would not be contested beyond the chequered flag. A drive worthy of a champion that was in the end not to be.

We sat down with BTCC Chief Executive Alan Gow for an exclusive interview during the mid-season break. Lots of important topics and exciting developments were discussed, including the following…

• Thoughts on the season so far
• New ‘Quick Six’ qualifying format
• Increased hybrid deployment
• Rule tweaks for 2025
• Expressions of interest from new teams
• What the fans can expect to see at Croft
• Rising crowd figures in the BTCC
• On-track rivalries