BTCC stars and cars complete two-day run at Croft
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship blasted back into action with the first official pre-season test at Croft (1/2 April).
The prowess and reliability of the 2025 machines proved almost flawless with more than 2800 laps and nearly 6000 miles completed, as glorious sunshine descended on the North Yorkshire venue throughout the two days of running.
Rookie Max Hall starred on Tuesday, as the young driver produced a stunning lap in his Un-Limited Motorsport Cupra.
Hall’s benchmark remained unbeaten until the final hour of Wednesday when Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing’s Mikey Doble hit the top of the timesheets.
The reigning Jack Sears Trophy Champion’s lap time of 1:20.391s is well over half a second quicker than the existing qualifying lap record set by Tom Chilton last season, suggesting that the lighter and more nimbler 2025 cars are set to show marked improvements over their predecessors.
NAPA Racing UK’s Dan Cammish was at the sharp end during both days and eventually ended up third overall, whilst reigning champion Jake Hill was fourth in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW.
Hill’s West Surrey Racing team-mate – Daryl DeLeon – left it late, as the young charger claimed fifth in the final moments ahead of Team VERTU’s Tom Ingram.
Ash Sutton was the first driver to dip under the current qualifying lap record on Tuesday before that time was completely obliterated amidst glorious warm conditions. The #116 Ford Focus remained consistent, however, before eventually having to settle for seventh overall.
Returning three-time champion Gordon Shedden was immediately on the pace as the flying Scotsman bagged eighth in his TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK Corolla, whilst LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing with WSR’s Charles Rainford and One Motorsport’s Josh Cook rounded out the top ten.
There were only a few notable moments during the test with the likes of Adam Morgan (Team VERTU), Dan Rowbottom (NAPA Racing UK) and Sam Osborne (NAPA Racing UK) all having off-track excursions on Wednesday, whilst Dan Lloyd (Restart Racing) and Aron Taylor-Smith endured frustrations due to mechanical gremlins with their respective cars.
The BTCC’s 100% fully sustainable fuel era kicks off with the opening rounds at Donington Park on 26/27 April, but not before the official Season Launch commences at the same venue on the 15 April.
Mikey Doble, Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing, said: “We have had a fantastic first couple of days to kick off our pre-season testing programme. The car felt amazing, and the team’s hard work in development over the off-season is now shining through. I can’t wait to get back out in the car for Season Launch at Donington in a couple of weeks.”
Max Hall, Un-Limited Motorsport, said: “We started off the morning really well and ended up with third. We changed a few things at lunchtime, the set-up was really good, so we put some softs on and went for it. The pace was there so I'm really happy with that. I think I’ve surprised myself and the team as well to be honest. We bolted those softs on and really found some time, so I’m pretty speechless with that.”
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship - Two-day test – 1/2 April – Final Classification
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