Decorated pack right on Sam Tordoff's tail in chase for BTCC title

As the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship speeds towards its conclusion with a crucial penultimate outing at Silverstone next weekend (17/18 September), there is still no sign of a breakaway leader in what has been a hotly-contested campaign.

The legendary Northamptonshire venue has played host to many a pivotal moment in motor sport history and it may well play a key role in deciding where the Drivers' title will be heading at the end of this season.

In what has already been a record-breaking year in the championship, the racing has been cut-throat and ultra-competitive. Last time out at Rockingham produced an unprecedented 12th different race winner in Aron Smith, racing for all-new BTCC outfit, Team BKR. Eight different marques have been represented in the winners' circle – again unheard of in the series' long and illustrious history – and there are 13 drivers in with a mathematical shout of topping the table come the final chequered flag at Brands Hatch next month.

There are fewer than 60 points separating current leader Sam Tordoff and BTCC legend Jason Plato, eighth in the standings with five champions in that midst. West Surrey Racing's Tordoff has had a storming season to date but his points margin narrowed to just five points despite a race win from tenth on the grid at Rockingham.

Of Tordoff's closest seven competitors, the likes of Honda pair Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden, Motorbase Performance's Andrew Jordan and Subaru duo Colin Turkington and Plato have all been there before. Mat Jackson in the sister Ford and BMW man Rob Collard have the experience but have yet to lift the most coveted prize in British motor sport. Top of the tree at this stage is the place to be but it is quite the roll call of touring car stars to have in hot pursuit with more than 130 points still for the taking.

All the runners and riders will be out in force for rounds 25, 26 and 27 of the 2016 campaign as they compete to sway the direction of the end-of-season honours their way, in front of what are sure to be packed grandstands and spectator banks skirting the famous stretch of asphalt.

Story so far: Hot on Tordoff's heels
In his fourth full campaign in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, West Surrey Racing man Sam Tordoff heads the way in what is his biggest shot at taking the title yet.

His 2016 challenge kicked up a gear back in early June at Oulton Park with one of the performances of the season to notch two second-placed finishes and a race two win. He's headed the standings at the end of every weekend since, with the exception of post-Snetterton where team-mate Rob Collard usurped his lead by three points. A Knockhill race weekend later and Tordoff left Scotland back on top.

The Yorkshireman's trip to Rockingham started in the worst possible fashion, however, beached his BMW 125i M Sport in practice and suffered trouble in qualifying, meaning he was way back on the race one grid. Despite the setback, Tordoff produced the goods, battling from 28th in the opening race to scythe through the field and win by the time the chequered flag fell on race two – signalling his intent, as if he hadn't done so already this year.

That recovery drive was key to maintaining his slender title lead. Halfords Yuasa Racing's triple champion Matt Neal, who will make his 600th BTCC start at Silverstone, produced a typically metronomic weekend's points-scoring to close to within five points of the standings summit.

Gradual improvement race-by-race saw Neal finish eighth, sixth and fourth on the Sunday afternoon while Tordoff, among others in the running, failed to score points on at least one occasion, allowing the Team Dynamics mainstay to zero in at the head of the chasing pack.

“We weren’t too sure what to expect at Rockingham but we kept our heads down, plugged away and left with a solid bagful of points,” said Neal.

“To come away with both of us firmly in the thick of the title fight was a great outcome. The pressure is mounting in the championship now with just two weekends to go and Silverstone could be a tricky one for us, but believe me, we’ll be giving it everything we’ve got.

"It's wide open. You can easily be shuffled out of the top ten, 15 or 20. You've really got to be on top of your game, stay sharp and make sure you've got the car working well underneath you and the team behind you. If we can keep the pressure on Sam (Tordoff), maybe he'll crumble.

"Silverstone is the home of British motor sport. Whether that be Formula One, touring cars or anything in between, it's a special place to go. We always cherish being there. It's a great event.

"We use the National Circuit so we come around more often and we get stuck into each other more often – the fans love it, the TV loves it and the racers do too. It's always a big grid and a big crowd with great entertainment and the atmosphere is electric. Around the complex – Luffield and Brooklands – you can hear the fans' every reaction."

Talking point: Constructing a winner
The battle for the Manufacturers' crown is similarly coming to a head. Subaru/Team BMR's post-Thruxton surge in form has been a sight to behold with four wins between Colin Turkington and Jason Plato since.

Top of the pile sits West Surrey Racing, however. WSR has led the way nearly all campaign but Matt Neal's consistency and Gordon Shedden's recent flurry of wins have seen Team Dynamics/Honda close to within 31 points of the BMW squad.

Honda's strong recent run has also borne fruit in the Teams' tally – overhauling WSR-backed Team JCT600 with GardX after Rockingham's results had shaken out by a single point.  Meanwhile, Motorbase Performance garnered an insurmountable lead in the Independent Teams' running, with Mat Jackson also firmly in the Drivers' hunt – just over 30 points shy of Tordoff – and Andrew Jordan on song of late.

Timetable and Tickets
The three BTCC rounds will take place on Sunday with the whole day's action broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4, itv.com/btcc and the ITV Hub.

Also on the bill will be qualifying and racing from the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Renault UK Clio Cup, F4 British Championship, Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship and Michelin Ginetta GT4 SuperCup.

Advance tickets can be booked online at www.silverstone.co.uk or via the hotline on 0844 3728 270. Tickets start at £10 with weekend passes costing £36, or Sunday race day tickets £35. Children aged 15 and under get in free.

A full timetable can be found here.

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal is one of a hatful of drivers in the hunt for the coveted Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Drivers' title and he quietly closed the gap to current standings leader Sam Tordoff after producing another metronomic weekend's point-scoring, this time at Rockingham.

Now competing in his 26th BTCC campaign, the triple champion knows a thing or two about how a title is won over the course of the season, and consistency is very much the mantra. With seven podiums and a hat-trick of wins to his name in 2016, Neal tops neither the podium charts nor the winners tally – though he is well up the order in both.

In addition to the race wins and the rostrums, it's a drive for a constant stream of high points-paying positions that have seen him close to within just five points of the championship lead with six rounds still to play for. Win or bust isn't the mentality, it's a more measured approach. To illustrate this, Neal has only failed to finish outside of the top-15 on one occasion this year – a single did-not-finish for that multi-car incident midway through race one at Thruxton in which the Honda Civic Type R found itself tangled up. Aside from that, his worst result is a couple of 12th's and even then, one of those was compensated for by a race three win back at Donington Park.

Neal's sublime, storming race two win at Knockhill was a first since Oulton Park but at no point had the Team Dynamics mainstay fallen more than 15 points shy of the championship's summit in the meantime.

When scenting blood this year, Neal has rarely let his rivals out of his grasp when the opportunity to take full advantage and maximum points has presented itself. The perfect illustration of this came at Knockhill. From eighth on the grid, Neal went on a charge, scything his way through the field, making hay while the leaders’ scrapped to move up to third on lap 22, second two laps later and finally snatching the lead at the hairpin a lap later still, subsequently easing clear to secure his third triumph of the season.

"I thought we would have a chance from where we were starting and after catching the leaders, I could see they were beginning to struggle a bit and I was able to capitalise upon their battle," said Neal. "The Halfords Yuasa Racing Civic Type R was monstrous right the way to the end.

"We came to Knockhill anticipating a tough weekend with the weight we were carrying and its reputation as a rear wheel-drive circuit, so to leave with a win and still sitting second in the championship was fantastic.”

After that win in Scotland, in conditions Neal fancied little ahead of the weekend, came Rockingham. Gradual improvement race-by-race saw Neal P8, P6 and P4 on the Sunday afternoon while standings leader Sam Tordoff, amongst others in the running, failed to score points on at least one occasion.

“Rockingham is always a tough challenge physically, and in truth, we weren’t too sure what to expect coming here but we kept our heads down, plugged away and leave with a solid bagful of points," continued Neal. "The first two races were pretty heavy going, but when I got some clear air, the Honda Civic Type R felt really strong.

"Flash (Gordon Shedden) warned me that I would be up against it on the hard tyres in race three, so I was over-the-moon to finish fourth – I really didn’t anticipate being able to hang on as well as that.

"To come away with both of us firmly in the thick of the title fight is a great outcome. The pressure is mounting in the championship now with just two weekends to go and Silverstone next time out could be a tricky one for us, but believe me, we’ll be giving it everything we’ve got.”

The season is coming to a head and with just five points the dividing line between Neal and a fourth BTCC title, who would bet against experience when it comes to the crunch at Brands Hatch on 2 October?

Young Scotsman Aiden Moffat backed up a strong weekend on home turf at Knockhill with another triple points finish, his third of the season, at Rockingham – the biggest weekend points haul of his career to date.

The Laser Tools Racing man flew out of the blocks in the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, with P12, P11 and P9 at Brands Hatch Indy acting as encouragement for the campaign ahead.

Two further points finishes in the second event of the year at Donington Park came next before what looked like a watershed moment at Thruxton – second on the grid for the first of Sunday's races in Hampshire. Unfortunately, Moffat was tagged into a spin in the opening throes of race one and his weekend capitulated from there through no fault of his own.

From the lofty standards set by the promising young racer early in the season, his mid-season form left something to be desired. Issues with the car at Oulton Park, specifically the differential,  in-race damage at Croft and a stop-go penalty at Snetterton left Moffat disadvantaged despite showing strong pace.

Knockhill provided home comforts. Moffat was back on it with everything needed for a successful weekend falling into place once again. Three lots of points, and a pair of strong top-ten finishes in races two and three.

With that in the bag, Moffat would have headed to Northamptonshire and Rockingham in optimistic mood. A torrential downpour on Saturday was navigated well, leading to 12th spot on the grid for Sunday's first round – all despite niggles with fuel pick-up on the car.

"I managed to battle my way up to ninth in race one, despite running the harder compound Dunlop tyre," said Moffat. "That harder tyre takes a longer time to work at its best and that meant that I had to defend from the quicker cars as well as do my best to make progress up the order."

"I was determined to overtake whenever I could and was running ninth until, with just two laps to go, I was tagged at the Tarzan Hairpin and ran wide.

"That dropped me to 11th place but I still finished as the best-placed of the drivers on the harder tyre. With that out of the way for the weekend, better results were on the cards."

Gremlins made their way back into the A Class for race two, stunting Moffat's progress.

"From 11th on the grid for race two, I made my way up to sixth place until the fuel pick-up problem kicked in again," continued the Scot. "We had that all weekend and never really got to the bottom of it, so it allowed Matt Neal to get by and Aron Smith’s Volkswagen CC went by too.

"Adam Morgan, in the sister Mercedes-Benz , crawled over the rear of my car, but I managed to defend the eighth place lap after lap.

"He eventually took advantage of earlier damage to the wing mirror on my car. I was unable to confirm where he was on the track as he made his move. Unable to defend fully, I was forced to cede the place and dropped to ninth place but in the draw for the reverse grid for race three."

The draw could have been kinder to Moffat, who was in ninth for the start of the final round from Rockingham.

"We started ninth and were subsequently involved in some fierce fighting. I was hit from behind at Tarzan and it really bent the suspension. I was turning right on the straights! It was well out.

"Under the third and final safety car period, I was hit again but despite the damage, I managed to hang on to ninth place, once again in the points.

"On one hand was a frustrating weekend because I really feel that I had the pace to do better. On the other, three points-scoring finishes and two top-10 results are a really positive way to end a weekend that had its problems, with the fuel pick-up and some of the contact.

"You forget just how tough this championship is. Yes, I want to be winning or on the podium, but when you look at the quality of the field and their level of experience, to be racing with those drivers and finishing ahead of some, is very satisfying so on the whole I am pleased with where we were at Rockingham. I can’t wait for Silverstone!"

Keep track of Aiden Moffat in his race diaries throughout the 2016 season over at aidenmoffatracing.co.uk.

Sam Tordoff and Jeff Smith joint-topped the latest Dunlop #ForeverForward tally with 26 places gained over the course of the weekend at Rockingham.

Rob Collard placed second, on 23 points, to retain a comfortable lead at the top of the overall standings – continuing to live up to his reputation as one of the best 'racers' on the grid.

Yorkshireman Tordoff endured a torrid Saturday in Northamptonshire. Beaching his Team JCT600 with GardX BMW 125i M Sport was the first issue of the day, setting him back precious setup time. Engine trouble in qualifying saw the West Surrey Racing stable down in 26th, 27th and 28th – the Yorkshireman the last of the bunch.

His topsy-turvy grid position did allow for a hatful of #ForeverForward points, however. Twenty-eighth became 10th in race one and 10th became a storming race win in the second bout on Sunday, cementing his title credentials.

Jeff Smith, meanwhile, had his best performance of the year in the #ForeverForward stakes with his 26-point haul. His top score of 18 places gained, as he went from 31st to 13th in race three, nudged him level with Tordoff's performance of the weekend.

Eurotech Racing team-mate Martin Depper has traditionally found himself the higher placed of the two Civic Type R wielding racers in the Dunlop rankings but it was Smith this time around that ruled the roost.

Little needs to be added to Rob Collard's burgeoning and longstanding reputation as a strong combatant come race day. His top-three performance in the Dunlop rankings this weekend will come as little surprise but remains impressive nonetheless.

Team RCIB Insurance Racing's Jake Hill may not have made the list were it not for race one engine trouble. He was well placed and looking on for strong points until he was forced into retirement, displacing him for race two's grid and forcing him into playing catchup for the rest of the weekend.

Eventually, his pace was rewarded with P8 in race three but, without technical trouble, this result could have come much earlier in the weekend. Who knows where Hill could have gone had that been the case.

With only two events remaining, the results and standings are as follows – Rob Collard still heads the pack:

Dunlop #ForeverForward drivers of the weekend

1 Sam Tordoff/Jeff Smith 26
2 Rob Collard 23
3 Jake Hill 21

Dunlop #ForeverForward overall standings

1 Rob Collard 130
2 Rob Austin 110
3 Martin Depper 105

Jake Hill scored his second top-eight finish of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season at Rockingham – the least he deserved over a turbulent weekend with technical tribulations and monsoon-like conditions.

A sixth spot came back at Croft in June for Hill and but for an overheating engine in race one this past weekend, he could have been knocking on the door of a similar result once again in Rockingham's opener.

Outside of intermittent mechanical trouble with his Toyota – no fault of his own – his pace and race craft was difficult to question. An enthralling battle with three-time champion Matt Neal that lasted the best part of half a lap of the Corby circuit was the perfect illustration of this. The Team HARD racer was running 11th after getting the better of the Halfords Yuasa Racing man and looked likely to progress further until an overheating engine brought his charge to a halt.

“It was a crazy first lap and then I got a run at Matt and just held my ground - I was on the inside, then the outside and then inside again and got it done eventually down at the hairpin, but that was mega!” said Hill.

Neal said of the battle: “Jake’s a really good little racer, tough but fair, he earned that position fair and square.”

“The car was handling brilliantly," continued Hill. "Thanks to the team for a great job - I was catching the group ahead and know I would have made up more places. So frustrating that the issue stopped us.”

Race one's technical trouble saw Hill starting race two down in 29th and a poor getaway didn't help matters either. Despite this, he carved past near half of the field to bring the RCIB Insurance Racing Toyota Avensis home 16th.

The final race of the day was where Hill's promise finally bore fruit. With three safety car periods, the running was condensed into short bursts. Each sprint saw the 22-year-old make progress, with the highlight coming in the form of a smart double pass on Ollie Jackson and Aiden Moffat to move him into the top ten – P8 and strong points the eventual result.

“The car was really strong here, it’s a shame we didn’t have dry qualifying as I think we’d be near the top-ten and maybe challenging the top six in the races. I had some great battles," said Hill.

"The signs are becoming more positive as the season goes on."

Hill will be looking to continue the improvement he's shown throughout his maiden full campaign across the remaining two rounds, Silverstone in just over a fortnight's time and at the Brands Hatch GP season finale – a circuit he relishes.

Title sponsor and tyre partner Dunlop is giving away an amazing opportunity to experience the ‘Ultimate Dunlop Feeling’ at the finale of the 2016 British Touring Car Championship.

The winner will receive a pair of tickets for the Sunday show down at Brands Hatch on 1 -2 October 2016. The winner will get the incredible opportunity to wave the chequered flag for round 28.

To enter, Dunlop ask fans to use social media to submit a selfie that they best think encapsulates the feeling of a Dunlop race event.

*Terms and conditions:
1x Like+ Comment+ Selfie = 1 entry. 1x Like+ Selfie+ #TheDunlopFeeling on Twitter = 1 entry. 1 entry per platform per person. A winner will be picked at random from all the entries. The competition will close 12pm on Monday 19 September 2016. The winner will be announced by Facebook post and Tweet shortly after. The winner will have 24 hours from the announcement to come forward – it is the responsibility of entrants to check the winner’s announcement. If this does not happen another winner will be selected. The winner must be available over the Brands Hatch race weekend, transport to and from the circuit is not included. The prize is non-transferrable. Children under 16 will not be able to take part in the grid walk or wave the chequered flag. Hospitality is supplied by Honda Yuasa Racing and is not associated with Dunlop or the BTCC, information regarding the hospitality will be supplied by Honda Yuasa Racing.

The AmDTuning.com team enjoyed its best weekend of the year by far with a brace of points finishes from the eighth meeting of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season at Rockingham.

The West Thurrock-based team went into the weekend keen to realise the potential in its Audi S3 after two difficult meetings at Snetterton and Knockhill, where lady luck went against driver Ollie Jackson in his quest to add to the two points finishes he enjoyed in the opening half of the year.

The weekend started well with Ollie showing solid pace through the two free practice sessions although challenging wet conditions in qualifying meant he was forced to settle for 20th on the grid.

Electing to run the hard compound Dunlop tyre in the opening race, Ollie drove well to secure 17th place, barely two seconds away from the points scoring positions, but then produced his best drives of the season in the remaining two races to bring home valuable championship points.

A strong start to race two saw Ollie jump up four places on the opening lap and he pushed hard to climb to eleventh spot, chasing down the Honda of race one winner Gordon Shedden.

Keen to try and make a move into the top ten to gain a chance of benefitting from the reverse grid draw, Ollie made a move for position on the final lap only to be forced wide, slipping back to 13th spot but still securing a points finish.

Further showing the pace in the Audi, Ollie went even better in the final race of the weekend where he diced for position for long periods with the works Subaru of Jason Plato before taking the flag in eleventh for his best result of the year to date and a second points finish of the day.

“It’s been the best weekend of the year by a long way,” he said. “We made some changes to the car between Knockhill and here and it has transformed things, so it is great to prove what we can do; it certainly puts the previous two weekends firmly behind us.

“We had a good car in free practice but in qualifying we didn’t quite have the set-up that we needed. We were further back than we could have been on the grid, but it didn’t make too much difference on race day as we fought hard and made up the places on merit. The car was brilliant and the team has done a fantastic job; I’m so glad that we’ve finally been able to pick up some results that we deserve after a difficult spell.

“We have made a big step forwards this weekend but I don’t think we are finished yet with the car and I don’t think the performance we have seen this weekend is a one-off. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do at Silverstone.”

Team boss Shaun Hollamby was understandably delighted with the results from the weekend, which provide a boost in confidence going into the final meetings of the campaign at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

“We always knew that we had a car that was capable of fighting for points and that could challenge towards the top ten, and this is the weekend that we have been able to show it,” he said. “After Knockhill, we looked at what we could do to make improvements, and have reaped the rewards of that work with a performance that is easily the best we have had this season.

“Ollie has driven really well this weekend and has shown some of his critics what he can do, and the results he has picked up have been on merit and not because others have simply fallen off or had problems.

“Whilst we might have a small budget compared to other teams on the grid, the fact we have gone out there and raced wheel to wheel with people like Gordon Shedden, Andrew Jordan and Jason Plato shows what are capable of.

"Thanks to Rob Tickner, Keith Cheetham and the whole AmD team, plus Ollie's mega job behind the wheel, we are now starting to unlock the Audi's potential. The next two rounds can't come fast enough!"

Gordon Shedden, Sam Tordoff and Aron Smith scored a win apiece at Rockingham today (28 August), with the latter’s victory making it a record 12 different winners from eight different marques in the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The title picture was further shaped during the three races with Tordoff leaving the Northamptonshire circuit just five points clear of triple champion Matt Neal in the overall standings.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Shedden secured a lights-to-flag victory in the opener, after fending off fellow front-row starter Mat Jackson in the early stages.

Jackson soon fell back into the clutches of the Subarus, however, after both Jason Plato and Colin Turkington blasted by Josh Cook’s MG off the line.

An incident on the opening lap led to a brief safety car period, but reigning champion Shedden produced a stellar restart before gradually pulling away from the chasing pack. The Honda Civic Type R took the chequered flag with Shedden having completed the perfect pole position, fastest lap and race win treble.

Jackson delivered a textbook defensive drive to keep Silverline Subaru BMR Racing duo Plato and Turkington at bay to second, whilst the MGs of Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton recovered from relatively slow starts to finish close behind. Post-race, however, Turkington was penalised and demoted to fifth by officials for gaining an unfair advantage in his tussle with Sutton.

Team JCT600 with GardX driver Tordoff won the second contest with an impressive performance.

Tordoff had earlier fought back from 28th on the race one grid to finish tenth, and he continued his surge through the order by picking his way past several rivals in the early stages of the second bout.

Running in third place by mid-distance, Tordoff then cruised up behind the Motorbase Performance duo of Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson. He disposed of Jordan with consummate ease before repeating the trick by Jackson on lap nine.

The ballast-laden Ford of Jackson couldn’t hang on to second either as he was first relegated by team-mate Jordan, with West Surrey Racing’s Rob Collard following suit in the closing stages.

Sutton took another top five finish for MG Racing RCIB Insurance, although his stablemate Josh Cook was caught up in unfortunate first lap drama – contact between the MG6 and Plato’s Levorg forcing both cars out of contention.

Neal maintained his consistent championship challenge with sixth, ahead of Aron Smith – the BKR man enjoying one his most competitive meetings of the season.

Smith then made it an incredible 12 different winners in the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – a record number in the illustrious 59-season history of the series – after the Irishman soaked up race-long pressure to win the final encounter.

The VW driver had to contend with three safety car periods and two double champions in his rear mirrors, but he dealt with every challenge superbly on his way to a first ever victory for the fledgling Team BKR outfit.

Neal and Jackson initially pressured Smith off the line, but the pair would later succumb to the charging Shedden and Turkington – both running the medium Dunlop SportMaxx compound.

The Team JCT600 with GardX BMW of Collard also looked to be a contender but he couldn’t keep pace with Shedden’s charge, as the Honda man disposed of Sutton, Jackson and team-mate Neal in quick succession.

Turkington was busy scything his Subaru through the order from 16th on the grid and when the dust settled during a third and final safety car period the Ulsterman found himself in a podium position.

The battle between Shedden and Turkington over the final three-lap shootout aided Smith’s cause with the trio eventually crossing the finish line separated by just half a second.

Neal and Jackson held on to fourth and fifth respectively while Collard had to settle for sixth.

Tordoff failed to score in the finale but the Yorkshireman maintained his standings lead, albeit by a reduced five point margin. Honda’s Neal and Shedden are next up in the order with Motorbase’s Jackson also closing in. Collard and Turkington have drifted slightly after mixed results although the top 13 drivers all have a mathematical chance of winning the title.

WSR/BMW remain the leading Manufacturers’ although Halfords Yuasa Racing has returned to the top of the Teams’ table.

Motorbase Performance has surged into an unassailable points lead in the Independent Teams’ standings, with Jordan topping team-mate Jackson in the Independent Drivers’ championship.

Ashley Sutton further extended his advantage over Michael Epps in the Jack Sears Trophy.

Two events remain on the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar with the penultimate weekend taking place at Silverstone in three weeks time (17/18 September).

Gordon Shedden said: "I’m dead chuffed with that weekend. I broke the slipstream to the guys behind in race one and then focussed on keeping everything nice and smooth. In race two, I was on a bit of a hiding to nothing on the hard tyres with maximum ballast, and I really had to get my elbows out at the end because I wasn’t going very fast at all by then! It would have been nice to win race three, but Aron (Smith) drove really well and didn’t make any real mistakes and it would have required a fairly monumental lunge to try to get past. Then when Colin (Turkington) caught up during the final safety car period, I had to keep an eye on my mirrors too because he clearly had some good pace. Still, points make prizes as they say and we’ve closed back up to the top of the championship table. We will keep working hard and fighting to the very end."

Sam Tordoff said: "It’s been a fabulous day, and a great recovery from free practice and qualifying. I made a mistake in FP1 which left us unprepared going into qualifying and that was reflected in the result. We took a bit of a gamble with the set-up for race one and it turned out to be an inspired decision that paid dividends. We made the car even better for race two, and I think that was the first time in a long time that we’ve seen the BMW’s true pace. All credit to the WSR guys – for us to only lose a handful of points in the championship having started today 28^th on the grid is incredible."

Aron Smith said: "It was unbelievable. We were down in the dumps a little bit after qualifying in the wet yesterday – we struggled a bit. Hats off to everyone at BKR today. They made it happen. They made it all come alive. The safety cars did give me a bit of a run for my money! Every time I saw a car go off I knew I’d have to be right on it at another restart. Luckily I was. Then, when I saw Colin Turkington at the back of Gordon Shedden, I was happier. I knew he’d have his hands full there. I’m absolutely over the moon, this was what we all needed."

Mat Jackson said: "Race two was a good race for us, obviously. The Subaru didn’t look as if it had the legs through the corners but in traction they definitely had the advantage that comes with the rear-wheel drive. Every lap he (Jason Plato) was within striking distance of going up the inside at turn two but he couldn’t quite make it past. That was a good result for us as a team really and it's certainly been a good weekend for our championship challenge."

Matt Neal said: "Rockingham is always a tough challenge physically, and in truth, we weren’t too sure what to expect coming here but we kept our heads down, plugged away and came away with a solid bagful of points. The first two races were pretty heavy going, but when I got some clear air, the car felt really strong. ‘Flash’ warned me that I would be up against it on the hard tyres in race three, so I was over-the-moon to finish fourth – I really didn’t anticipate being able to hang on as well as that. To come away with both of us firmly in the thick of the title fight is a great outcome. The pressure is mounting in the championship now with just two weekends to go and Silverstone could be a tricky one for us, but believe me, we’ll be giving it everything we’ve got."

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 22 – Rockingham:

1 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 26:36.324 (78.75 mph)
2 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +2.561s
3 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.869s
4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +3.165s
5 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +8.741s
6 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +12.144s
7 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +14.072s
8 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +18.224s
9 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +23.899s
10 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +24.168s

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 23 – Rockingham:

1 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX 22m44.838s (81.87 mph)
2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +2.886s
3 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +3.085s
4 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +6.863s
5 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +15.027s
6 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +18.661s
7 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +21.341s
8 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +22.624s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +25.489s
10 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +28.536s

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 24 – Rockingham:

1 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR 29m49.905s (74.13 mph)
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.400s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.572s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +3.491s
5 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +4.519s
6 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +4.936s
7 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +5.686s
8 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +6.227s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +10.578s
10 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +10.899s

Penalties

General: 
Team BKR has received 10 penalty points in the Teams' and Independent Teams' Championships for exceeding the maximum number of engine units allowed

Mark Howard has been handed a suspended one race ban for his general standard of driving in a number of incidents. This penalty is suspended for the duration of the 2016 season

Race one: 
Colin Turkington received a six second time penalty for gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Josh Cook

Matt Simpson received a verbal warning for an incident involving James Cole

Dave Newsham was officially reprimanded and received two penalty points for an incident involving Aiden Moffat

Race two: 
Jeff Smith received a verbal warning for an incident involving Warren Scott. This was a third strike – Smith started race three at Rockingham from the back of the grid

Race three: 
Ashley Sutton was officially reprimanded and received two penalty points for an incident involving Dave Newsham

Hunter Abbott was officially reprimanded and received two penalty points for an incident involving Josh Cook

Mark Howard was officially reprimanded and received two penalty points for an incident involving Jack Goff. This was a third strike – Howard will start race one at Silverstone from the back of the grid

Colin Turkington was officially reprimanded and received two penalty points for overtaking Jake Hill under yellow flag conditions. This was a third strike – Turkington will start race one at Silverstone from the back of the grid

Previous incidents at Knockhill were also reviewed this weekend with the following outcomes:

Mark Howard received a verbal warning for an on-track incident in race three

Rob Austin received a one-second time penalty for gaining an unfair advantage in an incident involving Adam Morgan

Aron Smith made it an incredible 12 different winners in the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – a record number in the illustrious 59-year history of the series – after the Irishman soaked up race-long pressure to win the final bout at Rockingham.

Smith had to contend with three safety car periods and two double champions in his rear mirrors, but he dealt with every challenge to claim the first every victory for the fledgling Team BKR outfit.

It was Matt Neal and Mat Jackson initially pressuring Smith off the line, but the pair would later succumb to the charging Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington – both running the medium Dunlop SportMaxx compound.

The Team JCT600 with GardX BMW of Rob Collard also looked to be a contender but he couldn't keep pace with Shedden's charge, with the Honda man disposing of Ashley Sutton, Jackson and team-mate Neal in quick succession.

Andrew Jordan was another to lose places, particularly after he produced a sensational save from a wild slide.

Turkington was busy scything his Subaru through the order from 16th on the grid and when the dust settled during a third and final safety car period the Ulsterman found himself in a podium position.

The battle between Shedden and Turkington over the final three-lap shootout aided Smith's cause with the trio eventually crossing the finish line separated by just half a second.

Neal and Jackson held on to fourth and fifth respectively while Collard had to settle for sixth at the finish. Halfords Yuasa Racing's Neal has now closed to within five points of championship leader Sam Tordoff, who finished outside of the points in his ballast-laden BMW 125i M Sport.

Adam Morgan was seventh for WIX Racing, ahead of impressive runs from Jake Hill and Aiden Moffat. RCIB Insurance driver Hill finally got the result his undoubted pace deserved, whilst Moffat made it a hat-trick of points finishes on the day.

Jason Plato was tenth after the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver produced his own fantastic drive from the back of the grid.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 24 – Rockingham:

1 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR 29m49.905s (74.13 mph)
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.400s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.572s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +3.491s
5 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +4.519s
6 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +4.936s
7 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +5.686s
8 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +6.227s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +10.578s
10 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +10.899s
11 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +11.358s
12 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +11.690s
13 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +12.611s
14 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +12.913s
15 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +13.478s
16 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +14.466s
17 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +14.924s
18 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +18.088s
19 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +18.805s
20 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +19.035s
21 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +19.879s
22 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +20.159s
23 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +21.202s
DNF Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +4 laps
DNF Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +6 laps
DNF Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +7 laps
DNF Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +8 laps
DNF Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +12 laps
DNF Tony GILHAM (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +15 laps
DNF Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +18 laps
DNF Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club