Laser Tools Racing's Aiden Moffat has taken a magnificent and memorable maiden BTCC victory in the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Donington Park.

The youngest driver in the series' history has been making rapid progress in recent seasons, but this was arguably his finest drive from fourth on the grid. He had already seen off Jack Goff's Eurotech Honda on the opening tour, before he sliced his way into second with a great move by Rob Austin at the Old Hairpin on the second lap.

He began hounding down early leader Tom Ingram, who had himself made a forceful move into P1 past pole-sitter Rob Austin on the run down to Redgate for the first time, and the two front-runners were soon locked in battle.

Moffat's moment came on lap five as the Mercedes got the run alongside Ingram's ballast-laden Speedworks Avensis, which was also running the harder Dunlop SportMaxx option tyre. Ingram had no answer and Moffat was through as the cars ran down the Craner Curves. The Scotsman would never look back.

Ingram would get further shuffled down the order after Austin acted his revenge on the sister-Toyota, whilst Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal and Team BMW's Colin Turkington also nipped by. 

Neal was into second on lap 15 after his own eye-catching pass by Handy Motorsport's Austin, and as the duo maintained their scrap until the finish it allowed Moffat to cruise home in relative ease. The Laser Tools Racing garage erupted as he crossed the line and the celebrations continued once the BTCC's newest race-winner emerged from his triumphant Mercedes.

"It’s a very special feeling – I won’t be forgetting this moment anytime soon!" beamed Moffat. "The Laser Tools Racing car was absolutely brilliant. We’ve had a great set-up all weekend, so I was feeling confident and knew we had the pace. It all came together nicely."

Neal and Austin completed the podium, whilst Turkington will be equally delighted with a solid fourth place.

“After I cleared Rob, I thought ‘I’ll get my head down and try to chase after Aiden [Moffat]’, but he pegged me lap for lap – everything I did, he just seemed to go slightly better," claimed triple champion Neal. "Fair play to him – he drove a clean, honest race and it was a great result. I’ll gain some weight for race two now which will make it a bit harder, and rain might spice things up, too...”

"I’m so happy for Aiden [Moffat]; he’s such a good lad and it was a brilliant drive from him – he really deserves it," responded Austin. "As for me, at the start of the race I was on the brakes [going into Redgate] but the car wasn’t stopping. That was quite upsetting, but we got going and then for the first couple of laps we really struggled to get enough heat into the rear tyres and it was a bit lairy at times! We also had a small gear issue, and that was the only opportunity Matt [Neal] needed to get past. I thought we would have a genuine shot at Brands Hatch, but I’m really happy to now be scoring good points and making up for lost ground."

Ingram hung on to fifth ahead of a hard-charging Rob Collard, the Team BMW driver having expertly disposed of Adam Morgan and Gordon Shedden on the penultimate lap.

Jeff Smith started ninth and ended ninth, although his race was from sedate after a number of moves up and down the order eventually ended with the Eurotech racer back where he began.

Josh Cook grabbed a top ten for Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport after he benefitted from a bizarre incident involving both MGs. Cook was seemingly inbetween Aron Taylor-Smith and Daniel Lloyd on the fast run down the Craners, before inevitable contact sent the MG Racing RCIB Insurance duo spiralling out of contention.

A number of others were in the wars as an opening lap melee put paid to the challenges of Jake Hill, Martin Depper and James Cole, whilst a later collision between Andrew Jordan and Michael Epps speared the latter into the barrier.

The teams now have just over two hours to lick their wounds and mend their cars, as 32 of the country's best racing drivers do it all again in race two of three at 14:35 – you can catch all of the action live on ITV4.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 4 – Donington Park

1 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 16 laps
2 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.504s
3 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +2.164s
4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +2.433s
5 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +14.539s
6 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +14.984s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +15.358s
8 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +15.668s*
9 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +17.996s
10 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +18.905s
11 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +18.330s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +18.878s
13 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +19.858s
14 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +20.556s
15 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +21.074s
16 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +21.327s
17 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +21.714s
18 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +22.005s
19 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +23.791s
20 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +24.829s
21 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +25.278s
22 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +39.276s
23 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +41.935s
24 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1 lap
DNF Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +4 laps
DNF Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +7 laps
DNF Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +12 laps
DNF Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +12 laps
DNF Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +13 laps
DNF James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +16 laps
DNF Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +16 laps
DNF Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +16 laps

*Adam Morgan was penalised by addition of 0.5s to his race time for gaining an unfair advantage (whether unfair or not) during a race

Handy Motorsport’s Rob Austin has taken pole position for Round 4 of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after post-qualifying scrutineering resulted in the exclusion of Ashley Sutton.

Austin impressively backed up his earlier practice pace by clocking a 1m09.514s lap time, which would ultimately secure him top spot on the grid.

“After going quickest in FP1, we knew we had the pace,” said Austin. “That also meant I put myself under a lot of pressure in qualifying – and to be truthful, I made a mess of it for the majority of the session! Thankfully, we came good in the end.”

Sutton looked to have set a sensational lap record for Adrian Flux Subaru Racing, but his car’s turbo overboost was later adjudged to have contravened technical regulations and he will subsequently start tomorrow’s opening race from 31st on the grid. Fellow qualifying star Jake Hill will be a place further back, after the rear wing angle of his TAG Racing VW was outside of permitted tolerance, relegating him from sixth on the grid. 

The amended result provided a welcome boost for a trio of young drivers with Jack Goff (Eurotech Racing), Tom Ingram (Speedworks Motorsport) and Aiden Moffat (Laser Tools Racing) now completing the top four positions. The three drivers had shown serious promise during the earlier sighter sessions, and they delivered again in qualifying.

Halfords Yuasa Racing will line up on the third row of the grid, with Matt Neal getting the better of his reigning champion team-mate Gordon Shedden. The Scotsman will be pleased with his lap, however, as the standings leader hauled his Honda Civic Type R around with maximum success ballast on-board.

Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing’s Michael Epps took seventh, which complements his trio of top ten finishes at Brands Hatch last time out, whilst Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan and Eurotech’s Jeff Smith were next up on the timesheets.

It was a mixed session for a number of the BTCC’s regular title protagonists, most notably Ulsterman Colin Turkington. The Team BMW driver set a time good enough for a respectable tenth on the grid, but his session ended early when a water leak struck his 125i M Sport. The episode brought about the only red flag period of the day as a number of cars spun off at the Old Hairpin, where Turkington’s BMW had dropped fluid all over the circuit.

Less than 1.2 seconds separated the entire field, suggesting we're in for a thrilling and highly-competitive day's racing tomorrow.

A huge crowd is expected to descend on Donington Park on Sunday, with many, many more watching the action live and exclusively on ITV4. The triple header of BTCC races are set to begin at 11:35, 14:35 and 17:20 respectively.

Eurotech's Jack Goff's topped the second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Donington Park, which saw the top four drivers blanketed by just 0.040s and the leading 24 cars covered by less than a second.

The Civic Type R pipped Jake Hill's VW, Tom Ingram's Toyota and Matt Neal's Honda respectively, in an extremely close and competitve 40-minutes of running. Goff's lap time has already eclipsed Ingram's pace-setting effort in official pre-season testing, suggesting we could be in for a pulsating qualifying session later this afternoon.

"I'm a lot happier now I'm out of the car and I've seen the time!" said Goff. "We had a bit of cross-communication on the radio and I thought I was four-tenths off the pace! It's looking okay. The car isn't perfect yet but I'm confident in the Eurotech Racing guys and in the Honda Civic Type R, so hopefully we can go and take it to the top guys in qualifying.

"I've never gone fantastically well around here in the past so hopefully we can put that right. I'm quite good in the rain as well, so I'm hopeful whatever the conditions may be."

FP1 front man Rob Austin seemed on course to make it two out of two, but the Handy Motorsport had to settle for fifth when the chequered flag fell. Michael Epps confirmed the pace of the VWs by joining stablemate Hill inside the top six.

Halfords Yuasa Racing completed its own encouraging practice programme as reigning champion Gordon Shedden claimed seventh with maximum success ballast on board.

The unpredictable nature of the BTCC was further cemented as Chris Smiley, Aiden Moffat and Ollie Jackson rounded out the top ten.

Smiley and his BTC Norlin Racing team-mate Dave Newsham have made a solid start to life in the BTCC, whilst Laser Tools Racing's Aiden Moffat is looking to bounce back from a rather lacklustre opening event at Brands Hatch. 

AmDTuning.com – running two Audis in the BTCC for the first time this year – will be pleased to see Jackson breaking into the leading order, as he and rookie team-mate Ant Whorton-Eales continue to develop the Essex team's pair of striking S3s.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Donington Park

1 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing 1m09.876s (101.96mph)
2 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.007s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.015s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.040s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.102s
6 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.235s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.336s
8 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.343s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.377s
10 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +0.378s
11 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.523s
12 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.615s
13 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.637s
14 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.643s
15 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.709s
16 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.748s
17 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.752s
18 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.783s
19 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.796s
20 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.830s
21 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.840s
22 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +0.866s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.907s
24 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.978s
25 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.037s
26 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.058s
27 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.111s
28 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.121s
29 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.223s
30 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.508s
31 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.566s
32 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.676s

Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin cruised to the top of the timesheets in free practice one of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park.

Austin experienced a mixed opening event at Brands Hatch, which initially kicked off in some style for the Evesham racer. A flying fifth place in the curtain raiser was followed by an unfortunate incident under yellow flag conditions in race two, ulitmately ending in Austin's disqualification and an end to a solid looking weekend.

Undeterred by the setback, however, Austin has again showed the pace of the Handy Toyota Avensis by setting the pace around the 1.98-mile Donington National circuit.

"We thought it would suit this circuit better," he said. "On old tyres and normal running it's a good sign early on. You can't read into it too much because you really don't know what everyone else is doing, but to be at the top with that much ease is very encouraging.

"We were top five pace at Brands Hatch a fortnight ago and we knew Donington Park would suit us better so we're hoping for a good weekend. It's all differnt in qualifying with new boots and you've got to put it all together so we'll see what we can do."

The fellow Toyota of Tom Ingram led the way for much of the 40-minute session, but he was eventually relegated down to fourth following late laps from Jack Goff's Honda and Jake Hill's VW respectively. The Team HARD-run Volkswagens have again shown their credentials after a promising opening weekend at Brands, with Michael Epps coming home sixth in this session.

BMW manufacturer driver Colin Turkington managed to wedge his 125i M Sport amongst the Independents' runners with fifth place, the Northern Irishman continuing his impressive looking return to West Surrey Racing.

A further quartet of young drivers were next in the order with Aiden Moffat (Laser Tools Racing), Chris Smiley (BTC Norlin Racing), Adam Morgan (Ciceley Motorsport) and Ash Sutton making it seven different marques in the top ten.

Such is the strength in depth of young talent in the 2017 BTCC field that the average age of the top ten was just 26.

Free practice two takes place at 12:25 before the all-important qualifying session commences at 15:40, which will be streamed live on www.itv.com/btcc.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Donington Park

1 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport 1m10.113s (101.61mph)
2 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.031s
3 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.124s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.162s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.212s
6 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.378s
7 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.460s
8 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.463s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.527s
10 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.592s
11 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.671s
12 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.705s
13 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.710s
14 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.729s
15 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +0.777s
16 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.837s
17 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.840s
18 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.048s
19 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.065s
20 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.166s
21 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.221s
22 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.315s
23 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.356s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.479s
25 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.482s
26 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.497s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.520s
28 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.700s
29 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.934s
30 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +2.582s
31 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +3.698s
32 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing NO TIME

Every Toyota Avensis is built at Toyota's UK factory in Burnaston, including Tom Ingram's race-winning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Avensis . In this film, the Speedworks Motorsport car returns to the factory line where it was created.

Speedworks Motorsport is eager to build upon its stellar start to the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park this weekend with Tom Ingram primed after a strong showing at Brands Hatch.
 
Currently contesting its seventh campaign BTCC, Speedworks came out of the blocks firing on all cylinders at Brands Hatch Indy, as Tom Ingram replicated his curtain-raising victory from 12 months earlier before adding to that triumph with a hard-fought podium finish in race two.
 
Ingram heads to Donington sitting second in both the overall Drivers’ and Independents’ Trophy standings, with Speedworks third in the Teams’ table and second in the Independent Teams’ classification.
 
With that early success, however, must come success ballast, and 23-year-old Ingram will tackle both qualifying and race one at Donington behind the wheel of a Toyota Avensis weighing in 66kg heavier than usual.
 
Given that the top 28 drivers in the high-calibre 32-car field were blanketed by less than a second in practice at Brands Hatch, any handicap is likely to be magnified.
 
With that in mind, Speedworks Team Principal Christian Dick is keeping his expectations in-check for the early stages of the weekend – albeit remaining hopeful that as the weight comes off, Ingram will be able to give full rein to both his and the Avensis’ potential.
 
“It was obviously fantastic to start the season in such emphatic fashion at Brands Hatch, and to be the fastest in the field in the only race in which everybody is on zero ballast – for the second year running – proves that our trusty Toyota is inherently a very quick car indeed,” Dick said.
 
“We similarly showed that by topping the timesheets in the official pre-season BTCC test at Donington last month, but we are under no illusions that we will be in for a much tougher challenge this weekend – particularly in qualifying and race one.
 
“The BTCC is so ultra-competitive right now, and that level of weight will probably cost a few tenths per lap around Donington – possibly more over a race distance. You only have to look at last year when Gordon Shedden was unable to stay inside the top ten on 66kg, so we’re certainly going to have a fight on our hands. That said, it’s a battle we’re relishing – and with our sights focussed firmly on the bigger picture, hopefully it will be a case of short-term pain for long-term gain.”

Long-standing BTCC partner IHG® Rewards Club launches its Podium Predictor today with the promise of big prizes, bragging rights and the chance to outwit the pundits.

Fans can follow the form book from the first three rounds or make their own forecast to decide who they think will finish first, second and third in each round and who’ll take the fastest lap. Predictions will be pitted up against those made by celebrity pundits, and a prize pool will be up for grabs at the end of every race weekend for those who come closest to the real result.

Anyone who beats the pundits’ score will be entered into a draw to win 50,000 IHG Rewards Club points – enough for a two-night break at a Holiday Inn, framed artwork of all ten BTCC circuits and four tickets to any future race weekend on the BTCC calendar. 

Any fan who correctly predicts every podium result and every fastest lap on a weekend will be in line to win the one million IHG Rewards Club points, which is equal to twenty nights in any InterContinental Hotel & Resorts, or even more nights at all of IHG’s many other great hotel brands located around the world.

COMPETITION: To celebrate Podium Predictor going live, we're teaming up with IHG® Rewards Club to give away four pairs of tickets to BTCC Rounds 4, 5 and 6 this weekend at Donington Park. To enter, head to podiumpredictor.com and make your predictions then let us know who you've gone with in the comments below this post over on Facebook or in response to this post on Twitter.

*Terms and conditions:
1x entry at podiumpredictor.com + comment on Facebook = 1 entry. 1x entry at podiumpredictor.com + reply on Twitter = 1 entry. 1 entry per platform per person. Winners will be picked at random from all the entries. The competition will close 4pm Wednesday 12 April. The winner will be announced shortly afterwards. 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 Donington Park race weekend, transport to and from the circuit is not included. The prize is non-transferrable.