Adrian Flux Subaru Racing driver Ash Sutton has secured a double victory at Snetterton after producing another imperious drive around the 2.99-mile Norfolk circuit.

The race one winner made a good getaway in the second bout and was able to fend off Jack Goff's Honda and the fast starting BMW of Andrew Jordan into Riches. From there, Sutton gradually pulled away from the chasing back squabbling behind and he was more than six seconds clear in the latter stages. The Subaru Levorg cruised through the final laps as Sutton took the chequered flag and with it, the championship lead.

"We’re in some real rhythm at the minute and I’m really enjoying it," enthused Sutton. "The car’s phenomenal. We made some changes between races and if anything, it was better than it was in race one. It always helps when there’s a lot of squabbling going on behind but I’m so focused on what’s going on ahead – forget the mirrors and crack on!

"It’d be a push to do it again in race three. The soft tyre isn’t as strong as everyone was expecting it to be here, and with full ballast it’ll be a real challenge but I’m up for it. Considering where we were at the end of Brands (and the opening three rounds) I’ll take where we are now! It’s just about being consistent now and it’ll only get harder from here on in."

Goff and Jordan couldn't hang on in their pursuit for podium positions, as they were eventually muscled down the order. Contact between Jordan and Jason Plato on the opening lap sent the Subaru man tumbling out of contention, but there was worse to follow for Josh Cook and Stewart Lines towards the back of the field as both cars were fired off into the barrier. Cook's MG continued but the safety car was called in order to retrieve Lines' stricken Ford.

Team BMW duo of Rob Collard and Colin Turkington made their way past Jordan and Goff after the restart as they began their own intra-team battle for second. Jordan and Goff were further demoted when Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo's Mat Jackson also got by.

Turkington got the run on team-mate Collard along the Bentley Straight on lap 12, before the double champion completed the move around the outside at Brundle's. Collard had to be alert to tuck back in and defend from Jackson and that's how the top four positions would remain until the finish, whilst Goff and Jordan came home behind the lead quartet.

"It’s always a lot more difficult trying to pass your team-mate!" said Turkington. "Both Andy (Jordan) and Rob (Collard) were quick at the start but I got the sense later on that they were starting to struggle – I was getting it turned in a little better. Side-by-side through the Esses is probably not advised but as a driver you’re just hungry to get as high up as you can."

Reigning champion Gordon Shedden enjoyed another thrilling race as he came from 13th on the grid to finish seventh - and with it a front row start for race three.

Arguably the performance of the race, however, went to Subaru's James Cole, who has been showing solid progress in recent rounds. The Liverpool man eventually finished eighth after a last gasp pass on Honda's Matt Neal, and he would be further rewarded with pole position for today's final showdown. Neal took ninth ahead of Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 17 – Snetterton

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 14 laps
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +2.955s
3 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +3.657s
4 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +5.494s
5 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +8.166s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +8.419s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +8.901s
8 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +9.388s
9 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +10.792s
10 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +11.765s
11 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +12.176s
12 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +12.582s
13 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +14.196s
14 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +14.501s
15 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +14.973s
16 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +15.297s
17 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +15.708s
18 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +16.136s
19 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +19.505s
20 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +22.651s
21 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +22.981s
22 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +26.022s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +26.354s
24 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +26.820s
25 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +27.230s
26 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +29.882s
27 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +32.587s
28 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1m25.152s
29 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1m27.008s
DNF Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +10 laps
DNF Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +14 laps

Ashley Sutton took advantage of his rivals' woes to win Round 16 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton.

Colin Turkington's front-row starting BMW 125i M Sport made its normal fantastic getaway off the line and was by pole-sitter Jack Goff on the run down to Riches. An uncharacteristic mistake from the Northern Irishman, however, saw him spinning out of race-winning contention later in the race, which had seemingly handed Goff his chance to claim victory.

The Eurotech Racing driver produced a stellar performance, but after choosing to run the Dunlop SportMaxx option tyre – the softer compound of the two on offer – the pace of the Honda Civic began to fade late in proceedings.

Sutton eyed his opportunity as he reeled in the 1.2 second gap ahead of him and when Goff's Honda wiggled slightly on the exit of Hamilton's the pair were side-by-side on the drive down to Oggies corner. Sutton's Subaru Levorg completed the move and he went on to take his third win of the season – further building his championship challenging momentum.

"I didn’t want the summer break at all," said Sutton, having also won races at both Oulton Park and Croft. "We came here and showed good performance. We didn’t put it on the front row in qualifying but it’s only a part of the puzzle. I wouldn’t have expected a mistake like that from Colin (Turkington) when he was out front and from then I knew my time with Jack (Goff) would be a waiting game.

"He made one slight error and I made the most of my opportunity – I just managed to nip under him. If there’s a win on the cards, you know I’m going to do my best to get it. I can’t thank Adrian Flux Subaru Racing enough as they’ve been fantastic from the off, right on it. We found a lot of issues with the car in the test with both mine and Jason Plato's car and we’ve sorted a lot of them. The championship is in the back of my mind but race wins are key at the moment, so it’s about calculating risks."

Goff, on the other hand, declared he had mixed feeling about the result, "I was saying before the race that I wouldn’t be happy unless I converted pole into a win," he said. "But with front-wheel drive and soft tyres around here, it was always going to be tough to outdo a rear-wheel drive car on medium rubber. Second is better than a DNF and we’re pleased really.

"I had a call over the radio to say I’d lost two-tenths to Ash (Sutton) but then pulled it back and we were managing the gap. Maybe putting the hammer down took some life out of the tyres, meaning he could eventually catch. I think previously we expected the soft to be the better tyre choice here but it went off a bit out there towards the end. It’s out of the way now so let’s see what we can do with the mediums."

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal took an extremely hard-earned podium position, as he had Andrew Jordan's BMW and Jason Plato's Subaru breathing down his neck at the finish. The latter two had been inseparable throughout the 12 lap contest but Pirtek BMW's Jordan produced his own defensive masterclass to grab fourth.

"I’m over the moon with third, it’s like a win for us," confirmed Neal. "I can’t say I was upset to see Tom (Ingram) disappear from my mirrors – I don’t know what happened to him. It was then a case of hanging on really – making no mistakes and looking after the tyres to bring it home. With five laps to go, I thought ‘I’m not going to have enough left here’ to hold off Andy (Jordan) but I think the Subaru (Plato) kept him busy luckily enough, and I managed to keep it clean and hold on."

As noted, Neal's initial challenge came from the Toyota pair of Tom Ingram and Rob Austin, but contact between the two Avensis' scuppered their hopes. Austin retired with suspension damage, whilst Ingram recovered to finish eighth, one place behind the similarly recovering Turkington.

This meant it was a hugely popular top six finish for TAG Racing's Jake Hill. The Kent driver's pace has not always been converted into the results he has arguably deserved, but that wasn't the case in this encounter as the Team HARD-run VW stayed out of trouble and produced the goods.

Rob Collard's BMW and Tom Chilton's Vauxhall completed the top ten position, with the former seemingly struggling for pace in his ballast laden 125i M Sport.

Gordon Shedden had to cope with maximum ballast and a lowly grid position, but the Scotsman carved his way brilliantly through the order. The Honda man looked on for an encouraging 11th place finish but he lost two places on the final lap following contact with his fellow countryman Aiden Moffat. 

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 16 – Snetterton

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 12 laps
2 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +2.332s
3 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +6.707s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +6.916s
5 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +7.743s
6 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +12.145s
7 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +12.378s
8 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +19.459s
9 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +22.446s
10 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +22.762s
11 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +27.396s
12 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +29.331s
13 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +30.158s
14 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +30.784s
15 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +31.217s
16 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +31.625s
17 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +31.954s
18 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +32.385s
19 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +32.782s
20 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +38.302s
21 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +41.897s
22 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +42.350s
23 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1m17.532s
24 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1 lap
DNF Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +3 laps
DNF Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +4 laps
DNF Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +7 laps
DNF Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +7 laps
DNF Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +7 laps
DNF Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +7 laps
DNF Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +12 laps

Following qualifying from Snetterton yesterday, btcc.net took the time to speak to Eurotech Racing's Jack Goff to discuss his maiden pole position, alongside second-placed man Colin Turkington and third-placed Ash Sutton.

Halfords Yuasa Racing driver Matt Neal has had his fastest lap time set during qualifying for Round 16 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton reinstated.

Neal’s Honda Civic Type R had been adjudged to have failed a ride height test during the session, but this has subsequently been overturned during a post-qualifying appeal to the Stewards by the team.

The appeal was based on the fact that a non-official was assisting with the weighing/ride height checking process. The rules state that only registered scrutineers and officials may enter the weighing area.

Due to this oversight the decision has been taken to reinstate Neal’s previously removed lap time, which has subsequently promoted him back to fourth place on the grid for tomorrow’s opening race.

Eurotech Racing's Jack Goff claimed his first ever Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship pole position as he produced a lap of a lifetime during qualifying at Snetterton.

The Honda Civic Type R driver led the way for the majority of the 30-minute session, but it was his final run where the young talent unlocked his true potential. Goff rounded the 2.99-mile Norfolk circuit in a hugely impressive time of 1:55.786s, which would ultimately leave him nearly half a second quicker than his nearest challenger.

"It’s always a bit worrying when you get out of the car before the session ends!" said Goff. "It’s my first pole and it’s all down to these Eurotech guys. They’ve put the work in and the Honda Civic Type R was just fantastic out there. The car didn’t feel a thing like it did this morning. We knew we had some sort of problem in the car holding us back and we found the issue, which helped us. I think there was even a 1m55.5s in there somewhere, I could have gone even faster on that lap.

"It’s looking good, but we’ve got two rear-wheel drive cars directly behind and alongside us, so we’ll have to see what we can do at the start tomorrow. We’ve worked hard through the summer break and during the mid-season test and we’ve found a lot of things that were really good for the car and some ideas we had to chuck in the bin. We’ve been finding little bits and those bits add up. We’ve had a few bad rounds – Oulton and obviously Croft – with just a point from the last two weekends, so to come back here with a bang is perfect."

The chasing pack was eventually headed by Team BMW's Colin Turkington, who also showed his credentials in the final moments by pipping Ashley Sutton to the final place on the front row of the grid.

"There was a threat of rain coming late on in the session, so I was eager to get out there and bank a lap," confirmed Turkington.

"It was a surprise to me this morning to be where we were, as the BMW always goes well around here. We hadn’t looked fast in practice, so it’s nice to flip it around in qualifying with the improvements we made from free practice. The guys gave me a great car when it mattered and I’ll take second place all day with the third heaviest car out there (in terms of success ballast)."

Sutton's effort shouldn't be underestimated, however, as the Adrian Flux Subaru Racing star bounced back from a track limits discrepancy to fire himself up the order in the closing seconds.

"We did a quick time but that was taken from under us, and we knew why (track-limits infringements)," explained Sutton. "I knew we had one last shot and we managed to do it at the last and go quicker than we had before. We’re still working on setup but it’s the closest we’ve come to finding the sweet spot. To be honest, the Hondas' performance here last year showed how strong front-wheel drive is around here. We know how tough Snetterton is on rear-wheel drive cars, in terms of tyre management, so we’ll just have to see how we go."

Fourth placed Matt Neal originally had his quickest lap time removed when his car was adjudged to have failed a ride height test during the session. Following a post-qualifying appeal to the Stewards by Halfords Yuasa Racing, the original decision was in fact overturned and triple champion Neal will indeed line-up on the second row.

Tom Ingram, Adam Morgan and Rob Austin had shown consistent pace throughout the day and the trio consolidated their form by taking fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. Speedworks Motorsport's Ingram had set the fastest time of the day prior to qualifying and was 'slightly frustrated' not to have challenged for pole position, whilst Morgan's Mercedes and Austin's Toyota showed similar speed to the earlier indications during practice.

Andrew Jordan and Rob Collard made it three BMWs in the top ten in eighth and tenth respectively, whilst Jason Plato wedged his Subaru Levorg between them in ninth. The most notable absentee from the front-running order was reigning champion and standings leader Gordon Shedden – the Scotsman will start tomorrow's opening encounter from 21st on the grid.

Snetterton is set to host three thrilling BTCC races on Sunday with thousands of fans expected to attend the Norfolk venue, whilst many more will catch the action live on ITV4 with the coverage commencing at 1045.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Snetterton

1 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing 1m55.786s (92.30 mph)
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.460s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.589s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.829s
5 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.877s
6 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.900s
7 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.004s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1.078s
9 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.238s
10 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.239s
11 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1.271s
12 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.281s
13 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.354s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.385s
15 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.405s
16 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.476s
17 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.489s
18 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.277s
19 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.582s
20 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.635s
21 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.657s
22 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.663s
23 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.676s
24 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.804s
25 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.875s
26 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.921s
27 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.932s
28 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.525s
29 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.620s
30 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +3.019s
31 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +4.965s

Young rookie Josh Price is making steady progress during his maiden BTCC season and the young gun arrived at Snetterton with new colours emblazoned across his Subaru Levorg.

Now running under the A-Plan Academy banner, we caught up with Price after he set the second fastest time in the final practice session at the Norfolk venue...

Eurotech Racing's Jack Goff produced the goods in the second BTCC Free Practice session at Snetterton, as the Honda Civic Type R driver set the quickest lap time ahead of Josh Price and Adam Morgan.

The pace was some way off this morning's running with a number of teams focussing on set-up and the long-term picture , but it was still a hugely impressive effort from the lead trio.

"It seems to be going okay so far," confirmed Goff. "Free Practice is as it is, so it means nothing really until qualifying unfortunately. We've definitely got more time in our car, so that's promising and we're hopeful – it's nowhere near perfect yet. The boys are, I'm sure, going to do a fantastic job again ahead of quali and find a few more tenths in the car to see where it'll leave us this afternoon."

Price's Subaru is sporting new colours this weekend as he runs under the A-Plan Academy banner for the remainder of the season, and the off-track boost has seemingly been converted on-track too. Languishing down in 26th during the opening session, the young rookie completed a stunning lap to take second in final practice – his best result in any BTCC session so far.

Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan led the way for much of the proceedings, before having to settle for third, but the Mercedes A-Class has shown extremely well so far in Norfolk.

This morning's pace-setters – Tom Ingram and Ash Sutton – backed up their potential by taking fourth and fifth respectively, whilst Rob Austin completed the top six. Handy Motorsport's Austin has qualified well throughout the year and he currently holds more the double the points at this stage of the season than he did last year. Besides the overall championship picture, Austin currently lies just three points behind the sister Toyota of Ingram in the Independent Drivers' standings.

Four different marques rounded out the top ten as Josh Cook (MG), Mat Jackson (Ford), Aiden Moffat (Mercedes) and Matt Neal (Honda) all enjoyed solid runs ahead of this aftenoon's all-important qualifying session, which you can see live at www.itv.com/btcc from 15:45.

There was one brief stoppage in the session when Matt Simpson went off and damaged the left hand side of his car, although the man himself confirmed to btcc.net that it was 'relatively minor damage' and he would fine to contest qualifying.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Snetterton

1 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing 1m56.504s (91.74 mph)
2 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.277s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.287s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.394s
5 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.405s
6 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.501s
7 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.571s
8 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.670s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.764s
10 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.778s
11 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.862s
12 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.954s
13 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.981s
14 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.996s
15 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.031s
16 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.041s
17 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1.048s
18 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.072s
19 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.101s
20 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.116s
21 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.227s
22 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.259s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.307s
24 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1.313s
25 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.317s
26 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.351s
27 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.421s
28 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.483s
29 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.123s
30 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +2.618s
31 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +3.771s

Tom Ingram is looking to return to form at Snetterton this weekend and the Toyota star has already shown promising signs by topping the opening session at the Norfolk track.

Maybe the talented Speedworks man has taken some inspiration from a recent run in the BTCC title-winning Toyota Corolla GT Coupe...

Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram topped the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Free Practice session at Snetterton as the Toyota driver looks to get his title charge back on track.

The series returns to action this weekend after its traditional mid-season break and it seems that Ingram is refreshed and ready to go. The 26-year-old made a blistering start to the campaign – leading the standings after the third event at Thruxton in May – but his challenge rather unravelled at both Oulton Park and Croft thereafter. His driving ability and potent Toyota Avensis has never been in doubt, however, so it will come as little surprise to see the multiple BTCC race-winner competing at the front again this weekend.

Ash Sutton led the way for much of the FP1 running, backing up his pace-setting efforts in the recent two-day test at the Norfolk circuit, but the Subaru star eventually had to settle for second after Ingram's 1:56.003s lap time.

Ciceley Motorsport enjoyed a good solid session with Adam Morgan bringing his Mercedes A-Class home in third place, ahead of the BMW duo of Andrew Jordan and Colin Turkington.

Jack Goff and Rob Austin left it late to set their best times in the session, with the former getting the better of the battle by just 0.002s - the Eurotech Racing and Handy Motorsport drivers ending up sixth and seventh respectively.

There were some surprise packages in the lower end of the top ten with Chris Smiley, James Cole and Ollie Jackson completing the order. All 31 cars were out on track during the 40 minutes of running.

The second practice session takes place at 1210, whilst qualifying for Round 16 of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is scheduled for 1550. You can keep up to date with the action via our LIVE commentary and timing service here, whilst ITV will bring you live and exclusive coverage of qualifying over at www.itv.com/btcc.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Snetterton

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 1m56.003s (92.13 mph)
2 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.102s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.414s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.420s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.429s
6 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.547s
7 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.549s
8 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.744s
9 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.983s
10 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.025s
11 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.029s
12 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.167s
13 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1.193s
14 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.236s
15 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.241s
16 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.296s
17 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.319s
18 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.403s
19 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.556s
20 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.565s
21 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.671s
22 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.753s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.769s
24 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.779s
25 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.790s
26 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.940s
27 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +2.155s
28 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +2.233s
29 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.457s
30 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +4.458s
31 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +4.782s

Team BMW heads to Snetterton this weekend aiming to maintain its position as Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship leaders as the season resumes after its summer break.

The WSR-run outfit leads the Teams’ Championship after 15 of 30 races while BMW is ahead in the Manufacturers’ points race thanks to four victories and 10 podiums from Rob Collard and Colin Turkington.

Hampshire racer Collard is enjoying his best BTCC campaign to date with a record number of points and podiums by the midway point. The only driver to score points in every race so far in 2017, he lies second in the Drivers’ Championship.

He claimed his best Snetterton result last year with a second-place finish following a sensational battle in race three, and is aiming for a big haul of points, despite heading into the weekend carrying 66kgs of success ballast.

Northern Irishman Turkington has won at Snetterton four times in the BTCC and has been victorious at the 2.99-mile Norfolk circuit in each of the past two seasons.

The two-time champion was a winner at Croft last time out to move up to third in the Drivers’ tally and carries 57kgs this weekend.

Collard said: "The first half of the season has gone superbly; I've been on the podium at every event and am the only driver to finish in the points in every race. I’m second in the Drivers’ Championship, which is exactly where I was this time last year, but I’m 21 points better off, which shows the continuing improvements of the Team BMW 125i M Sport and my driving. That level of consistency is what wins championships and the aim is certainly to continue that form at Snetterton.”

Turkington said: "I have a little bit of ground to make up because of a bad weekend at Oulton Park, and that proves you need to maximise your points at every event to stay in contention. I’ve won at Snetterton four times so I’m pretty optimistic that I can score well this weekend and continue to close in on the lead of the points table.”

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “We've had a strong season so far, maximising our performances when we needed to, rather than by having the out-and-out fastest car. Now we come to Snetterton, which has been a good circuit for the BMW since the layout was changed in 2011. Rob and Colin are well placed and therefore both are heavy ballast-wise, but this is nothing unusual when you’re fighting for titles and we’ll use the information gathered in testing here a few weeks ago to help us this weekend.”

Meanwhile, at BMW Pirtek Racing, Andrew Jordan heads into the sixth meeting of the season sitting seventh in the championship standings after a mixed start to his first year at the wheel of his West Surrey Racing-run BMW 125i M Sport.
 
Wins at Donington Park and Oulton Park have been the undoubted high for the 28-year-old, who has led more laps than anyone else at the half-way point of the season, while 13 points scoring finishes in 15 starts have helped BMW Pirtek Racing to fifth in the Teams’ Championship.
 
The last meeting before the summer break proved to be the most challenging of the season so far for Andrew after his car was extensively damaged in a qualifying accident, with his team working round the clock to ensure he was able to compete on race day.
 
With the BMW now fully repaired, and a successful two-day test at the Norfolk circuit under his belt, Andrew goes into the weekend in confident mood and with his sights firmly set on returning to the front of the field.
 
Jordan said: “Croft was a tough weekend because of the incident in qualifying, and it was a bonus that we even raced there on the Sunday given the condition that the car was in,” he said.
 
“The boys at WSR performed a real miracle to get the BMW in a position where we could compete, and the summer break has given the team the chance to not only fix the car, but to look at how we can improve it going into the second half of the year.
 
“The six week break seems to have really dragged and I can’t wait to get back in the car this weekend, especially at a circuit where the BMW should be good. I think we found some gains during the test earlier in the month and I go to Snetterton with wins, podiums and a good haul of points as my aim.”