Silverstone provides next stop on the calendar of thrilling BTCC campaign

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is speeding towards the business end of the season and with it still all to play for, this weekend’s (September 26/37) visit to Silverstone could yet see another shift in power.

One week on from a frenetic weekend at the fastest circuit in the country, Thruxton, the UK’s most prestigious series heads to the home of British motorsport for what could be a pivotal three contests in deciding the destiny of this year’s title.

Sitting on top of the standings heading to the Northamptonshire venue is Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton, who holds an 18-point lead over reigning champion Colin Turkington.

At the wheel of the Infiniti Q50 this year, the 2017 title winner has been in sublime form and is one of only two drivers to score points in every race so far. His four wins have been the cornerstone of his challenge and now out front, he will be a hard man to unseat as he chases a second crown.

Having led the standings up until Thruxton, Team BMW’s Turkington will be looking to bounce back from a frustrating weekend at the high-speed Hampshire track. Like Sutton, the Northern Irishman has been sensational and with less ballast on-board his BMW 330i M Sport, the 38-year-old will be gunning to gain ground.

Given that rear-wheel-drive machinery should be better-suited to the flowing layout of Silverstone, both Sutton and Turkington will be eyeing more silverware however both will undoubtedly have one eye on the chasing pack.

Leading that chase is Toyota Gazoo Racing with Ginsters ace Tom Ingram, whose two wins at Thruxton have fired him into contention. With his sights firmly set on the top two, Ingram will be confident of closing the points deficit further, especially as he was a double-winner at Silverstone last year.

Motorbase Performance’s Rory Butcher and Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish have tallied a brace of wins each and the duo round out the top five, both optimistic that they too can stake their claim to the biggest prize in UK motorsport.

Tom Oliphant, Tom Chilton, Adam Morgan, Matt Neal and Senna Proctor round out the top ten and all five have stood on the podium at some stage during the season.

Beyond the top ten, a host of others drivers will be keen to make their mark as the series ventures into the second half of the campaign.

BTC Racing’s Josh Cook put his run of bad luck behind him to triumph at Thruxton and the Honda driver will be chasing more silverware, as will Jake Hill and Chris Smiley.

One of the biggest stories over the course of the weekend will be the eagerly anticipated debut of Jade Edwards. Becoming the first female driver to compete in the BTCC since 2007, Edwards will take over driving duties of the Power Maxed Car Care Racing Vauxhall Astra.

With twists and turns undoubtedly set to play out around the National layout of Silverstone, the battle for supremacy in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is only set to intensify.

To find out more information on this weekend’s event, including links to live timing and the timetable, click here.