Tag: BTCC

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship title race took another twist at Thruxton this past weekend (September 19/20) as Tom Ingram fired himself into contention with a sensational double win, before BTC Racing’s Josh Cook triumphed in the finale.

On a blockbuster race day around the fastest circuit in the UK, Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton moved to the summit of the standings following a trio of top five results after reigning four-time champion Colin Turkington encountered trouble.

Taking place behind closed doors and without spectators, the BTCC’s annual visit to Hampshire marked the halfway point in the season and it proved to be pivotal in setting the tone for the events to come.

Qualifying on Saturday proved to be a hotly contested affair as Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish narrowly edged out Ingram to take his second career pole position, setting a new lap record around the high-speed 2.35-mile circuit for good measure as well.

When the lights went out for race one it was Ingram who made the better of the starts as he blasted his Toyota Corolla into a lead that he would ultimately never lose to take his first win of the 2020 season.

Gapping the rest of the field early on, Ingram and Cammish served up a fascinating race-long duel as they pushed the limits of themselves and their cars.

Behind, Matt Neal maintained his incredible record of scoring a podium at Thruxton every year since 2002, edging out the Mercedes of Adam Morgan.

Race two was to be a carbon copy of race one as Ingram soaked up intense pressure from Cammish to claim a second lights-to-flag victory, aiding his championship challenge greatly. Like race one, the Honda Civic Type R of Neal finished third.

Having endured rotten luck in recent rounds, the reverse grid encounter belonged to Cook as he scored a commanding victory around his home circuit – continuing his run of scoring a BTCC victory in each of the last four visits to the track.

Drawn on pole position virtue of the reverse grid draw, Cook didn’t put a wheel wrong as he led home a BTC Racing 1-2 with team-mate Tom Chilton following him home to record the team’s best-ever result.

Motorbase Performance’s Rory Butcher rounded out the rostrum in third after an enthralling fight with Sutton and Ingram.

For Turkington, the Team BMW driver saw his day unravel in the opening encounter as a misfire resulted in a first non-points finish of the campaign and forced him to fight back in races one and two.

Two fourth place finishes and a fifth for Sutton gave him a 26-point swing on Turkington in the standings and now sees him leading the BTCC Drivers’ Championship by 16 points. Ingram’s impressive performance has moved him into third, 34 points adrift.

Despite not tallying a podium, BMW continue to head both the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ standings whilst Sutton and Laser Tools

Michael Crees enjoyed his best weekend to-date in the BTCC with two top ten finishes and that has aided his quest for the Jack Sears Trophy, which he continues to lead.

To view the full classification of results from all sessions at Thruxton, click here.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship now heads to Silverstone National on September 26/27 for Rounds 16, 17 & 18.

TOCA – organisers of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – has announced that it has signed a new five-year television contract with ITV, extending its current UK-wide free-to-air broadcasting arrangement through to the end of the 2026 season.

Having broadcast Britain’s premier motorsport series since 2002, this latest deal will take the relationship into a 25th consecutive year – making it one of the longest British sporting TV partnerships on record.

The new contract will commence from 2022 and will see ITV continue to screen the championship live and exclusive on its free-to-air ITV4 and ITV4HD channels, with at least seven hours of coverage from each race day.

Qualifying will continue to be streamed on the ITV website whilst highlights programmes and online videos will take fans even closer to the action.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “I’m immensely proud of the great and close partnership that we have with ITV. Their commitment and enthusiasm to bring the BTCC to as wide an audience as possible is absolutely unrivalled.

“It was vital to me that the BTCC maintained its vast live free-to-air coverage. Simply, we want the maximum amount of people to be able to watch our great racing – it’s the bedrock of our enormous popularity. So hiding our championship away behind a paywall would only have the exact opposite effect.

“With the new hybrid regulations and our fantastic broadcasting coverage now locked into place right through to the end of 2026, it provides the solid foundation on which all our teams and partners can base, and build, their involvement.

“I’m not sure how many major motorsport championships in the world have an unbroken (and in fact increasing) free-to-air broadcasting relationship spanning a quarter of a century with the same broadcaster, but by my reckoning it’s probably only one… the iconic British Touring Car Championship.”

The battle for supremacy in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship looks set to further intensify this coming weekend (September 19/20) as the series descends on the fastest circuit in the UK, Thruxton, for Rounds 13, 14 & 15 of the 2020 season.

Marking the halfway point in what has been an enthralling condensed campaign so far, the high-speed Hampshire venue is renowned for producing edge-of-the-seat entertainment and this year should be no different over the course of the three scheduled encounters.

Like the four events that have taken place already this year, Thruxton will unfortunately play host to Britain’s premier motorsport series behind closed doors, without spectators.

Arriving at the home of the British Automobile Racing Club, reigning champion Colin Turkington sits on top of the standings holding a ten-point advantage. The Team BMW driver has been in sensational form this year with two wins and a host of podiums being the highlight.

Chasing a record-breaking fifth title, the Northern Irishman can’t rest for a second however as he has 2017 champion Ashley Sutton breathing down his neck. The Laser Tools Racing driver has chalked up four wins this year and his relentless driving style has made him one to watch.

As the BTCC reaches the mid-point in this unprecedented year, the two rear-wheel-drive competitors look likely to continue their ding-dong battle right the way through to the series finale at Brands Hatch in November.

Behind, Rory Butcher leads the chase for the top two in third place after scoring his second win of the season whilst Tom Oliphant and Tom Ingram have both enjoyed plenty of success too, placing them fourth and fifth in the standings.

Down the years the Honda Civic Type R has proven to be a potent weapon around the sweeping 2.36-mile layout and Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish will be looking to use that to reignite his championship challenge after tallying a brace of wins early on.

Matt Neal, Tom Chilton, local star Josh Cook and Jake Hill will also be worth keeping an eye on as they aim to make their mark in their own Honda machines as well.

Other notable names to keep an eye on over the course of the weekend include Hyundai duo Senna Proctor and Chris Smiley, Oulton Park race-winner Adam Morgan and Jack Goff – to name but a few.

Thruxton will also see the return of Tom Onslow-Cole, who has rejoined Team HARD to replace the injured Ollie Brown for three events. Onslow-Cole was last in the BTCC back in 2013 and debuted the outgoing Volkswagen CC.

Every point is proving crucial in the fight for the biggest prize in UK motorsport and Thruxton always has a habit of throwing up the unexpected.

To view more information on this weekend’s event, including links to the live timing and the BTCC Digital Programme, click here.

It comes with great disappointment to confirm that the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s annual visit to Croft Circuit on October 10/11 will be run behind closed doors, without spectators.

As Britain’s premier motorsport series, the BTCC has been classified as an elite sport by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and therefore must follow the government’s elite sport pathway.

This current pathway, coupled with the recent changes to government regulations, means that we have had to take the difficult decision to operate without spectators. However we can reassure you that the BTCC will be back at Croft on June 12/13 2021.

Croft will be providing a full refund to spectators who have purchased tickets in advance of this years race meeting within the next two weeks.

We appreciate the disappointment that this will cause to our loyal supporters, but we are grateful for your understanding at this difficult time and look forward to welcoming you back to Croft again very soon.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship heads north of the border to Fife’s Knockhill Circuit this weekend (August 29/30) for its annual Scottish jaunt and the latest three rounds of what is proving to be another enthralling season.

In what has been a rapid start to the 2020 campaign with this being the fourth event taking place in five weeks, Britain’s premier motorsport series is back on track mere days after serving up an abundance of entertainment at Oulton Park.

Typically, Knockhill’s undulating, short track layout has thrown up vintage touring car action down the years and that theme looks set to continue as the 27-car field makes its traditional pilgrimage to the picturesque venue.

Leading the pack is Team BMW’s four-time reigning champion Colin Turkington, who as it stands currently sits in prime position to clinch a record-breaking fifth BTCC crown.

Two wins have been complemented by a string of other podium and points-scoring finishes to leave him 19 clear at the summit and the West Surrey Racing ace appears to show no signs of letting up either.

Ashley Sutton has been in sensational form this year and the Laser Tools Racing driver leads the chase for Turkington after clinching his second win of the season at Oulton Park.

Motorbase Performance’s Rory Butcher scored a first win of the season last time out and with the speed of Ford Focus having been well-proven, the Scotsman could enjoy a dream weekend on home soil as he bids to close the gap to the top two.

Tom Oliphant and Dan Cammish round sit forth and fifth in the standings, both also having stood on the top step of the rostrum, and keen to reaffirm their challenges to capture the biggest prize in UK motorsport.

Beyond that; Tom Ingram, Oulton Park race-winner Adam Morgan, Tom Chilton, Chris Smiley and Ollie Jackson round out the top ten and they will all be wanting a strong performance to remain within touching distance.

Notable absentees from the top ten include Josh Cook, Jake Hill, Matt Neal and Stephen Jelley, but none of them, as well as several others, shouldn’t be discounted from making an impression on the front of the field.

With three thrilling races taking centre stage at Knockhill, expect fireworks as the BTCC campaign moves towards the halfway marker.

To find out more information on this weekend’s race meeting at Knockhill, including links to live timing and the event timetable, click here. ITV4 will broadcast live coverage of Sunday’s action from 10:40.

It comes with great disappointment to confirm that the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s annual visit to Thruxton Circuit on September 19/20 will be run behind closed doors, without spectators.

As Britain’s premier motorsport series, the BTCC has been classified as an elite sport by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and therefore must follow the government’s elite sport pathway which currently doesn’t allow spectators to attend events.

We are disappointed that fans won’t be able to enjoy the BTCC and support race action in person however we can reassure you that a double dose of touring car thrills will take place around the fastest circuit in the UK in 2021.

Ticket holders for this year’s event have two options:-

OPTION 1

Thruxton would like to offer fans the opportunity to exchange their tickets for one of the two BTCC events held at the venue in 2021. Fans will benefit tickets at 2020 prices however guarantees or allocations cannot given on grandstand seats.

To exchange your tickets for Rounds 7, 8 & 9 of the 2021 season at Thruxton on May 8/9, email TransferBTCCMay2021@barc.net with you name, address and postcode.

To exchange your tickets for Rounds 22, 23 & 24 of the 2021 season at Thruxton on August 28/29, email TransferBTCCAugust2021@barc.net with your name, address and postcode.

OPTION 2

If you would like a full refund, please send your name, address and postcode to RefundBTCC@barc.net and your refund will be processed within seven working days.

Camping pre-sale tickets will be automatically refunded, with details on camping for both 2021 BTCC race meetings to be announced closer to the events.

We appreciate the disappointment that this will cause to our supporters, but we are grateful for your understanding at this difficult time and look forward to welcoming you back to Thruxton again very soon.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship saw changeable conditions play its role in producing three enthralling encounters at Oulton Park this past weekend (August 22/23) as the battle for supremacy in the 2020 title battle further intensified.

Rory Butcher, Ashley Sutton and Adam Morgan took a win apiece on a blockbuster race day around the picturesque Cheshire venue, with rain playing its part in the first two contests before things dried out for the reverse grid race.

Qualifying around the 2.23-mile circuit proved to be as competitive and exciting as ever and once the dust had settled it was Motorbase Performance’s Butcher that clinched a second successive pole position of the season.

With many of the BTCC’s big hitters all featuring towards the top of the times throughout the session, the Ford Focus driver emerged as the man to beat, pipping Josh Cook and reigning champion Colin Turkington.

BTC Racing’s Cook produced a virtuoso performance in race one to claim what he though was a first win of the season however his celebrations were to be short-lived as he was later excluded from the result after his Honda Civic Type R failed a post-race ride height check.

Dropping down the order off the start, Cook made a number of impressive moves to fight his way up the order and capped it off with a stunning move on Butcher into Old Hall Corner for the lead, diving down the inside at the last second.

Cook cantered to the chequered flag from there but his celebrations were cut short due to the penalty. Butcher inherited victory with Dan Cammish and Jake Hill rounding out the remaining podium places.

Laser Tools Racing’s Sutton showed his prowess in the wet conditions in race two as he powered his way to a second win of the season ahead of Butcher and Turkington.

Starting eighth, the 2017 champion wasted no time in scything his way up the order and was in the battle for the lead at half-distance. Making two opportunistic moves on Cammish and Turkington, the Infiniti Q50 driver then set his sights on Butcher.

Catching the Ford ace in a matter of corners, Sutton found the grip around the outside of Old Hall Corner and once in front, pulled away to notch a 16th career victory in the series.

In what was the only dry race of the day, Carlube Triple R Racing’s local man Morgan produced a defensive masterclass to become the sixth different winner from nine races. 

Getting the jump on pole sitter Bobby Thompson, the Mercedes A-Class ace soaked up an abundance of press from the Team BMW duo of Turkington and Tom Oliphant to take his first win since Rockingham in 2018.                          

Leaving Oulton Park, Turkington holds a 19-point lead over Sutton in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship whilst BMW hold a comfortable advantage in the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ categories as well.

Sutton and Laser Tools Racing remain at the summit of both Independents’ tables, with Michael Crees continuing to lead the Jack Sears Trophy.

To view the full classifications of results from all sessions, click here.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship now heads north of the border this coming weekend (August 29/30) for Rounds 10, 11 & 12 at Knockhill.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns to the track this weekend (August 22/23) for Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of at Oulton Park and it is Team BMW’s Colin Turkington that holds the early initiative at the summit of the standings.

Following one weekend off, Britain’s premier motor racing series continues its busy start to the 2020 campaign with what will be the third race meeting in four weeks.

Historically, tens of thousands of spectators have descended on the Cheshire venue for the BTCC’s annual visit down the years but that will sadly not be the case for 2020 due to the event being run behind closed doors.

Chasing a historic fifth drivers’ title, Northern Irishman Turkington has made a flying start to the season, scoring wins at Donington Park and Brands Hatch GP to open up a 17-point advantage, and the four-time reigning champion has shown no signs of slowing down.

Whilst the West Surrey Racing driver has started the year in seemingly scintillating form, it remains anybody’s game to lift the biggest prize in UK motorsport and there is already a long list of challengers on the hunt for the 38-year-old’s crown.

Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton leads the hunt in second place after enjoying a strong start to the year, clinching a maiden victory for the Infiniti Q50 at the season-opener before adding a pair of podiums last time out. The challenging demands of Oulton should be well-suited to the 2017 champion.

Turkington’s team-mate Tom Oliphant has elevated his game this year and has reaped the rewards, claiming a sensational maiden BTCC win in the reverse grid race at Brands Hatch to head into his home event sitting third overall.

Oulton Park will also be home turf for Speedworks Motorsport and Toyota Corolla ace Tom Ingram will be keen to build on his first podium of the season last time out to close the gap to the top three.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish has two wins to his name so far but bad luck in the shape of two non-finishes at Brands Hatch has left him playing catch up.

Carrying less weight however will make the Honda Civic Type R driver one to watch, as will the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus of Rory Butcher who has shown blistering speeds at times.

Ollie Jackson, Stephen Jelley have all made strong starts to the season as well and find themselves rounding out the top ten however none of them can be counted out from making an impact further up the order.

Of those who will be keen to bounce back from a tough start, notable attention should be paid to the Honda trio of Josh Cook, Tom Chilton and Jake Hill, as well as the likes of Senna Proctor, Jack Goff and Aiden Moffat, amidst many more.

To view more information on this weekend’s BTCC event, click here.

All of the action from Oulton Park will be broadcast live on ITV4 on Sunday, with coverage scheduled to begin at 11:50.

The 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continued to gather momentum at Brands Hatch this past weekend (August 8/9) with reigning champion Colin Turkington stamping his authority on the early title battle by extending his advantage at the summit of the standings.

On what was a sweltering second event of the season around the Grand Prix circuit of the famous Kent venue, Turkington powered his BMW to a second win of the year whilst Dan Cammish and Tom Oliphant also triumphed – the latter for the first time in the BTCC.

Qualifying on Saturday saw Rory Butcher produce a stunning lap to claim pole position for Motorbase Performance however the Scotsman would be unable to convert it into victory, with cruel luck striking his aspirations.

Launching from pole position, the Ford Focus driver controlled much of the running out front – albeit coming under pressure from Cammish and Turkington before a late safety car period bunched up the field.

On the restart, Butcher saw his hopes of victory slip away immediately as he suffered a puncture. Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Cammish benefited from Butcher’s woe to score his second win of the season with Turkington and a jubilant Ollie Jackson rounding out the podium.

Elation would then turn to despair in race two for Cammish as the Honda driver saw a possible podium finish disappear as his Type R cut out with a handful of laps remaining.

Four-time champion Turkington launched his West Surrey Racing 330i M Sport into a lead that he would never relinquish, and despite the feisty efforts of Tom Ingram in his Toyota Corolla, the Team BMW driver kept his cool to triumph.

Ingram backed off his charge after Cammish’s car cut out – with several others feeling the effects of the searing temperatures as well –  to score his first podium of the year. Ashley Sutton completed the rostrum in his Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50.

Arguably, the story of race two was the sensational charge through the field by Butcher, he scythed his way up the order to finish fourth after starting in 25th.

The BTCC capped off a scorching weekend with a reverse grid encounter that will live long in the memory, as Team BMW’s Oliphant claimed a spectacular maiden win.

Starting sixth, the rear-wheel-drive ace powered his way up to third off the start and then made one of the passes of the season as he blitzed around the outside of Aiden Moffat and Stephen Jelley heading into Paddock Hill Bend to take the lead.

From there, Oliphant didn’t put a wheel wrong as he soaked up extreme race-long pressure from Sutton to cross the line in front and win, handing West Surrey Racing their 300th podium in the BTCC at the same time. Jelley rounded out the rostrum in third.

Following the second event of the season, Turkington leads the BTCC Drivers’ Championship by 16 points ahead of Sutton whilst Team BMW head both the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ standings.

Sutton and Laser Tools Racing head both Independents’ categories, with Michael Crees maintaining his lead in the Jack Sears Trophy.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Brands Hatch, click here.

Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place on August 22/23 at Oulton Park.

With the dust having just about settled on a pulsating season-opener at Donington Park, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is immediately back in action this weekend (August 8/9) at Brands Hatch for Rounds 4, 5 and 6.

After nearly ten months without racing, Britain’s premier motorsport series blasted back into life in blockbuster fashion and yielding three different winners as Dan Cammish, Colin Turkington and Ashley Sutton all triumphed.

Now, the Grand Prix layout of Brands Hatch provides the latest stop on the condensed calendar for the BTCC and championship battle is only set to intensify – with every point set to be crucial in deciding who will lift the coveted title.

The top of the standings has a familiar feel heading into the weekend as reigning, four-time champion Turkington holds the early advantage. The Team BMW driver began the defence of his crown in style with a pole position, win and second place and arrives in Kent with a six point lead.

Having narrowly missed out on the title last year, Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Cammish put the demons of last year behind to kick off the new campaign on the right foot, winning the opener and the Yorkshireman will be keen to continue his quest for a maiden title at the wheel of the rapid Honda Civic Type R this weekend.

Arguably the star of the 2020 curtain-raiser was the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti of Sutton. On his debut for the team, the 2017 champion produced an overtaking masterclass across all three races to not only take a historic maiden win for the car but also fastest lap in each encounter.

Seemingly at one with the rear-wheel-drive machine, the 26-year-old will be one to watch around the iconic 2.43-mile circuit as he aims to close the nine point deficit between himself and Turkington.

Beyond the race winners, Donington Park also saw a host of other drivers underline that they will be firmly in the mix for the title throughout the season.

Rory Butcher, Tom Oliphant, Josh Cook and Chris Smiley all notched podium finishes at the Leicestershire venue and each of them will be keen to add further silverware at Brands Hatch.

Speedworks Motorsport’s Tom Ingram made a solid start to the season, as did Matt Neal, Adam Morgan and any one of them could power their way into the early championship conversation.

Of those aiming to bounce back from a rollercoaster weekend; Jake Hill, Tom Chilton, Senna Proctor and Stephen Jelley are four drivers that will be worth keeping a keen eye on.

To view more information on this weekend such as links to live timing and the timetable, click here.

Like Donington Park, this weekend’s event at Brands Hatch will be run behind closed doors and with spectators not permitted to attend. ITV4’s live coverage on Sunday will begin at 10:20.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship blasted back into life in dramatic fashion this past weekend (August 1/2) at Donington Park with Dan Cammish, Colin Turkington and Ashley Sutton sharing the spoils.

Commencing 294 days since the 2019 season finale, Britain’s premier motorsport series took centre stage at the Leicestershire venue to kick-start the new season in style, albeit behind closed doors.

Qualifying around the 1.9-mile circuit proved to be a frenetic affair on Saturday as the 26-car grid chased pole position. Reigning four-time champion Turkington emerged as the driver to beat in the end, setting a new lap record on his way to pole position.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Cammish, who qualified second, would go on to score victory in the season-opener after getting the better of Turkington and Sutton in memorable, back and forth battle for the lead.

Launching into second place off the line, Laser Tools Racing’s Sutton was a man on a mission in the opening stages and soon began to hound the back of Turkington. On lap four,  the critical moment of the contest came as Sutton got the switchback on Turkington and made his move.

Running side-by-side through McLeans, contact was made and as the field streamed up to Coppice, Cammish took advantage to squeeze by both of the, while contact from Tom Ingram on Turkington tapped the BMW driver into Sutton – sending him spinning down the order.

Recovering to finish 14th at the flag, it was a race of what ifs for Sutton as Cammish led Turkington to the chequered flag, with Rory Butcher rounding out the podium in the brand-new Motorbase Performance Ford Focus.

Race two would see Turkington cruise to an impressive lights-to-flag victory ahead of Butcher and Team BMW team-mate Tom Oliphant. Out-dragging the ballast ladened Cammish off the line, the Northern Irishman powered his way into the lead and ultimately never looked back.

Further back, all eyes were on 2017 champion Sutton as he once again served up an overtaking masterclass, scything his way though the field to take cross the line in fifth, just behind Ingram.

Virtue of the reverse grid draw, Chris Smiley was drawn onto pole position but it was to be Sutton that stole the show once again, speeding to a historic first victory for the Infiniti Q50 after starting eighth.

In the thick of the action from the get-go, the 26-year-old picked his way through the top ten and soon found himself on the back of an enthralling four-way battle for the lead, which also included Smiley, Ollie Jackson and Josh Cook.

Jumping into second not long after catching the leaders, Sutton soon found a way past Smiley and made his escape to clinch a 15th career win.

At the end of the opening weekend, Turkington holds a slender advantage at the top of the BTCC Drivers’ Championship ahead of Cammish and Sutton, with Team BMW topping the Teams’ Championship.

Honda and BMW are tied at the summit of the BTCC Manufacturer/Constructors Championship whilst Rory Butcher and Motorbase Performance are in control of both Independents’ categories. Michael Crees leads the Jack Sears Trophy.

To view the full results from this past weekend, click here.

Rounds 4, 5 and 6 of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on August 8/9.