Tag: BTCC

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has confirmed a number of regulation and procedural changes ahead of the 2021 season.

Following on from an end-of-season meeting between Series Organisers TOCA and all participating teams, tweaks to the qualifying format, tyre options, success ballast and fan enhancements have all been ratified.

Having been trialled at Snetterton in 2020, the ‘Top Ten Showdown’ qualifying session will return next year; this time at Donington Park, Snetterton and Silverstone.

Those three events will see the traditional 30-minute session replaced by a marginally reduced window of 25 minutes for drivers to record their lap times. After a short five-minute break, the fastest ten competitors will then progress into a ten-minute session to determine the top ten places on the grid.

Competitors will use variety of tyre compounds during the season as well as the ‘Option’ tyre is phased back-in at four of the ten scheduled events.

Oulton Park, Croft and Snetterton will see the Goodyear soft tyre used as the ‘Option’ whilst the Goodyear medium compound is the selected ‘Option’ tyre at Knockhill.

Over the course of those four events the ‘Option’ tyre must be used in one of the three races. Teams do not have to specify which race they will use the compound in before qualifying, with all choices being declared upon the cars leaving the pit-lane on their way to the grid.

Events at Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Silverstone will see only the Goodyear medium compound allocated, whilst both visits to Thruxton will see only the hard compound used.

Success ballast will be increased for the forthcoming campaign with the maximum weight of 75kgs being reintroduced, an increase from the current 60kgs. Ballast will be issued throughout the top ten as follows for 2021: 75kgs-66kgs-57kgs-48kgs-39kgs-33kgs-27kgs-21kgs-15kgs-9kgs.

Finally, following the initiative’s successful introduction at Silverstone in 2019, pit garages will again be reversed for the benefit of fans at events at those venues where it is practical to do so.

Pit garages will face into the paddock area, rather than the pit-lane, meaning teams and drivers will carry out a majority of their preparation work in clear view of spectators and adding a further dimension to the fan experience during a race weekend.

The 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will commence at Brands Hatch on April 3/4.

Ashley Sutton has admitted that it is an ‘absolute dream’ to have become a two-time champion of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship after wrapping up the crown at Brands Hatch this past weekend.

The Laser Tools Racing driver had entered the season finale with ground to make up on Colin Turkington and he did just that as he powered his Infiniti Q50 to second place in race one before scoring an empathic win in race two.

Sitting in the box seat heading into the final contest of the campaign, the rear-wheel-drive ace battled his way to sixth place amidst the tricky conditions to seal the most coveted prize in UK motorsport for the second time, having previously won it in 2017 in a Subaru Levorg.

In addition, Sutton made it a year to remember by also clinching the BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship and helped guide Laser Tools Racing to a maiden BTCC Independent Teams’ Championship.

Commenting on his success, Sutton said: “Two-time British Touring Car Champion – what a feeling! This one feels even sweeter than back in 2017 and it’s an absolute dream; it’s been a while since an Independent team won the overall championship and huge credit has to go to everyone at Laser Tools Racing, BMR Engineering, all of the teams sponsors, my own personal sponsors, my family and friends – none of this would have been possible without them.

“They say that the second title is easier to win than the first but I can tell you that isn’t the case at all. We came into the weekend as prepared as we could have been and I was feeling confident we would be strong in those wet conditions – I love them.

“I said I was going to come all guns blazing and I did that to a point, however I’ve learnt the lesson at Croft and knew that we had to be smart. Scoring a podium in the first race was a great start and then the car came alive in race two, it surprised me a bit. In race three I wasn’t willing to make a move on Colin until he made a mistake or left the door open, which he did and I made the most of it. I’d like to think that we won the championship in that last race with the inner racer showing.

“Back in March at Media Day we rolled out this brand new car but because of the pandemic we basically had to put it back on the shelf. We’ve had our ups and downs but everyone has pulled together to achieve three titles is phenomenal; not bad at all for a first year.

“Standing on that podium wasn’t the same without the fans, they really make the BTCC what it is. Hopefully we’ve been able to put on a show for everyone this season during what has been a difficult year and fingers crossed we will be able to welcome them back trackside in 2021.

“We’ll savour this moment but I’m really looking forward to what lies ahead. I want to make my mark on the BTCC, keep racking up the wins, podiums, championships and achieve the sort of things like Lewis [Hamilton] has done in F1.”

As the dust settles on the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Thruxton Circuit is already giving fans plenty to cheer about by putting tickets for its two 2021 events on-sale.

Coming off the back of an unprecedented season which saw Ashley Sutton crowned champion for a second time, Britain’s premier motorsport series will enjoy a double dose of touring car thrills around the fastest circuit in the UK next year – the first coming on May 8/9 before a visit later in the season on August 28/29.

With Christmas just around the corner, the Hampshire venue is offering fans a discount until the end of December that can see them save more than 30% compared to ‘on the gate’ prices.

In addition to the BTCC, tickets for the return of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship on June 4/5/6 are also now on-sale at special pre-Christmas prices.

Ticket options for all three blockbuster events can be found by visiting https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/news/1057/btcc-bsb-christmas-tickets-2021.

Should Thruxton be unable to have spectators at a race meeting in 2021, customers will have the option of either a full refund or to transfer their tickets.

Stringent measures are in place to ensure that Thruxton operates a COVID safe environment, ensuring that spectators remain safe whilst soaking up the on-track action.

To find out more information on Thruxton’s COVID protocols, as well as all of the latest information regarding its 2021 race meetings, head to https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/.

Ashley Sutton returned to the summit of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship mountain at Brands Hatch this past weekend (November 14/15) as the Laser Tools Racing driver was crowned champion for the second time in his career.

Heading into the season finale sitting second in the standings and needing to overturn a nine-point deficit to Colin Turkington, the Infiniti Q50 driver produced a superlative final day performance to become a two-time champion by 14 points.

In addition to clinching the biggest prize in UK motorsport, Sutton also wrapped up the BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship and helped guide Laser Tools Racing to a maiden BTCC Independent Teams’ Championship title as well.

Bringing the curtain down on a dramatic season of tin top thrills and spills at the Kent venue, treacherous weather conditions played their part across both days – adding to the nail-biting spectacle.

Sutton kicked off his weekend in style during qualifying as he powered his way to third whilst Turkington could only manage eighth. Pole position though would go the way of Toyota Gazoo Racing with Ginsters’ Tom Ingram after a late surge to the top of the times in the session.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish produced one of the best drives of his BTCC career to-date in the opening contest on Sunday, moving from fourth on the grid in the extreme wet to chalk up his fourth win of the season.

Making his way to the front with a number of daring moves, Cammish never looked back once out front whilst Sutton took control of the standings as he followed the Honda man home, with Ingram third and Turkington splashing his way to ninth.

Sutton edged closer in his quest to be crowned champion in race two as he stormed to victory in a pulsating wet-dry penultimate race of the season. Opting to run slick tyres and starting second, the 2017 champion held position during the early stages whilst those on wets came to the fore.

A handful of laps later however, the slick-shod cars were in the ascendancy and rear-wheel-drive wasted no time in moving into the lead. Once out front, he powered his way to a commanding fifth win of the season whilst Ingram, Cammish and Turkington followed.

Three drivers – Sutton, Turkington and Cammish – went into the final bout of the year still in contention for the crown but as conditions deteriorated once again, nothing would stop Sutton earning a deserving second title.

Passing Turkington in the latter stages, the five-time race winner cruised to fifth place as Rory Butcher dominated proceedings up front, claiming an impressive victory on Motorbase Performance’s home turf.

In the end it was Sutton that lifted the most coveted prize in UK motorsport for the second time in his still short career with Turkington, Cammish, Ingram and Butcher rounding out the top five in the standings.

Team BMW concluded its campaign by wrapping up the BTCC Teams’ Championship and BTCC Manufacturers’ Championship titles. Michael Crees meanwhile was the victor of the Jack Sears Trophy, much to his delight.

To view the full classification of results from the final event of the 2020 season, click here.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will return in 2021, with the opening rounds scheduled to begin next April.

The 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is set for an unmissable season finale at Brands Hatch this coming weekend (November 14/15) as the destiny of this year’s title will be decided between five drivers.

In what has been an unprecedented year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Britain’s premier racing series has served up another vintage year of tin top thrills – all of which has been condensed into nine events over the course of the past three and a half months.

Now, the battle to be crowned King of the BTCC looks set to go down to the wire with three races around the Indy circuit on Sunday and a maximum of 67 points up for grabs.

Four-time and reigning BTCC champion Colin Turkington heads into the weekend in the box seat after reclaiming the points lead last time out at Snetterton. The Team BMW scored a double win and 60-point haul at the Norfolk venue to open up a nine-point lead over his nearest challenger.

No stranger to heading into the final round of the season in contention for the title, the West Surrey Racing ace will undoubtedly look to draw on all of his experience as he bids to clinch a record-breaking fifth championship.

Leading the chase for the Northern Irishman is Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton. Bidding to become a two-time champion, the Infiniti Q50 driver has been one of the standout performers of the season, scoring four victories and producing a string of superlative fightback drivers along the way.

Renowned for his never-say-die attitude, expect the 2017 champion to come out all guns blazing over the course of the weekend as he aims to take the fight to Turkington.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish has been Mr. Consistency once again this year and his relentless form sits him third and 25 points off the summit. The Honda man came within half a lap of glory last year and he will need to be on top form if he is to achieve the feat this time around.

For the fourth consecutive year, Toyota Gazoo Racing with Ginsters’ Tom Ingram are in with a shout of championship glory. Three wins and countless other podiums have been the backbone of Ingram’s campaign and the former Indie champion

Arguably viewed as the outsider in the battle for title supremacy, the Toyota Corolla driver has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The fifth and final contender for the biggest prize in UK motorsport is Motorbase Performance’s Rory Butcher. Enjoying an impressive maiden season with the all-new Ford Focus ST, the Scotsman has

Trailing Turkington by 63 points, Butcher is the real long shot but you can expect him to make his presence known towards the front of the field regardless.

Aside from the Drivers’ Championship, a host of other titles will be decided at Brands Hatch as well in the BTCC.

Team BMW sit on the cusp of wrapping up the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles whilst Sutton will look to help Laser Tools Racing clinch a maiden Independent Team’s crown. Sutton already has one title in the bag courtesy of having already secured an unassailable lead in the Independent Drivers’ Championship.

Michael Crees leads the Jack Sears Trophy whilst Turkington could be crowned the inaugural Goodyear Wingfoot Award winner, thanks to his outstanding qualifying performances so far.

To find out more information on this weekend’s unmissable BTCC season finale, such as links to live timing and commentary, click here.

Team BMW’s Colin Turkington returned to the top of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship standings at Snetterton this past weekend (October 24/25) after producing a near-perfect race day performance.

Pole position, two wins and a third place finish for the reigning four-time champion was enough to see him turn a 12 point deficit into a nine point advantage ahead of next month’s season finale at Brands Hatch.

Five drivers will now head into the final three races of what has been a blockbuster season in mathematical contention to lift the coveted crown, with Turkington in the box seat as he bids to become a record-breaking five-time title winner.

At the wheel of his West Surrey Racing BMW, the Northern Irishman powered his way to pole position in the one-off Top Ten Showdown during qualifying and ultimately never looked back.

Blasting off the line in race one, Turkington came under attack by Tom Ingram early in the 12-lap encounter but soon broke free and scampered into the distance to take a comfortable victory.

Behind, Ingram and Jake Hill served up a fascinating battle for second and third whilst fellow title contenders Rory Butcher, Ashley Sutton and Dan Cammish scrapped amongst themselves fourth, fifth and sixth.

Race two would see the top five in the title fight occupy the top five positions for a majority of the contest until a late safety car period and last-lap dash to the flag spiced up the action.

Out front, Turkington once again reigned supreme as he produced another commanding lights-to-flag win whilst carrying maximum success ballast. Behind, Ingram appeared to be the cork in the bottle as he held off the charging Butcher, Sutton and Cammish.

Butcher nibbled at the back of Ingram’s Toyota Corolla throughout the race but couldn’t’ find a way past. Then on the final tour, the Scotsman out-braked himself at Wilson which led to contact with the Speedworks ace and subsequently allowed Sutton through.

Ingram would starve off the attack from Sutton during the final sequence of corners to hold onto second whilst Butcher fell into the clutches of Cammish and Hill.

Motorbase Performance’s Ollie Jackson then rounded off a dramatic day in Norfolk by claiming a second career BTCC victory, whilst the leading protagonists all went wheel-to-wheel.

Jumping into the lead after starting third, Jackson served up a masterful display as he held off the charging Adam Morgan from start to finish. Turkington rounded off the podium as he and chief title rival Sutton took advantage of an incident between Ingram and Butcher at the final corner.

Ingram had reeled in third place man Butcher during the second half of the race and made his move on the final tour in Coram. Initial contact happened through the right-hander and it ended with Butcher skating across the grass and slamming into the side of Ingram at Murray’s.

As the pair recovered, Turkington and Sutton each jumped up two spots to bag valuable points.

Leaving Snetterton, Turkington holds a nine point lead over Sutton in standings with Cammish a further 16 markers further back. Both Ingram and Butcher remain in contention as well.

Team BMW continue to lead the way in the BTCC Teams’ Championship and BTCC Manufacturers’ Championship. Sutton has wrapped up the Independent Drivers’ Championship with Laser Tools Racing in prime position to do the same in the Team’s category.

Michael Crees bounced back from a recent run of bad luck to triumph in the Jack Sears Trophy, re-taking the lead he had previously lost.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions this past weekend, click here.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will conclude with three high-octane races from Brands Hatch Indy on November 14/15.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship title race looks set to go down to the wire this year and this weekend’s (October 24/25) annual trip to Snetterton for the penultimate meeting of the season will be critical in deciding who will head to into the finale in contention.

Blasting into life back in August, it has proven to be another vintage year of high drama and entertainment in the BTCC – and it is only set to continue as the series speeds into Norfolk for what will undoubtedly be three pulsating contests.

As it stands, with six races remaining, a total of 11 drivers remain in mathematical contention to claim the country’s most coveted motorsport prize however it is the top four where things are extremely tight.

Recent rounds have seen the pendulum swing back and forth in the battle for supremacy but it is Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton that tops the table heading into the weekend.

Bidding to become champion for a second time, the Infiniti Q50 driver has been superlative since the opening round and has bagged four wins alongside a string of astounding comeback drives to ease into a slender seven point lead over Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish.

Once again showcasing consistency is key when it comes to launching a title challenge, Cammish has played the long game and brought himself back into the fight over recent rounds. The Honda star has established himself as a force to be reckoned with and will be one to watch around a circuit that should be well-suited to the Civic Type R.

Reigning champion Colin Turkington remains firmly in contention as he chases a historic fifth crown. The Team BMW driver has been in the thick of the action recently and trails Sutton by 12 points; but with a wealth of experience, the Northern Irishman can’t be discounted at all.

Arguably donning the mantel of being the dark horse in this year’s battle for supremacy is Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters star Tom Ingram. It has been a year of highs and lows for the Corolla ace but he fought his way into the title scrap and you can bet he will be throwing everything he has to close the gap even further.

Team BMW’s Tom Oliphant and Motorbase Performance’s Rory Butcher round out the top six in the points and both will be optimistic they could be in with a shout if things fall their way, however both will need big scores at Snetterton to keep their hopes alive.

Beyond the main protagonists, the likes of Matt Neal, Jake Hill, Adam Morgan, Tom Chilton, Josh Cook and Senna Proctor are just a handful of names that will be in the mix for outright honours – adding further to the intrigue of what is to come.

Snetterton will see a one-off qualifying format undoubtedly add further entertainment to the series in the shape of a ‘pole position showdown’.

Replacing the usual 30-minute session, drivers will have a marginally reduced window of 25 minutes to record their lap times next Saturday. The fastest ten competitors will then progress to a ten-minute pole position session to determine the top ten places on the grid.

With every point proving crucial and three races set to take centre stage on Sunday, the chase for the BTCC title is very much on and it’s not to be missed.

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

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship produced an extraordinary day of action at Croft Circuit this past weekend (October 10/11) which saw Josh Cook and Tom Ingram triumph whilst a number of title contenders hit trouble.

BTC Racing’s Cook powered his way to a commanding double win before Toyota star Ingram emerged victorious in race three. Elsewhere, title protagonists Ashley Sutton, Colin Turkington and Rory Butcher all endured drama as the battle for UK motorsport’s most coveted prize intensified.

At the wheel of his Honda Civic Type R, Cook powered his way to pole position on Saturday and duly converted it into a commanding lights-to-flag victory in race one. Soaking up race-long pressure from Jake Hill and Turkington, the Bath racer held on to tally his second win of the year.

As the top three held station, all eyes were on Sutton as he produced another of his overtaking masterclasses. Sent spinning at the end of the first lap, the Infiniti Q50 driver charged from 14th up to fourth – pulling off a string of eye-catching moves along the way.

Cook was then awarded the spoils in race two following last lap contact between himself and Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal. Three-time champion Neal was declared the on-the-road winner however his move on Cook was later viewed by the stewards and the positions were reversed. Hill bagged his second podium of the day to make it a Honda 1-2-3.

Elsewhere, Turkington’s day began to unwind as he outbraked himself on the run to the first corner and ended up in the gravel. With the Team BMW man out, Sutton had a prime opportunity to extend his points lead but he too found himself in strife as a move for third saw him pick up a puncture and finish 20th.

Motorbase Performance’s Butcher saw his title aspirations fall away too as he spun out of contention early on.

Toyota Gazoo Racing with Ginsters’ Ingram rounded off the weekend with an exemplary drive in the reverse grid encounter to net his third win of the season. Starting from third, Ingram muscled his way to the front on the opening lap and never looked back.

Coming under late pressure from Dan Cammish, the Speedworks ace placed his Corolla in the right positions to fend off the Honda man and score his third win of the year.

Sutton staged another sensational fightback to finish fifth whilst Turkington endured yet more woe as contact on the first lap broke his suspension. The BMW man would rejoin several laps down, going on to break his own lap record from last year.

Race three will also be remembered for Bobby Thompson’s scary crash which saw him barrel roll several times after exiting the circuit prior to the Jim Clark Esses. Thankfully the Trade Price Cars Racing driver walked away relatively unscathed. 

Leaving Croft, Sutton remains at the top of the standings, holding a seven point lead over Cammish who has jumped ahead of Turkington who is 12 points off the top. Ingram has brought himself closer to the top three courtesy of his win.

Team BMW continue to remain firmly in control of the BTCC Teams’ Championship and BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship, holding a comfortable lead in both.

Sutton and Laser Tools Racing sit at the summit of the Independent Drivers’ Championship and Independent Teams’ Championship respectively, whilst Thompson is in control of the Jack Sears Trophy standings.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions from this past weekend at Croft, click here.

The penultimate event of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place at Snetterton on October 24/25.

Three events, nine races and a maximum of 201 points up for grabs – that is all that remains of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season and this weekend’s (October 10/11) three contests at Croft could prove pivotal in deciding who will walk away with the crown.

Since blasting back into life in August, Britain’s premier race series has been relentless not only with its condensed schedule but also in terms of the entertainment it has provided with thrills ’n’ spills coming around almost every corner, and the annual trip to North Yorkshire is set to continue that theme.

Coming off the back of a sensational Silverstone meeting, Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton enters the seventh event of the season holding a slender four-point advantage at the summit of the standings.

At the wheel of the Infiniti Q50, the 2017 champion has hit new heights this year. Jaw-dropping drives along with four wins have been the cornerstone of his title challenge and he arrives at a venue which has proven to be a happy hunting ground in the past in the box seat.

Four-time reigning champion Colin Turkington leads the chase for Sutton and his pursuit of a record-breaking fifth title saw him clinch a third win of the campaign last time out. Touted as the ‘King of Croft’, the Northern Irishman will undoubtedly be firmly in the mix around the 2.13-mile layout.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish can’t be discounted from the title picture either after he was victorious at Silverstone. After dropping away slightly early on, big points scores at Thruxton and Silverstone have vaulted the Yorkshireman firmly back into contention ahead of his home race.

Tom Ingram and Rory Butcher round out the top five in the standings and both will be keen to bounce back from mixed fortunes at Silverstone, the latter having walk away unscathed from a scary high-speed accident in his Motorbase Performance Ford Focus.

Rounding out the top ten is Tom Oliphant, Tom Chilton, Adam Morgan, Matt Neal and Jake Hill. Each of them has made their mark during the course of the year and they will all be keen to add to their silverware collections.

Notable names to keep an eye on beyond the top ten include Thruxton race-winner Josh Cook, Silverstone victor Ollie Jackson, local driver Senna Proctor, Aiden Moffat and Jack Goff – amongst others.

The entry list for the weekend also sees three amendments, with Mike Bushell replacing Tom Onslow-Cole at Team HARD, James Gornall withdrawing and Jac Constable taking the reigns of the Power Maxed Car Care Racing Vauxhall Astra.

As has been the case at all BTCC race meetings this season, Croft will not be permitting any spectators to the event and it will be run behind closed doors.

Every point is proving crucial in the fight for the biggest prize in UK motorsport and Croft always has a habit of throwing up the unexpected. Live coverage of all three of Sunday’s races will be broadcast on ITV4, starting from 11:30.

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

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship produced a sensational day of racing at Silverstone this past weekend (September 26/27) which saw the title pendulum swing back and forth, ultimately ending with Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton maintaining his standings lead.

Dan Cammish, Colin Turkington and Ollie Jackson shared the spoils across three wild contests around the Home of British Motor Racing, all of which would have had fans undoubtedly on the edge of their seats watching on ITV2.

Qualifying around the 1.64-mile National layout proved to be a carbon copy of the week previous as Cammish stormed to pole position, setting a new lap record along the way.

The Halfords Yuasa Racing driver was this time able to convert his front row start into a victory as he narrowly edged out Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters’ Tom Ingram to close the gap in the standings.

Cammish and Ingram swapped places twice on the opening tour before the Honda Civic Type R driver established his position at the helm of the field and powered his way to a third win of the season ahead of Ingram and Rory Butcher, who had produced an impressive defensive drive to finish third.

Race two would see Team BMW’s Turkington come to the fore as he scored victory and with it, retook the championship lead as both Sutton and Ingram hit trouble.

Ingram took the lead on the first lap whilst behind, contact between Sutton and Butcher sent the pair tumbling down the order. With those two not in contention, Turkington set about moving forward and made an overtake around the outside of Woodcote on Cammish stick on lap nine.

Setting off in pursuit of Ingram, second soon became the race lead as Ingram’s Toyota Corolla suffered a front left puncture under braking into Becketts. The reigning champion then had further fortune as Sutton suffered the same fate as Ingram, pitting to rectify a puncture.

As the drama settled down, Cammish powered his way to second place whilst Carlube Triple R Racing with Mac Tools’ Adam Morgan reaped the benefits of a late set-up change on his Mercedes A-Class to claim third.

Likely to go down in the history books as one of the all-time classic BTCC races, the reverse grid encounter had just about everything as Motorbase Performance’s Ollie Jackson scored a famous maiden victory.

With the sun setting on the Northamptonshire venue, 2017 champion Sutton produced one of the drive’s of his career as he scythed his way through the field from 26th to second by the chequered flag – although this became third following a post-race time penalty.

The action began in dramatic fashion as Butcher suffered a scary high speed crash at Becketts, barrel-rolling after impacting the barriers. Thankfully, the Scotsman emerged from the car unscathed.

Following a lengthy delay to repair the barriers, a 12-lap sprint took place and it was all-out action. Jackson jumped the BMW of Tom Oliphant off the line and soaked up an intense amount of pressure all the way to the chequered flag to hang on.

Behind, all eyes were on Sutton as he charged up the order in his Infiniti Q50 – completing one eye-catching move after another. Sutton would find a way past Oliphant in the end however the positions would be reversed after he was adjudged to have gained an unfair advantage during his duel with Oliphant.

Leaving Silverstone after a rollercoaster race day, Sutton’s race three heroics means he now holds a four-point lead over Turkington, with Cammish a further 13 markers back.

Team BMW remain firmly in control of the BTCC Teams’ Championship and BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship, holding a comfortable lead in both.

Sutton and Laser Tools Racing continue to lead the Independent Drivers’ Championship and Independent Teams’ Championship respectively, whilst Bobby Thompson has moved to the summit of the Jack Sears Trophy.

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

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship next heads to North Yorkshire where Rounds 19, 20 & 21 of the season will play out around Croft Circuit on October 10/11.

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.