The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will continue its 2021 season at Snetterton this coming weekend (June 12/13) with spectators set to make a welcome return trackside for the first time in more than 18 months.

Running behind closed doors throughout 2020 and for last month’s curtain-raiser at Thruxton, Britain’s premier motorsport series is preparing for the return of its loyal fanbase over the coming weeks and months, as lockdown restrictions continue to ease.

Attendance levels at the Norfolk venue will be capped at 4,000 spectators per day, and those heading trackside – as well as the many more watching live on ITV4 – are set for a blockbuster trio of races.

Heading into the second event of the season sitting atop of the standings is MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square’s Jake Hill. The Ford Focus driver was one of the stars of the show at Thruxton five weeks ago as he claimed a hat-trick of podium finishes and he will be keen to extend his advantage over the course of the weekend.

One point behind Hill is Josh Cook, another driver that starred at Thruxton. Cook kicked off his championship challenge in style around his local circuit with two wins and three fastest laps to put himself within striking distance of top spot. 

After a year away from the series, Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing’s Jason Plato showed that he has lost none of his speed as he scored a podium of his own at Thruxton, vaulting him up to third in points as the series rolls into Snetterton.

Not far behind him is reigning champion Ashley Sutton, winner of the Thruxton reverse grid encounter. Sutton was in the thick of the action, producing two monumental comeback drives before finally standing on the top step of the podium to sit ten points off the summit.

Dan Cammish rounds out the top five in the standings however his one-off return to the BTCC was exactly that, and he has since been replaced by Senna Proctor at BTC Racing for the remainder of the season.

Tom Ingram, Daniel Rowbottom, Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant and Jack Goff occupy the remaining spots inside the top ten at the moment, having all experienced varying degrees of success in Hampshire last time out.

Beyond that are a number of drivers who will be hoping for better fortune at Snetterton, including former champion Gordon Shedden and his brother-in-law Rory Butcher. Both have been tipped for title challenges this year and will be gunning for glory as they bid to ignite their seasons.

Other notable names to look out for over the course of the weekend include Adam Morgan, Stephen Jelley, Daniel Lloyd, Aiden Moffat and Aron Taylor-Smith, to name but a few.

The weekend will also see two female BTCC drivers on the grid for the first time since 2001. Jade Edwards will be joined by Jessica Hawkins, who is stepping in for Andy Neate at Motorbase Performance for one event. Hawkins is no stranger to the series having made her touring car bow at Snetterton last year in a Vauxhall Astra.

One change to the weekend format will see the return of the exciting Qualifying Top Ten Showdown. The top ten fastest competitors at the end of the 25-minute session, will be rewarded with the opportunity to clinch first on the grid during a ten-minute pole position showdown.

Lap times will be reset ahead of the showdown as all ten cars head out on-track and complete an unlimited number of laps during the ten minutes.

To find out more information on this weekend’s second BTCC meeting of the season, including links to live timing and the timetable, CLICK HERE.