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Four drivers will head into the final three races of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in contention to be crowned champion at Brands Hatch in less then two weeks following an action-packed weekend (October 9/10) at Donington Park.

Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington scored victory at the Leicestershire venue on what proved to be an action-packed penultimate event of the year but it was Ashley Sutton that was the big winner as he secured a 32-point lead heading into the season finale.

Qualifying around the 1.97-mile National circuit on Saturday underlined how competitive the UK’s premier motorsport series currently is with no less than 27 drivers covered by less than second and a new lap record being set.

Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Shedden emerged as the driver to beat in the Top Ten Showdown as he powered his Honda Civic Type R to a sensational time of 1:08.994 to clinch pole position ahead of the Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing duo of Daniel Lloyd and Jason Plato.

Launching off the front row for race one, Shedden maintained his lead and despite coming under pressure from Lloyd during the first half of the contest, the Scotsman cruised to a maiden win of the campaign.

Remaining within striking distance throughout the 19-lap bout, Lloyd finished second whilst Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Rory Butcher continued his recent run of fine form by rounding out the podium in third.

Race two saw Ginsters with TradePriceCars.com’s Ingram produce a sensational charge to score victory on the road however it would be taken away from him after a post-race penalty was applied.

Free of success ballast and starting from 11th, the Hyundai driver carved his way to the front in a matter of laps but he was deemed to have gained an unfair advantage when taking the lead from Shedden – who inherited victory.

Ingram’s penalty dropped him back to second with Butcher finishing third once again, having been challenged by Turkington before the BMW ace made a rare mistake and spun out of contention.

Championship leader Sutton had found himself in the thick of the action in the early stages but once his tyres came into their operating window there was no stopping the Infiniti Q50 driver as he progressed up into fourth come the chequered flag.

Turkington bounced back from his race two spin to claim a commanding 60th career victory in the reverse grid encounter. Drawn onto pole position, the Team BMW driver didn’t put a wheel wrong to pull clear of the opposition and triumph.

Behind, an almighty battle for second place raged with Jake Hill ultimately fending off Aiden Moffat at the line to round out the rostrum.

Leaving Donington Park, Sutton holds a 32-point lead over Turkington with Ingram, Hill and Josh Cook filling out the top five positions.

Sutton also remains in control of the BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship whilst Laser Tools Racing rule the roost in the Teams’ and Independent Teams’ categories.

Elsewhere, BMW are within touching distance of clinching a record-breaking sixth consecutive Manufacturer/Constructor crown. Daniel Rowbottom is the first driver that can call himself a champion in the BTCC this year after securing an unassailable lead in the Jack Sears Trophy.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Donington Park, CLICK HERE. 

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will bring the curtain down on its 2021 season on October 23/24, with three races scheduled to play out around the Grand Prix layout of Brands Hatch.

TOCA – organisers of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – have announced that all cars will be fitted with an onboard visual signalling system from next season.

Similar to what is currently used in Formula 1, the BTCC Race Control will be immediately inform drivers yellow flag zones, red flag stoppages, Safety Car periods, black or black/white flag notifications as well as other important safety messages via their in-car dashboards.

Developed by Timing Solutions Limited (TSL), the new signalling system will support the traditional flag system and LED light boards that are situated around each circuit.

It is expected that all support championships that feature on the BTCC package will also adopt the system in their cars too.

The introduction is a first for British motorsport and follows other pioneering developments in the BTCC, such as hybrid technology and more sustainable fuel – both of which will also be introduced in 2022.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “TOCA continues to take the lead when it comes to introducing technology, sustainability and safety innovations within British motorsport, and we are proud to be introducing this onboard visual signalling system from 2022 onwards.

“This is a very significant safety enhancement for our BTCC drivers and indeed our trackside marshals, and one which I’m sure will also be adopted by our valued support championships. 

“It’s vital to stress, however, that this important safety tool will supplement – not replace – the traditional flag system deployed by the marshals, which remains such an intrinsic part of the safety protocols.”

Rory Butcher and Jake Hill scored victory at Silverstone in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this past weekend (September 25/26) whilst reigning champion Ashley Sutton extended his advantage at the summit of the standings.

On what was a pivotal visit to the Home of British Motor Racing, the Laser Tools Racing driver produced a measured drive in races one and two before charging to the podium in race three to bolster his lead to 36 points.

Saturday around the 1.64-mile National layout arguably belonged to Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Butcher. Topping the times in both practice sessions, the Scotsman then went on to set the pace in Q1 of qualifying before claiming pole position in the Top Ten Showdown.

In what proved to be an ultra-competitive qualifying session where 29 of the 30 cars were covered by less than a second, Butcher charged to top spot ahead of Tom Ingram, Aiden Moffat and Josh Cook.

Butcher and Speedworks Motorsport’s remarkable weekend in the UK’s premier motorsport series continued on Sunday as they bagged a brilliant pair of wins.

Losing the lead to Ingram off the start in race one, the Corolla driver wasted no time in clawing it back as he lunged down the inside of the Hyundai driver at Brooklands on lap three. There was contention surrounding the move as Butcher was adjudged to have completed the pass under yellow flags however officials ruled that the move was legal.

Once out front, Butcher pulled clear to net his second win of the season whilst Ingram resisted the challenge of Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing’s Daniel Lloyd – who producing his best performance of the season to clinch third.

Race two saw Butcher take a more routine victory despite a late charge from BTC Racing’s Cook. Pulling clear of the competition, the race one victor held his nerve to withstand late pressure from the Honda driver.

Sadly, Cook would be disqualified from second place for failing the post-race ride height which promoted Ingram and Team BMW’s Colin Turkington into second and third.

The final bout of the weekend belonged to MB Motorsport’s Hill as he completed a sensational Sunday recovery. After qualifying outside the top 20, the Ford Focus driver fought his way to the front to triumphed in the reverse grid contest.

Starting third, Hill – who was a winner at Croft last time out – got the jump on Jason Plato and then set after pole sitter Lloyd, finally making a move stick at half distance heading into Copse.

Hill couldn’t relax however as the Vauxhall Astra driver remained a constant threat in his mirrors for the remainder of the race. Completing the podium was championship leader Sutton who charged from eighth to third.

Alongside two other top six finishes, the two-time champion left Silverstone having opened up his lead at the standings summit to 36 points with just six races remaining.

The pairing of Sutton and Laser Tools Racing also rule the roost in the Teams’ and Independents’ tables, whilst BMW heads the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ order. Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Daniel Rowbottom remains in control of the Jack Sears Trophy.

Elsewhere, the weekend also saw history made as the BTCC Hybrid era began with Andrew Jordan piloting the all-new Hybrid Toyota Corolla, competing in all sessions as part of a development demonstration ahead of next year’s full introduction.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Silverstone, CLICK HERE.

Donington Park provides the next stop on the calendar for the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as it stages the penultimate event of the 2021 season on October 9/10.