Tag: BTCC

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.

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.