Tag: BTCC

Tom Ingram and Stephen Jelley shared the spoils on what was an action-packed weekend (June 11/12) in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park. 

Ingram was perfection personified as he scored victory in races one and two before Jelley came to the fore in a blockbuster reverse grid contest around the Cheshire venue; however it is Josh Cook that remains at the top of the points. 

One of the most exciting qualifying sessions of the season built towards a breathtaking climax on Saturday, as a number of the BTCC’s big hitters battled for the right to start at the head of the field the following day. 

Despite there being a brief red flag stoppage, nobody could stop Ingram from claiming pole position. At the wheel of his Hyundai i30N, the Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com driver set a best time of 1:25.468 to not only claim top spot but also set a brand new lap record around the 2.22-mile circuit. 

Rory Butcher emerged as the closest challenger to Ingram as he guided his Toyota Corolla to the outside of the front row, whilst Dan Lloyd, Adam Morgan and Ash Sutton rounded out the top five. 

Despite being one of the most successful drivers on the grid, Ingram had never previously scored a podium at Oulton Park; that was until Sunday’s first race where he broke his duck in style.

Defending his lead off the line and through turn one, Ingram soon pulled clear of the chasing pack to score a commanding victory. Behind, Sutton produced a string of sensational overtakes to claim second, with Butcher following him to round out the podium. 

Ingram doubled his win tally for the day as he produced a carbon copy drive in race two. Holding the lead as the lights went out, the Hyundai ace didn’t put a wheel wrong as he chalked up his third win of the year ahead of the ever-consistent Sutton, who finished in second once again.

The battle for the final step on the podium had plenty on the edge of their seats with Butcher initially fending off the charging Colin Turkington. As the laps ticked by, the WSR driver ramped up the pressure on the Scotsman and finally took third at mid-distance.

Team BMW’s Stephen Jelley then scored his first win of the season in an action-packed reverse grid race, delivering a measured drive whilst it all kicked off behind him.

Contact between Lloyd and Ricky Collard sent the former spinning on the run towards Hislops and when he re-entered the track he was collected by Turkington, with a number of others including Ingram and Sutton getting caught up in the incident. Thankfully both Lloyd and Turkington walked away from the incident without injury, just soreness and bruising. 

After a number of laps behind the safety car the race restarted with Jelley breaking clear of Aiden Moffat and Collard, who had been hit with a five-second time penalty for a false start. Cook would become the main beneficiary of Collard’s demise in the end, inheriting third to maintain his series lead.

Approaching the halfway point in the season, Cook holds a 15-point advantage at the summit of the BTCC Drivers’ Championship whilst he and Rich Energy BTC Racing continue to lead the way in the Independent Drivers’ and Teams’ categories.

Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com remain in control of the Teams’ standings, with Motorbase/Ford having now moved into the lead of the Manufacturers’ battle.

Jade Edwards was the winner of the Jack Sears Trophy for the weekend however it is Bobby Thompson that continues to head the standings. 

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

Rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will take place at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire on June 25/26, with tickets currently available to purchase online HERE.

Series organisers of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, TOCA, have today (May 31) released the official calendar for the 2023 season.

Firmly established as the UK’s flagship motor sport series, the championship will once again comprise of 30 races across ten events at eight of the country’s top venues – with Donington Park most notably being handed a second event.

The Leicestershire venue will lift the curtain on the new campaign in late April before staging a second round in August on the Grand Prix circuit, a layout that the BTCC hasn’t used in more than two decades. 

Brands Hatch Indy, Snetterton, Thruxton and Oulton Park occupy dates during May and June before the annual summer break.

Croft is then scheduled to kick off the second half of the season before the series makes its annual visit to north of the border Knockhill. A second visit to Donington Park follows that before the penultimate weekend at Silverstone in late September and the finale on the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in early October.

BTCC Chief Executive, Alan Gow, said: “I’m very pleased to be able to confirm our 2023 British Touring Car Championship calendar. We’ve never announced a following season schedule as early as May before, which provides great forward planning for our teams, partners, fans and all stakeholders.”

2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Calendar

Rounds 1/2/3 – Donington Park (National) – April 22/23

Rounds 4/5/6 – Brands Hatch (Indy) – May 6/7

Rounds 7/8/9 – Snetterton 300 – May 20/21

Rounds 10/11/12 – Thruxton – June 3/4

Rounds 13/14/15 – Oulton Park (Island) – June 17/18

Rounds 16/17/18 – Croft – July 29/30

Rounds 19/20/21 – Knockhill – August 12/13

Rounds 22/23/24 – Donington Park (Grand Prix) – August 26/27

Rounds 25/26/27 – Silverstone (National) – September 23/24

Rounds 28/29/30 – Brands Hatch (Grand Prix) – October 7/8

Josh Cook and Adam Morgan enjoyed a share of the spoils at Thruxton Circuit this past weekend (May 28/29) as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship produced a blockbuster three races around the fastest track in the country.

Making the first of two visits to the home of the British Automobile Racing Club this season, the UK’s premier motorsport series saw history made as Cook became the most successful BTCC driver at the circuit after he scored two commanding wins. 

As had been the case at Donington Park and Brands Hatch, qualifying proved to be an ultra-competitive affair on Saturday as drivers guided their hybrid-powered-cars around the infamous 2.36-mile layout.

Rich Energy BTC Racing’s Cook – who arrived with an enviable record – produced the goods once again as he piloted his Honda Civic Type R to pole position, just 0.077s ahead of ROKiT MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill – who had topped the times until the latter stages.

Dan Cammish hustled his NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus to within 0.081s of pole however he ultimately settled for third, with Team BMW’s Colin Turkington and reigning champion Ash Sutton fourth and fifth respectively. 

Cook secured his place in the Thruxton history books as he charged to victory – a record eighth around the Hampshire venue – in race one. Briefly losing the lead to Hill off the line, the Honda ace fought back through the Complex to reclaim first place and then began to pull clear.

Despite coming under pressure from the BMW in the latter stages, the Bath racer held firm to become the undisputed King of Thruxton. Further back, the battle for the final step on the podium was hotly contested with Sutton producing a masterful defensive drive to fend off the chasing pack. 

Race two proved to be a carbon copy of the opener as Cook continued to reign supreme, chalking up a second win of the day. As was the case in the opening bout, the 30-year-old briefly lost the lead to Hill at the start but produced a sensational move at the Complex to regain control at the front.

Maintaining a steady gap to the rear-wheel-drive machine, Cook charged to the ninth win of his career at Thruxton whilst Hill and Sutton filled the remaining spots on the rostrum once again.

Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport’s Morgan then signed off the weekend in style with a commanding victory in the reverse grid encounter. Starting from the outside of the front row, the BMW driver jumped pole sitter Jason Plato off the line and never looked back.

Despite having Turkington and Sutton fill his mirrors throughout, Morgan didn’t put a wheel wrong to claim his first win of the season. The aforementioned multiple champions battled until the final corner but remained second and third respectively over the line. 

Leaving Thruxton, Cook leads Sutton in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship whilst he and Rich Energy BTC Racing also hold the advantage in the Independent Drivers’ and Independent Teams’ Championship as well. 

BMW hold the advantage in the BTCC Manufacturer-Constructors Championship having moved to the standings summit this past weekend. Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com continue to head the Teams’ category with Bobby Thompson maintaining the upper hand in the Jack Sears Trophy.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions around Thruxton, CLICK HERE.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continues to gather pace on June 11/12 at Oulton Park, as the Cheshire venue plays host to Rounds 10, 11 & 12 of the 2022 season. 

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continued its 2022 season in style at Brands Hatch this past weekend (May 14/15) as Josh Cook and Colin Turkington splashed their way to victory. 

Coming off the back of a sensational curtain-raiser at Donington Park last month, the UK’s premier motorsport series took centre stage at the Kent venue in contrasting conditions to produce three blockbuster races. 

Basking in bright sunshine on Saturday, qualifying around the 1.2-mile circuit proved to be a record-breaking affair as Turkington stormed to pole position, leading a West Surrey Racing 1-2-3. 

At the wheel of his BMW 330e M Sport, the four-time champion set a blistering time of 47.539 to clinch top spot ahead of his team-mates Jake Hill and Stephen Jelley. Adam Morgan made it four BMWs on the front two rows whilst Tom Ingram rounded out the top five – despite having no hybrid deployment available. 

Teams and drivers were greeted by overcast on Sunday with the heavens ultimately opening prior to race one. With a majority of the grid opting to go for wet weather tyres, Turkington held the lead in the early stages as he tip-toed his way round the first few laps, with Hill hot on his heels.

As the race progressed, Rich Energy with BTC Racing’s Cook soon became the driver to watch as he charged to the front of the field in his Honda Civic Type R. Making a number of moves at Paddock Hill Bend, Cook took the lead on lap 17 and didn’t look back – going on to claim his first win of the season.

Ingram produced a superlative performance to finish second whilst Dan Cammish enjoyed an under the radar drive to finish third, clinching his first piece of silverware with NAPA Racing UK.

Race two would see Cook double his tally for the day after he withstood a torrent of attacks. Hill would be the first to challenge the Honda ace before Cammish then staged a late charge however neither of them could unseat the wily campaigner from top spot.

Cammish would settle for second whilst Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Rory Butcher rounded out the podium in his rapid Corolla.

Having started the day at the front of the field, Turkington ended his weekend on a high as he clinched his first win of the season. Lining up third virtue of the reverse grid draw, the Team BMW driver wasted no time in moving into the lead and from there, he controlled proceedings until the end. 

Hill made it a BMW 1-2 as he shadowed his stablemate to the finish whilst Bobby Thompson bagged his maiden podium in the series after guiding his Team HARD. Cupra to third place; which in-turn netted him Jack Sears Trophy honours for a second successive event.

Leaving Brands Hatch it is Ingram that remains at the summit of the BTCC Drivers’ Championship, eight points ahead of Cook who has moved up to second. 

Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com lead both the BTCC Manufacturer-Constructors Championship and the BTCC Teams’ Championship whilst Cook and Rich Energy with BTC Racing do the same in the Independent rankings.

To view the full classification of results from the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, click here. 

Thruxton Circuit provides the next stop on the calendar with Rounds 7, 8 & 9 set t take place on May 28/29.

Thruxton Circuit is set to once again give one lucky fan the opportunity to wave the chequered flag for the first Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race at the Hampshire circuit later this month (May 29).

Continuing its annual competition, anyone that purchases an advance race day, weekend or family ticket will automatically be entered into being in with a chance of bringing race one to a close.

Those that have already purchased tickets needn’t worry, they’ve been entered.

Advance tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online or by calling 01264 882222.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship kicked off its hybrid era in style at Donington Park this weekend (April 23/24) as Tom Ingram, Gordon Shedden and Jake Hill shared the spoils across three blockbuster races.

Lifting the curtain on the 2022 season under the flightpath of East Midlands airport, the sun beamed down on the UK’s premier motorsport series as it became the first major touring car series in the world to implement hybrid technology into all of its cars.

Drivers are in control of when to deploy the hybrid system via a button on the steering wheel, seeing them receive up to 15 seconds per lap of additional hybrid power – a benefit that can be used to either attack or defend during races.

History was first made on Saturday afternoon as ROKiT MB Motorsport’s Hill blitzed his way to a career-first pole position. In what proved to be an ultra-competitive qualifying session, the BMW driver set a best time of 1:08.418 to record a new lap record. 

Staggeringly, just 0.063s covered the top four on the grid with Colin Turkington, reigning champion Ashley Sutton and Ingram all hot on the heels of Hill. 

Race one saw Ingram write his name into the record books as he became the first winner of the hybrid era. The Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com hit the front early after getting the better of his BMW rivals in the opening exchanges and cantered to a 20th career victory.

After going wheel-to-wheel with Hill, Turkington managed to secure the second spot on the podium ahead of his WSR team-mate. However, Hill would be excluded from the result after failing the post-race ride height checks – promoting Shedden up to third.

Shedden then powered his Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda Civic Type R to the top step of the podium in race two. Starting third, the three-time champion leapfrogged Turkington – who stalled on the grid – and set off in pursuit of race one victor Ingram.

Hounding the back of the Hyundai for a number of laps, the Scotsman made his move on lap nine and despite a late charge from Ingram, he managed to hold on to open his account for the season.

Behind, George Gamble’s enjoyed a dream debut in the series as he backed up his sixth place finish in race one with a brilliant podium drive in race two, piloting his Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport BMW to third. 

The reverse grid draw saw number nine pulled and that placed Hill back onto pole position for the third and final race of the weekend. 

In what was a redemption drive, the rear-wheel-drive ace didn’t put a wheel wrong as he converted his front row start into a commanding victory. Triple champion Sutton shadowed Hill in a comfortable second whilst Josh Cook completed the podium after a frenetic battle with Dan Lloyd.

Leaving Donington Park, Ingram holds a seven-point lead over Shedden in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship with Sutton a further four points in arrears. 

Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com lead both the BTCC Manufacturer-Constructors Championship and the BTCC Teams’ Championship whilst Adam Morgan and Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport do the same in the Independent rankings.

In the Jack Sears Trophy, Bobby Thompson narrowly edged out Gamble to claim weekend honours. 

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

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season reconvenes at Brands Hatch on May 14/15.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship brought the curtain down on its 2022 Season Launch at Thruxton today (April 13) with reigning champion Ashley Sutton topping the times in the final official pre-season test.

After months of anticipation and excitement, the 2022 BTCC campaign officially launched at an exclusive event event in the Thruxton Centre on Tuesday evening where invited guests were introduced to the drivers and informed on the introduction of hybrid technology.

Following the completion of official championship photography and ITV filming, cars hit the track for an action-packed day of testing in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans.

With a total of 1250 laps being completed around the fastest circuit in the UK, triple champion Sutton left it late in the afternoon before storming to the top of the timesheets and ultimately claiming the bragging rights.

Dipping well under the existing lap record, the NAPA Racing UK driver set a best time of 1:15.607s to end the day a tenth of a second quicker than morning pace-setter Jake Hill. 

Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Daniel Rowbottom had held first place for much of the afternoon before being bettered; the Jack Sears Trophy winner ultimately finished third.

Hotly tipped title contenders Tom Ingram and Gordon Shedden rounded out the top five – the latter doing so in the closing stages of the day after being involved in an incident during the morning session.

Dan Cammish, Adam Morgan, Colin Turkington, Daniel Lloyd and Jason Plato rounded out the top ten with a total of 26 of the 29 entrants ultimately hitting the high-speed Hampshire track over the course of the day.

Away from testing and media duties, the BTCC Season Launch also saw the welcome return of the Pit Lane Autograph Session, which took place during the lunch break for the first time since the end of 2019. 

To view the full classification of times from testing at Thruxton, CLICK HERE.

Donington Park plays host to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship curtain-raiser on April 23/24.

The 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship was officially presented at Thruxton Circuit today (April 12) with a mouth-watering 29-car grid entry list confirmed.

Coming off the back of a blockbuster 2021 campaign which saw Ashley Sutton crowned champion for the third time in his career, the UK’s premier motorsport series embarks on a brand new era as it introduces hybrid technology this year. 

Becoming the first major touring car championship in the world to integrate hybrid power, the forthcoming season looks set to be as competitive as ever with former champions, proven contenders and young challengers all set to battle it out for the coveted crown. 

Topping the entry list is Sutton who returns to defend his crown and chase what could be a record-equalling fourth championship –  however a host of contenders will all be snapping at his wheels.

Making the switch to Motorbase Performance to drive a Ford Focus ST under the Napa Racing UK banner, all eyes will be on the triple champion as he gets reacquainted with front-wheel-drive and teams up with the returning Dan Cammish. Sam Osborne and Ollie Jackson make up the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan side of Motorbase’s four-car entry.

Bidding to stand on his own in the record books and take the fight to Sutton is West Surrey Racing’s Colin Turkington. Back behind the wheel of the BMW 330e M Sport, the Northern Irishman will undoubtedly be in the mix as he heads up Team BMW along with Stephen Jelley. Jake Hill fills the third seat at the reigning Manufacturer champions in the ROKiT MB Motorsport entry.

One of the biggest stories to follow this year will undoubtedly be Jason Plato’s ‘farewell tour’ after he announced that 2022 will be his last season in the series. Chasing his 100th BTCC win, the double champion has joined Josh Cook and Jade Edwards at Rich Energy with BTC Racing to pilot a Honda Civic Type R. 

Halfords Racing with Cataclean will also field Honda Civic Type R’s for their unchanged line-up of three-time champion Gordon Shedden and last year’s Jack Sears Trophy winner Dan Rowbottom. 

There is consistency at Toyota Gazoo Racing UK too as Rory Butcher remains behind the wheel of a Toyota Corolla for a second successive season and he is joined by Ricky Collard – the son of former race winner Rob – who gets a full campaign after making a handful of appearances back in 2018. 

Former championship runner-up Tom Ingram made the switch to Excelr8 TradePriceCars.com last year and it proved to be an inspired move as he reaped plenty of rewards. Back behind the wheel of the Hyundai i30N for a second season, Ingram will have his sights firmly set on title glory and he will be pushed on with the additions of Tom Chilton, Dan Lloyd and Jack Butel to the squad.

Adam Morgan will lead Car Gods with Ciceley Motosport once again and the multiple race winner is joined at the BMW squad by George Gamble. At Power Maxed Racing, fan favourite Michael Crees is back to get behind the wheel of the Vauxhall Astra with former British GT champion Ash Hand partnering him. 

Laser Tools Racing will look to defend their Teams’ and Independent Teams’ titles with an all-Scottish Infiniti Q50 pairing as the experienced Aiden Moffat is joined by Dexter Pattison.  A third Infiniti Q50 will be piloted by Rick Parfitt, who is back in the BTCC for a second season. 

Rounding out this entry list is Team HARD. Racing, which once again fields a quartet of Cupra Leon’s for Aron Taylor-Smith, Jack Goff, Bobby Thompson and Nicolas Hamilton. 

2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Entry List

* JST – Jack Sears Trophy

The 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship commences on April 23/24 at Donington Park.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship officially lifted the curtain on the 2022 season at Thruxton Circuit this evening (April 12) with the launch of the all-new hybrid era. 

Becoming the first major touring car series in the world to integrate hybrid power into all of its race cars, the Season Launch event at the home of the British Automobile Racing Club saw the capacity 29-car grid unveiled and details on the new TOCA Hybrid shared.

First announced back in 2019 by Series Organisers TOCA, the hybrid system has been designed and developed by the world-renowned Cosworth Electronics. 

Drivers will be in control of when to deploy the hybrid system via a button on the steering wheel, which will see cars receive up to 15 seconds per lap of additional hybrid power – a benefit that can strategically be used to either attack or defend during racing conditions.

Full details on the new TOCA Hybrid introduction can be found HERE.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “When we announced in 2018 that we would be integrating hybrid power for this year, nobody knew the enormous headwinds that would confront us.

“The pandemic, the ongoing global supply chain issues (particularly with microchips and electronics), the further disruptions as a result of the terrible invasion of Ukraine and the significant price increases of just about everything across the board have all provided huge challenges to the project.

“So, it’s important that I acknowledge and thank the outstanding work that Cosworth, the teams, our suppliers and my TOCA Technical Team have put in to get where we are today. Yes, we were all up against it – we still are in some other areas – but the great effort that everyone has made against all those obstacles is something that we should all be incredibly proud of. So, my sincere appreciation goes out to everyone that really put their shoulders to the wheel and got this programme done.

“Whilst hybrid is the headline news for this year, we also have the introduction of a completely new TOCA engine by M-Sport which will be used by half the grid, the introduction of the new 20% sustainable fuel and a whole new Cosworth ECU and electronics system.

“So, with everything that is new for this year, it’s been a massive undertaking and we shouldn’t underestimate for a moment everything that went into this. Being the first touring car championship in the world to go hybrid meant there were no learnings that we could take from others, but I’m delighted that we’ve achieved this important milestone in the long and proud history of this championship.

“And of course, we will reap the rewards going forward, as hybrid keeps the BTCC absolutely relevant to the world around us and has future-proofed the championship – and the teams’ investments – for at least the next five years.

“Kwik Fit, Goodyear and ITV continue as our incredibly loyal, enthusiastic and highly committed partners and remain vital to the ongoing success of the BTCC, with the latter providing even greater coverage in 2022.

“We’re all looking forward to this new era in the BTCC and I thank everyone for playing their part in this amazing championship.”

The greater coverage that Gow alluded to is that the BTCC will once again enjoy live free-to-air TV coverage.

Whilst ITV4 will continue as the ‘home’ of the BTCC with its all-day-live and free-to-air coverage, both the Brands Hatch Indy (May 15) and Oulton Park (June 12) events will also be broadcast live on ITV for three hours on each race day.

“I’m incredibly proud that, once again, the BTCC reaches new heights in our UK television broadcasting,” added Gow. “As I’ve said many times, our live and free-to-air broadcasts are the envy of the sport – so for the ITV Network to further evolve and increase their coverage of the BTCC once again underlines their tremendous enthusiasm for, and commitment to, our great championship.”

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship commenced its official pre-season testing programme today (March 29) as Donington Park played host to the opening Hybrid Installation Test.

Becoming the first major touring car series in the world to integrate hybrid power, all competing cars will run the TOCA Hybrid system in 2022 – which has been designed, supplied and will be serviced by Cosworth Electronics.

All teams were in attendance at the Leicestershire venue as a total of 23 cars hit the track, however not all of them ran the new hybrid system as some are still awaiting the installation of parts.

Morning running under the flightpath of East Midlands airport was delayed due to fog but when conditions improved it was four-time champion Colin Turkington that set the fastest time, leading a BMW 1-2-3-4 ahead of Stephen Jelley, Adam Morgan and Jake Hill. 

Turkington continued his front-running pace in the afternoon session as he set a benchmark time of 1:09.104 ahead of Gordon Shedden, Tom Ingram, Dan Cammish and Morgan.

As is the case during test sessions, overall lap times are unlikely to be representative as each team and driver works through their own respective programmes.

Two further official test days are scheduled for Croft (6 April) and Thruxton (13 April), where it is expected that all cars will run the TOCA Hybrid system.

To view the full classification of times from the first Hybrid Installation Test at Donington Park, CLICK HERE.

Croft Circuit is set to permit fans to attend the upcoming Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship test day on April 6 in exchange for a donation to its chosen charity for 2022, Race Against Dementia.

As the UK’s premier motorsport series gears up for another season – one which will see the introduction of hybrid technology throughout the grid – Croft will play host to the first of three official test days where a majority of the grid will be in attendance.

Normally held behind closed doors, the North Yorkshire venue is opening its gates for fans to get a flavour of the action that is to come this year. Whilst there is no admittance charge, a minimum donation of £5.00 per person on the gate is requested, all of which will go to charity.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will return to Croft on June 25/26 for Rounds 13, 14 & 15. Tickets are available to purchase online.