Aaron Irwin

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BTCC Round Six – Turkington leads BMW 1-2 with Thompson’s first ever podium

Colin Turkington took victory in Round Six of the British Touring Car Chamoionship. Team mate Jake Hill finished second for a BMW one-two with Bobby Thompson securing his first ever podium finishing third in his Team HARD Cupra Leon.

An incredible start from Jake Hill from sixth saw him fighting for the lead into Paddock Hill Bend. The Safety Car was deployed when Jason Plato locked up into Druids and put his Honda Civic into the tyre wall.

Lap six saw the restart and Tom Chilton remained in the lead with Colin Turkington hunting him down. On the end of lap seven Turkington got the better exit out of Clearways and down the pit straight they ran side by side. Going into the first corner at Paddock Turkington went around the outside and took the lead of the race.

Chilton started falling down the order, Jake Hill and Bobby Thompson passed him before he pitted on lap 16 with a mechanical issue. Lap 18 saw the end of Chilton’s race as he gambled with slick tyres. He went off at Druids and brought out a second safety car.

The race restarted on lap 23 and the BMW pair of Turkington and Hill sped away from Bobby Thompson in third place. This was how the top three would finish. Turkington took the win with Hill second. Thompson was third in his Cupra to secure his first ever podium finish.

Tom Ingram finished fourth to preserve his championship lead with Rory Butcher, Ash Sutton and George Gamble behind him. Double race winner Josh Cook was eighth with Dan Lloyd and Dan Cammish rounding off the top ten.

Pos Driver Car Team
1 Colin Turkington BMW 330e Team WSR 26:45:566
2 Jake Hill BMW330e Team WSR +1.181
3 Bobby Thompson Cupra Leon Team HARD +5.198
4 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +5.808
5 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Speedworks +6.186
6 Ash Sutton Ford Focus Motorbase +6.488
7 George Gamble BMW 330e Ciceley +7.031
8 Josh Cook Honda Civic FK8 BTC Racing +8.256
9 Dan Lloyd Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +9.062
10 Dan Cammish Ford Focus Motorbase +9.543
11 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic FK8 Team Dynamics +11.783
12 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus Motorbase +12.012
13 Stephen Jelley BMW 330e Team WSR +12.276
14 Adam Morgan BMW 330e Ciceley +12.336
15 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +14.014
16 Aron Taylor- Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +14.777
17 Jade Edwards Honda Civic FK8 BTC Racing +15.000
18 Sam Osborne Ford Focus Motorbase +15.927
19 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +16.152
20 Ricky Collard Toyota Corolla Speedworks +17.075
21 Ash Hand Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +17.940
22 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic FK8 Team Dynamics +18.645
23 Dexter Patterson Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +21.977
24 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +25.229
25 Will Powell Cupra Leon Team HARD +1 Lap
DNF Tom Chilton Hyundai i30N Excelr8 Crash
DNF Rick Parfitt Infiniti Q50 Team HARD Mechanical
DNF Jason Plato Honda Civic FK8 BTC Racing Crash
DNS Michael Crees Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed Damage
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BTCC Round Five – Cook secures double win despite multiple challenges

Josh Cook secured his second win of the day in Round Five of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch.

It’s the first double win of the season as he held off charges from Jake Hill and then Dan Cammish to take the chequered flag.

The start saw the BMW pair of Hill and Colin Tarkington shoot off the second row of the grid to pressurise Cook.

Tom Ingram started falling down the order with Gordon Shedden, Tarkington and Ash Sutton all fighting for position, going three wide down the pit straight.

Hill was the one taking the fight to Cook up front. The BMW man was using his rear wheel drive speed to fight Cook’s front wheel drive Honda. But the Civic driver is an expert in defensive driving.

While one BMW was excelling, Tarkington in the other was falling down the order and couldn’t cope with the front wheel drive cars behind him.

As the leading pair fought, Cammish in his Ford Focus was closing in on the pair. Making it a three way fight for the win.

On the penultimate lap Hill went for a move at the Druids hairpin. But he lost the rear end and spun his BMW, letting in Cammish who took the fight to Cook for the final lap and a half.

Cook held off Cammish for another win, with Cammish and Rory Butcher finished third in his Toyota. Ash Sutton was fourth in the second Ford Focus while championship leader Tom Ingram finished fifth.

Gordon Shedden was sixth while Hill recovered to finish seventh after a spin. Dan Lloyd was eighth with George Gamble ninth and Turkington rounded off the top ten.

Pos Driver Car Team
1 Josh Cook Honda Civic FK 8 BTC Racing 21:48:632
2 Dan Cammish Ford Focus Motorbase +0.253
3 Rory  Butcher Toyota Corolla Speedworks +0.932
4 Ash Sutton Ford Focus  Motorbase +4.381
5 Tom Ingram Hyundai I30N Excelr8 +7.185
6 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic FK8 Team Dynamics +10.086
7 Jake Hill BMW 330e Team WSR +10.384
8 Dan Lloyd Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.889
9 George Gamble BMW 330e Ciceley +11.965
10 Colin Turkington BMW 330e Team WSR +12.666
11 Bobby Thompson Cupra Leon Team HARD +13.032
12 Tom Chilton Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +13.558
13 Jason Plato Honda Civic FK8 BTC Racing +17.570
14 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus Motorbase +18.143
15 Jade Edwards Honda Ciivc FK8 BTC Racing +18.316
16 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +22.026
17 Ricky Collard Toyota Corolla Speedworks +23.999
18 Stephen Jelley BMW 330e Team WSR +24.900
19 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +25.117
20 Sam Osborne Ford Focus Motorbase +31.305
21 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +38.800
22 Rick Parfitt Infiniti Q50 Team HARD +39.506
23 Will Powell Cupra Leon Team HARD +1 Lap
24 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3 Laps
DNF Michael Crees Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed Mechanical
DNF Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic FK8 Team Dynamics Damage
DNF Ash Hand Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed Damage
DNF Dexter Patterson Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools Damage
DNS Adam Morgan BMW 330e Ciceley Mechanical
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BTCC Round Four – Cook takes win in thrilling wet-dry race

Josh Cook took victory in Round Four of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch in a wet-dry race.

it was front wheel drive cars that locked out the podium with Tom Ingram in the Hyundai second and Dan Cammish third in his Ford. The WSR BMW trio that qualified first, second and third fell away throughout a compelling race.

The track conditions were greasy, with a mix of wet and dry portions of the Kent circuit. Rory Butcher the only driver to gamble on slicks. He went off on the formation lap down the Cooper straight but recovered to start ninth.

Jake Hill made the best start from second but Colin Tarkington retained his lead on the opening lap. Dan Lloyd went wide at Clearways as the conditions were tricky at best.

Cook in his BTC Racing Honda Civic was making his way through the order, moving into third on lap seven to break the BMW stronghold.

Halfway through the race on lap 12 Butcher’s dry tyre gamble started to pay off. He’d fallen to 26th and 24.6 seconds off the lead.

Cook took second from Hill at Paddock bend on lap 13 with a dive down the inside before replicating the move on lap 17 on Turkington to lead the race.

The BMW’s faded away, while Butcher was scything his way through the order. Making his way into the points and cutting the gap to the leaders.

 

Cook strolled to the win with Ingram second and Cammish third. Hill finished fourth with team mate Turkington fifth. Adam Morgan was sixth with Butcher’s incredible recovery drive ending in seventh place. Gordon Shedden was eighth in his Honda with reigning champion Ash Sutton ninth. Dan Rowbottom rounded off the top ten.

Pos Driver Car Team
1 Josh Cook Honda Civic FK8 BTC Racing 21:44:124
2 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +0.802
3 Dan Cammish Ford Focus Motorbase +4.209
4 Jake Hill BMW 330e Team WSR +5.037
5 Colin Turkington BMW 330e Team WSR +7.691
6 Adam Morgan BMW 330e Ciceley +10.120
7 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Speedworks +10.848
8 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic FK8 Team Dynamics +11.670
9 Ash Sutton Ford Focus Motorbase +12.509
10 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic FK8 Team Dynamics +14.385
11 Ash Hand Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +15.034
12 Michael Crees Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +15.344
13 Tom Chilton Hyundai i30 N Excelr8 +15.459
14 George Gamble BMW 330e Ciceley +16.222
15 Dan Lloyd Hyundai i30 N Excelr8 +17.661
16 Bobby Thompson Cupra Leon Team HARD +19.664
17 Jason Plato Honda Civic FK8 BTC Racing +20.553
18 Jade Edwards Honda Civic FK8 BTC Racing +28,181
19 Jack Butel Hyundai I30N Excelr8 +28.884
20 Stephen Jelley BMW 330e Team WSR +29.631
21 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +34.740
22 Aidan Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +35.759
23 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus Motorbase +35.985
24 Sam Osborne Ford Focus Motorbase +36.219
25 Dexter Patterson Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +36.748
26 Ricky Collard Toyota Corolla Speedworks +40.999
27 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +47.763
28 Rick Parfitt Infiniti Q50 Team HARD +48.505
29 Will Powell Cupra Leon Team HARD +1 Lap
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BTCC Brands Hatch – Sutton celebrates title with win in final round

Ash Sutton celebrated his title win by cruising to his fifth race win of the year in the final race of the season at Brands Hatch.

He burst through from fourth on the grid to stroll to the win in his Infiniti. Dan Rowbottom and Tom Ingram rounded off the podium after a race-long battle between the pair.

Rory Butcher had a poor start which allowed Sutton to fly into third. He was soon past Chilton into second, with Rowbottom into third as he passed Chilton on lap two.

Sutton’s team mate Carl Boardley spun off and his season ended early at Graham Hill bend.  As did Colin Turkington’s, with his title challenge over, he had a moment coming out of Graham Hill bend and pulled into the pits.

Lap three and Sutton made his move for the lead past Stephen Jelley into Paddock Hill bend.

Jack Mitchell went off in his Cupra Leon to bring out the final Safety Car of the season. While this neutralised the race, Sutton still had everything under control.

He pulled away into the distance and left Rowbottom and Ingram to squabble for second place. The Hyundai driver couldn’t quite get the better of the Team Dynamics Honda and Rowbottom took second in an impressive debut season having replaced Matt Neal.

Jake Hill finished fourth with Josh Cook having to settle for third in the championship and couldn’t capitalise on Turkington’s retirement having won the first two races of the season.

Tom Chilton recorded his best finish of the season in sixth. Shedden finished seventh with Jack Goff, Butcher and Jason Plato rounding off the top ten.

The title went to Sutton, who won his third title and his second successive championship.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools 30:22:671
2 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +1.369
3 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1.502
4 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +3.274
5 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +8.001
6 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +8.960
7 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +9.682
8 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +10.043
9 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +11.992
10 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +13.002
11 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +14.806
12 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +15.345
13 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +15.962
14 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +17.214
15 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +17.461
16 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +17.697
17 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +19.176
18 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +19.397
19 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +20.545
20 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +21.143
21 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +21.462
22 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +31.965
23 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +32.503
24 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +42.127
25 Andy Wilmot Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1 Lap
Retirements
DNF Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD Crash
DNF Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR Damage
DNF Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools Crash
DNS Rick Parfitt Hyundai i30N Excelr8 Mechanical

 

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BTCC Brands Hatch – Ash Sutton crowned 2021 champion as Josh Cook dominates race two

Josh Cook won in race two at Brands Hatch in the BTCC but it was Ash Sutton who stole the headlines as he sealed his third BTCC title.

The Infiniti driver finished sixth meaning he had enough of a gap over Colin Turkington to seal his second successive title win.

There was chaos on the opening lap when Senna Proctor went off at the Druids hairpin. Further into the lap Ollie Jackson was spun around, and collected Tom Oliphant and Adam Morgan too. Inevitably the Safety Car was deployed.

On the restart Cook pulled away under some initial pressure from Dan Lloyd. On lap seven Rory Butcher was nudged onto the grass going into Druids in a tussle with Aiden Moffat. Moffat collected damage and spun going into Graham Hill bend.

Sutton was doing what he needed to seal the win but another Safety Car was deployed on lap 13 when Nicholas Hamilton went off into the gravel trap.

There was little action following the restart and Cook cruised to his fifth win of the season from Lloyd and Gordon Shedden who rounded off the podium.

Turkington was fourth with Dan Rowbottom fifth, Sutton finished sixth and was overcome with emotion on the slow down lap as it sunk in that he’d won his third title, the youngest driver to ever do so.

Butcher, Stephen Jelley, Jake Hill and Jack Goff rounded out the top ten,

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing 30:55:544
2 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +0.587
3 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +1.432
4 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +1.745
5 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +2.352
6 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3.169
7 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +4.073
8 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +4.333
9 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +4.805
10 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +5.706
11 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +6.809
12 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +6.924
13 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +7.358
14 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +7.903
15 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +8.533
16 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +11.243
17 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +12.094
18 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +12.246
19 Andy Wilmot Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +15.083
20 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +59.263
21 Rick Parfitt Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +1 Lap
22 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +1 Lap
Retirements
DNF Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD Spin
DNF Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 Damage
DNF Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase Damage
DNF Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR Crash
DNF Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley Crash
DNF Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport Crash
DNF Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Crash
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BTCC Donington Park – Turkington wins 60th race to match Andy Rouse’s tally

Colin Turkington took his 60th British Touring Car Championship win in a lights to flag victory for the BMW driver.

He has matched touring car legend Andy Rouse’s tally of 60 in an uneventful race for the Northern Irishman. His 330i M Sport was ballast free and meant he had the advantage out front.

The Safety Car was deployed on lap one as Jack Butel and Sam Smelt clashed coming out of Redgate, ending both their afternoons.

The restart came on lap four with Turkington pulling away thanks to those behind him having ballast to deal with. Newly crowned Jack Sears Trophy winner Dan Rowbottom and Dan Lloyd were both given five second penalties for jumping the start.

Following his race two penalty, Tom Ingram was doing his best to hold on to eighth with title rival Ash Sutton behind him. The fight was close, with Stephen Jelley in the mix too.

The win was looking like a foregone conclusion by lap 11 as Turkington was far ahead. Behind him Jake Hill passed Rowbottom for second but was too far back to challenge Turkington. Josh Cook tried to get through too but couldn’t make the move stick and fell to fifth with Rory Butcher sneaking past too.

Sutton finally passed Ingram into Coppice corner and came home eighth, with only one title rival in Turkington ahead of him.

The BMW man took the win, with Hill four seconds back. Aiden Moffat capped off a fine weekend with third, Butcher and Cook were fourth and fifth once Rowbottom’s penalty was applied, he finished sixth with Lloyd seventh after his penalty was applied too. Sutton, Jelley and Ingram rounded off the top ten.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR 22:27:150
2 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +4.096
3 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +4.945
4 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +7.401
5 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +7.752
6 Dan Rowbottom* Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +11.136
7 Dan Lloyd* Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +13.260
8 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +13.594
9 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +18.258
10 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +19.615
11 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +20.201
12 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +22.557
13 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +24.079
14 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +24.251
15 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +24.651
16 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +25.309
17 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +25.679
18 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +25.887
19 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +26.533
20 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +27.104
21 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +28.928
22 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +29.252
23 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +33.338
24 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +41.519
25 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +47.549
26 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +2 Laps
Retirements
DNF Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Mechanical
DNF Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo Collision
DNF Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 Collision
  • – Rowbottom and Lloyd handed five second penalties for jumping the start.
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BTCC Donington Park – Shedden inherits win from Ingram

Gordon Shedden inherited the race two win from Tom Ingram, won had won his fourth race of the season on the road to keep his title hopes alive in race two at Donington Park in stunning fashion.

The Hyundai driver made up ten places, having started 11th, and was followed home by race one winner Gordon Shedden and Rory Butcher finished third. However Ingram was given a one second penalty as he was adjudged to have made contact with Shedden in order to pass him.

Butcher muscled his Toyota into the lead on lap one having started third but soon lost it a lap later as brother in law Shedden regained his lead. Ingram had an incredible start moving to sixth by the end of the lap from 11th on the grid.

By the end of lap two Ingram was fourth before moving into the top three by the end of lap three. His ballast free car easing past his heavier opponents.

Lap five saw Ingram pass Butcher at Redgate and he hunted down Shedden in the lead. Championship leader Ash Sutton was struggling, deciding to be defensive rather than attack. He was passed by the Honda’s of Josh Cook and Dan Rowbottom but had a late resurgence in the final few laps to finish fourth in the end.

Another title fighter Colin Turkington was up into fourth, chasing down Butcher. Meanwhile back at the front Ingram finally made his way past Shedden, with the Scotsman’s Honda struggling with the maximum 75kg of ballast.

On lap 13 Turkington was fighting hard for third, but going into the Old Hairpin corner he got too much on the grass on the inside and it put his BMW into a spin, dropping him down to 11th where he finished.

Ingram took the win on the road, but was demoted to second, with Shedden and Butcher following behind. Sutton was fourth, with Dan Lloyd, Senna Proctor, Josh Cook, Aiden Moffat, Jake Hill and Dan Rowbottom rounding off the top ten.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics 18:50:277
2 Tom Ingram* Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +0.254
3 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +2.451
4 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3.218
5 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +6.114
6 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +7.486
7 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +7.524
8 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +7.791
9 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +8.212
10 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +8.299
11 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +8.561
12 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.243
13 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +10.427
14 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +10.622
15 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +11.246
16 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +12.309
17 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +13.501
18 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +14.163
19 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +15.407
20 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +15.667
21 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +17.105
22 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +17.661
23 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +19.350
24 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +19.519
25 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +21.616
26 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +22.467
27 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +28.185
28 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +34.254
Retirements
DNS Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley Crash Damage
  • – Tom Ingram given one second penalty following incident with Gordon Shedden.
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BTCC Donington Park – Shedden with lights to flag win in race one

Gordon Shedden converted pole position to victory in the first race of the day at Donington Park.

The Team Dynamics driver held off Dan Lloyd in his Power Maxed Vauxhall Astra to take another win this season after a slow start to life back in the BTCC.

The top two got away with Jason Plato losing his third place to Rory Butcher and then lost fourth to Senna Proctor as the pair had better first laps.

The Safety Car was deployed on lap three when Adam Morgan’s BMW was tapped by the MB Motorsport Ford Focus of Jake Hill, spinning the Ciceley driver into the tyre wall at the Craner Curves. Hill recovered, pitted and surged back up the grid to finish 17th.

On the restart Ash Sutton was forcing his way through the field, picking his battles and capitalising on others fighting ahead of him. He squeezed his Infiniti past and was soon on the back of former team mate Plato’s Astra.

While the Ash Sutton of old would force a move, the Laser Tools driver has learned and chose to be patient and bank the championship points he needs. Finishing seventh with only one title rival in Colin Turkington ahead of him, who finished fifth.

Up front Shedden took the win by just over a second with Lloyd behind him in another impressive finish for the Vauxhall backed team. Butcher finished third with Proctor close behind. Turkington, Plato and Sutton all followed, eight titles between them. Josh Cook, Chris Smiley and Ollie Jackson rounded off the top ten.

Two title protagonists finished outside the top ten, with Tom Ingram 11th and Jake Hill 17th after his early contact with Morgan.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics 24:43:829
2 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +1.331
3 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +2.524
4 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +2.789
5 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +3.359
6 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +4.300
7 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +4.551
8 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +7.198
9 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.631
10 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +11.026
11 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +13.650
12 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +13.995
13 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +14.269
14 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +16.685
15 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +17.121
16 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +17.887
17 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +18.976
18 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +20.070
19 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +20.376
20 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +20.828
21 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +21.345
22 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +21.745
23 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +22.113
24 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +24.122
25 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +24.671
26 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +27.233
27 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +29.657
28 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +34.189
Retirements
DNF Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley Crash
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BTCC Silverstone – Hill keeps title fight alive with win in final race

Jake Hill reignited his title challenge by taking the win in the third and final race of the weekend at Silverstone. He overtook and held off reverse grid polesitter Dan Lloyd who finished second.

Ash Sutton managed to extend his title lead by finishing third after a quiet but consistent weekend for the reigning champion.

Lloyd made a good start from pole, while team mate Jason Plato, who started second, fell down the order, losing places to Hill and Stephen Jelley in his BMW.

Tom Chiton’s poor weekend continued as he collided with Sam Osborne coming out of Copse. He spun off but managed to rejoin and finished last on the road.

The BTCC Hybrid programme was concluded with the Toyota Corolla Hybrid driven by 2013 champion Andrew Jordan pulling into the pits midway through the race. The objective of the car was not to affect the action or get into any incidents. The programme a success on both fronts.

On lap 11 Hill managed to get past Lloyd and it was a lead he didn’t give up. He passed into Copse with a brilliant move and held on from then on in. Sutton was doing his best to catch the leading duo. He dispatched Chris Smiley on lap 16 into Becketts. Smiley had a good race, running in fourth for the majority of the race and held on for it.

Sutton was charging, he couldn’t quite catch Hill and Lloyd but by finishing third he manages to extend his championship lead with Tom Ingram and Hill chasing behind.

Josh Cook had the poorest weekend of the five title challengers, with Colin Turkington grabbing a hat-full of consistent points.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport 21:24:184
2 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +0.698
3 Ash Sutton Infinti Q50 Laser Tools +1.444
4 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +4.474
5 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +4.906
6 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +5.269
7 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +5.476
8 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +6.146
9 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +7.740
10 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +8.731
11 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +8.938
12 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.652
13 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +11.434
14 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +12.965
15 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +13.277
16 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +13.566
17 Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +14.111
18 Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +15.390
19 Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +15.487
20 Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo +16.120
21 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +16.273
22 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +20.854
23 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +21.147
24 Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing +21.405
25 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +22.992
26 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +27.816
27 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +28.265
28 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +28.534
Retirements
DNF Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD Mechanical
DNF Andrew Jordan Toyota Corolla Hybrid – N/A

 

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BTCC Silverstone – Butcher holds off Cook for second win of the day

Rory Butcher took his second win from two at Silverstone as he held off a chasing Josh Cook.

Once Cook had cleared Tom ingram in a thrilling race-long battle, he hunted down Butcher but couldn’t quite take the win.

Cook was however disqualified from the result for failing a ride height check at the end of race scrutineering.

The first of two safety car periods came on lap three when Nicholas Hamilton’s Cupra was in the gravel trap. He recovered and rejoined the race.

On the restart Josh Cook was battling Tom Ingram for second place. The pair were side by side from Brooklands through to Becketts. The Hyundai of Ingram prevailed and he maintained second place.

On lap nine there were two incidents to bring out the second Safety Car. Carl Boardley was tapped into Copse by Andy Neate’s Ford. Further back Jade Edwards and Gordon Shedden collided and not for the first time this season. Shedden tipped Edwards into the gravel at Brooklands and out of the race.

Racing resumed on lap 16 with Sam Smelt joining the list of retirements with a mechanical issue. It was round two of the Cook and Ingram battle on lap 17. This time Cook managed to squeeze past Ingram into Copse and went on the hunt for race leader Butcher.

Senna Proctor was next to join the list of retirements after contact going into Becketts. His team mate Cook however was closing in on Butcher, and was hot on his heels into the penultimate lap.

The final lap meant it was now or never for Cook. He made an audacious dive down the inside of Butcher into Brooklands, getting onto the grass, but Butcher held on for the win.

He took his second win of the day from Cook, Ingram came third with Colin Turkington behind him. Championship leader Ash Sutton finished fifth with team mate Aiden Moffat behind him. Dan Rowbottom, Chris Smiley, Stephen Jelley were seventh, eighth and ninth respectively with Jake Hill going from 21st on the grid to tenth.

Pos Driver Car Team +/-
1 Rory Butcher Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo 27:16:006
2 Tom Ingram Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +3.021
3 Colin Turkington BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +3.162
4 Ash Sutton Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3.456
5 Aiden Moffat Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools +3.492
6 Dan Rowbottom Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +4.182
7 Chris Smiley Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +4.494
8 Stephen Jelley BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +5.550
9 Jake Hill Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +6.706
10 Jason Plato Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +7.031
11 Dan Lloyd Vauxhall Astra Power Maxed +7.036
12 Aron Taylor-Smith Cupra Leon Team HARD +7.796
13 Tom Chilton BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +8.348
14 Sam Osborne Ford Focus ST Motorbase +9.570
15 Jack Goff Cupra Leon Team HARD +9.728
16 Jack Butel Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +10.036
17 Adam Morgan BMW 330i M Sport Ciceley +10.166
18 Ollie Jackson Ford Focus ST MB Motorsport +10.773
19 Gordon Shedden Honda Civic Type R Team Dynamics +11.066
20 Andrew Jordan Toyota Corolla Hybrid – +11.621
21 Tom Oliphant BMW 330i M Sport Team WSR +13.751
22 Jack Mitchell Cupra Leon Team HARD +14.902
23 Andy Neate Ford Focus ST Motorbase +15.589
24 Rick Parfitt Jr Hyundai i30N Excelr8 +15.754
25 Nicholas Hamilton Cupra Leon Team HARD +24.217
Retirements
DNF Carl Boardley Infiniti Q50 Laser Tools Damage
DNF Senna Proctor Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Mechanical
DNF Sam Smelt Toyota Corolla Toyota Gazoo Mechanical
DNF Jade Edwards Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Crash
DSQ Josh Cook Honda Civic Type R BTC Racing Ride Height

 

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