Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish dipped under both qualifying and race lap records during Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Free Practice 1 at Thruxton this morning.

Jake Hill led the way for much of the session in his older MB Motorsport-run Honda, before the manufacturer-backed Fk8 of Cammish blitzed by with an impressive 1:15.327s lap in the latter stages of the 40-minute run.

With Cammish’s pace nearly two tenths faster than Sam Tordoff’s 2019 qualifying lap record, it looks as though the class of 2020 could be setting a new benchmark amid predicted perfect conditions in Hampshire later this afternoon.

“The weather’s lovely here today, fingers crossed it remains for the rest of the weekend,” said Cammish. “That’s why we do it: to enjoy a car we enjoy driving at a circuit you love, especially when the weather’s nice. It started well this morning. The Honda does traditionally go very well here, I think I had my best weekend of the year here last year at Thruxton ‘part two’ as it were. It started okay, the car seems to have picked up where it left off last year so fingers crossed we’re going to have a good weekend!

“Ultimately we haven’t been as fast as the BMWs and Sutton in the Infiniti for the first half of the season. But we weren’t as fast as the BMW in the first half last year either, and then we came good and started to have our weekends, so I’m hoping this is a turning point. I’m not saying we can get on top of them this year but if I can certainly win the battle of the best of the rest that’s what my aim is.”

Hill maintained second ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters’ Tom Ingram and Team BMW’s Tom Oliphant, whilst Adam Morgan’s upturn in form continued with fifth place in the Mac Tools-backed Mercedes.

BTC Racing’s Josh Cook edged out two champions in the shape of Colin Turkington (Team BMW) and Matt Neal (Halfords Yuasa Racing), whilst Tom Chilton confirmed the pace of the Hondas with ninth.

Honda machinery took five of the top nine positions, as the Japanese giant looks to continues its dominance at the fastest circuit in the country. The Civic took four of the six race wins of offer in Hampshire last season, whilst the marque has scored some 24 podiums here during the last five years – BMW being its closest challenger with ten.

Senna Proctor rounded out the top ten this morning in his Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai, fresh from his recent podium at Knockhill last time out.

Rob Austin and Tom Onslow-Cole returned to BTCC action as part of their short term deals with Power Maxed Car Care Racing and RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport Team HARD respectively, whilst Nic Hamilton was also back on-track after Team HARD repaired his heavily damaged VW following an accident at Oulton Park.

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Thruxton

1          Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 1:15.327s
2          Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.285s
3          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters +0.491s
4          Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.698s
5          Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +0.710s
6          Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.743s
7          Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.815s
8          Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.821s
9          Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +0.936s
10        Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +1.008s
11        Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.085s
12        Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.185s
13        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +1.583s
14        Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.592s
15        Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +1.657s
16        Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +1.683s
17        Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.710s
18        Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.766s
19        Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.835s
20        Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +2.181s
21        Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +2.304s
22       James GORNALL (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +2.852s
23        Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +2.955s
24        Tom ONSLOW-COLE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +3.190s
25        Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +3.678s
26        Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +4.639s
DQ     Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance