AMENDED RESULT
BREAKING NEWS:
Gordon Shedden (Car #52) has been disqualified from Qualifying for Round 4 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as a result of a technical infringement following post qualifying scrutineering checks.
Gordon Shedden (Car #52) has been disqualified from Qualifying for Round 4 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as a result of a technical infringement following post qualifying scrutineering checks.
Colin Turkington has claimed pole position in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship ‘Top Ten Showdown’ at Snetterton today (12 June), after Gordon Shedden (Car #52) was disqualified due to a technical infringement following post-session scrutineering checks.
Honda Civic Type R driver Shedden looked to have taken the spoils after claiming provisional pole position on-track, before his exclusion handed the honour to Team BMW's Turkington.
A ‘slightly disappointed’ Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com’s Tom Ingram, who had previously set the benchmark lap time during practice, settled for second in the final classification. It was, however, a best ever qualifying position for his EXCELR8 Motorsport squad, so the Hyundai driver can be confident of fighting for victory tomorrow afternoon.
Qualifying for Round 4 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship saw the return of the ‘Top Ten Showdown’ format, which was first trialled at Snetterton last season.
With a marginally reduced window to record their lap times, the top ten fastest competitors at the end of the 25-minute session, were rewarded with the opportunity to clinch their final position on the grid during a ten-minute pole position showdown.
Rory Butcher was one top driver who looked to be missing out after the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK driver had his best lap time removed for a track limits infringement, and was languishing down in 28th on the time sheets with just minutes remaining. The Toyota Corolla driver bounced back late on, however, to force himself into the showdown before claiming an encouraging third overall at the finish.
Ingram and Butcher lining up together will spark memories of their clash in last year’s final encounter around the Snetterton 300 layout, and both young chargers will be hoping for a more positive outcome tomorrow.
Team BMW had all three of its drivers in the top ten with Stephen Jelley and Tom Oliphant ending up fourth and ninth respectively, whilst Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan claimed fifth in his new BMW 3 Series.
MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square will occupy sixth and seventh on the grid for tomorrow’s opener with Ollie Jackson pipping his championship leading team-mate Jake Hill, the latter performing well in his ballast-laden Ford Focus.
Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing’s Daniel Lloyd can be pleased to have made the showdown segment as the Yorkshireman claimed eighth in his Vauxhall Astra.
The initial 25-minute qualifying run wasn’t without its fair share of drama as both Ash Sutton (Laser Tools Racing) and Jason Plato (Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing) failed to progress into the ‘Top Ten Showdown’, and will line-up 15th and 18th on the grid respectively.
Notable qualifying positions outside of the top ten included Jess Hawkins in 17th – as she impressively pipped BTCC legend Plato in her Racing with Wera and Photon Group Ford Focus.
Colin Turkington said: “FP1 and FP2 was tricky this morning, so all credit to Team BMW for turning the car around and giving me pace. We’ve got the car where we want it and I think it will be a good race car, this morning I would have said no, but after qualifying I’m a lot more confident. I think it’ll be 24 or 25 degrees tomorrow – I like the heat and so does our car – that is the strength of the BMW. Two wins last year here was pretty special, my goal for tomorrow is to try and stand on the podium. It’ll be great if we can win, but you’ve got to have realistic expectations.”
Tom Ingram said: “It's a really really good result, but I’m slightly disappointed because I wanted to be on pole. I think we’ve got a bit more to extract as I made a bit of a mistake going into the first hairpin, which probably cost me a little bit of time so is it perfect? No, not by any means. I think we can generally be pleased with it though. It’s going to be an entertaining first lap, but we’ve got good lads around us so it will all be fine.”
2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Top Ten Showdown – Snetterton
1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 1:55.371s
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 With TradePriceCars.com +0.329s
3 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.641s
4 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +0.659s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.785s
6 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.891s
7 Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.032s
8 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.121s
9 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +1.455s
DQ Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing With Cataclean
2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Snetterton
1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 1:55.294s
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.291s
3 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.416s
4 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.611s
5 Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.662s
6 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +0.782s
7 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.837s
8 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.846s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.861s
10 Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.949s
11 Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1.166s
12 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +1.249s
13 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +1.298s
14 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1.425s
15 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.425s
16 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +1.515s
17 Jessica Hawkins (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1.566s
18 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.654s
19 Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +1.692s
20 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.739s
21 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) BTC Racing +1.784s
22 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.804s
23 Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +2.207s
24 Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +2.553s
25 Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +2.926s
26 Rick PARFITT (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +3.025s
27 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +3.164s
DQ Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean
Penalty
Gordon Shedden (Car #52) was disqualified from Qualifying as a result of a technical infringement following post-qualifying scrutineering checks
Three-time BTCC champion Gordon Shedden has hit the front during the final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Free Practice session at Snetterton, as all 29 drivers prepared for this afternoon's qualifying Top Ten Showdown format.
Halfords Racing with Cataclean's Shedden has been on the pace throughout the day so far, as he had been during the Saturday at Thruxton last time out, before his race day rather unravelled at the Hampshire speedbowl.
Keen to make up for lost ground Shedden blasted his Honda Civic Type R around the Snetterton 300 circuit in an impressive 1:56.149s, albeit nearly half a second slower than this morning's benchmark – set by the Hyundai i30N of Tom Ingram.
Ingram will also have been buoyed by his FP2 effort as the Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com star ended up second in the order, ahead of an impressive run from Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct's Jack Goff in the new CUPRA Leon.
Ash Sutton will likely be a contender later this afternoon as he took fourth in the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti, backing up his solid run from this morning, whilst series returnee Senna Proctor can be happy with fifth for BTC Racing.
Jake Hill – carrying maximum success ballast aboard his Ford Focus by virtue of leading the standings – bounced back from a difficult morning as his MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square team fixed a cross-threaded wheel nut problem to get the Kent man back on track. Hill repaid his squad with a top six lap time.
Chris Smiley confirmed the potential of the EXCELR8 Motorsport Hyundais by slotting into seventh, ahead of Daniel Rowbottom's Team Dynamics-run Honda.
Josh Cook (BTC Racing) and Tom Oliphant (Team BMW) completed the top ten order.
Attention now turns to Qualifying for Round 4 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, and the returning Top Ten Showdown format.
With a marginally reduced window to record their lap times, the top ten fastest competitors at the end of the 25-minute session, will be rewarded with the opportunity to clinch P1 on the grid during a ten-minute pole position showdown.
Lap times will be reset ahead of the showdown as all ten cars head out on-track and complete an unlimited number of laps during the ten minutes.
The full Top Ten Showdown qualifying session will be streamed live on itv.com/btcc, with the action kicking off from 1430, before Sunday’s race day broadcast on ITV4 starting at 1100.
2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Snetterton
1 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean 1:56.149s
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.409s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +0.435s
4 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.549s
5 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) BTC Racing +0.669s
6 Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.795s
7 Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.903s
8 Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +1.048s
9 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +1.133s
10 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +1.254s
11 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.300s
12 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +1.301s
13 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +1.308s
14 Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +1.370s
15 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.443s
16 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1.482s
17 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.565s
18 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +1.598s
19 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.612s
20 Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +1.648s
21 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.665s
22 Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +1.686s
23 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +1.788s
24 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.868s
25 Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +1.910s
26 Jessica Hawkins (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +2.125s
27 Rick PARFITT (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +2.281s
28 Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +2.517s
29 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +2.694s
Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com's Tom Ingram has topped the times in the opening Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Free Practice session at Snetterton this morning (12 June).
In stark contrast to the opening race weekend of the campaign – at a cold and wet Thruxton in May – Snetterton was basked in glorious sunshine as the 29 cars took to the track for the first competitive session of the weekend.
Teams and drivers had already enjoyed a shakedown run around the Snetterton 300 layout on Friday evening, so it was little surprise to see the lap times immediately tumble during their Saturday morning runs.
It would be the Hyundai i30N of Ingram that eventually laid down a marker as the popular driver pipped a trio of former champions in the order.
“The car felt really good but we’re obviously not going to read too much into it – it is only Free Practice at the end of the day," said Ingram. "We’re a second off the [qualifying lap record] that I set previously, so there’s still a bit more to find."
Ingram was also quick to pay tribute the loyal BTCC fanbase, as spectators make their long awaited trackside return after more than 18 months.
"The circuit feels great and the nicest thing has to be seeing everyone on the banks," concluded Ingram. "We’ve missed having everyone out there and to go round and see people waving on the in-lap is just really cool!”
Ash Sutton (Laser Tools Racing), Colin Turkington (Team BMW) and Gordon Shedden (Halfords Racing with Cataclean) were second, third and fourth respectively, as some of the BTCC's big hitters wasted little time before flexing their muscles at the Norfolk venue.
Stephen Jelley (Team BMW), Daniel Lloyd (Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing) and Ollie Jackson (MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square) were next in the order with the three drivers looking to move forward following mixed results during the Thruxton season opener.
Toyota Gazoo Racing UK's Rory Butcher was eighth, ahead of the MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill, although the latter did face some mechanical woes to his Ford Focus during the session.
“Everything was going so well – then nightmare ten minutes in!" confirmed Hill. "The car feels good and there’s lots of time to come, so that’s a positive. Fingers crossed the boys can get the issue sorted and we’ll just go from there.”
Adam Morgan rounded out the top ten in his Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport BMW.
The BTCC cars will be back on track for FP2 at 1205 , before the all-important qualifying session takes place at 1435, which will be streamed live via www.itv.com/btcc.
2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Snetterton
1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com 1:55.785s
2 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.336s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.368s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.525s
5 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +0.707s
6 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.768s
7 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.820s
8 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.902s
9 Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.019s
10 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +1.042s
11 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +1.067s
12 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.107s
13 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1.257s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.307s
15 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +1.326s
16 Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1.364s
17 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) BTC Racing +1.469s
18 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +1.623s
19 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +1.629s
20 Jess Hawkins (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +1.640s
21 Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +2.221s
22 Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +2.385s
23 Rick PARFITT (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +2.455s
24 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +2.574s
25 Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +2.683s
26 Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +2.697s
27 Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +2.850s
28 Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +3.339s
29 Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean NO TIME
After a strong start to the season at Thruxton over a month ago, Halfords Racing with Cataclean head to Snetterton’s Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race weekend in confident mood and looking forward to the challenge.
At a circuit which has always suited Team Dynamics, and where the cars have typically run well, the squad has recorded no less than 21 visits to the podium, including five wins over the past decade at the Norfolk circuit.
“I was really chuffed with my performance at Thruxton,” said Rowbottom. “The team put a lot of faith in my ability, and I was glad I could repay them with some decent results. I thought I drove with a pretty calm head and grabbed some good points during the day. For me, in this first season with the team, I have set myself the goal to go after the Jack Sears Trophy and anything else would be a bonus. I can’t wait to get back into the car again after what seems like a really long time away.”
“I was pretty disappointed coming away from Thruxton as the car felt strong and I felt I could have had three solid results there, but it wasn’t to be,” reflected Shedden. “But I was really pleased to drive from the back of the grid to fourth in race three and finish the day on a high! I’ve always liked Snetterton and gone well there in the past, so hoping lady luck is on my side this weekend and I can repay the mechanics for the awesome work they did to get me back out at Thruxton, even if I didn’t help them by taking a wing mirror off leaving the garage!”
MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square travels to Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk for the second event of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, following a sensational start to the season last month.
The opening race weekend, at Thruxton in May, yielded one of the team’s most successful weekends to date, with Jake Hill taking his #24 Ford Focus ST to a trio of third-place finishes from three races and Ollie Jackson commanding his #48 through the field in a valiant comeback effort to finish the weekend inside the top ten.
As a result, Motorbase Performance heads to Snetterton leading the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ Championship with 101 points, whilst Hill enters the weekend leading the Drivers’ Championship for the very first time in his career, leading BTC Racing’s Josh Cook by a solitary point.
The Snetterton 300 layout marks a unique challenge for drivers, with two of the UK’s longest straights juxtaposed with a series of corners that draw inspiration from some of the world’s best-known racetracks such as Monza’s Parabolica and the hairpin at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal.
For Jackson, Snetterton holds a fond memory as the scene of his second BTCC race win in the third of the weekend’s races in 2020. The Brit also put on an overtaking exhibition, climbing ten places in just two laps during the second race.
Trialled last season, Snetterton will also see the return of the new top ten qualifying shootout format on Saturday afternoon, further adding to the drama and intrigue that the BTCC is renowned for.
Weather conditions couldn’t be further polarised from Thruxton just one month ago, with the sun set to dominate the day on Sunday as temperatures are expected to soar to 28ºC. It will also mark a joyous moment as the series’ dedicated fanbase are set to descend on the circuit for the first time in more than 18 months.
“I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel here at Snetterton,” said Jackson. “I know the circuit very well having lived locally in Attleborough for five years when I worked at Lotus and have some really special memories with the win here last year. Thruxton wasn’t the ideal start, with the unavoidable contact early on in the weekend putting us on the back foot, so this is where my season can really kick-off and I’ll be looking to score a decent haul of points.”
“Snetterton is always exciting but this weekend will be particularly special as we see the fans back at the track,” added Hill. “Their support means so much to us so I’ll be giving it my all to put on a good show for them. We had an amazing start to the year at Thruxton, with three trips to the podium and the championship lead, so hopefully we can carry that on this time around. It’ll be a new experience for me as the driver everyone else is chasing but I’m looking forward to it!”
“Firstly, it’s brilliant that we can welcome fans back to the track for the time since 2019, the atmosphere just isn’t the same without them,” said Sporting Director Mark Blundell. “For us, our aim is to carry on as we started at Thruxton. The hot weather conditions will provide a challenge for everyone as we work our way through the weekend but we’re quite confident of another strong showing this weekend.”
Dan Lloyd’s 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign gets back underway this weekend with the long-awaited return of trackside fans – after an 18-month hiatus – at Norfolk’s Snetterton circuit (12/13 June).
Having made his Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing debut behind closed doors at the season opener in May, the 29-year-old is looking to maximise on his top-five finish at Thruxton and collect another strong points haul for his championship tally in the #123 Vauxhall Astra.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year – the 300 circuit layout is also poised to feature two of the series’ most entertaining features in the ‘Top Ten Showdown’ format for qualifying and Goodyear’s ‘Option’ tyre.
Hosted for the first time last season, the new qualifying format gives drivers a reduced window of 25-minutes to secure a spot in top ten lap times – with those successfully making it through competing for the chance to take pole position in a further ten-minute showdown.
Lap times will be reset following the first session, with all ten competitors heading back out to complete as many flying laps as possible during the final ten minutes – adding an extra element of drama to Saturday’s qualifying proceedings.
In addition – the Goodyear ‘Option’ tyre format stipulates that the option tyre must be used at least once during the three races, with the teams and drivers having to confirm choices and unveil their strategies before qualifying.
“I’m really looking forward to the weekend ahead and feeling super positive,” said Lloyd. “I haven’t raced at Snetterton for a very long time but I do like the circuit. I recently did some driver coaching there so I feel a bit more on top of it than I did at Thruxton.
“I managed to get a good simulator session in last week in preparation for the weekend. Hopefully, we can get to grips with the set-up much quicker than we did at Thruxton and show more of our potential. The Top Ten Showdown is going to make things very interesting in qualifying and adds a new element, as will the return of the option tyre.
“It’s going to be such a buzz racing in front of the BTCC fans, family and guests again. It just hasn’t been the same without them there. I’m sure we’ll all put on a good show for them.”
The Yorkshireman currently lies seventh in the Independents’ standings, with the Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing Team leading the Independent Teams’ and third overall ahead of the second meeting of the season in Norfolk.
As the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship welcomes spectators for the first time in more than 18 months, Laser Tools Racing is aiming to build on some promising results last time out, as the squad heads to Snetterton this weekend (12/13 June).
Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire hosted a high-speed thriller for the season curtain-raiser as reigning champion Ash Sutton scored the first pole position of the campaign, followed up with a win for the team during Sunday's reverse-grid finale despite bad luck plaguing him earlier in the day.
Aiden Moffat also had a promising start to the season with some strong pace and great racing before being hampered by technical problems.
Ipswich man Carl Boardley, who regards Snetterton as his local track, had a very promising start at Thruxton during his first outing in the Infiniti on wet tarmac, and he will be continuing his quest to claim Jack Sears Trophy honours in the Infiniti Q50 this weekend.
With the return of more tactical features such as the Top Ten Qualifying Showdown and the use of the Option tyre, Norfolk will no doubt produce some great racing as the Infiniti drivers aim to put on a show for fans trackside and at home.
ITV’s coverage of the second event of the campaign starts on Saturday with qualifying from 1430, before Sunday’s action starts on ITV4 at 1100.
Following a near dream start to the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship last month, pace-setting team BTC Racing is targeting more success when Rounds four, five and six take place this Sunday (13 June) at Snetterton 300 Circuit in Norfolk.
With Josh Cook racing to sensational back-to-back victories in the opening two races of the campaign at Thruxton, whilst also setting fastest lap in all three races, plus guest driver Dan Cammish making it a fabulous BTC Racing one-two in the second contest, the Brackley squad tops the BTCC Teams’ Championship.
Going into the second event of the season, Cook leads the Independents’ Trophy and is second in the outright BTCC Drivers’ Standings in the #66 Honda Civic Type R.
Jade Edwards, piloting the #99 PHSC with BTC Racing entry, enjoyed a solid debut with the team taking a top 20 finish in round one. After falling victim to an error by a rival in round two, which caused major damage to her Honda, the whole team impressively repaired the car to race-ready condition for the day’s third race.
Unfortunately, Edwards was forced to retire from round three due to a technical failure – a huge disappointment to everyone at BTC Racing after such an incredible effort.
Following Cammish’s great guest drive in the curtain-raiser, he has had to honour his original commitments for the rest of the 2021 motor racing season in Porsche Carrera Cup GB.
In his place, for the remainder of the campaign, the team is very pleased to be joined by fellow race-winner Senna Proctor, who will be racing with his recognisable #18. Proctor became a proud father for the first time in May, so the team sends huge congratulations to him and his family as well as extending a very warm welcome to BTC Racing.
Free practice at Snetterton this Saturday, 12 June, will be Proctor’s maiden run behind the wheel of the BTC Racing Honda and he will therefore be straight in at the deep end. With four years’ experience in the BTCC, though, the 22-year-old is one to watch and will be hungry for success, determined to hit the ground running.
In addition to spectators making a very welcome return trackside at the weekend, the event will also mark the return of the BTCC Qualifying Top Ten Showdown – first used at Snetterton last season. Instead of the usual 30-minute session, competitors will have 25 minutes to set their best times before the quickest 10 drivers then take part in a 10-minute pole position showdown.
The qualifying session will be streamed via itv.com/btcc on Saturday from 1430, while the race day coverage will be broadcast live on ITV4 between 1100-1815 on Sunday.
Team BMW returns to racing this weekend (12/13 June) as Snetterton’s rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship mark the first event with fans trackside since 2019.
The trio of Colin Turkington, Stephen Jelley and Tom Oliphant will be aiming to build on a promising start to the campaign, having secured eight out of a possible nine points-finishes during Thruxton’s opener.
The BMW 330i M Sport went well at Snetterton in 2020, with Turkington following up pole position with a pair of victories, while it was three top 15 places for team-mate Oliphant.
For its second outing this year, the West Surrey Racing-run outfit will be aiming to make the most of two entertaining, new-for-2021 features this weekend, as both the option tyre and the Top Ten Qualifying Showdown make their returns at the Norfolk circuit.
“I’m looking forward to Snetterton,” said Jelley. “Last season, Colin qualified on pole with full ballast, so we know the car is fast there. I think we will be quick, and we had a good pre-season test there too, so I am coming into the weekend with that knowledge behind me.
“It’s a technical racetrack so I will have to get my head down and focus on getting everything right to maximise the weekend for myself, West Surrey Racing, and Team BMW, but I am optimistic and can’t wait to get back racing after the five-week break since Thruxton.”
“Snetterton is a lot more technical [than Thruxton],” said Turkington. “It's a classic British motor racing circuit with a great mix of high and slow speed corners. When everything is hooked up at Snet, it's one of the best feelings! The high-speed stuff is always my favourite.
“I'm itching now to get back to competition and attack the season like I had planned to at Thruxton. It looks like the weather will be nice and hot which I like, and our fitness will come into play with that too. Snetterton is the longest lap of the season, so you get fewer attempts in qualifying to nail it. I like that pressure. The Top Ten Showdown will make it interesting as well. I'm looking forward to those moments where I have to make it count.”