The EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com team has launched its all-new BTCC Fan Club, providing race fans with the chance to show their support for the Hyundai team throughout the remainder of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season.

Signing up for the new EXCELR8 BTCC Fan Club will provide its fans with the opportunity to show their support for the team - either trackside or from home - as it embarks on its biggest touring car programme to date.

Members will be given the chance to gain behind the scenes access to the team and drivers Tom Ingram, Chris Smiley, Jack Butel and Rick Parfitt both on and off track through an exclusive members-only Facebook group, and a special priority newsletter.

Each fan will be given a special welcome letter alongside their own membership pass featuring a unique fan ID, and a package of team-wear, comprising of team shirt, team cap and face mask.

A signed team poster, signed driver bio cards, team sticker and keyring will also be provided – all of which can be carried in a special team rucksack – and a number of exclusive competitions will also be available.

"The past twelve months have been extremely challenging for us all, but as we prepare to welcome BTCC fans back to the track, we are delighted to announce the launch of our new Fan Club," Team Owner Justina Williams said.

"From speaking to supporters in recent months, it has become clear to us that fans have a desire to get closer to the action and want to become more involved with the team, and the Fan Club has been designed to do just that.

"The fans are a crucial part of the British Touring Car Championship, and we are excited about the prospect of strengthening our ties with them during the year ahead."

For more information on the EXCELR8 BTCC Fan Club, or to sign up as a member, visit www.excelr8motorsport.com/membership

ASH SUTTON SLIDES HIS WAY TO RACE 3 WIN

The first race day of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship was rounded off with another entertaining encounter, as Round three's wet-dry-wet contest saw reigning champion Ash Sutton prove his wet-weather prowess and take his first victory of the campaign.

The Laser Tools Racing star was in fighting form throughout the day and had scythed his way to the front early in the reverse-grid encounter with the vast majority of the field running on Goodyear wet tyres.

Jake Hill (MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square), Tom Oliphant (Team BMW) and Chris Smiley (Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com) proved to be exceptions to the rule in terms of tyre choice, and when conditions improved it looked as if the trio had played a masterstroke.

Hill’s Ford Focus was particularly quick as he carved his way back through the order and eventually passed Sutton’s Infiniti Q50 for the lead on lap ten.

Incredibly, no sooner had Hill hit the front that the rain began to fall again on the high-speed Hampshire circuit, giving Sutton the opportunity to come back for the victory in the latter stages – a fitting reward for his fighting spirit throughout the day.

Hill was now hanging on to second with both Jason Plato (Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing) and Gordon Shedden (Halfords Racing with Cataclean) closing in on the final lap.

The trio went three-wide as the chequered flag fell and it was Plato who had snatched second from Hill by just 0.070s, with Shedden only 0.166s further in arrears.

It was a valiant effort by Kent-based Hill and he was further rewarded with the championship lead following his podium treble during this enthralling season opening weekend at the fastest circuit in the UK.

Daniel Lloyd made it a double top five celebration for Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing, followed by the Team BMW duo of Colin Turkington and Tom Oliphant.

Jack Goff grabbed the best result of the day for the newly built Team HARD Cupras with eighth, whilst Ollie Jackson (MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square) and Stephen Jelley (Team BMW) rounded out the top ten – the latter having led the opening lap of the race before falling down the order on wet tyres.

Relive the action from the third Round of the championship via ITV's race in 60 seconds highlights clip below.

Heading to Snetterton, in just over two weeks' time, Hill leads double-winner Josh Cook in the standings by a single point, with series returnee Jason Plato currently third overall. For the full standings following Thruxton, click here.

BTC RACING ONE-TWO AS COOK HEADS CAMMISH

The second Round of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship wasn’t without its fair share of drama, so a recap of the full 15-lap encounter will definitely come in handy for fans to make sure they didn’t miss a moment of the action!

The contest was interrupted by two major incidents, resulting in no fewer than four cars with significant damage, before Josh Cook doubled up, as the BTC Racing star scored his second victory of the day.

The Ford Focus of Andy Neate (Racing with Wera & Photon Group) made contact with Glynn Geddie’s Cupra Leon (Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct), whilst Jade Edwards’ Honda (PHSC with BTC Racing) was also collected as the cars ran through turn one for the first time.

All three cars made heavy contact with the barrier, and the Team HARD-run machine of Geddie barrel-rolled to an eventual standstill. The drivers involved were thankfully unharmed in the accident but the race was immediately halted by a red flag.

The restart got off to a similar start when the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK car of Rory Butcher slammed into a tyre-stack after a high-speed run through Noble, as the Scotsman battled with MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square’s Jake Hill and Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com’s Tom Ingram.

The second race of the season eventually settled, but not before pole-sitter Cook had slid through the Complex into Ingram’s Hyundai i30N, although both cars were able to continue relatively unscathed.

Cook held P1 from start-to-finish and was joined by the perfect rear-gunner in the shape of BTC Racing team-mate Dan Cammish, who ensured that Hill had to settle for third – albeit securing a second impressive podium of the day for the Ford Focus man.

Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Daniel Rowbottom snatched a fantastic fourth after he got the better of two-time champion Jason Plato, as the Honda driver made a stellar move stick on the exit of the final chicane.

Ingram claimed another top six finish, having been compromised by the earlier incident with Cook, as well as then dealing with the attentions of Team BMW’s Colin Turkington for much of the race.

Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat and Ash Sutton were eighth and ninth respectively, with the latter producing another stunning recovery drive following an early pit stop that sent him to the rear of the field.

The Team BMW duo of Tom Oliphant and Stephen Jelley were next in the order, with both having reason to celebrate post-race after it was confirmed that they would occupy the front row of the grid for the final encounter of the day.

The full result is available here and ITV’s race in 60-second highlights clip of the contest can be viewed below. Check back tomorrow for the final round from Thruxton’s season-opening race weekend!

Kwik Fit is back with another fun-filled season of action away from the track as well as on it this year, with a number of activities planned for BTCC fans to enjoy and get involved with throughout the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season.

Look out for driver quizzes, Kwik Fit live on race weekends, ticket competitions, Kwik Fit Majors and more!

The Kwik Fit Majors was a popular feature in 2020, with fans given the chance to win a round of golf with some of their favourite BTCC drivers. The activity makes a welcome return this year, with four occasions for fans to take part during the campaign.

The first Kwik Fit Live of the 2021 campaign, at Thruxton, included championship stalwart Jason Plato and Tom Ingram discussing all things BTCC, as well as some amusing storytelling from the pair, as they gave behind the scenes insight into some of their best moments in Britain's premier motorsport series.

Throughout the year, live sessions will be streamed at every race event, with a number of drivers getting involved.

Keep an eye out on Kwik Fit's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as well as the Official BTCC accounts to make sure you don't miss any of this exciting and entertaining programme of activities!

COOK TRIUMPHS IN CURTAIN-RAISER AS CONTENDERS CLASH

As the next rounds of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship get ever closer, let’s look back at the events of Thruxton, and relive the action from the trio of races that kicked off the 2021 campaign.

The preliminary contest saw BTC Racing’s Josh Cook claim the honours, as the likes of Ash Sutton, Colin Turkington and Gordon Shedden all hit trouble.

Racing got off to an enthralling start – as you’d expect in the BTCC – and Cook initially seemed to lose out as his Honda Civic Type R bogged down from third on the grid.

Pole-sitter Sutton held the lead down into the Complex for the first time, with Team BMW’s Turkington and Cook’s #66 machine running side-by-side immediately behind. As Sutton braked into the right-hander he was clipped from behind by Turkington’s BMW 330i M Sport, and the reigning champion’s Infiniti Q50 was tipped into a spin.

Cook made the most of an opportune moment as he slipped into the lead, with the rear-wheel drive BMW’s seemingly struggling for grip. Turkington had by now dropped to fourth – behind Cook, Tom Ingram and Jake Hill – whilst Tom Oliphant was also seen spinning to the rear of the field on cold tyres.

The opening lap drama was far from over, however, with the most dramatic moment still to come as Ollie Jackson’s MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square Ford Focus wriggled as the cars approached the quickest part of the circuit.

Three-time champion Gordon Shedden was unable to avoid the rear of Jackson’s Ford and the Halfords Racing with Cataclean car was subsequently speared across the track and into the unfortunate Hyundai i30N of Chris Smiley.

Heavy impact with the barrier followed for Shedden and the first safety car period of the new season was deployed.

Cook kept his powder dry following the restart, as did Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com’s Ingram, whilst MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square’s Hill completed the podium despite coming under race-long pressure from Turkington.

Dan Cammish nipped impressively into fifth in his BTC Racing Honda, after making the most of a squabble between Toyota Gazoo Racing UK’s Rory Butcher and Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing’s Jason Plato.

Butcher – contesting his 100th BTCC race – and Plato – contesting his 600th BTCC race – were almost inseparable throughout the 19-laps of running and eventually had to settle for sixth and seventh respectively.

Daniel Rowbottom continued his eye-catching opening weekend for Halfords Racing with Cataclean by taking eighth, with his final move by Adam Morgan’s Ciceley-run BMW being particularly impressive.

Laser Tools Racing finished line astern with the recovering Sutton taking tenth from team-mates Aiden Moffat and Carl Boardley.

Following a post-race review, Turkington subsequently received a 17-second time penalty for an incident involving Ash Sutton during the opening lap, dropping the Team BMW driver to tenth.

Check out the full result here as well as ITV's Race in 60 seconds highlights clip below, and of course head back to btcc.net tomorrow for the Round Two recap!

BTCC race-winner Senna Proctor will return to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship from the second event of the season at Snetterton next month, after today (26 May) signing with BTC Racing for the remainder of the 2021 campaign.

The 22-year-old, who has four full years of experience in the championship under his belt, will pilot the Honda Civic Type R which was taken to the podium by Dan Cammish during the first race meeting of the season at Thruxton just over a fortnight ago.

After only just missing out on the Ginetta Junior Championship crown in his second season in the category in 2015, Proctor moved into the Renault UK Clio Cup the following year before graduating to the BTCC in 2017, where he won the Jack Sears Trophy in a factory-supported Vauxhall Astra.

Becoming a race winner in his sophomore year and taking two further podiums the same campaign, also at the wheel of an Astra, the Yorkshireman then competed in a Subaru Levorg GT in 2019 and last year raced a Hyundai i30 Fastback.

Proctor’s first official run in BTC Racing colours alongside new team-mates Josh Cook and Jade Edwards will come at the Snetterton 300 Circuit on Saturday, 12 June, ahead of rounds four, five and six of the BTCC season at the Norfolk track on Sunday, 13 June.

“We really are delighted to welcome Senna to the team alongside Josh and Jade for the rest of the season,” said BTC Racing Owner and Team Principal Steve Dudman. “He’s a great addition to the BTC Racing line-up and we’re confident he’ll thrive in our Honda Civic Type R FK8. Although still a young driver, Senna has very strong experience in the BTCC and is a proven winner – so he most certainly knows how to get the job done.”

“I am over the moon to be joining BTC Racing,” added Proctor. “The Honda Civic Type R FK8 is a proven race-winning car so this is a fantastic opportunity for me to show what I can do. The first time I will drive the car will be Free Practice one at Snetterton so I am in at the deep end, but it is a challenge I look forward to. Josh and I have worked together in the past so we know each other well, this can only benefit the development at BTC Racing and also with Jade in the team we have a strong three-car line-up. I don’t see any reason why we can't be fighting up the front from the off.”

Having announced his intentions on the BTCC earlier this year, Dan Lloyd made his Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship comeback at Thruxton earlier this month, kicking off his first campaign in the UK’s premier motorsport series since 2018.

Tricky weather conditions and safety car periods truncated the opening weekend at the high-speed Hampshire circuit, with Lloyd delivering a solid start to his maiden competitive outing in the Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra as he opened up his championship points tally.

Initially struggling to unlock the Astra’s full potential during Saturday’s qualifying session in intermittent rain and high winds; Lloyd found himself towards the back of the field for the inaugural race of 2021.

“The first two practice sessions were good in the wet and we were looking really positive. We made a lot of changes to the car to put the grip to the front for qualifying but then it dried out. We ended up going out with cold rear tyres and hot fronts and the car was such a handful. I had some huge moments and couldn’t capitalise on the drying conditions. To be honest, I think it was also a bit of me being out of practice in those conditions, after racing in Europe for the past two years in the dry.”

Starting from 22nd on the grid for the opening contest he showed grit and determination to work his way back up the order during the action-packed first and second races, claiming 16th and 14th place finishes respectively and collecting his first points-finish of the season.

“Race one was our first proper run in the dry at Thruxton. We took an estimated guess with the set-up and unfortunately it was the wrong way. We had too much understeer through the slow corners and too much oversteer through the fast corners. We made some quite big changes for race two which I thought solved the issues, but again, it was the wrong way.”

A last-minute switch from slicks to wet-weather tyres was called for in the rain-affected weekend finale. The #123 machine’s bold set-up changes paid dividends, with the rediscovered pace enabling Lloyd to scythe his way through the field to take fifth at the final flag, collecting another strong points haul for the team and ending his returning BTCC weekend on a high note.

“We chose a new direction for race three and got our pace back," added Lloyd. "The car was quick and I was pleased with how I raced. The BTCC is so competitive and I was a bit out of practice being in the middle of such a strong pack, so I was happy that I managed to avoid the incidents and bring the car home in one piece. Another lap or two and I think we could well have been on the podium.

“It was a tough weekend, but I think the set-up issues that we had were circuit specific. Thruxton is a bit of an anomaly. We did well considering we started the day in 22nd. To come through such a tight field to take fifth in those conditions was a really good result. I’d like to think that weekend would be the worst-case scenario moving forward. Given the speed we showed in pre-season testing and race three, I can only see us improving from there. We learned a lot and all that knowledge puts us in good stead.

“It’s great to be back on the BTCC grid. I’m still getting to grips with the car, but I enjoyed the racing. A big thanks to the team, and all of our sponsors for their support and hard work over the weekend.”

Heading towards the next rounds of the 2021 campaign, at Snetterton on 12/13 June, Lloyd sits 13th in the overall Drivers’ Standings and eighth in the Independents’, with the Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing Team leading the Independent Teams’ championship and third overall.

Ahead of the next rounds of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, the Official BTCC website caught up with current Jack Sears Trophy leader Sam Osborne to discuss the action at Thruxton, look ahead to Snetterton and analyse his approach towards the rest of the season.

"I'm really looking forward to Snetterton," says Osborne. "We've done quite a few laps and the car's normally really strong around there. I can't wait to be honest! [My preparation] will be watching lots of pole laps and looking at a fair bit of data trying to get myself as prepared as I can. Unfortunately, I won't be in the car until Snetterton so I'll be going from my van that I run around in daily, into a BTCC car – that'll be a bit of a step!"

Listen to the full interview below...

Tom Oliphant kicked off his 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign with an inspiring race day comeback at Thruxton, which saw him narrowly miss out on a podium in a pulsating reverse grid contest.

A top six qualifying performance on Saturday was immediately unravelled when the Team BMW star was tipped into a spin on the opening lap of race one, and was sent tumbling to the rear of the pack.

The 30-year-old underlined his overtaking credentials by scything his way up the order to finish 15^th, and he improved again in race two to climb into the top ten.

Drawn onto the front row of the grid for the reverse grid race, Oliphant opted to gamble on slick tyres as the rain began to fall and it almost proved to be a gamble that paid off.

Dropping down the order as he scrambled for grip in the opening stages, track conditions soon improved and the #15 BMW 330i M Sport surged through to second on-the-road.

Challenging for the lead, the rain unfortunately intensified in the latter stages, leaving Oliphant unable to sustain his charge and finish seventh.

Leaving Thruxton, Oliphant sits ninth in the overall BTCC Drivers’ standings as it heads to Snetterton next on June 12/13.

“Ultimately I'm disappointed with the results as we really had the pace to be on the podium in all three races,” said Oliphant. “However, the incident in race one meant that the day quickly became about fighting back and we nearly capped it off in style.

“We had great pace in race one to fight back to 15th and then I managed to pick up another five spots in race two.

"We rolled the dice in race three going for slicks and it so nearly paid off. I managed to bring the tyres in and then as soon as the slicks switched on I was off and picking my way through the field. Were it not for the second rain shower in the closing stages then I'd have been on the podium, no question about it.

"On the whole I'd have liked to come away with a few more points and some silverware, but we will be heading to Snetterton with not too much success ballast and a car we know will be well-suited to the circuit characteristics."

Tom Ingram backed up his pre-season confidence with a podium finish on his maiden appearance for Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com at Thruxton recently, as he proved that he will once again be a force to be reckoned with in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this year.

Ingram has an impressive record around Thruxton – scene of his maiden car racing win just over a decade ago, as well as a commanding double victory last season in the UK’s premier motorsport series – and he was unsurprisingly a leading contender from the outset behind the wheel of his new Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance.

On a damp-but-drying track surface in qualifying, he shot to the top of the times early on as he hustled his Hyundai around the ultra-fast Hampshire circuit in characteristically spectacular style. After slipping down the order, the talented young Bucks-born ace then vaulted back to the summit of the standings in the closing minutes as conditions improved and drivers traded their wet-weather tyres for slicks, setting the stage for a breathless end to the session.

Although he was shuffled down to fourth amongst the 29 high-calibre protagonists as lap times continued to tumble in the dying moments, it nonetheless put him solidly in the hunt – and that was only the start.

When the lights went out in the opening contest, Ingram held firm and gained a spot to third after Ash Sutton was tagged into a spin by Colin Turkington at the Complex. Immediately going on the attack, he dispatched four-time title-winner Turkington with a superb move up the inside at Church – the quickest corner in the country – before the safety car emerged to deal with a number of incidents.

Following a stoppage, the two-time BTCC Independents’ Champion made a strong re-start, and after briefly mounting a challenge for the lead, he focussed on consolidating his position as he eased away from the duel behind for third. Taking the chequered flag barely two seconds adrift of victory, Ingram flashed his i30N’s headlights in celebration as he crossed the finish line to clinch the runner-up spoils, with the second-fastest lap of the race underscoring his raw speed.

A second consecutive top six finish followed in the next encounter, before the 27-year-old was handed a 30-second stop-go penalty in the final contest and he was eventually classified down in 22^nd.

The frustrating end to the day, however, did not take the shine off an otherwise excellent debut weekend for Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com, and Ingram left Thruxton sitting sixth in the Drivers’ standings ahead of the next event at Snetterton in Norfolk on 12/13 June.

Tom Ingram, Driver, Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com, said: “I think we’ve shown we’re going to be at the front this year. With no weight on-board, the car is clearly there; with the weight in, we’ve got a bit of work still to do, but on the whole, we’re in the mix, and that’s really encouraging.

“Big credit to all the guys and girls at Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com – the whole team has done a tremendous job and to score a podium in my first race with them really meant the world to all of us. Having my engineer Spencer [Aldridge] here with me has made such a difference, from a continuity point of view and just knowing how to get the best out of each other – and it was so good to see the smiles on everybody’s faces.

“Overall, we learnt a huge amount over the weekend and as a team, we performed really well. The important thing to take away is that we know why the Hyundai reacted the way it did in each race and we will go away and figure out what we need to do to improve it. I think we can all be very proud of ourselves and looking forward, I’m really excited.”