Josh Cook has doubled up as the BTC Racing star scored his second Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship victory of the day at Thruxton.

The contest was interrupted by two major incidents, resulting in no fewer than four cars with significant damage.

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 will occupy the front row of the grid for the final encounter of the day.

Race 3 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton will start at 1720 with action continuing live on ITV4 throughout the day.

Josh Cook said: “It definitely helped having my team-mate with me there. I’ve got to say, huge thanks to Dan – I’m sure he could have made my life a lot more difficult. Another one-two for BTC Racing and our second win of the day – we’ve got off to a dream start. Of course there’s still another race to go, but this is just incredible.

"The car has been mega, even with the weight in. Having raced around here before with 75kg on-board, I didn’t really expect that, to be honest. Huge credit to the team – this is just brilliant.”

Dan Cammish said: “You’ve got to swallow your ego every now and again and it was the right call. I knew with 75kg [of success ballast] that Josh would hit a wall at some point, and he did, so I just came on the radio and said 'what’s the plan?' and they said they’d really appreciate it if that was the result and you can’t argue with that.

"Josh has been doing fantastically all weekend, really fast, especially out of Church. I’ve seen on the data what he does there, and he must have had his cereal this morning. I’m very happy for myself, the team and Josh, it’s a great result for BTC Racing."

Jake Hill said: "It’s been brilliant. The first start, I had an absolute monster. I got alongside Ingram, but then the restart was terrible. But we again had a very good first lap. Unfortunate for Rory [Butcher] in the middle of all that. But we came through, with a solid third again and the car was a lot better then even with the weight.

"The Hondas are rapid, there’s no question about it. Josh, even with the weight on board, did a fantastic job so fair play to him. Dan obviously drove really well as well, to be honest I was just really happy to hold onto them. I wasn’t able to do that jump, but I was with them pretty much the whole way so it’s a big step forward for us with the Focus."

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Thruxton

1       Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing 15 laps
2       Dan CAMMISH (GBR) BTC Racing +0.234s
3       Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.625s
4       Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +4.655s
5       Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +4.976s
6       Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +6.961s
7       Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +7.303s
8       Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +9.291s
9       Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +10.055s
10     Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +11.411s
11     Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +13.259s
12     Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +13.759s
13     Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +15.311s
14     Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +15.826s
15     Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +16.944s
16     Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +17.540s
17     Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +19.551s
18     Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +19.914s
19     Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +26.245s
20     Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +26.623s
21     Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +32.085s
22     Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +35.931s
23     Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1 lap
24     Rick PARFITT (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +7 laps
25     Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +15 laps
26     Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +15 laps
27     Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +15 laps
28     Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +15 laps
29     Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +15 laps

BTC Racing's Josh Cook claimed the honours in Round 1 of the 2021 British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton 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.

The BTCC will be back on-track for Race 2 at 1435 and Race 3 at 1720, with all the action being broadcast live on ITV4.

Josh Cook said: “We’re in at the deep end a bit here, the fastest circuit in the UK, first time out of the year, it was a bit of a shock to the system the first time when the lights went out but it’s good! I’m really, really chuffed for the whole of BTC Racing; we’ve had a tough winter, but a good start to the year. We’ve just got to keep the ball rolling and try to see if we could do some more damage this afternoon.

“We need to be in this position at the end of the year. So we’ve got to get our heads down! Credit to Tom [Ingram] and the guys in the Hyundai, they’ve really got that thing going quickly, I had to push it all the way.

“It wasn’t an easy race, that’s for sure! As soon as the safety car restart, I just had to keep my head down and try and get those laps in. The guys have got such a good race car set-up beneath me that me driving is the easy bit. Credit to the whole team, they deserve it."

Tom Ingram said: “Fantastic! To score a podium on my debut with the team, I’m really, really pleased. Big credit to all the guys and girls at EXCELR8 – the whole team has done a tremendous job and this result really means the world to all of us. Having my engineer Spencer 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’s so good to see the smiles on everybody’s faces. We’ve started as we mean to go on!”

Jake Hill said: "It's a huge result for me, MB Motorsport and Motorbase. It’s fantastic for all of us! For our first time as Manufacturers to come away with a podium at Thruxton – which has finally been good to me – I’m over the moon.

"Colin and I had a good race, he was fair, I think I was fair. I got my elbows out with attacking him again, but we’re fighting for a Championship – what do you expect? When you’re fighting Colin you’ve got to try and get in front of him as hard as you can. A fantastic result for everyone on board, I’m absolutely thrilled."

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Thruxton

1        Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing 19 laps
2        Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +2.298s
3        Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +4.227s
4        Dan CAMMISH (GBR) BTC Racing +9.323s
5        Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +11.758s
6        Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +12.046s
7        Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +12.607s
8        Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +19.612s
9        Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +21.259s
10      Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +21.825s
11     Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +22.760s
12     Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +26.391s
13     Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +26.720s
14     Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +21.138s
15     Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +27.448s
16     Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +27.791s
17     Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +29.846s
18     Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +31.038s
19     Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +33.636s
20     Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +38.774s
21     Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +41.015s
22     Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +41.932s
23     Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +42.886s
24     Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +45.545s
25     Rick PARFITT (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +45.928s
26     Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +2 laps
27     Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +5 laps
28     Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +19 laps
29     Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +19 laps

We are on the eve of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season opener at Thruxton this weekend (8/9 May), so what better time to catch up on the full entry list in finer detail.

The latest driver and team pages have been updated on the official BTCC website, including graphics, imagery and important information.

Team pages include the squad’s BTCC CV, with information from each campaign contested in the series, images, team stats and how the squad has scored in the recent results.

Similarly, driver pages includes a biography, results, images and honours.

The pages also list those important social media handles, so you can keep up-to-date on what your favourite BTCC protagonists are up to throughout the campaign.

The action is about to get underway... we hope you enjoy the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Championship.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship started as it means to go on yesterday as a breathless qualifying session kicked off the 2021 campaign, with varied conditions throughout the day putting the drivers through their paces around Thruxton's 2.36-mile circuit.

Laser Tools Racing man and reigning champion Ash Sutton took the first pole of the year, as he begins his title defence:

Josh Cook, who was victorious during the final race at Thruxton last year, will start the opening contest from second spot:

Team BMW driver Colin Turkington took P3 after a late flying lap fired him up the order:

Laser Tools Racing's Ash Sutton kicked off his Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship title defence with a hugely impressive pole position at Thruxton today (8 May).

The breathless qualifying session commenced in wet conditions as persistent rain and high winds descended on the high-speed Hampshire venue, but conditions improved slightly as the session progressed towards a grandstand finish.

Tom Ingram (Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com), Josh Cook (BTC Racing), Jake Hill (MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square) and Rory Butcher (Toyota Gazoo Racing UK) all enjoyed spells at the summit of the timesheets as lap times continued to tumble during the 30-minute session, and all would be in the shake-up as many of the contenders switched to Goodyear dry tyres in the closing stages.

It was the Infiniti Q50 of Sutton that scythed into provisional pole position as the chequered flag was prepared, although it still looked as if both Hill's Ford Focus and Butcher's Toyota Corolla may have gone even faster.

Hill's Focus caught up with the Vauxhall Astra of Jason Plato following a good run through Church and Brooklands, before the two cars briefly touched on the exit of the final chicane. The issue was enough to scupper Hill's chances of improvement and he would eventually have to settle for seventh.

Butcher was also flying in the #6 Toyota on his final run, but the Scotsman's P1 hopes were dashed as he pushed too hard and ran wide on his charge to the chequered flag.

Cook was a consistent challenger throughout as he made his way into second in the BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R, whilst Colin Turkington left it extremely late to show his hand by grabbing third.

Bath-born racer Cook regards Thruxton as somewhat of a home track and he clearly enjoys racing at the fastest circuit in the UK, having won here in each of the series' last four visits.

Team BMW's Turkington had struggled to find the ultimate pace for much of the day and was languishing down the order until the four-time champion produced the sort of magic that we've seen many times down the years. He will line up third in tomorrow's curtain-raiser around the 2.36-mile circuit.

Ingram was fourth, ahead of Butcher, whilst Team BMW's Tom Oliphant performed well to claim sixth.

Hill was seventh with series returnee and three-time champion Gordon Shedden close behind. The Halfords Racing with Cataclean star may arguably be slightly frustrated with eighth, having been further up the order during practice, but both team and driver are likely to contend for honours come race day.

Ollie Jackson and Chris Smiley ensured that both pairs of MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square and Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com cars were inside the top ten.

Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Thruxton tomorrow (9 May) with all of the action being broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4 from 1050.

Ash Sutton said: “Obviously we’ve been thriving in wet conditions all day and the balance was mega then. We were sitting at the top of the times in the wet and then you start hearing people are going out on slicks and you think ‘alright, let’s dig deep’. The front-wheel drive cars can generate a bit more heat quicker than us, so we had to spend a lot more time doing it, but it came good in the end.

“We’ve made a few quite dramatic tweaks from last year and that paid off in the dry because that’s normally our downside. I think I’ll stick to having this number one on the car – it’s given me some good luck.”

Josh Cook said: “I’m a big fan of this circuit – it’s good fun, one of the best circuits we come to, especially in those conditions. I'm gutted to miss out on pole by half a tenth and it’s always got to be Ash, hasn’t it! But well done to him, mega job. It was tricky conditions so I’m happy with that, and I know I’ve got a good race car around here. Just to make it through that session was good but to make it to P2 is just what the guys needed after a hard winter. 

“You have to be on the circuit at the right time [to get pole] and it took a bit longer than I expected to get the temperature into the tyres. But at the end of the day we can race from P2. It’s a long season so I just need to try and get some good points tomorrow."

Colin Turkington said: “I saved the best for last! It’s obviously been tricky conditions for everybody today. We’ve been throwing a few different things at it, just trying to learn for qualifying. As usual, we got faster as the day went on and I think I just got onto slick tyres at the right time, a lap earlier would have been even better, but the grip was just improving with every lap so I’m really happy for both my team and BMW to be starting on the second row.

“It takes forever for the front tyres to switch on. The rears are ready after a few laps but you’re just turning into the corner and it’s a big, big push. That’s why you’ve got to get onto them early, try and be aggressive and build the temperature. It’s been a really good start for me."

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Thruxton

1       Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 1:18.305
2       Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.053s
3       Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.362s
4       Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.413s
5       Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.530s
6       Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.586s
7       Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.604s
8       Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.810s
9       Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.641s
10     Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1.740s
11     Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.973s
12     Dan CAMMISH (GBR) BTC Racing +2.088s
13     Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +2.408s
14     Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +2.458s
15     Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +2.630s
16     Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +2.677s
17     Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +2.969s
18     Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +3.171s
19     Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +3.172s
20     Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +3.310s     
21     Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +3.547s
22     Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +4.065s
23     Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +4.350s
24     Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +4.574s
25     Rick PARFITT (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +5.460s
26     Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +5.547s
27     Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +6.152s
28     Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +6.826s
29     Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +6.882s

Halfords Racing with Cataclean driver Gordon Shedden hit the front in the second Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Thruxton as conditions continued to prove challenging for the 29-cars on-track.

Rain has fallen for much of the morning at the Hampshire venue, and with heavy winds now joining proceedings, ultimate lap times were marginally slower than this morning's session.

Shedden – returning to the series after a three-year hiatus – has been in fine form throughout pre-season and has delivered on his potential so far at Thruxton, as he edged out FP1 pace-setter Ash Sutton by two-tenths of a second.

Both Shedden and Laser Tools Racing's Sutton have been consistently towards the front during practice and will clearly consider themselves contenders for this afternoon's all-important qualifying session, albeit with unknown conditions for the remainder of the day.

Daniel Rowbottom is enjoying a stellar first day at the office with Halfords Racing with Cataclean as he set the third fastest lap time, ahead of BTC Racing's Dan Cammish and Team BMW's Tom Oliphant.

Jason Plato has been cemented inside the top six during practice and the off-season improvements to the Vauxhall Astra look to have Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing in a positive position.

Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com's Tom Ingram was seventh, whilst Aiden Moffat's encouraging day continued with eighth in the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50.

BTC Racing's Josh Cook and Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan completed the top ten order.

Despite the conditions it has been a relatively trouble-free practice run for all teams with Tom Chilton's clutch problem in the BMW and Glynn Geddie's off in the Cupra being the most notable issues.

Qualifying for Round 1 for the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will take place at 1445 with the action getting underway ten minutes earlier via www.itv.com/btcc.

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 - Thruxton

1          Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean 1:20.994s
2          Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.200s
3          Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.266s
4          Dan CAMMISH (GBR) BTC Racing +0.344s
5          Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.423s
6          Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +0.545s
7          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +0.553s
8          Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.585s
9          Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.797s
10        Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +0.901s
11        Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.996s
12        Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +0.998s
13        Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.227s
14        Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.382s
15        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1.405s
16        Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +1.486s
17        Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +1.687s
18        Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +1.867s
19        Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +2.301s
20        Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +2.051s
21        Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +2.055s
22        Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +2.068s       
23        Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +2.153s       
24        Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +2.314s
25        Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +3.276s
26        Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +3.672s
27        Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +3.888s
28        Rick PARFITT (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +4.181s

Ahead of her first full BTCC campaign, piloting the #99 Honda Civic Type R, the Official BTCC website caught up with PHSC with BTC Racing's Jade Edwards yesterday to find out how she's feeling about hitting the track at Thruxton for the season-opening weekend.

Listen to the full interview below now...

BTCC champion Ash Sutton has kicked off his title defence by topping the opening free practice session of the season amidst wet conditions at Thruxton this morning (8 May).

Heavy overnight and continued rain in Hampshire meant the full 29-driver line-up faced a challenging start to the campaign at the UK's fastest track, and it was Sutton who showed his class in the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50.

Sutton has already confirmed that he's hoping for rain throughout the weekend, so it was little surprise to see him topping the times relatively late on in the 40-minute session.

Jake Hill (MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square) and Josh Cook (BTC Racing) had initially traded blows at the head of the order, with P1 changing hands on several occasions as drivers continued to acclimatise to the tricky conditions.

Cook had to settle for second from Hill at the finish, whilst series returnee and three-time champion Gordon Shedden was next in the classification, having looked particularly pacy in the Halfords Racing with Cataclean Honda Civic Type-R.

Jason Plato made it three champions in the top-five with a confident mood being displayed by the Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing camp throughout the off-season.

Aiden Moffat confirmed the credentials of the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50 with an encouraging run to sixth, as he pipped manufacturer-backed Rory Butcher (Toyota Gazoo Racing UK) and Tom Oliphant (Team BMW).

Dan Cammish kicked off his weekend appearance for BTC Racing in ninth, whilst Daniel Rowbottom rounded out the top ten for Halfords Racing with Cataclean.

The 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will be back on track at 1215 for the final practice session, before the all-important qualifying commences at 1445, which will be screened live via www.itv.com/btcc.

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Thruxton

1          Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1:20.041
2          Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.049s
3          Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.610s
4          Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +0.775s
5          Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.040s
6          Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.101s
7          Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +1.184
8          Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +1.218s
9          Dan CAMMISH (GBR) BTC Racing +1.244s
10        Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +1.261s
11        Tom INGRAM (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +1.622s
12        Ollie JACKSON (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.654s
13        Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Adrian Flux with Power Maxed Racing +1.696s
14        Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.850s
15        Andy NEATE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +2.273s
16        Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +2.523s
17        Jade EDWARDS (GBR) PHSC with BTC Racing +2.574s
18        Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +2.814s
19        Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +3.055ss
20        Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +3.217s       
21        Jack GOFF (GBR) Team HARD. with Autobrite Direct +3.228s
22        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +3.232s
23        Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Team HARD. with HUB Financial Solutions +3.504s
24        Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Racing with Wera & Photon Group +3.754s
25        Sam SMELT (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK +4.006s
26        Rick PARFITT (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +4.613s
27        Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading +5.633s
28        Jack BUTEL (GBR) EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com +5.956s
29        Tom CHILTON (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport NO TIME

High-speed Hampshire circuit to kick off tin-top campaign 

The 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship gets underway at Thruxton this weekend (8/9 May) with the best tin-top drivers in the country all gunning for glory. 

Honda has been the most potent machinery around the high-speed venue in recent years with the marque taking seven victories from the previous 15 races at the UK’s fastest circuit. 

This may bode well for series returnee and three-time champion Gordon Shedden, who has also shown solid form during pre-season having topped the only official test day at Silverstone last month. 

“I’m raring to go,” said the Halfords Racing with Cataclean star. “Testing has been really good to be honest and I’m quite happy with where we’re at. 

“We seem to say every year that it’s looking like one of the closest yet and walking up and down the pitlane it’s great to see the investment being put into the championship – lots of new cars and a real strong field, which is exactly what everybody wants. 

“Nobody has been able to test at Thruxton so it’s going to be really interesting. Literally straight in and get going at the fastest circuit in the UK – I love the place and I’m really looking forward to it. 

“We need to hit the ground running. Everyone needs to be at the top their game and making no mistakes if they want to win the thing. Hopefully we get a bit of luck and fingers crossed we get some good results this weekend.” 

BTC Racing has its contenders too in the Honda Civic Type-Rs with Josh Cook and Dan Cammish in particular, both having taken a victory apiece in Hampshire during the previous two seasons.  

Jade Edwards will star in the third BTC Racing-run car as she becomes the first full-time female driver in the BTCC since 2007. 

Arguably the most important form guide of course is the 2020 BTCC season as a whole, and therefore both reigning champion Ash Sutton and runner-up Colin Turkington will be expected at the sharp end this weekend. 

Perhaps surprisingly, however, Team BMW legend Turkington hasn’t won at the Hampshire circuit during the previous four visits, whilst Sutton has never triumphed around the 2.36-miles of Tarmac during his BTCC career. 

Tom Ingram has swapped the Toyota Corolla for the Hyundai i30N during the off-season and the Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com driver will have his 2020 double victory here fresh in the memory. 

It could be a great weekend for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK’s Rory Butcher of course, or may be Jason Plato in the Adrian Flux Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall, or Jake Hill in the MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square Ford Focus... and the list goes on. 

That’s the beautiful thing about the ultra-competitive BTCC... all 29 drivers come into the curtain raiser with dreams of reaching the top step of the podium. 

Throw in some expected wet weather in Hampshire over the weekend, as well as the cars qualifying without success ballast on Saturday afternoon, and it really is anyone’s guess as to who will get their BTCC season off to a flying start.  

As always, fans can catch all of the action live on ITV throughout the weekend with qualifying getting underway at 14:45 via www.itv.com/btcc on Saturday before the all-important Sunday race day commences at 10:50. 

Viewers can enjoy more than seven hours of action live on ITV4, which will also include coverage from the Ginetta Junior Championship, F4 British Championship, Mini Challenge Trophy, Ginetta GT5 Challenge and Porsche Sprint Challenge GB. 

It is a fairly well-known fact that Team Dynamics typically go well at Thruxton, despite some ups and downs, but every year since 2010 at least one , if not both, of its drivers have been on the podium at each one of the race weekends.

After a long winter break, testing resumed in earnest in April and the TD cars topped the times at the official test day, with three-time BTCC Champion Gordon Shedden quickly finding his feet and being on the pace. Newcomer Daniel Rowbottom performed well on the timesheets, consistently putting in solid laps.

Buoyed by the pre-season showing Team Dynamics will be giving it everything to try and come out on top at the end of the Thruxton weekend.

Daniel Rowbottom said: “This really is an awesome circuit, but out the back you have to hang on tight and need nerves of steel. It’s incredibly fast and when you are doorhandle-to-doorhandle with other cars it can get a bit physical! I can’t wait to get out there now.”

Gordon Shedden said: “It’s been a bit of a steep learning curve for me after being away so long, but the team have helped me settle back in quickly and that has shown in our times during testing. I like Thruxton, it is a proper drivers circuit that is mega quick, and you really leave nothing on the table.”