For the third consecutive year, Tom Ingram will enter the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship finale still in contention for the biggest prize in UK motorsport – and though he acknowledges he is a ‘rank outsider’, the Team Toyota GB with Ginsters star has nonetheless promised ‘full-on attack’ at Brands Hatch this weekend.
 
This season marks the first for the new, British-built Toyota Corolla in the nation’s premier and most fiercely-disputed motor racing series, but in Ingram’s hands, the Speedworks Motorsport-honed hatch has repeatedly proved its potential. The highly-rated Bucks-born ace has scored points 25 times from 27 starts to-date, including four victories – two of which came during a dominant display at Silverstone last time out.
 
Heading to Brands Hatch, Ingram sits fifth in the Drivers’ standings amongst the 32 high-calibre protagonists – one of a quintet of contenders still in the mix for outright glory. What’s more, the 26-year-old has twice reached the rostrum and eight times taken the chequered flag inside the top six around the Kent venue’s legendary ‘GP’ layout – home to Formula 1’s British Grand Prix on 12 occasions between 1964 and 1986.
 
As he prepares to sign off what has been a tremendously promising maiden campaign with the Corolla, reigning two-time BTCC Independents’ Champion Ingram has more silverware in his sights this weekend – while Team Toyota GB with Ginsters bids to prevail in a tight three-way tussle for seventh spot in the 20-strong Teams’ table.
 
All of the Brands Hatch GP race day action will be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV4, beginning at 10:30am on Sunday (13 October).
  
“It’s incredible to be a title contender going to Brands Hatch for the third year in a row,” said Team Principal Christian Dick. “Especially when you consider some of the gambles and risks we have taken with the Corolla that haven’t always paid off – that progress is enormous credit to everybody involved in this project. We haven’t played safe by any means, and we have learned so much along the way. We’ve made huge strides forward, which has become particularly apparent in recent events.
 
“If you look at how we’ve performed over the second half of the season, we have every justification to be very positive and I fully expect us to be on the front-running pace at Brands Hatch. Our form at Silverstone can’t help but lift the confidence of everybody inside the team, and there’s no reason at all why we shouldn’t be really competitive again.
 
“We will enter the weekend carrying a little bit more success ballast than before which will make for a slightly tougher challenge in qualifying and race one, but I don’t expect it to hold us back too much around a lap as fast-and-flowing as Brands’ GP layout.
 
“There’s no question that the championship is the longest of long shots, but given how fractious things got between the top four at Silverstone, the potential is definitely there to pick up some pieces and perhaps gain a spot or two in the standings before season’s end – and we are obviously in a prime position to capitalise should it all kick off again. We have nothing to lose and don’t need to worry about anybody else. We can just focus on ourselves and shoot for more podiums and race wins, which would set us up nicely for a proper title challenge next year.”

“Given where we were back at the start of 2019, I’m absolutely made up to be heading to Brands GP still in the reckoning for the third year in a row, especially in a series as ultra-competitive as the BTCC,” said Ingram. “Obviously we’re rank outsiders given the points situation, but it’s never over until it’s over and we will push right to the very end. I don’t think we’ll be quite as super-quick as we were at Silverstone, but I am confident we’ll be up towards the sharp end again and we’ll certainly come out fighting!
 
“The development of the new Toyota Corolla was never going to be a five-minute job, but we’ve just been going about our business, quietly getting on with it and learning and understanding more all the time – and that has been reflected in consistent improvements, particularly during the second half of the season.
 
“We’ve definitely turned a corner over the last few race weekends, and to enter the final event inside the top five in the championship is something we can be very proud of as a team. We know the areas we want to work on this weekend, and I think we’re in a really exciting position now, with plenty more still to come from the Corolla. We go to Brands all guns blazing and in full-on attack mode, so let’s see where that leaves us when everything shakes out on Sunday afternoon...”

BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan will seek to end his Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign on the ultimate high this weekend when the 2019 season draws to a close at Brands Hatch.

Jordan heads into the weekend sitting third in the championship standings on the back of a challenging weekend at Silverstone last time, where mixed weather conditions led to another twist in the fight for the title.

However, Jordan lies just 17 points behind fellow West Surrey Racing driver Colin Turkington with a maximum of 67 still available, and will carry less success ballast into the season finale than at Silverstone two weeks ago.
 
Having enjoyed success around the famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in the past, Jordan heads into the weekend confident about his chances of adding to his 2013 title win.
 
It would cap a remarkable comeback from what was a challenging start to the year for the 30-year-old at the wheel of his new BMW 330i M Sport.
 
Having secured a dream victory first time out in the car at Brands Hatch in April, Jordan then endured a weekend to forget at Donington Park, where an accident ruled him out of all three races and left him playing catch-up in the standings.
 
Since then, the #77 driver has gone on to win more races and lead more laps than anyone else to roar back into contention, with his focus firmly on lifting the title for a second time.
 
Jordan will also be looking to help BMW win the Manufacturers’ title for a fourth successive season.
 
“Since Donington Park, I’ve pushed hard to get back into contention for the title and we now go to Brands Hatch with a chance of lifting the championship,” he said. “It won’t be easy by any means, but history shows that anything can happen when it comes to the final weekend of the season and it certainly isn’t over.
 
“Brands Hatch is a fantastic circuit on which to hold the final round and always delivers drama. It’s a circuit where I think the BMW will be strong, and when things are as close as they are, the fact that I’ll be carrying a little bit less ballast will hopefully work in my favour.
 
“My aim is to try and qualify well so that I’m out of the ‘danger zone’ on race day, and then I’ll be giving my all to fight for wins and as many points as possible; that’s all I can do.”
 
Regardless of the final outcome of the championship battle, this weekend’s season finale will make the end of an era for Jordan and Pirtek Racing as the curtain comes down on one of the most successful partnerships in BTCC history.
 
Pirtek first joined the grid with Andrew’s father Mike back in 2006, and have been title sponsor of Andrew’s touring car programme since 2010.
 
In total, Pirtek-backed drivers have gone on to appear in more than 400 BTCC races, with 27 race wins, more than 80 podiums and four championship titles.
 
“When our relationship with Pirtek first started, none of us could have expected it to become the long-term partnership that it has been,” Jordan said. “I’m hugely proud of the success that we have enjoyed together through the years and I’m looking forward to taking to the track in Pirtek colours one final time this weekend.
 
“It would be a fitting way for us to end our time together with another championship and I’ll be doing everything I can to try and make it happen.”
 

Pirtek Racing in the BTCC:
 
Drivers:
Mike Jordan, Andrew Jordan, Jeff Smith, Martin Depper

Cars:
Honda Integra, Vauxhall Vectra, Honda Civic, MG6 GT, Ford Focus, BMW 125i M Sport, BMW 330i M Sport

Teams:
Eurotech Racing, Triple Eight Race Engineering, Motorbase Performance, West Surrey Racing

First race:
Brands Hatch, 9 April 2006 – Mike Jordan, Honda Integra

First win/podium:
Mondello Park, 23 April 2006 – Mike Jordan, Honda Integra

First Fastest Lap:
Oulton Park, 24 June 2007 – Mike Jordan, Honda Integra

First pole:
Donington Park, 17 May 2009 – Andrew Jordan, Vauxhall Vectra
 
Championship Titles:
Overall – 2013, Andrew Jordan, Honda Civic
Independents – 2013/13 Andrew Jordan, Honda Civic; 2016 Andrew Jordan, Ford Focus

Wins:
27 – Andrew Jordan, 26; Mike Jordan, 1

Podiums:
82 – Andrew Jordan, 73; Mike Jordan, 7; Jeff Smith, 2
 
Pole Positions:
7 – Andrew Jordan, 7

Fastest Laps:
23 – Andrew Jordan, 20; Mike Jordan, 3

Laps Led:
521 – Andrew Jordan, 478; Mike Jordan, 34; Jeff Smith, 9
 

Tom Oliphant served up a strong performance in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone to set up a Jack Sears Trophy title showdown next month.

Three hard-fought top seven finishes across the penultimate meeting of the season not only made him the top BMW points scorer over the weekend, but also allowed him to close to within 11 points of Rory Butcher in the JST standings.

Having seen his pace go unrewarded at Knockhill last time out, the West Surrey Racing driver headed to the home of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, of which he is a proud member, keen to bounce back with a trio of top results.

Showing his pace in both free practice sessions behind the wheel of his BMW 330i M Sport, Oliphant equalled the best performance of his BTCC career in qualifying as he powered his way to the fifth fastest time

Powering his rear-wheel drive machine off the line in race one, Oliphant endured a race of attrition as he fought tooth-and-nail in the fight for the podium. Firmly in the mix in the opening stages, the 29-year-old ultimately settled for a fifth place finish on the soft tyre.

Race two would see Oliphant come close to scoring a maiden BTCC win amidst challenging conditions. Charging towards the front from the third row, the Haines Watts Esher and Sports Alive-backed driver produced a superlative move for the lead at Brooklands and soon began to build an advantage.

As conditions deteriorated, a safety car neutralised proceedings. When the action restarted, the Leamington Spa based racer was unable to hang on with his slick tyres and salvaged seventh when the race was ended early with a red flag.

The third and final race approved to be just as dramatic as treacherous conditions once again played their part. With all cars starting on slick tyres, the heavens opened soon after the lights turned to green and left a majority of the field diving for the pit lane to switch to wet rubber.

Rejoining towards the back of the field on lap four, Oliphant soon began to scythe his way through the slick-shod cars and charged to fourth place at the chequered flag - taking a clean sweep of Jack Sears Trophy victories in the process.

Leaving Silverstone, Oliphant moved up to 11th in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship and has closed up in the Jack Sears Trophy, with Team BMW are second and first in the BTCC Teams’ Championship and BTCC Manufacturers'/Constructors' Championship respectively.

“To come away with three top seven finishes, victory in the Jack Sears Trophy and finish as the top BMW points scorer is something that I can be happy about - we have a chance now heading to Brands Hatch," said Oliphant.

“We’ve had the pace since we rolled out in FP1. I’m obviously gutted about what happened in race two as we had that pretty much won and I personally feel that the red flag should have come out earlier with the conditions.

“Race three was pretty mega though as the team made the right call, nailed the pit-stop and then we had fantastic pace to climb up to fourth. I think I could have nabbed a podium had I not been dicing with another car when I left the pit-lane, but that is one of those things. We can be very happy with our weekend.

“We’re going to Brands Hatch within 11 points of Rory [Butcher] in the Jack Sears Trophy and I’ll obviously be pushing to help BMW to win the Drivers’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles. I can’t wait to get there.”

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher fought back into the top-five during an action-packed final showdown in the penultimate Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship meeting of the season at Silverstone.

The weekend delivered yet another rollercoaster set of results for the Motorbase-run squad, with changeable weather conditions upsetting much of the running order for the BTCC grid during Rounds 25, 26 and 27.

After taking a solid 11th in qualifying, Chilton claimed a promising top-ten result in the opening race, a result that was later amended to ninth after another driver was penalised.

Free of the soft compound tyre for race two, the Reigate driver's hopes of securing a top-five finish were short-lived. Innocently collecting a piece of displaced advertising hoarding up in the opening laps, Chilton was forced to pit on lap eight with an overheating engine caused by the debris covering the radiator. Re-joining at the back of the pack, the 34-year-old managed to salvage 20th spot.

A frenetic finale brought the weekend to a close with a classic touring car crowd-pleaser, with Chilton producing a superb zero-to-hero drive on the 1.64-mile National circuit layout to take fifth at the flag.

With all but two of the 30-car grid heading out on slicks, the race quickly became a game of strategy as the rain returned. Taking a gamble to switch to wets on lap five, the #3 crew’s tyre selection proved to be an inspired choice as the heavens opened once more. Scything his way through the field as the laps unfolded, Chilton expertly picked his way up the order to cross the line in fifth from 20th spot, an outcome that looked to be way out of reach just moments earlier.

Ollie Jackson’s weekend sadly proved to be best forgotten. Struggling to string the perfect lap together in qualifying, the Alcon and Beavis Morgan-backed racer found himself on the back foot in 18th.

Caught in the messy midfield, contact in the opening race derailed his chances of moving up the order and into the points-scoring zone and he eventually crossed the line in 18th. Race two was better for Jackson, who despite taking another heavy shunt from behind, managed to add to his points tally in 14th.

Jackson fell foul of the sudden change in weather. After making a stunning start on the greasy track, the 35-year-old was running as high as fifth and looking at an all-but-guaranteed podium spot. Opting to stay on slicks along with the majority of the front-runners, he tumbled down the order as the wet tyre runners came into play and eventually crossed the line frustrated in 19th.

“It was unfortunately another weekend of what could have, or should have been,” said Team Manager Oly Collins. “Saturday was difficult for us as we struggled to get a handle on the circuit which started us off on the back foot.

“We found some pace in the car today but didn’t convert it into the results. Tom was desperately unlucky in race two to collect the advertising board forcing him to pit and lose any chance of a result. Thanks to Tom’s call for wets in race two we did manage to snatch a result from the weekend.

“Ollie was just caught up in other people’s incidents this weekend. I think he had a target on his car. He was running great in fifth until the weather came in.”

“We obviously started the final race in 20^th after the shenanigans of the hoarding hitting my car in race two, which was extraordinarily bad luck,” said Chilton. “Where we were at the time, I know we would have finished in 11^th, which is what was pulled out on pole. I feel gutted we missed out on the reverse grid.

“I saw Goff pull in early to change to wets, and I almost followed but the team were still saying no at that point. I think it was the right call, as it still wasn’t wet enough at that point. But as soon as the safety car came out we decided to make the switch and it paid off. It was exciting; I was just carving through the field and feel sure we could have made the podium with just a few more laps.”

“I don’t know how I could have done any better,” said Jackson. “There’s no point where I think I could have driven any better, and there’s no point at which I could have done something differently. It was just a shocker of a weekend.

“Race three could have been a completely different result if the rain had held off. Unfortunately it was almost a curse of running so high up that we couldn’t risk or give up a fifth position to change to wets. I can’t think of another time when a tyre change in a modern BTCC race has ever produced results like that. No-one could have predicted it.”

Quintet of contenders guarantees five-star finish at Brands Hatch

The 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will go down to the wire at Brands Hatch next weekend (12/13 October), with no fewer than five title contenders aiming to win the most coveted prize in British motorsport.
 
A huge crowd is expected to descend on the famous Kent venue as motor racing’s most gripping and unmissable drama is played out on the legendary Grand Prix circuit.
 
Tens of thousands of fans will enjoy the action trackside, whilst many more will be glued to live and exclusive television coverage on ITV4 throughout race day.
 
The Contenders
Reigning champion Colin Turkington has led the way for much of the campaign, but the Team BMW star has seen his mid-season advantage reduced to just 16 points ahead of the Brands GP finale.
 
Turkington is aiming to become a record-equalling four-time BTCC champion next weekend – a feat only previously accomplished by tin-top legend Andy Rouse – but the Northern Irishman will have to fend off attacks from a team-mate and a gaggle of rivals.
 
The 37-year-old claimed five wins from the opening six events of the season but recent race weekends at Thruxton, Knockhill and Silverstone have been more damage limitation rather than all-out attack.
 
Turkington’s points advantage was down to just four points after the opening race at Silverstone last time out, but the BMW 3 Series driver bounced back brilliantly thereafter to grab a podium and eke out the gap to a slightly more comfortable 16 points.
 
“The key is going to Brands with a chance, and that’s the position I’m in,” said Turkington. “You only have to watch one race day to see how unpredictable the BTCC is. You scrap as hard for second place as you do for 20^th. It’s positive that I go with some points tucked away, but we need to be on the case at Brands. It’s the last step and I’m looking forward to the challenge.
 
“It’s a completely different race weekend to any other. The focus on the drivers is huge and there’s a lot at stake, but I know how to approach it – you learn year-by-year. The first title is the hardest to get over the line. It doesn’t get any easier but you’ve a greater bank of knowledge to rely on and you bat away the negative thoughts a bit easier.
 
“Brands GP is the perfect track for a finale. It’s one we all love and it’s got everything – fast corners like Paddock and Hawthorns out the back and the rest is a perfect mix. We should have a strong package there. Qualifying will be tough I think, but I’ll put my best foot forward and try to enjoy the weekend as well. We’ve got to seize the moment.
 
“I go out hunting number four. It’s a nice target to aim for but I fully expect it to be a tough ride. I’ll continue to work harder and I’m going to give it absolutely everything.”
 
With 67 points remaining on offer, however, the chasing quartet will still fancy their respective chances of snatching the title.
 
The rise of Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish has been one of the stories of the 2019 BTCC season, following the Honda star’s sluggish start in the opening events at Brands Hatch and Donington Park.
 
As low as 18^th in the standings after the curtain-raiser, Cammish had improved to sixth overall by mid-campaign. A run of 11 podiums in 17 races continued to catapult the Yorkshireman up the order, and he’s now Turkington’s nearest challenger ahead of the final showdown.
 
“It’s not a million miles away, 16 points,” said Cammish. “If you’d said that in the middle of the season, I wouldn’t have believed you. The team have been great, I’ve been consistent and we’ve put up a fight.
 
“The BMW is the fastest thing out there when it’s like-for-like – they’ve done a fantastic job. They’re still scrabbling around though, trying to get the job done. I’ll keep hanging in there and make myself a nuisance.”
 
BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan has won six races so far in 2019 – more than any other driver in Britain’s premier motorsport series this year – and he’s currently just a point adrift of Cammish.
 
His speed behind the wheel of the new-for-2019 BMW 3 Series has been there for all to see, and the 30-year-old has produced some of the finest drives of his career to-date.
 
Carrying less success ballast into the season finale than his nearest rivals, many a pundit believes this could be Jordan’s year as he bids to claim his second BTCC crown.
 
“Brands GP is a fantastic track, and finals day is always very atmospheric with a great crowd and great racing,” enthused Jordan. “It’s a fitting place for it and I’d love to win it.”
 
BTC Racing’s Josh Cook has been within touching distance of the standings summit for much of 2019, having led the championship early on. Consistency has been relatively key to Cook’s challenge, although a mid-season wobble arguably cost him overall.
 
Cook has been in fine form during recent weeks, however, and the Honda Civic Type R man will be ready to pounce if the leading trio slip up at Brands Hatch.
 
Tom Ingram and his Speedworks Motorsport squad have enjoyed a series of stellar campaigns in the BTCC, and 2019 has seen the outfit reach further milestones.
 
The Team Toyota GB with Ginsters star has been manufacturer-backed for the first time in his career, and the talented Bucks ace has claimed four victories in the all-new Corolla. Top results have not always been easy to come by at different points during the season, but the 26-year-old arrives at Brands Hatch in title contention for the third successive year.
 
Whilst the overall Drivers’ champion will be the main headline-grabber, there are a host of other battles and sideshows going on up and down the order.
 
BMW and Honda will fight it our for Manufacturers’ and Teams’ supremacy whilst Cook, Rory Butcher and their respective teams are challenging for Independents’ honours.
 
Butcher will be looking to secure the Jack Sears Trophy too, but BMW’s Tom Oliphant is closing in.
 
BTCC heroes Jason Plato and Matt Neal will be keen to join the party as the veteran racers both chase their first victory of 2019, whilst local lights from Motorbase, Team HARD and AmD will also be eager to end the season on a high.
 
Timetable and Tickets
Aside from the BTCC showdown, a spectacular line-up of support series will complement the action at Brands Hatch, with a range of racing disciplines set to entertain the expected huge crowds.
 
The F4 British Championship, Renault UK Clio Cup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Ginetta Junior Championship and Ginetta GT4 SuperCup also join the fray for the final meeting of the season.
 
Tickets for the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship finale at Brands Hatch on Sunday 13 October are available from £28 in advance, with FREE entry for under-13s. Click here or call 0843 453 9000 to book now.

Honda driver Dan Cammish boosted his Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship points position in a dramatic penultimate meeting of the season at Silverstone, emerging from the weekend in second place, only 16 points off the top of the table. Meanwhile in the final race Matt Neal staged a remarkable wet-weather drive from the back of the grid to take the final podium spot.   

During qualifying, Neal, who’s last podium at the ‘Home of British Motor Racing’ was in his race three win two years ago, secured P3, with Cammish’s qualifying time resulting in him starting race one from seventh on the grid.

Race one saw Neal slip back from third to an eventual eighth finishing spot, while Cammish dropped back as low as 16^th and out of the points, before moving back through the pack to cross the line in 11^th and cut his points deficit to just eight.

Both Hondas lined up on the softer compound tyres for what would be a dramatic race two, and quickly made their advantage count, Neal progressing to sixth with Cammish just behind. But as rain started to fall Neal was forced to the pits with a puncture, and Cammish fought a robust duel with Andrew Jordan, allowing Colin Turkington to pass both of them. Recovering from a safety car period, Cammish made a move on Turkington for second, only for heavier rain to force an early end to the race. While the points gap extended again to 11 points, the Honda man's 12th podium finish of the season put him into second championship spot.

Race three brought even more drama, rain falling again as the field got away. Starting ninth after the reverse grid draw, Cammish cut through the field in a spirited opening stint to claim fourth before an early safety car period saw several cars at the back of the field, including Neal, dive to the pits for wet-weather tyres. 

Cammish could not afford to give up his place as the racing restarted, and he then showed great skill in the increasingly treacherous conditions, holding his position for much of the race as the grip from his tyres steadily deteriorated. Sadly his rearguard action could not last for ever and as heavier rain fell the cars on wet tyres took control, Cammish slipping back to an eventual 12th-place finish.

Neal, meanwhile, provided a major consolation for the Honda squad. A swift tyre change by the Halfords Yuasa Racing mechanics gained him several positions and he drove through the field, climbing from his 28th start position to take the final podium spot.

Cammish and Honda now head to the season finale at Brands Hatch very much in the championship hunt. While Turkington still leads the points the Honda man sits just 16 back in second, with Jordan a point behind him. With more than 60 points still to be won, it's all to play for. 

“A difficult weekend to sum up!” said Cammish. “The guys gave me a great car but the weight held me back a bit in qualifying and then race 1 was tough in the early laps, I got beaten up a bit but was pleased to come back to 11th.

“In race 2 with no weight and the soft tyre the car was a class above and it was disappointing that the red flag came out just as I was passing Turkington, which would have produced a six-point swing in my favour. And then in race 3 everyone struggled with the weather and it was puzzling why I had so much grip. It takes a brave man to pit from fourth place. Our rivals had to take wet tyres and once they did, I was in trouble – I had to roll the dice, and only in the last eight laps did the rain make things too bad.

“It could have gone a lot worse. We’ve dealt with a lot of challenges this weekend, we are still in this and we go now to a track I love in a car that suits it, and which served me well last year with two wins. I have everything to gain and very little to lose.”

“What might have been!” said Neal. “We struggled a bit in race 1 but the car was great in race 2 – we had pace on the leaders and I thought I could make holes for Dan to follow me through, but then I was hit and that broke the suspension. I lucked into a result in race 3 with the weather – my team did a great job to get me out but despite the podium I feel a bit deflated. 

“However, we go to Brands still in the battle – Dan has a shot at the title and we still have a chance at taking the manufacturer and teams titles. Let's bring it on.”

Excelr8 Motorsport’s Rob Smith celebrated his first outright points finish in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship during a dramatic and action-packed penultimate event of the 2019 season at a rain-hit Silverstone National Circuit on Sunday, 29th September.

Touring car rookie Smith, who has shown considerable progress during his maiden campaign in the UK’s premier championship, made a wise call to change from slicks to treaded Dunlop tyres part way through the final race of the weekend.

Driving well in increasingly miserable conditions, the Telford racer was able to charge through to 14th position overall – easily his best result yet in the BTCC – and eighth in the Independents’ Trophy at the wheel of his MG6. 

Notably too, his fastest lap a mere tenth of a second shy of the best managed by outright top three finisher Matt Neal, in his manufacturer entered Honda Civic, and the second placed Infiniti of Aiden Moffat.

“It’s great to get the monkey off my back and take our first outright points in the BTCC, I’m really pleased with the pace we showed in the final race”, said Smith. “The conditions were changing a lot all the time, it was difficult to know who was on slicks and who was on wets as the guys on slicks were doing a good job to be fair.

“Our car was working well considering we had a dry set-up, if we’d pitted a lap sooner it would’ve been a masterstroke and we could easily have been in the top 10 and higher. All in all I’m still lacking seat time in the wet, so I’m a bit more cautious than I naturally would be, but the points are great and it’s a good way to cap what was, until then, a bit of a frustrating weekend.”

Qualifying saw Smith post a best time of 58.565 seconds (100.83mph) which resulted in a frustrating 29th overall on the grid, 19th in the Independents Trophy.

For race one on Sunday, intermittent rain gave some pause for thought with regard to tyre choice but Smith opted for slicks. Slipping back a place on the opening tour, at Becketts he got ahead of two tangling cars to move into 28th. 

At the back of a nine car train running pretty much bumper-to-bumper, Smith continued to improve his pace, moving through the pack up to 23^rd before a recovering Colin Turkington passed him on lap 11.

Making the breakthrough on lap 19 to take 22nd and 14th in the Independents, he held the placing to the flag on lap 22.

For the fully dry second race, from 22nd on the grid, Smith safely negotiated the first lap but was edged back to 24th place. Dropping two further places on the second tour, Smith quickly regained the lost ground but the message then came over the pit-to-car radio he would have to serve a drive through penalty due to a false start.

Pitting at the end of lap six, Smith rejoined the race in 26th overall just as rain started to fall. With the precipitation worsening with every lap, a number of cars came to grief and officials opted to deploy the Safety Car on lap 15 as a result with Smith holding an elevated 21st position. He pitted again to gamble on wets, but officials then red flagged the race with Smith 22nd and 14th in class.

Starting 22nd on the grid again for race three, Smith ran the soft compound Dunlop slicks with drizzle starting to fall again and he climbed into the overall top 20 before being bundled back to 26th prior to the emergence of the Safety Car on lap four.

As some drivers opted to pit to change to treaded rubber with the rain worsening, Smith weighed-up the idea himself and a lap later he chose to take the gamble. Managing to leave the pits still on the lead lap, Smith held 22nd overall and 14th in the Independents and while big gains weren’t initially forthcoming, into the final third of the 25 lap encounter he began to slice through the order.

By lap 24 the Excelr8 driver had broken into the overall points-paying top 15 and a superb ninth in class and on the final tour he gained one more place, both outright and in the Independents, to secure a very well deserved and impressive 14th overall and eighth in class.

“As usual in FP1 I was reasonably happy, but when we used new tyres in FP2 there was too much understeer so we had to work on that”, reflected Smith. “I was pleased to make a breakthrough with the driving style though, when we looked at the data after practice there were no changes needed and obviously race three was just the end we wanted. Hopefully we can take this on to Brands.”

Smith’s maiden season in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will reach its conclusion just a fortnight from now, over the weekend 12th/13th October, at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit.

Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing returned to action at Silverstone for Rounds 25, 26 and 27 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, the penultimate event of the 2019 season.

The high-speed sweeps and facilities of Silverstone contrast dramatically with the tight and rustic Knockhill and presents the PMR engineers a completely different set of challenges.

The blustery but dry conditions from Free Practice persisted into Qualifying, with hopes high in the PMR garage that both cars could be up at the front. All eyes were on car #11 as Jason Plato hovered around the top-five. Into the last eight minutes and the former double Champion hit the top of the times, holding on to win a superb Pole Position with a new Lap Record.

With the first 28 cars covered by less than a second, every tenth was critical and Rob Collard started to struggle a little with the balance of his Astra, setting his quickest time mid-session but failing to improve thereafter to end up a frustrated P17, with work to do.

Race day dawned very wet, but the wind and sun started to dry the track and brought the Dunlop slicks back into play. Along with the majority, both drivers decided to take the softer Option tyre for race one.

A great start saw Plato burst into the lead on the greasy track, crossing the line at the end of lap two ahead by 1.5 seconds. Collard also made a great getaway, fighting through to P14. By lap four however, the lead Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra was in a dog fight with the hard tyre shod Ingram, losing the advantage on the right out of Copse after running side by side from the exit of the long Luffield hairpin.

From then on, Plato hovered close by in second, well ahead of the pursuing pack, before settling for the place after experiencing a vibration on the front left of his Astra.

In the #9 Vauxhall Astra, Collard had also made a great start, immediately gaining four places over the first couple of laps and then surviving a scare when Turkington spun across his bows, with Morgan on the inside, as the three cars exited Luffield.

By lap 20 Collard was in a four-way dice fighting over P10 and lapping within 1/10^th of the leaders. Unfortunately, in challenging for P10, he was pushed wide and then off the track, losing out on the race to the line to finish P12 after a racy and combative drive.

Race two was greeted by a dry track, and a delayed start just added to the tension. Both drivers again made good starts, with Collard cutting inside Chilton on the run out of Luffield to move into P11 and then inside Bushell with a lovely move into Brooklands on lap two. 

It got worse unfortunately on lap four as damage caused by contact resulted in Collard returning to the pits. The PMR crew effected repairs and sent the #9 car out to check systems, eventually finishing seven laps down.

At the front Plato was also in the thick of the action, closing on P2 before dropping back at the rain started to gently fall. By lap 9, the top three were together as the slippery track caused drama with cars sliding everywhere. All three leaders slid into Brooklands, with Plato also losing out to Turkington as they scrambled their way through Luffield a lap later.

By lap 14 the Safety Car had been deployed, with the field closed up and all on slicks on the now very wet surface, the spectators held their breath for the lap 17 restart.

Immediately Plato slid down the inside of Oliphant into P3, only to lose out again with a big slide at Copse before the race was red-flagged because of the conditions. The P4 finish also meant that Plato dropped out of the title race, now with no mathematical chance of a third drivers crown as BTCC heads to the season finale at Brand Hatch.

The clouds looked ominous for race three, and although all drivers started on slicks, the team’s weather radar was being closely monitored. 

Another great start by both cars saw Plato move to P7, then P6 and then P5 down the inside of Smiley into Becketts, whilst at the tail Collard was making great progress, already up five places in two laps.

As the field went into lap three, just as the Safety Car returned, Plato dived into the pits for wets, dropping to P20 but more importantly over 30 seconds behind leaders, but still on the lead lap come the restart.    

Collard meanwhile had continued his mission, expertly moving up to P11, still on slicks and facing a challenging 15 laps ahead.

As the track got wetter and wetter, he tried to fight the tide, still lapping in the 66 second mark to hang on in the Top-15 but then starting haemorrhaging places as the slick/wet cross over took full effect in the ever-worsening conditions.

By lap 13 Collard was still in P12 and Plato, accompanied by a few wet shod buddies, was remorselessly closing in. On lap 14, car #11 crossed the line in P12 and car #9 was P14 before dropping to an eventual P21.

Plato kept catching the leaders and with Turkington in tow moved into P10 on lap 20, P8 on lap 21 and then into a great sixth place finish by the end of the 25-lap race.
   
“I can’t wait to have a beer when I get home!” said Collard. “Another really frustrating weekend really, and I’m really disappointed after race two’s incident. We battled back hard, but we were on the wrong tyre and just hasn’t come our way. Looking forward to a strong Brands Hatch and a rest over the winter.”

“In hindsight,” said Plato, “in race three, as I passed the pit entrance, I hadn’t made my mind up on tyres, and saw the shine on the track and wished I’d come in! Had a great start, but then the Smiley incident just messed it all up completely. It’s been a positive day though, but I’m never happy with the results I get, and always want more. I’m hopeful we can catch that elusive win at Brands!”

“It’s been another frustrating but positive weekend overall,” said Team Principal, Adam Weaver. “It’s annoying that we didn’t take the win in race one, but we’ve bagged some decent points and head into the final holding our own.”

Following two successful seasons, establishing his career in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Team Dynamics are delighted to announce that they have agreed a new two-year contract with Leeds-born driver Dan Cammish.

Cammish, who has accumulated 12 podiums this season so far, is just 16 points off the Championship lead having advanced to second overall following the latest rounds at Silverstone National Circuit.

“I’m over the moon to be extending my contract with the team," enthused Cammish, "they truly are the most professional outfit on the grid. I have to offer my thanks to the whole of Team Dynamics for the support they have given me, particularly my teammate Matt Neal who has been a superb mentor and has given me the confidence and inspiration to do what I do.  The Honda Civic BTCC Type R FK8 just gets better and better, the more I drive it the more I realise what a truly competent car it is.  This season I have really got to grips with the way the car works and that has reflected in my results.  I’ll certainly be giving it my all come the final round at Brands to repay the guys for their faith in me”

Steve Neal – Owner of Team Dynamics commented “Dan has had a steep learning curve coming into this series, it is a lot more physical than what he was used to, but he has learnt quickly and is now proving himself to be a shining light in the Championship.  I predict great things for him, both now and in the future, hopefully he can go onto to equal or better Matts titles.”

Dave Hodgetts – Managing Director Honda UK added “Dan was a natural choice for us going forward, continuing the strong pairing with triple champion Matt Neal. His talent on track is there for all to see and he has grown into the role over the past two seasons. Coming from a completely different race Championship, and going on to master the highly competitive BTCC in such a short period of time, is testament to not only his driving ability but his character, we are delighted that Dan will be driving for us in both 2020 and 2021”

James Hylton – Managing Director of title sponsor Yuasa commented “Dan is a sponsors dream; he presents himself well and is a great Brand Ambassador.  His on-track results speak for themselves and he truly is a Champion of the future, this is a great result for us all and we wish him all the best for the remainder of this season and beyond”

Andy Randall – Managing Director of Halfords Autocentres finished by saying “We are thrilled that Dan has signed for Halfords Yuasa Racing for another two years, I have been following the series avidly and can see he has just gone from strength to strength.  We utilise the drivers extensively within the business and I cannot think of a better driver to retain this seat”

Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan will go into the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season finale as two of the leading contenders for the most coveted crown in UK motorsport, after surviving the slings and arrows on a dramatic day of racing at Silverstone on Sunday 29 September.
 
With the title battle reaching fever pitch at the ‘Home of British Motor Racing’, qualifying was always going to be a tight and tense affair. Tom Oliphant led the Bavarian charge in fifth position behind the wheel of his BMW 330i M Sport, while Turkington pulled a superb lap out of the bag on maximum success ballast to line up alongside his Team BMW stablemate in sixth. Although he was only two tenths-of-a-second further adrift, that was enough to relegate BMW Pirtek Racing’s Jordan to 14^th on the closely-contested, 30-car grid.
 
Race day was characterised by changeable conditions. Oliphant held position in the opener to take the chequered flag fifth on a greasy track, as Jordan scythed his way through into the top ten. Turkington, meanwhile, found himself tagged into a 360-degree spin that dropped him all the way down the order to 25^th, but demonstrating his class, the defending champion produced an excellent recovery to 14^th at the chequered flag to salvage two potentially crucial points.
 
The Northern Irishman was one of the undisputed stars of race two, as he picked his rivals off one-by-one. He had climbed to second – setting an incredible fastest lap along the way, well out of reach of what anybody else could muster – when the action was red-flagged on safety grounds with four laps left to run due to deteriorating conditions as the rain intensified.
 
On the less favourable medium-compound tyres, Oliphant similarly went on a charge. After making his way up to third, the second-year BTCC driver rapidly latched onto the back of the leading pair and seized the initiative when they made contact on lap ten.
 
The 29-year-old maintained his advantage in the worsening weather, but a late safety car intervention for a car beached in the gravel would unfortunately prove to be his undoing. At the re-start, Oliphant was the first to test the grip on cooler tyres, and after running wide through Copse Corner, he eventually wound up seventh, one spot ahead of Jordan in eighth.
 
Further light rain made for a slippery circuit once again in the last race of the day, and all three drivers elected to pit to change over to wet weather rubber during an early safety car period. Rejoining in 18^th (Oliphant), 19^th (Jordan) and 21^st (Turkington) – all more than 40 seconds shy of the lead – they went on to fairly carve their way through the slick-shod runners, with Turkington and Jordan even indulging in an entertaining side-by-side scrap along the way.
 
Oliphant ultimately crossed the finish line an excellent fourth to cap a very consistent day in distinctly inconsistent conditions, with his trio of results seeing him close to just 11 points adrift of the lead in the chase for the 2019 Jack Sears Trophy. Turkington took the flag seventh with Jordan eighth, meaning the pair head to Brands Hatch in a fortnight’s time sitting first and third in the Drivers’ standings respectively, only 17 points apart as the final showdown speeds into sight.

“That was definitely the most challenging weekend of the season so far,” said Turkington. “I’m pleased with my performance – we qualified and raced strongly, although all the effort in qualifying was wasted a little in race one when I ended up facing the traffic! The day looked like it was heading the wrong way after that, but we didn’t give up, dug deep and worked our strategy well to turn it around. Race two was the first time all weekend that we ran with the weight taken out and the BMW 3 Series just came alive – we knew we had a fast car here, but when you start off heavy, you can’t always show that straightaway. With the soft tyres, we could really crack on, and to go from 14^th to second was a great result for the championship. The last few laps in the wet were really tricky and the main objective was simply to stay on the road. In race three, it got to the stage where the slicks were literally not generating any grip and I was no longer confident on them, so there was no choice but to change tyres. We had a good old ding-ding battle with Andrew, and overall, it was a tough day’s work but a good day’s work. Most importantly, we came away with a decent haul of points and extended our championship lead – and now it all goes down to Brands Hatch.”

“I’ve got to be happy with my weekend,” said Oliphant. “In tricky conditions not really suited to our car, I can’t complain about a fourth, fifth and seventh place and leading my first laps in the BTCC. Part of me is admittedly disappointed that we didn’t ultimately win race two – that was a tough one to swallow. We moved forward in the dry and then when the rain started falling, I pressurised the people in front of me into mistakes and ended up in the lead. We stayed in front even as the rain got heavier, but we lost tyre temperature behind the safety car and then had absolutely zero grip at the re-start, which caused me to run wide. Front wheel-drive cars on soft tyres have a real advantage in those conditions, and I was grateful they red-flagged it after three laps – even though that was obviously three laps too late for me. The team made a few small changes before the last race and the car felt mega. We made the right call on tyres, and the guys did a great job to get me back out of the pits second amongst the drivers on wets, which set us up for a charge. The Jack Sears Trophy was my main pre-season aim, and this is the first time I’ve genuinely felt I’ve got a chance of winning it since Donington Park – so bring on Brands Hatch!”

“It’s been a tough weekend,” said Jordan. “But I think to fight back from where we were in qualifying to where we finished in the races represented a pretty solid job. It was full-on and stressful the whole way through for everybody involved, and the kind of conditions in which it would have been very easy to throw it all away. Colin extending his championship lead clearly isn’t ideal for me, but we’re still in touch after a day that could have ended in tears for any of us. It was good fun on the track, and I’m sure it made for some entertaining action for the spectators. The second race got really tricky towards the end – I really could have done with a set of softs in that one! Rear wheel-drive cars notoriously struggle on slick tyres on a damp track, so it was all about bringing it safely home and scoring some points. I can imagine it got a bit tense for the team in race three. You obviously try to give your team-mate a bit more room than you would other drivers, but at the end of the day there’s a championship at stake here, so I have to race Colin as hard as I race anybody else and I know he will do exactly the same. Now it’s time to recharge my batteries ahead of Brands Hatch and get ready to go again.”