As the second half of the BTCC season approaches we take a look back the most successful weekend so far for Tom Oliphant.

The Team BMW man delivered on home turf at Oulton Park last time out, scoring a career-best finish of second place in the reverse grid encounter, as well as a further two top six finishes.

The final race meeting before the BTCC annual summer break proved to be a triumph for West Surrey Racing as a whole, with Oliphant also claiming outright honours in the Jack Sears Trophy for the first time in his career to add another piece of silverware to his 2019 tally.

The team had high hopes for the fifth event of the season, with the annual visit to Oulton Park having added significance for Oliphant, having been born and raised only five minutes down the road in Tarporley.

At the wheel of his BMW 330i M Sport, the British Racing Drivers’ Club Member secured seventh on the grid in qualifying, making it three WSR BMW’s inside the top seven.

Bogging down as the lights went out for race one, Oliphant held position as the field streamed through Cascades and settled into a good rhythm. Remaining on the back of the top six, he soon gained a spot as Matt Neal retired on lap five - bringing out the safety car.

A resolute defence from Sam Tordoff’s Honda left the Cheshire racer to settle for sixth place, kicking his race day off on the right note.

The 28-year-old made a blistering start in race two, rocketing into fourth as the 30-car grid streamed through the opening sequence of corners.

Beginning to apply pressure to third-placed Dan Cammish, a second safety car in the latter stages of the 18-lap encounter hampered Oliphant’s momentum. Holding station in the remaining laps, the 2015 Ginetta GT4 SuperCup champion brought the car home to finish fourth, narrowly missing out on the rostrum.

Virtue of the reverse grid draw, Oliphant lined up in ninth for the final race of the day. It proved to be a frenetic affair from start-to-finish, with Oliphant picking his way through the early drama to rise to fifth place.

Latching himself onto the back of Tordoff for the second time in the day, Oliphant kept the pressure on as the action unfolded before scything his way past the Honda driver in the closing stages. The Cheshire racer then capitalised on a mistake from a driver ahead to grab another spot.

Crossing the line in third place, Oliphant was later promoted to second position following a post-race time penalty to on-the-road winner Jake Hill. In addition, the BMW man's best weekend in the series was topped off with the Jack Sears Trophy success.

Oliphant has been back in action since, at the recent Dunlop tyre test at Snetterton, where he ended up 17th overall.  

As we approach the end of the annual summer break, resuming at Snetterton on 3/4th August, Oliphant is 11th in the Drivers’ Championship, whilst Team BMW sit first in both the Manufacturer/Constructor and Teams’ Championships respectively. Oliphant has also closed the gap in the Jack Sears Trophy.

“To have my best ever weekend in the BTCC at my home circuit is just amazing, and to top it off with a second place finish is phenomenal,” said Oliphant.

“Qualifying didn’t go our way but we played it smart throughout race day and knew we had the pace to run at the front. Making progress in every race set us up for that race three result; we had a bit of luck with incidents that happened elsewhere but we were in the mix throughout.

“To win the Jack Sears Trophy [at Oulton park] is just the cherry on top too. Overall it was a fantastic weekend for the team.”

HMS Racing made a particularly impressive return to BTCC action last week, during the annual two-day Dunlop tyre test at Snetterton in Norfolk.

Although embarking on a sabbatical from the BTCC this year, Swindon’s HMS has been working tirelessly on the development of its 2018 podium-finishing Alfa Romeo Giulietta and fan-favourite racer Rob Austin underlined the car’s potential across the two days of running.

Bringing day one to a close, Austin completed the two sessions with a quickest lap which put him in the middle of the pack.

On Wednesday, HMS ran new Dunlop tyres for the first time and after producing a significantly improved lap during the morning to go sixth quickest, Evesham’s Austin shot to the top of the times in the afternoon.

Fourth fastest overall for the second day, Austin concluded the entire test sixth and within just 0.4 seconds of the outright pace to confirm the squad’s potential in the BTCC which is, by any measure, majorly unfinished business for both driver and team!

“I was a bit rusty getting going in the first session [on Wednesday] on our first run with new tyres, and I left a couple of tenths on the table there," reflected Austin. “All in all, though, we were back into the groove reasonably quickly and the car improved dramatically on day one before we made more progress on the second day.

“It’s nice to have come out of the test topping the times in the final session, fourth for the day and sixth overall across the two days, and it shows the strong development work the guys have been doing on the car during our sabbatical year. We’re continuing to work hard on being back in the BTCC for 2020, this performance shows prospective partners what a formidable package we have.”

Team principal Simon Belcher added: “We spent all day on Tuesday running old tyres, working through a lot of stuff with the car, and then put new rubber on for day two. It’s fantastic to have topped the final session, and to be sixth overall for the test, and we’ve shown good consistency in hot temperatures over the last couple of days which was one of our weaker points last season.

“This championship never stands still, we haven’t come back to where things were during our last BTCC race. Everyone has improved, upped their game, so I think we can be very satisfied. It’s been important to have shown our competitiveness, now the hard work continues on development of the car and attracting the right commercial partners to enable us to be back on the grid in 2020.”

Jake Hill described his Audi S3 as ‘superb’, in the Wednesday afternoon of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s Dunlop tyre test session at Snetterton, having topped the times for the majority of the 210 minute session.

TradePriceCars.com’s owner Dan Kirby had his first taste of BTCC action on Tuesday, enjoying driving the car for the first time before handing back to regular pilot Hill later on.

“Dan did a great job in a very competitive environment, and he handed back the car to me late on Tuesday to get some extra mileage which was hugely valuable,” said Hill. “However,  Wednesday gave my engineer Stuart and me the chance to work through several set-up ideas we had wanted to try for a while. I was pleased with the time during the morning session that put us P5 overall, but it was in the afternoon when we made the most progress.

“It’s very pleasing the balance we had on the various tyre options, and to end up P2 overall when we had run on scrubbed tyres was very encouraging.

“Big thanks as always to everyone at TPC Racing and AmD Tuning for all their hard work, now I am focused on putting what we now know into practice here in a couple of weeks.”

Hill’s next outing is racing at the Silverstone Classic with Rob Fenn in the Pre 66 GT race and Pre 66 Touring Car event, aiming to build on the success the pair have had so far this season.

“I’m loving driving with Rob – we have had class Wins and overall Podiums in the Lotus 26R at both events so far this year, and a Pole and an overall Win in the 65 Mustang – I love Silverstone so hopefully we can continue our success!”

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship resumes at Snetterton on 3/4th August – Silverstone Classic takes place between 26th – 28th July.

Multiple race winner Tom Chilton topped the overall times as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship descended on to Snetterton for its annual two-day summer test (16/17 July).
 
Chilton’s 1:56.144s benchmark lap was recorded relatively early during the opening day of running and ended up just 0.118s faster than Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish.
 
“To be honest we really gave it some out there,” said Chilton. “We’re obviously testing different compounds and set-ups, but this is a real chance for us to push forwards with the car.
 
“We had a pre-season test in Spain but the conditions weren’t great there, so this is a vital few days in preparation for the rest of the season.”
 
Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher made it an impressive double when Ollie Jackson set the pace on the final day, albeit just shy of Chilton and Cammish’s respective efforts from Tuesday.
 
“It has been a really productive test,” said Jackson. “We’ve learnt a lot and written some things off too, but we seem to be in good shape for the remainder of the year.
 
“We haven’t really been rewarded with the results we’ve deserved so far this season. We have had some bad luck and made a few minor errors that have been unduly punished, so overall we just haven’t had the rub of the green.
 
“Of course, topping the times in testing doesn’t win you any points, but it’s a good feeling and a great boost ahead of the event here in a few weeks’ time.”
 
Honda man Cammish enjoyed a strong showing on both days, claiming second spot on each occasion.
 
Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance’s Sam Tordoff was fourth fastest overall as the Yorkshireman proved to be a consistent front-runner throughout his time on-track. Tordoff ended his final day of action at lunchtime, however, as the 30-year-old prepares for yet another big day tomorrow – his wedding!
 
Adam Morgan made a welcome return to form with fifth as the Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport team looks to put a challenging first half of the season behind them.
 
Rob Austin strapped himself into BTCC machinery once again – the fans’ favourite reacquainting himself with his 2018 Alfa Romeo during his sabbatical. After gradually reacclimatising on Tuesday, Austin fired his Italian car into sixth late on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Reigning champion and last year’s runner-up were next in the order as Team BMW’s Colin Turkington and Team Toyota GB with Ginsters’ Tom Ingram clocked up the mileage around the Snetterton 300 layout. 
 
Jake Hill was on top for much of the final afternoon’s running in his Trade Price Cars Audi S3, which was good enough for ninth overall.
 
A late run from Jack Goff saw Team HARD make the top ten at the death.
 
Notable absentees from the top ten included championship challenger Andrew Jordan in the Pirtek-backed BMW 3 Series, plus the likes of Jason Plato (Vauxhall), Matt Neal (Honda) and Ash Sutton (Subaru). As ever with a tyre test, however, overall lap times are not a clear benchmark in relation to competitiveness as each and every team and driver worked through their respective programmes.
 
Other runners included Dan Kirby’s BTCC debut in the Trade Price Cars Audi S3 and Henry Neal – son of Matt – getting a chance to test his dad’s car during the final afternoon. Both Max Coates and Ethan Hammerton returned to BTCC action, testing the Team HARD-run VWs.
 
Overall, 32 drivers completed more than 3100 laps over the two-day test. Rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will take place at Snetterton on 3/4 August.

A full breakdown of lap-times and more can be found here.

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher is looking to double up in the two-day BTCC tyre test at Snetterton as Ollie Jackson hit top spot earlier this morning.

Team-mate Tom Chilton led the opening day, but this time it was Jackson grabbing the headlines ahead of the final afternoon of running.

"It has been a really productive test so far," said Jackson. "We've learnt a lot and written some things off too, but we seem to be in good shape for the rest of the season.

"My year so far hasn't really included the results we've felt we've deserved. We've had some bad luck and made a few minor errors that have been unduly punished, so overall we just haven't had the rub of the green.

"Of course topping the times in testing doesn't win you any points, but it's a good feeling and a great boost ahead of the event here in a few weeks' time."

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish was second yesterday and he's repeated the trick on day two around the Snetterton 300 circuit, with the Honda Civic Type R Fk8 looking particularly racy.

Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan made it into the top ten yesterday and they've improved again to take third this morning, as the Mercedes A Class looks to recapture its form in the second half of the season.

Sam Tordoff has been on the pace throughout both days in the AmD-run Honda and the Yorkshireman was fourth this morning. Tordoff has ended his test run this lunchtime as he now prepares for his wedding tomorrow afternoon!

Jake Hill (Audi), Rob Austin (Alfa Romeo) and Matt Simpson (Honda) were next on the timesheets before a trio of BTCC big hitters completed the top ten positions.

Team Toyota GB with Ginsters' Tom Ingram was eighth ahead of multiple BTCC champions in the shape of Team BMW's Colin Turkington and Honda manufacturer-backed Matt Neal.

The BTCC cars are back on track at 1330 and will run through to conclude the test at 1700.

Click here for the final classification from the morning session of Day 2 at Snetterton. 

Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance's Sam Tordoff set the pace in Tuesday's afternoon test session at Snetterton, but it was Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher's Tom Chilton that claimed the overall bragging rights on day one at the Norfolk circuit.

Chilton completed a super quick qualifying simulation mid-morning, setting a 1:56.144s benchmark in his Ford Focus. Halford Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish came within 0.118s of Chilton's effort but the Honda man had to settle for second.

Those two lap times would not be challenged for the remainder of the day but it was Tordoff claiming the afternoon headlines in his AmD-run Honda Civic Type R. The Yorkshireman admitted that his fastest lap came on the Dunlop Sport Maxx soft tyre as a packed quota of 30 drivers ran through their respective programmes.

All three Dunlop compounds were utilised during the day with a total of 1510 laps being completed during the seven hours of running. Chilton was not only the quickest man on track but also the busiest, as the Surrey man clocked an impressive 83 tours of the Snetterton 300 layout during the day.

Reigning champion Colin Turkington was third fastest for Team BMW ahead of Team Toyota GB with Ginsters' Tom Ingram.

AmD's Rory Butcher was only able to complete six laps during the afternoon session following myriad of minor glitches for his Honda, but the Scotsman's early morning lap time was still good enough for sixth overall. The frustration for the BTCC race winner was slightly compounded by the fact that he will not be running during tomorrow's action.

Simpson Racing's Matt Simpson was seventh ahead of Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing's Jason Plato. Five-time 2019 race winner Andrew Jordan was ninth in the BMW 3 Series, whilst Adam Morgan made a welcome return to the top ten for Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport.

Other notable runners included Dan Kirby's BTCC debut in the Trade Price Cars Audi S3 and Rob Austin's return behind the wheel of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta - the latter eventually ending up a credible 15th on his first day of action this season.

Arguably the most highly anticipated moment belonged to Aiden Moffat and Laser Tools Racing as the Scottish squad's newly built Infiniti Q50 hit the track for the first time. The team continued to work on preparing the car during the morning, before completing some shakedown work during the afternoon session.

The BTCC cars will be back on track tomorrow with the action taking place between 0900-1230 and 1330-1700. Follow the BTCC's social media channels and official website for updates throughout the day.

Click here for the final classification from Day 1 of the BTCC tyre test at Snetterton.

Motorbase man Tom Chilton has set the pace on the opening morning of the two day tyre test at Snetterton.

The Surrey driver ran a qualifying simulation mid-morning, which was enough to vault him to the top of the times.

“To be honest we really gave it some there,” he said. “We’re obviously testing different compounds and set-ups, but this is a real chance for us to push forwards with the car.

“We has a pre-season test in Spain but the conditions weren’t great there, so this is a vital few days in preparation for the rest of the season.”

Not only did Chilton top the times, but the Shredded Wheat-backed racer also led the lap counter, clocking an impressive 44 tours of the Snetterton 300 layout.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish was just 0.118s off the ultimate pace, whilst reigning champion Colin Turkington was settled in third.

Tom Ingram, Rory Butcher and Jason Plato made it six different car models in the top six as the Corolla, Civic and Astra all showed good speed in the early running.

A BMW trio of Andrew Jordan, Tom Oliphant and Stephen Jelley followed in the order, whilst Yorkshireman Sam Tordoff rounded out the top ten in the AmD-run Honda Civic Type R.

Rob Austin returned to BTCC action this morning, completing 12 laps in the Alfa Romeo, whilst Dan Kirby made his series debut in the Audi S3.

Fans will have to wait until this afternoon for the first on-track glimpse of the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50 as the squad continued preparing the car this morning.

Click here for the final classification from the morning session at Snetterton. 

All you need to know about this week’s Dunlop tyre test at Snetterton

The BTCC will be back on track this week as the traditional summer break is punctuated by a two-day Dunlop tyre test at Snetterton on 16/17 July.

A packed entry of teams and drivers will take part at the Norfolk circuit, with Laser Tools Racing’s switch to the Infiniti and Rob Austin’s return to BTCC machinery providing the main talking points.

Multiple race-winner Austin is taking a sabbatical from the BTCC this season, but the Evesham driver is now preparing for a full-time return in 2020. Austin will be back out in the HMS Racing Alfa Romeo on both Tuesday and Wednesday, a car which he piloted to podiums last year.

“It’s great to get back behind the wheel and dust off the cobwebs,” said Austin. “I am actually really enjoying this season as I’m still involved from both a media and commercial point of view. Taking some time out helps give you a different perspective on things and I have learnt a lot simply by standing on the other side of the fence.

“There is nothing quite like being out there, however, and that’s what we’re working hard on for 2020. The test will be a great opportunity to run against the regulars from this season and see where we stand. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“We are fully committed to returning and the work that we have already put into the car is evidence of that," said team boss Simon Belcher.

"We are keeping a very close eye on the championship and we want to show that we warrant our place there. Hopefully, the Snetterton test will show that."

Every BTCC team – with the exception of BTC Racing – will be represented around the Snetterton 300 layout with the vast majority of this year’s driver line-up competing.

The Team HARD stable has confirmed that both Max Coates and Ethan Hammerton will get some running alongside its regular racers, although Bobby Thompson is set to sit this one out. Trade Price Cars boss, Dan Kirby, makes his BTCC debut in the team’s Audi S3, but both Jake Hill and Mark Blundell will also take part.

Arguably the biggest news in the build-up to the test was last week’s announcement that Aiden Moffat will be switching to the Infiniti Q50 for the remainder of the season, with the Scotsman getting a maiden run in the car during the test.

“Our 2020-spec Infiniti is a far cry from the 2015 version, incorporating all the latest NGTC specifications,” said Moffat. “The car has been completely re-engineered. And, of course, the benefits of a fantastically aerodynamic design, plus rear-wheel-drive!”

The test will run from 0900-1230 and 1330-1700 on both days, providing a total of 14 hours of on-track action. Public can gain access to the circuit from 8am whilst Tyrrells Restaurant will be open throughout.

The BTCC website and official social media channels will bring you updates during the test, whilst TSL will provide LIVE timing here.

Trade Price Cars Racing has confirmed that Dan Kirby will form part of its driver line-up for the upcoming BTCC test at Snetterton.
 
The two-day Dunlop tyre test at the Norfolk circuit, which takes place on 16/17 July, forms a vital part of the team’s preparations for the second half of the BTCC season - which will get underway at the same circuit next month.
 
Kirby - the managing director of Trade Price Cars and owner of the Trade Price Cars Racing team – made his return to competition this season in the BTCC-supporting Ginetta GT4 Supercup and secured his maiden victory in the Am Class at Donington Park back in April.
 
The 33-year-old previously secured multiple Am Class podiums in the same series back in 2017 and has also competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB and BMW Compact Cup.
 
Kirby will share driving duties with Jake Hill at the wheel of the #6 Audi S3 during the test, with both drivers spending a full day on track.
 
Former F1 racer and Le Mans 24 Hours winner Mark Blundell will be in action across both days at the wheel of the sister car.
 
“Having watched Jake and Mark in action during the first five rounds of the year, it will be interesting to see things from their perspective and to experience the Audi for myself,” Kirby said. “It’s an exciting opportunity.
 
“Of course, I’m looking forward to seeing how I measure up against the BTCC field in terms of my lap-times, although I’m realistic about where I expect to be given my level of experience compared to the rest of the grid.
 
“As a team, we are working hard to make improvements to the car so we can build on the results that we have enjoyed so far this season. We want to make sure that when we go to Snetterton next month, we can hit the ground running.”

Laser Tools Racing will switch from its Mercedes-Benz A-Class to a newly developed Infiniti Q50 for the remainder of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

Moffat has taken three BTCC wins in the popular Mercedes hatchback, but the Scottish-based squad believes the swap could provide immediate advantages.

The team purchased the Infinitis, which originally ran during the 2015 BTCC season, and initially intended on readying them for the 2020 campaign.

A tireless effort from Laser Tools Racing, however, has ensured the car is prepared in time next week’s two-day tyre test at Snetterton, and the decision has been made for 22-year-old Moffat to race the car immediately thereafter.

“When we first purchased the two Infiniti cars we called in our race engineers,” said Aiden. “In particular, my race engineer Federico Turrata, measured, weighed, checked, photographed and took all this data back to Italy to run simulations on how viable an improved chassis would be. The result was incredibly positive, and Federico was convinced that this was the way forward.

“Our 2020-spec Infiniti is a far cry from the 2015 version, incorporating all the latest NGTC specifications. The car has been completely re-engineered. And, of course, the benefits of a fantastically aerodynamic design, plus rear-wheel-drive!”

Moffat’s first proper taste of the Infiniti will come around the Snetterton 300 circuit at the BTCC’s annual Dunlop tyre test, which takes place on 16/17 July.

“In the BTCC 2019, things have changed; newly developed cars are clearly demonstrating their superiority, and we really feel that the Mercedes has reached the pinnacle of its development. It’s been a great car, indeed a multi-race winner for Aiden, but to go forward we need change,” confirmed Team Principal Bob Moffat.

“Therefore at Oulton Park we made the decision to accelerate our Infiniti programme and debut the car at Snetterton. It is a big ask I admit, but the experienced Laser Tools Racing team have pulled out all the stops and Aiden’s new car is ready to race.

“Make no mistake, there’s still some way to go, but I’m so proud of what we have achieved so far. We will be on a steep learning curve for the remaining races on the 2019 BTCC calendar, but we genuinely feel that we are onto a winner with this new car, and it will only improve with further development over the remaining 2019 season.”

Aiden Moffat is currently in 18th place in the 2019 BTCC standings and has a best finish of fourth place in the opening race of the year at Brands Hatch in August.

The introduction of the Infiniti will take the BTCC entry list up to 11 different marques on the grid and a total 13 different cars across the capacity 30-car field.