Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan are set to renew battle for Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship supremacy at Knockhill this weekend (14/15 September), as Tom Oliphant targets his maiden series victory north of the border.
 
Team BMW’s Turkington and BMW Pirtek Racing stablemate Jordan head to Scotland sitting respectively first and second in the title table in the UK’s premier motorsport series, with an unrivalled five victories apiece from the opening 21 races of 2019. Both are former champions – Turkington in 2009, 2014 and 2018 and Jordan in 2013 – and both have a strong previous record at Knockhill, the only Scottish circuit on the BTCC calendar.
 
Turkington twice reached the rostrum there last year – two of 14 Knockhill podiums on his BTCC résumé – while Jordan converted fourth on the grid into victory in race two. The Midlander has promised maximum attack again as he bids to narrow the 30-point gap currently separating him from the summit of the Drivers’ standings.
 
Oliphant, meanwhile, achieved the best finish of his rookie campaign in the BTCC at Knockhill in 2018, and has multiple wins and podiums to his name at the Fife circuit in TOCA support series. With no extra ballast aboard his Team BMW 3 Series, the 29-year-old has a bumper points haul in his sights this weekend.
 
“I’m feeling excited, refreshed and ready for battle," said Turkington. "I lived in Scotland for four years when I was at university in Stirling and did some instructing at Knockhill, so it’s somewhere I still have a lot of friends and I always enjoy going back. It feels like a ‘home’ circuit for me in that respect and it’s a mega track – not to mention a unique challenge. It’s nice to get stuck into something a bit different, and it definitely rewards bravery. We go there on the front foot and I’m feeling confident. Knockhill has generally been kind to rear wheel-drive cars, so it should be well-suited to the BMW 3 Series and I’m targeting a really strong points haul. As ever there, qualifying will be very important to set us up for a good weekend. The extra weight from leading the championship will hurt our acceleration coming out of the final hairpin onto the start/finish straight, but at the end of the day, that’s only a short section of the lap and hopefully the 3 Series’ strong handling characteristics will more than compensate. My overall mentality hasn’t changed. In the BTCC, you simply can’t afford to hold back in any way, shape or form, and I go into the weekend primed to attack.”

“I always look forward to going to Knockhill,” said Oliphant. “I’ve had a lot of success there in the past and it’s one of my favourite tracks on the BTCC calendar – very different to anywhere else we go. It’s fast, very flowing when you get it right and the undulation is quite incredible – and it’s a lot of fun driving it in a touring car. Knockhill has traditionally tended to favour rear wheel-drive cars, but the resurfacing work last year brought the front wheel-drive boys back into the equation a bit as it boosted their traction out of the last hairpin. In that respect, we don’t necessarily have the same advantage as we used to, particularly over a single lap, but whatever the weather decides to throw at us this weekend, I’m confident the BMW 3 Series will be competitive. Being 11^th in the championship, I arrive carrying no extra weight, whereas most of the other rear wheel-drive cars in the field will have to contend with ballast, which makes quite a difference at Knockhill. That means I’m in a prime position to compete right up at the sharp end in qualifying – and hopefully from there, I can challenge for my first BTCC race win.”

“I think we should be strong at Knockhill,” said Jordan. “We’ve got weight in the car, which will have an effect with the circuit’s stop-start nature and uphill sections, but I’ve always been quick there and I’m confident we will be up at the sharp end. I’m not focussing massively on the championship fight at the moment, and I go there with the same approach I’ve had all season. At Knockhill, you have no choice but to simply grab the car and get on with it. I can’t afford to have a non-finish, but equally, I can’t afford to just drive round either – sometimes when you try to stay out of trouble, it can bite you so we’ve got to crack on. I’m going to Knockhill to race, and to race hard. I’m looking for wins and podiums. I’m not in a position to play the percentages – I need to get after Colin. He has a solid lead, but around Knockhill, things do tend to kick off. The BTCC has a habit of throwing up surprises, which means you can never take anything for granted. We took some points out of him at Thruxton, and we need to take even more this weekend. If I can get the gap down to 20 points or less, it will be game on and properly gloves off at Silverstone and Brands Hatch!”

Experienced racer Mike Bushell will return to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this weekend at Knockhill with the Cobra Sport AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance team.

Bushell, a two-time winner of the Renault UK Clio Cup, will be at the wheel of the Honda Civic Type R (FK2), usually driven by multiple race winner Sam Tordoff, who will miss the Knockhill race meeting following the tragic passing of his newborn son, Arlo.

The decision to put Bushell in the car for the Scottish event has been made with the full agreement of Sam and the Tordoff family, with the 30-year-old seen as the natural choice to take up the drive.

Bushell made his BTCC debut at Knockhill back in 2013 and has been working with the team this season as race engineer on the sister Honda of Rory Butcher, and also raced for AmD Tuning for a full season back in 2015.

“Sam and the Tordoff family saw Mike as a natural choice,” team boss Shaun Hollamby said.

“The whole team has made huge steps forward this season, and Sam has been integral in pushing the team forward over the last ten months.

“Without Sam's strong work ethic and determination the team wouldn’t have been in the strong position that we are currently in. Mike was his first choice as substitute driver, having worked together throughout the season.

“There is no pressure on Mike in terms of results and the priority this weekend is to show full respect to Sam, Georgina and the Tordoff family at this difficult time.”

Tom Ingram and Team Toyota GB with Ginsters are Scotland-bound this weekend, as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship races north of the border to picturesque Fife circuit Knockhill – where the Bucks-born ace makes it clear he has silverware in his sights.
 
Since making his debut in the UK’s premier motor racing series in 2014, Ingram boasts a strong record at Knockhill, piloting his Speedworks Motorsport-run car to a commanding triumph two years ago and taking the chequered flag an excellent second last season prior to post-race ride-height failure.
 
The 26-year-old similarly shone at Knockhill on his way up the ladder in the support series, with victories in multiple categories, and he returns sitting eighth in the BTCC standings amongst the 30 high-calibre contenders, barely 20 points outside of the top five. That means he will carry just 12kg of success ballast into qualifying and race one, around a track where additional weight is a greater handicap than usual.
 
Ingram warmed up for his forthcoming Scottish jaunt by dropping into Silverstone late last month for the opening round of the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship, where he enjoyed a privileged up close and personal peak at Toyota Gazoo Racing’s world-beating, state-of-the-art TS050 Hybrid sports prototype. Inspired by the experience, he is now ready to put on a spectacular show for the BTCC’s loyal Scottish fans behind the wheel of his Team Toyota GB with Ginsters Corolla this weekend.
 
“We’ve been quick at Knockhill in previous years,” said Team Principal Christian Dick. “So we understand what makes a front wheel-drive touring car tick round there – indeed, I think it’s fair to say we’ve had the strongest FWD package on the grid in Scotland in recent seasons.
 
“Obviously this time we arrive with a new car and we’ve not been able to test there ahead of the race weekend, but there’s absolutely no reason why the circuit shouldn’t suit the Corolla so we’re in positive mood.
 
“In theory, the fact that the Corolla has a shorter wheelbase than the Avensis should play in our favour around Knockhill’s tight-and-twisty layout, and hopefully we can come out-of-the-blocks in good shape in free practice and then just fine-tune from there. Qualifying will be key because there’s only really one clear-cut overtaking opportunity, and the race weekend is taking place a little later in the year than usual which could impact upon the weather, but we are confident in all conditions.
 
“The resurfacing in 2018 definitely helped front wheel-drive competitors, but Knockhill remains inherently a rear wheel-drive track. Have we got something for them this year? I think we have. We’ve given them a real run for their money over the past couple of seasons, and that leaves us optimistic of putting in a good performance and coming away with a clutch of strong results this time around, too.”
  
“I’m really looking forward to Knockhill. I’ve always gone well there, and I enjoy the unique challenge the circuit presents,” said Ingram. “The driver can make more of a difference than at most tracks in the UK – there’s time to be found if you are willing to down a few brave pills and push the limits.
 
“I’m optimistic we will have a more successful weekend than we did last time out at Thruxton, which we knew would probably be a bit of a struggle. We were definitely more competitive than we had been there earlier in the year, but the results didn’t really reflect our improved pace and I think we now understand why that was, so hopefully we can turn it around at Knockhill.
 
“I’m confident the analysis we have done over the past three weeks will pay dividends, and whilst we’re still getting to grips with the Corolla, it should be well-suited to the circuit so on paper at least, we should be reasonably quick.

“We’ll be playing catch-up to a certain extent in free practice, but nobody has any truly representative testing under their belt at Knockhill this year. Yes, a lot of teams have data from last season that they can fall back upon, which we obviously don’t have with the Corolla, but all the work we’ve done so far with the car will hopefully stand us in good stead. Ultimately, it’s all guesswork anyway until FP1!
 
“Saturday (qualifying) is likely to be the most important day of the weekend, because you need to be significantly faster than the driver ahead at Knockhill to make any real headway in the races. With that in mind, my aim is to qualify inside the top five and then come away with a podium finish on Sunday – at the very least...”

Honda's Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship drivers Dan Cammish and Matt Neal head for the Scotland and Knockhill Circuit next weekend with wind in their sails following the Thruxton race weekend which saw the team take its largest points haul of the season and Cammish rocket to his - and the team's - first race victory of 2019.

The Honda Civic Type Rs were on the podium in all three races in Hampshire, elevating Cammish to third in the Drivers’ Championship, closing up the manufacturer battle and resulting in Halfords Yuasa Racing regaining the lead of the Teams' points table.

The tight and twisting Knockhill circuit in Fife generally favours the rear-wheel drive cars of Honda's closest rivals but the team will be buoyed by its recent form and the knowledge that Cammish was the fastest in qualifying at the 2018 meeting, going on to secure a brace of podium finishes.

With just nine races left in the 2019 championship, Honda is hopeful that it is hitting peak form at just the right time.

“Thruxton was a great weekend for me and the team,” said Cammish. “To get the monkey off our back with our first win of the season was awesome, and to come away from that round with the biggest points haul I have ever accumulated in one BTCC weekend was amazing.

"I took my maiden pole position at Knockhill last year and I really like the track – it's great for the spectators as they can get really close to the action and it's great to drive, there is really no respite and you have to take your chances and be brave to overtake. I certainly have my eye on the prize now being just 34 points off the top of the table so I will be trying to put my Honda Civic Type R at the sharp end again this weekend, I can't wait.”

“After a tough qualifying at Thruxton, I got my head down and made some great progress in the first race to finish eighth and to complete the day with two visits to the podium was fantastic,” said Neal. “This has brought us right back in the game now for the drivers, teams and manufacturers championships, so onwards and upwards!

“I love Knockhill, it doesn't necessarily suit front-wheel-drive cars with the slow hairpin at Taylors and then the steep uphill climb on the main straight. But our tails are most certainly up, so we'll be taking the fight to our rivals for sure. I'm raring to go.”

Sam will not participate in this weekend’s BTCC race meeting, due to family circumstances.

“My wife Georgina and I are heartbroken to say that our beautiful baby boy, Arlo George, passed away peacefully on Saturday.

“After arriving safely on Monday, 2^nd September, it transpired that his kidneys were not formed properly. Sadly no cure or treatment could save him.

“We are devastated, but truly grateful for the precious days that we got to spend with our perfect baby boy.

“We ask that our privacy be respected at this painful time.”

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship heads north of the border to Fife’s Knockhill Circuit next weekend (14/15 September) for its annual Scottish jaunt and Rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the 2019 season, which is rapidly reaching a crescendo. 

With three race weekends remaining, there are still more than 200 points on the table, and any number of twists and turns along the way to deciding the final destination of the most coveted prize in British motorsport. 

It’s BMW’s reigning champion Colin Turkington that currently holds the best hand, with a 30-point advantage over nearest rival, and West Surrey Racing stablemate, Andrew Jordan. The chasing pack, led by Honda’s Dan Cammish – buoyed by a strong outing in Hampshire three weeks ago – is waiting to pounce.

Knockhill is traditionally a source of vintage touring car action, with the rollercoaster circuit comprising undulations, big kerbs and slingshot jinks as well as a big stop at Taylor’s Hairpin – the scene of countless overtaking manoeuvres over a race weekend. 

It’s a longstanding favourite amongst drivers and fans alike, and its passionate, partisan supporters turn out in their droves – a major factor behind the circuit’s unique atmosphere. This year, despite its later-than-usual date in the calendar, it will be no different. For those not watching trackside, ITV4 will have all of the action covered, live and free-to-air over an eight-hour race day with qualifying also streamed live.

The lie of the land
Whilst the second visit to Thruxton in mid-August did not prove as fruitful as the first for the BMWs, West Surrey Racing’s three 330i M Sports – new for 2019 – have unquestionably led the way so far this season, claiming ten wins from 21 races. What’s more, the Bavarian automaker boasts a stellar record at Knockhill, with numerous victories and podium finishes in recent years.

That said, it is Honda’s Dan Cammish who is the series’ current ‘form man’, speeding to his first victory of the campaign at Thruxton three weeks ago, at a circuit that has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for the Japanese marque.

The Yorkshireman – who snatched his maiden BTCC pole position at Knockhill last year – is now right in play in the Drivers’ standings as he sits just four points behind second-placed Jordan, with Josh Cook in the BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R (FK8) a further four points back from his factory Honda rival. 

Fife’s own, Rory Butcher, will also consider his challenge far from over as he occupies fifth spot in the standings heading to familiar turf at Knockhill, where he works as a performance driving instructor. He knows the circuit like the back of his hand, and he has won twice already this campaign.

“We’re still in the running and we’ll be giving it everything,” said Butcher. “It’s my ‘home ground’ and racing up in Scotland at Knockhill is always such a buzz. The fans make it what it is, and I’ll do my best to send them home happy. 

“For any Scottish driver that races up in Scotland – myself and Aiden (Moffat) at the moment – it’s an unreal feeling. The supporters will have been watching the BTCC all season, so they’ll be champing at the bit to see the Scots in action. My family and friends, too, have seen me grow up around the sport and I can always count on them to cheer me on. It’ll be fantastic. It’s their only opportunity to come to a nearby circuit and watch me race!

“I’ve been relishing racing this Honda at Knockhill since I first tested at the circuit back in March. I’m feeling good. All I can do is my best, and we’ll have to see what happens. I have a good understanding of how the car will behave and how we can get the most out of it there.

“I won’t change my approach. The key is to take advantage when you’re on form and when the car’s working for you. You’ve got to take the podiums and the big points. There are other times where you’ve got to settle for seventh or eighth. I played it like this in the MG last year and it’s worked so far this year. 

“We want to be top three or thereabouts heading to the final weekend at Brands Hatch.” 

Timetable and Tickets
All three BTCC races on Sunday, 15 September and the rest of the day’s action will be broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4. Those in attendance at the circuit can stay in touch with the commentary and live timing from every session, available at btcc.net/live throughout the weekend.

The support series on the TOCA package are also guaranteed to thrill, with a double-digit total of races set to entertain the crowds. The Renault UK Clio Cup, F4 British Championship and Ginettas will all be appearing, making for a jam-packed weekend of truly unmissable racing.

Tickets are still available at Scotland’s Knockhill circuit (14/15 September), the BTCC’s only venture north of the border. Prices start at just £40 for adult weekend tickets, with discounts available for family bookings and children under 12 able to enter free of charge. For more information or to order tickets, head to www.knockhill.co.uk or call 01383 723337.

Former British Touring Car champion Ash Sutton tested the Laser Tools Racing Infiniti last week as the talented young gun was drafted in to provide additional feedback to the squad.

“I was really impressed with the Infiniti – there is certainly lots of potential with that car,” said Sutton. “I think the Laser Tools guys just wanted a benchmark and I was keen to try and help out.”

Laser Tools Racing launched its rebuilt rear-wheel-drive Infiniti Q50 at Snetterton during the summer, and the machine has since been put through its paces by regular pilot Aiden Moffat.

The Scotsman produced eye-catching displays at both the Norfolk venue and again at Thruxton recently, but the team also wanted to draw upon Sutton’s extensive RWD experience.

“The ingredients are in the car to make it a force, and it is just a question of unlocking the speed from it,” concluded Sutton. “They will certainly make progress over the latter part of the year.”

Three-time race-winner Moffat and the rest of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship grid will be back on track at Knockhill for Rounds 22, 23 and 24 in just over a week’s time (14/15 September).

In case you missed it...

Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance's Sam Tordoff achieved Pole Position during both Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship visits to Thruxton this year.

Sam's early summer contender pipped the more recent effort around the UK's fastest circuit by just 0.365s – here's a look at the two laps side-by-side, which saw him rocket to the front of the pack in both May and August.

Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Ash Sutton has an impressive record at Knockhill – winning there in both 2017 and 2018 – and now the former champ can't wait to get back to the tight and twisty track that he says is 'all out attack'. The official BTCC website caught up with the 25-year-old as the UK's premier motorsport series gets ready to head north of the border...