Ingram flies to race two victory

Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram strode to a commanding victory in Round 5 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, with Rob Collard and Ash Sutton rounding out the podium.

Ingram's Toyota has proven a potent machine so far this term – already topping the charts with a victory at Brands Hatch. The Avensis has displayed the same pace here at Donington Park, finishing inside the top five in every session this weekend.

"I’m lost for words!" said Ingram. "I knew we would stand a fighting chance but I honestly didn’t expect to win like that, from where we were on the grid and with a little bit of weight on-board. We expected it to be tough to match the pace of the BMWs, but boy, aren’t Speedworks doing a great job at the moment!"

Four laps into race two, Ingram made his presence felt – taking advantage of inter-Team BMW battling to fire into second spot.

Pole-sitter Aiden Moffat had started well, pulling out a dozen car-lengths on the chasing pack with Rob Collard and Colin Turkington duelling either side of Rob Austin's Avensis. Austin fell away to a non-finish after being shuffled down to tenth place, finding himself beached in the gravel.

Collard charged into second spot having taken the high ground in that duel with the inside line on the run down to the Old Hairpin. Ingram followed the Hampshire racer through past Austin, with Turkington's sister BMW losing out, squeezed into fourth position. 

Come the fourth tour, Moffat's Mercedes, on option rubber and carrying maximum ballast, began to lose the early ground that had been gained through a strong start. Ingram closed in at a rate of knots and made his move heading down through the Craners. From there, he was firmly in command – pulling out an eventual four-second lead come the chequered flag to best-of-the rest Collard. Laser Tools Racing's man managed 14th and points, defending defiantly throughout.

It was only just best-of-the-rest for the experienced West Surrey Racing man, though, as Ash Sutton – who had sensationally charged from 13th to 3rd – almost made a last-ditch move stick on the final lap. Collard would not be denied and a stoic defence into the Chicane ensured second spot would be his.

"That was a tough race," commented Collard. "It all happened in the first few laps really – I almost got Aiden [Moffat] for the lead at Coppice but I was slightly caught out and that allowed Tom [Ingram] to get underneath me. I had to fight hard to get back up to second. Ash [Sutton] was catching me very quickly towards the end. That proves how quick he is as a young driver – definitely one to watch. I just had to try to keep it all under control; he gave me a cheeky tap at Coppice, but I knew if I could hold it there were yellow flags at the chicane, so I just managed to cling on."

Sutton's podium berth was all the more impressive given his lowly grid slot in the opening round. He was demoted to 31st due to an exclusion from Saturday's qualifying session for a technical infringement. The response has since been emphatic.

"Qualifying obviously didn’t go to plan this weekend, and after being relegated to the back of the grid, our long-term goal was to aim for the podium in race three – and we obviously achieved it early! The car felt phenomenal – really mega – in both of the first two races. I think we’ve showed what the Subaru Levorg is capable of, and what I’m capable of in a rear-wheel drive car. It’s nice to finally get some momentum behind us."

Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport's Josh Cook was another climber. Starting an encouraging tenth, the lime-green Focus was steered to fourth after a string of precisely-executed manoeuvres, his last on double champion Colin Turkington. That result yielded another best-yet for Maximum colours, following hot on the heels of Cook's seventh at Brands Hatch Indy.

The Halfords Yuasa Racing pairing came home line astern with Gordon Shedden sixth and Matt Neal seventh after a busy 16 lap contest.

New entrant for 2017, BTC Norlin Racing, produced its best result in the BTCC yet with eighth through Dave Newsham's swashbuckling drive – enough for reverse grid pole position ahead of the final round of the day. 

Jack Goff and Tom Chilton rounded out the top ten, the latter gaining significant ground – some 18 positions.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 5 – Donington Park

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 16 laps
2 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +3.865s
Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +4.085s
Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +10.112s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +14.134s
6 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +15.340s
Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +20.817s
8 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +21.912s
Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +24.793s
10 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +27.670s
11 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +28.118s
12 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +28.196s
13 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +28.241s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +35.766s
15 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +36.144s
16 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +36.500s
17 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +36.829s
18 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +37.210s
19 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +37.474s
20 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +37.775s
21 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +38.046s
22 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +39.632s
23 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +40.332s
24 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +41.484s
25 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +41.684s
26 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1m00.116s
27 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1m14.522s
28 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2 laps
29 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +2 laps
30 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +3 laps
31 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +13 laps
32 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +16 laps

STATEMENT (on behalf of F4, TOCA and Donington Park circuit)

This statement follows an incident involving Patrik Pasma (no. 21 – Carlin) and Billy Monger (no. 23 – JHR Developments) during Round 6 of the British Formula 4 Championship at Donington Park.

Monger has been carefully extracted from the car after suffering leg injuries, and has since been airlifted to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for further examination.

Pasma was also carefully extracted from his car. He was fully conscious and immediately taken to the on-site medical centre. He has since been taken to the Queen’s Medical Centre for further assessment.

Further information will be provided in due course.

Aiden Moffat claims magnificent maiden win

Laser Tools Racing's Aiden Moffat has taken a magnificent and memorable maiden BTCC victory in the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Donington Park.

The youngest driver in the series' history has been making rapid progress in recent seasons, but this was arguably his finest drive from fourth on the grid. He had already seen off Jack Goff's Eurotech Honda on the opening tour, before he sliced his way into second with a great move by Rob Austin at the Old Hairpin on the second lap.

He began hounding down early leader Tom Ingram, who had himself made a forceful move into P1 past pole-sitter Rob Austin on the run down to Redgate for the first time, and the two front-runners were soon locked in battle.

Moffat's moment came on lap five as the Mercedes got the run alongside Ingram's ballast-laden Speedworks Avensis, which was also running the harder Dunlop SportMaxx option tyre. Ingram had no answer and Moffat was through as the cars ran down the Craner Curves. The Scotsman would never look back.

Ingram would get further shuffled down the order after Austin acted his revenge on the sister-Toyota, whilst Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal and Team BMW's Colin Turkington also nipped by. 

Neal was into second on lap 15 after his own eye-catching pass by Handy Motorsport's Austin, and as the duo maintained their scrap until the finish it allowed Moffat to cruise home in relative ease. The Laser Tools Racing garage erupted as he crossed the line and the celebrations continued once the BTCC's newest race-winner emerged from his triumphant Mercedes.

"It’s a very special feeling – I won’t be forgetting this moment anytime soon!" beamed Moffat. "The Laser Tools Racing car was absolutely brilliant. We’ve had a great set-up all weekend, so I was feeling confident and knew we had the pace. It all came together nicely."

Neal and Austin completed the podium, whilst Turkington will be equally delighted with a solid fourth place.

“After I cleared Rob, I thought ‘I’ll get my head down and try to chase after Aiden [Moffat]’, but he pegged me lap for lap – everything I did, he just seemed to go slightly better," claimed triple champion Neal. "Fair play to him – he drove a clean, honest race and it was a great result. I’ll gain some weight for race two now which will make it a bit harder, and rain might spice things up, too...”

"I’m so happy for Aiden [Moffat]; he’s such a good lad and it was a brilliant drive from him – he really deserves it," responded Austin. "As for me, at the start of the race I was on the brakes [going into Redgate] but the car wasn’t stopping. That was quite upsetting, but we got going and then for the first couple of laps we really struggled to get enough heat into the rear tyres and it was a bit lairy at times! We also had a small gear issue, and that was the only opportunity Matt [Neal] needed to get past. I thought we would have a genuine shot at Brands Hatch, but I’m really happy to now be scoring good points and making up for lost ground."

Ingram hung on to fifth ahead of a hard-charging Rob Collard, the Team BMW driver having expertly disposed of Adam Morgan and Gordon Shedden on the penultimate lap.

Jeff Smith started ninth and ended ninth, although his race was from sedate after a number of moves up and down the order eventually ended with the Eurotech racer back where he began.

Josh Cook grabbed a top ten for Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport after he benefitted from a bizarre incident involving both MGs. Cook was seemingly inbetween Aron Taylor-Smith and Daniel Lloyd on the fast run down the Craners, before inevitable contact sent the MG Racing RCIB Insurance duo spiralling out of contention.

A number of others were in the wars as an opening lap melee put paid to the challenges of Jake Hill, Martin Depper and James Cole, whilst a later collision between Andrew Jordan and Michael Epps speared the latter into the barrier.

The teams now have just over two hours to lick their wounds and mend their cars, as 32 of the country's best racing drivers do it all again in race two of three at 14:35 – you can catch all of the action live on ITV4.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 4 – Donington Park

1 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 16 laps
Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.504s
Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +2.164s
4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +2.433s
5 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +14.539s
6 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +14.984s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +15.358s
8 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +15.668s*
9 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +17.996s
10 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +18.905s
11 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +18.330s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +18.878s
13 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +19.858s
14 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +20.556s
15 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +21.074s
16 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +21.327s
17 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +21.714s
18 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +22.005s
19 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +23.791s
20 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +24.829s
21 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +25.278s
22 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +39.276s
23 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +41.935s
24 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1 lap
DNF Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +4 laps
DNF Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +7 laps
DNF Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +12 laps
DNF Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +12 laps
DNF Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +13 laps
DNF James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +16 laps
DNF Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +16 laps
DNF Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +16 laps

*Adam Morgan was penalised by addition of 0.5s to his race time for gaining an unfair advantage (whether unfair or not) during a race

MG partners THINK! campaign

MG Motor UK, one of the UK’s fastest growing car brands, is backing a nationwide campaign to make mobile phone use as unacceptable as drink driving. Launched in the light of tough new anti-mobile fines in March, the government-backed initiative was launched by THINK! and will be promoted throughout MG Motor UK’s growing network of over 70 dealerships across the UK.

As part of the project, a mirror hanger will be displayed in every new MG3 and MG GS parked on dealer forecourts, as well as any of its used cars sold during over the spring. A key element of the campaign is to encourage drivers to use the glove compartment as a ‘phone compartment’ – in which to store your mobile while driving. Stickers will be provided with every car sold via the MG network to support this vital change in attitude.

Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing at MG Motor, said: “As a brand that prioritises driver safety, backing the THINK! campaign and helping to change attitudes towards mobile phones was a simple decision. With 96% of people agreeing that using your phone while driving is both unacceptable and dangerous, we hope this campaign raises awareness and changes driving habits.”

From 1st March, 2017, drivers caught using their mobile phone saw fines increase from £100 to £200 and penalty points rising from three to six. 

Andrew Jones, Road Safety Minister, said: “Our message is simple and clear: do not get distracted by your mobile phone while driving. It may seem innocent, but holding and using your phone at the wheel risks serious injury and even death to yourself and other road users.

“Doubling penalties will act as a strong deterrent to motorists tempted to pick up their phone while driving. New drivers face a harder penalty with their licence being revoked if caught. 

“Everyone has a part to play in encouraging their family and friends not to use their phones while driving and MG is doing just that by sharing the THINK! campaign stickers and hang tags.”

Over the course of this BTCC race weekend at Donington Park, all members of the MG Triple Eight RCIB Insurance Racing team are wearing specially commissioned campaign t-shirts highlighting the campaign. At the MG trade stand, are carrying the campaign materials and are supported by the products that MG can supply with Bluetooth capability identifying that there 'is simply no excuse to be on your phone when the technology exists to keep you in touch whilst your phone is safely stowed'. This is backed by a BTCC fans affinity scheme that runs for thirty days from each round giving trackside fans access to special reduced terms on all MG models.

New driving standards directive issued

BTCC Series Organiser, TOCA, today advised all teams and drivers at this morning's Drivers Briefing of a new driving standards directive - effective immediately. 
 
Should a driver feel they may have inadvertently gained an unfair advantage from an on-track incident with another driver, they now have the opportunity to redress that advantage within one lap and thus avoid a potential subsequent penalty.

Austin takes pole after Sutton exclusion

Handy Motorsport’s Rob Austin has taken pole position for Round 4 of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after post-qualifying scrutineering resulted in the exclusion of Ashley Sutton.

Austin impressively backed up his earlier practice pace by clocking a 1m09.514s lap time, which would ultimately secure him top spot on the grid.

“After going quickest in FP1, we knew we had the pace,” said Austin. “That also meant I put myself under a lot of pressure in qualifying – and to be truthful, I made a mess of it for the majority of the session! Thankfully, we came good in the end.”

Sutton looked to have set a sensational lap record for Adrian Flux Subaru Racing, but his car’s turbo overboost was later adjudged to have contravened technical regulations and he will subsequently start tomorrow’s opening race from 31st on the grid. Fellow qualifying star Jake Hill will be a place further back, after the rear wing angle of his TAG Racing VW was outside of permitted tolerance, relegating him from sixth on the grid. 

The amended result provided a welcome boost for a trio of young drivers with Jack Goff (Eurotech Racing), Tom Ingram (Speedworks Motorsport) and Aiden Moffat (Laser Tools Racing) now completing the top four positions. The three drivers had shown serious promise during the earlier sighter sessions, and they delivered again in qualifying.

Halfords Yuasa Racing will line up on the third row of the grid, with Matt Neal getting the better of his reigning champion team-mate Gordon Shedden. The Scotsman will be pleased with his lap, however, as the standings leader hauled his Honda Civic Type R around with maximum success ballast on-board.

Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing’s Michael Epps took seventh, which complements his trio of top ten finishes at Brands Hatch last time out, whilst Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan and Eurotech’s Jeff Smith were next up on the timesheets.

It was a mixed session for a number of the BTCC’s regular title protagonists, most notably Ulsterman Colin Turkington. The Team BMW driver set a time good enough for a respectable tenth on the grid, but his session ended early when a water leak struck his 125i M Sport. The episode brought about the only red flag period of the day as a number of cars spun off at the Old Hairpin, where Turkington’s BMW had dropped fluid all over the circuit.

Less than 1.2 seconds separated the entire field, suggesting we're in for a thrilling and highly-competitive day's racing tomorrow.

A huge crowd is expected to descend on Donington Park on Sunday, with many, many more watching the action live and exclusively on ITV4. The triple header of BTCC races are set to begin at 11:35, 14:35 and 17:20 respectively.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Donington Park

Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport 1m09.514s (102.49mph)
Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.041s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.196s
4 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.214s
Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.239s
6 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.289s
7 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.305s
8 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.393s
9 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.419s
10 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.425s
11 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.443s
12 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.481s
13 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.484s
14 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.518s
15 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.528s
16 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.635s
17 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.680s
18 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +0.691s
19 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.697s
20 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.736s
21 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.776s
22 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.801s
23 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.881s
24 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.913s
25 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +0.978s
26 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.154s
27 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.164s
28 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.177s
29 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.183s
30 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.194s
31 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing EXCL
32 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing EXCL

AMENDED GRID: Austin on pole

Ashley Sutton and Jake Hill have been excluded from the final result of qualifying for Round 4 of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship due to technical infringements.
 
Adrian Flux Subaru Racing driver Sutton had set provisional pole position at Donington Park, but his Subaru Levorg was adjudged to have a Turbo Overboost infringement, whilst the rear wing angle of Hill's TAG Racing's VW was outside of permitted tolerance. 
 
Rob Austin has therefore inherited pole position and he will be joined on the front row by Jack Goff. Sutton and Hill will now line-up in 31st and 32nd respectively.
 
More to follow on www.btcc.net.

Jack Goff tops ultra-close FP2

Eurotech's Jack Goff's topped the second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Donington Park, which saw the top four drivers blanketed by just 0.040s and the leading 24 cars covered by less than a second.

The Civic Type R pipped Jake Hill's VW, Tom Ingram's Toyota and Matt Neal's Honda respectively, in an extremely close and competitve 40-minutes of running. Goff's lap time has already eclipsed Ingram's pace-setting effort in official pre-season testing, suggesting we could be in for a pulsating qualifying session later this afternoon.

"I'm a lot happier now I'm out of the car and I've seen the time!" said Goff. "We had a bit of cross-communication on the radio and I thought I was four-tenths off the pace! It's looking okay. The car isn't perfect yet but I'm confident in the Eurotech Racing guys and in the Honda Civic Type R, so hopefully we can go and take it to the top guys in qualifying.

"I've never gone fantastically well around here in the past so hopefully we can put that right. I'm quite good in the rain as well, so I'm hopeful whatever the conditions may be."

FP1 front man Rob Austin seemed on course to make it two out of two, but the Handy Motorsport had to settle for fifth when the chequered flag fell. Michael Epps confirmed the pace of the VWs by joining stablemate Hill inside the top six.

Halfords Yuasa Racing completed its own encouraging practice programme as reigning champion Gordon Shedden claimed seventh with maximum success ballast on board.

The unpredictable nature of the BTCC was further cemented as Chris Smiley, Aiden Moffat and Ollie Jackson rounded out the top ten.

Smiley and his BTC Norlin Racing team-mate Dave Newsham have made a solid start to life in the BTCC, whilst Laser Tools Racing's Aiden Moffat is looking to bounce back from a rather lacklustre opening event at Brands Hatch. 

AmDTuning.com – running two Audis in the BTCC for the first time this year – will be pleased to see Jackson breaking into the leading order, as he and rookie team-mate Ant Whorton-Eales continue to develop the Essex team's pair of striking S3s.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Donington Park

Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing 1m09.876s (101.96mph)
2 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.007s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.015s
Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.040s
Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.102s
6 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.235s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.336s
Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.343s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.377s
10 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +0.378s
11 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.523s
12 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.615s
13 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.637s
14 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.643s
15 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.709s
16 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.748s
17 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.752s
18 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.783s
19 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.796s
20 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.830s
21 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.840s
22 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +0.866s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.907s
24 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.978s
25 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.037s
26 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.058s
27 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.111s
28 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.121s
29 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.223s
30 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.508s
31 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.566s
32 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.676s

Rob Austin produces practice pace

Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin cruised to the top of the timesheets in free practice one of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park.

Austin experienced a mixed opening event at Brands Hatch, which initially kicked off in some style for the Evesham racer. A flying fifth place in the curtain raiser was followed by an unfortunate incident under yellow flag conditions in race two, ulitmately ending in Austin's disqualification and an end to a solid looking weekend.

Undeterred by the setback, however, Austin has again showed the pace of the Handy Toyota Avensis by setting the pace around the 1.98-mile Donington National circuit.

"We thought it would suit this circuit better," he said. "On old tyres and normal running it's a good sign early on. You can't read into it too much because you really don't know what everyone else is doing, but to be at the top with that much ease is very encouraging.

"We were top five pace at Brands Hatch a fortnight ago and we knew Donington Park would suit us better so we're hoping for a good weekend. It's all differnt in qualifying with new boots and you've got to put it all together so we'll see what we can do."

The fellow Toyota of Tom Ingram led the way for much of the 40-minute session, but he was eventually relegated down to fourth following late laps from Jack Goff's Honda and Jake Hill's VW respectively. The Team HARD-run Volkswagens have again shown their credentials after a promising opening weekend at Brands, with Michael Epps coming home sixth in this session.

BMW manufacturer driver Colin Turkington managed to wedge his 125i M Sport amongst the Independents' runners with fifth place, the Northern Irishman continuing his impressive looking return to West Surrey Racing.

A further quartet of young drivers were next in the order with Aiden Moffat (Laser Tools Racing), Chris Smiley (BTC Norlin Racing), Adam Morgan (Ciceley Motorsport) and Ash Sutton making it seven different marques in the top ten.

Such is the strength in depth of young talent in the 2017 BTCC field that the average age of the top ten was just 26.

Free practice two takes place at 12:25 before the all-important qualifying session commences at 15:40, which will be streamed live on www.itv.com/btcc.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Donington Park

Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport 1m10.113s (101.61mph)
Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.031s
3 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.124s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.162s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.212s
6 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.378s
7 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.460s
Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.463s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.527s
10 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.592s
11 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.671s
12 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.705s
13 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.710s
14 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.729s
15 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +0.777s
16 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.837s
17 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.840s
18 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.048s
19 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.065s
20 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.166s
21 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.221s
22 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.315s
23 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.356s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.479s
25 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.482s
26 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.497s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.520s
28 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.700s
29 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.934s
30 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +2.582s
31 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +3.698s
32 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing NO TIME

 

Every Avensis is built in Toyota's UK factory. Even this one.

Every Toyota Avensis is built at Toyota's UK factory in Burnaston, including Tom Ingram's race-winning Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Avensis . In this film, the Speedworks Motorsport car returns to the factory line where it was created.