Team JCT600 with GardX driver Sam Tordoff’s car will take on a different look at Croft this weekend (June 18-19) as he runs a special anniversary livery at the fifth round of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Marking the 70^th anniversary of title sponsor JCT600 on June 20, the championship leader’s BMW 125i M Sport will celebrate the occasion by running in a platinum livery with black lettering.

The 27-year-old Leeds driver will be hoping his new colour scheme will bring him additional good fortune in North Yorkshire on what is home turf.

Bradford firm JCT600 has been a main partner of WSR in the BTCC since 2015. The Team JCT600 with GardX cars of Tordoff and Rob Collard currently lead the teams’ championship.

Sam Tordoff said: “It’s an honour to celebrate the platinum anniversary of JCT600 with a special livery at Croft. When I saw the first designs of the livery, I thought ‘that’s pretty cool’ and then when I saw the car in person, it looked even better. JCT600 started in Yorkshire, so for a local boy like me to be able to mark the 70^th year of the family business in this way – and at the only Yorkshire circuit in the BTCC - makes me feel very proud.”

Dick Bennetts, WSR Team Principal, said: “It’s great to be able to celebrate the platinum anniversary of JCT600 in this way. JCT600 has been a terrific supporter of WSR since the start of 2015 and we’ve taken Sam and Team JCT600 with GardX to the top of the drivers’ and teams’ championships heading into Croft. We’re aiming for strong results from both Sam and from Rob in the sister car. I thought the current two JCT600/Gardx cars looked great, but this 70^th anniversary livery looks even better!”

Series organiser TOCA has today (15 June) confirmed its calendar of events for the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The current hugely successful format and order of its ten events will continue for a sixth successive season.

“With the BTCC’s enormous and ever-increasing popularity, this format has continually proven to be a real winner," said Series Director Alan Gow.

"It provides our teams, partners, venues, huge TV audience and of course our hundreds of thousands of fans with a consistent and proven calendar that always delivers a great championship".

“We have defined our 2017 calendar as early as possible with this unprecedented mid-June announcement to help other UK motor sport events in reducing the amount of clashes that can inevitably occur”.

Britain's biggest championship will visit each of the nation's top venues, starting the first weekend in April on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit layout. It's then on to Donington Park, Thruxton, Oulton Park and Croft. The traditional summer break takes up its usual slot in the weeks between the North Yorkshire event and Snetterton, before the series' annual pilgrimage to Knockhill in Scotland. A double in Northamptonshire at Rockingham and Silverstone follows, ahead of the season finale back in Kent on the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

Each of the scheduled weekends on the calendar comprise three races of equal distance, totalling 30 rounds over ten events. The location and date for the annual Season Launch event is to be confirmed in the coming months.

All of Britain's major circuits are ports of call for the BTCC and its support series, providing an enviable geographical spread which ensures that hundreds of thousands of fans will be able to experience first-hand the UK's biggest motor racing package over the course of 2017.

ITV4 will continue to broadcast every BTCC race-day live, free-to-air and in high definition in 2017, as well as streaming live via the ITV Sport website and the ITV Hub app. Regular highlights programmes will be screened on ITV4 following each event and are also available via their ITV Hub catch-up service.

2017 BTCC Calendar:

Rounds           Date                                                      Circuit, County
1,2,3                Sat 1/Sun 2 April                               Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent
4,5,6                Sat 15/Sun 16 April                          Donington Park, Leics
7,8,9                Sat 6/Sun 7 May                               Thruxton, Hampshire
10,11,12         Sat 20/Sun 21 May                          Oulton Park, Cheshire
13,14,15         Sat 10/Sun 11 June                          Croft, North Yorkshire
16,17,18         Sat 29/Sun 30 July                           Snetterton, Norfolk
19,20,21         Sat 12/Sun 13 August                     Knockhill, Fife
22,23,24         Sat 26/Sun 27 August                     Rockingham, Northants
25,26,27         Sat 16/Sun 17 September              Silverstone, Northants
28,29,30         Sat 30 Sept/Sun 1 October             Brands Hatch (Grand Prix), Kent

By nature, most racing drivers are adrenaline junkies and Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) race-winners Rob Austin, Jack Goff and Árón Smith are no exception – that’s why they will be participating in a special pre-Croft charity skydive this Friday (17 June) to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Well accustomed to white-knuckle rides at speeds of up to 160mph in the no-holds-barred BTCC, ahead of this weekend’s fifth outing of the 2016 season at popular North Yorkshire circuit Croft (18/19 June), the intrepid trio will take to the skies above Durham Tees Valley Airport for a different kind of thrill.

Their aim is to raise £3,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, the official charity partner of BTCC title sponsor Dunlop. Macmillan offers information, practical advice and support to those diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones before, during and beyond the treatment phase.

There are some 2.5 million people in the UK currently living with cancer, and that figure is set to rise to an alarming four million by 2030, making the work that Macmillan Cancer Support does absolutely essential.

Between them, Handy Motorsport fans’ favourite Austin, IHG® Rewards Club-backed Goff and BKR ace Smith are aiming to raise at least £3,000 to bolster Macmillan’s efforts, and a JustGiving page has been set up with this purpose at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/CroftBTCCSkydive

As soon as their feet touch the ground again from their high-flying adventure, the three tin-top stars will hot-foot it back to Croft to continue their preparations for the BTCC race weekend.

Tickets are available on the gate priced at just £14 for Saturday, 18 June and £28 for Sunday, 19 June, with weekend passes a steal at only £36. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free of charge – even more reason to make it a family date for Father’s Day.

For further information, visit http://www.croftcircuit.co.uk/racing/btcc or call 01325 721815.

Ciceley Motorsport is to offer its Renault UK Clio Cup drivers a shot in its race-winning Mercedes A Class Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship machine at the end of the current campaign.

Max Coates, Dan Zelos and Ollie Pidgley will be the first to receive the test as part of Ciceley's support of up-and-coming young drivers through the ranks of British motor sport following its recent foray into the UK Clio Cup.

Team Principal Adam Morgan, and driver for the Ciceley-backed WIX Racing outfit, said: “I've seen the immediate impact the top drivers coming from the UK Clio Cup have had in British Touring Cars. I'd know – I’m up against them!

"We feel each of our drivers after a season in the UK Clio Cup deserves a run in the touring car," continued Morgan.

“We put great pride into nurturing our young drivers and really believe this adds significant value to what we can offer those joining our team in future."

The Lancashire squad are the most recent in a series of tie-ins between the BTCC and the UK Clio Cup. Team BMR backs several drivers racing Clios through its young driver programme, Team Cooksport is run by MG Racing RCIB Insurance man Josh Cook and Dunlop – title sponsor and tyre partner of the BTCC – are to offer a test in a touring car to the 2016 UK Clio Cup Champion.

Dunlop shattered the four-wheel Isle of Man TT record with a joint Subaru-Prodrive developed WRX STi driven by Mark Higgins, decimating the existing record by 23 seconds using Dunlop’s Sport Maxx BTCC medium compound tyre.

The record was broken at the first attempt, in a time of 17m 49.75 seconds, an average speed of 126.971mph, shaving nine seconds off the existing 117.510mph lap.

With a subsequent effort, the Manxman demolished that record, with another 14 seconds off the lap time, to take a 17m 35.139sec lap and an average speed of 128.73 mph.

James Bailey, Public Relations and Communications Director, Dunlop Motorsport said: “We are extremely pleased to have helped Subaru and Prodrive in their bid to break our previous Isle of Man TT record.

"Dunlop’s Sport Maxx tyres, developed from our on-track competition in the British Touring Car Championship, performed well throughout each of the runs, which culminated in twice breaking the record we set in 2014 on our road legal tyres.

"The tyre's performance was key to the success in achieving a new record and the BTCC medium compound offered the best combination of performance and durability, essential for the demands of the iconic TT Mountain course.”

 

Next stop Croft for Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship hits the midway point of its 2016 pilgrimage around the best of the UK's motor racing venues, as a capacity 32-car field prepares for battle in North Yorkshire next weekend (18/19 June).

Some of the world's most talented touring car drivers are still searching for a foothold in Britain's premier motor sport series this season, with rounds 13, 14 and 15 at Croft now looking set to be a pivotal weekend for many.

Unpredictability has been abound this campaign, with nobody able to stamp their authority on an ultra-competitive championship. Nine different drivers have graced the top step of the podium from the 12 intoxicating encounters so far.

There have been an astounding six different manufacturers represented in the winners' circle. Subaru scored an historic first BTCC victory in race one at Oulton Park earlier this month, much to the delight of all involved with the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing outfit.

The outlook in the Drivers' rankings changed once again following the fourth race weekend of 2016. Now, West Surrey Racing's Sam Tordoff, himself a Yorkshireman, leads the way from the Honda of Matt Neal. The Team JCT600 with GardX driver won race two and scored consistently throughout the Cheshire meeting and he'll be looking for more on home ground. There is, however, just a point in it at the summit, with three-time champion Neal breathing down the Leeds-based racer's neck.

A big crowd is expected to descend on the charming, challenging and charismatic Croft venue – not to mention the many more who will be watching the action live on ITV4 – as you’re always guaranteed fireworks when the BTCC comes to town!

Talking point: Croft challengers
An incredible turnaround for the Subarus at Oulton Park has thrown the pecking order even further up in the air, as if it wasn't already competitive enough in the fight for the BTCC crown. Colin Turkington took a surprise pole position last time out and followed up with a commanding lights-to-flag victory in the opening race in the north west a fortnight ago, leaving early-season teething problems for the Team BMR-backed effort far behind.

Croft, a circuit that naturally favours rear-wheel drive machinery, could well provide further encouragement for the BMR boys – including for a certain BTCC legend hailing from the north east, one Jason Plato. Like Turkington, his expectations will undoubtedly have taken a turn for the better as his 2016 season sprung into life with a triple podium at Oulton – issuing a firm 'I'm back' message to his rivals in the process.

Turkington, dubbed the 'King of Croft' from his exploits in campaigns past, will be looking to capitalise on winning form and the nature of the circuit to push his points tally up yet further. The intra-team battle between the Subarus will be fascinating in itself.

The BMWs usually fare extremely well around the classic Darlington venue. With WSR leading the way in the Manufacturers'/Constructors' table after an outstanding effort from Yorkshireman Sam Tordoff to notch two podiums and a win a fortnight ago, they will be looking to consolidate and celebrate next weekend. As well as Tordoff you can also expect his stablemates – Rob Collard and Jack Goff – to be there or thereabouts.

Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal both had solid showings at Oulton. The latter dominated race three in fine style while the former continues to score strong points, leaving both in the thick of the mid-season title picture.

There willl be no shortage of challengers next weekend, with the likes of Andrew Jordan, Mat Jackson, Adam Morgan and Tom Ingram among the 2016 race winners looking to reach the top step of the rostrum again.

The no-holds-barred and unpredictable racing provided by the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is not only what the fans love, but also serves to cement its position as the country’s top motor sport series – it is certain there will be more on offer at Croft if the first four events of the season are anything to go by.

Local Heroes: Plato pumped for home run
"I always enjoy racing at Croft," claims Jason Plato, who grew up in nearby Newcastle. "The phone invariably rings with friends contacting me for tickets, but in truth it's great to see familiar faces there. The racing is always good up there. It’s a rear-wheel drive track and I think it’ll suit the Subaru, so I can’t wait for the weekend."

The spring is clearly back in Plato's step as the touring car legend also reflects on the last event at Oulton Park, where the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing squad really arrived in the BTCC.

"It was a great weekend," he enthuses. "Whilst there was never any doubt in the team’s mind that it would come good, we were especially looking forward to Oulton. We’d done quite a lot of development, so we were feeling up for it."

Team-mate Colin Turkington took a win and another podium, whilst Plato scored a hat-trick of rostrums from the triple-race encounter at the picturesque Cheshire venue.

"It was a monumental day for everybody and I have to thank all involved," he concluded. "We’re back in town. I haven’t won a race yet but I was pretty close to doing so. We took three podiums in a day, so I’m happy with that."

As mentioned above, however, it's Sam Tordoff who is currently top dog in the BTCC and the Yorkshireman will have his own backing at Croft. Young rookie Daniel Lloyd, who qualified on the front row at Oulton Park, is another local lad looking for success next weekend.

So it's undoubtedly a momentous time for the area in British motor sport – not only is the north east looking forward to welcoming the UK's best motor racing series to its Croft circuit, but the region also boats some of the championship's biggest stars.

Timetable and tickets
All three BTCC races on Sunday, 19 June – and many of the day’s other races – 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 on the btcc.net Live Zone 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 Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Renault UK Clio Cup, F4 British Championship and two Ginetta series' will all be in attendance in North Yorkshire, making for a jam-packed weekend of truly unmissable racing.

Tickets can be purchased on the gate at £14 on Saturday and £28 on Sunday, or £36 for the full weekend. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free. For further information see www.croftcircuit.co.uk or call 01325 721815.

 

COMPETITION: In conjunction with AmDTuning.com we’re giving you the chance to win weekend VIP passes for Rounds 13, 14 and 15 at Croft Circuit. There’s a bumper selection of other prizes too, including a fully fitted exhaust system from AmD Tuning – the Essex-based tuning specialists.

The prize includes:

A pair of VIP tickets to Croft Circuit with AmDTuning.com on Saturday/Sunday 18/19 June.

Meet the team and driver Ollie Jackson

Grid walk before a BTCC race and a guided garage tour

A fitted Cobra exhaust system

A dash cam

Two team polo shirts

To be in with a chance of winning, simply like the AmD Tuning Facebook page, share our competition post and comment on our Official BTCC Facebook Page to let us know you’ve entered! You may also enter on Twitter by RT’ing our competition post and tagging @amdessex.

The competition closes at 4pm on Monday 13 June. For full terms and conditions see below!

Good luck!

Terms and conditions:

1x Like + Comment on Facebook = 1 entry or 1x RT + tag @amdessex on Twitter = 1 entry. 1 entry per person. A winner picked at random. The competition will close 4pm on Monday 13 June. The winner will be announced on Facebook and Twitter the following morning. The winner will have 24 hours from the announcement to come forward. If this does not happen another winner will be selected. The winner must be available over the Croft Circuit race weekend, transport to and from the circuit is not included. The prize is non-transferrable. Children under 16 will not be able to take part in the grid walk.

Motorbase Performance extended its lead in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Independents’ standings despite a relatively low-key weekend at Oulton Park.

Qualifying on Saturday was characterised by its closeness. The first 22 cars on the grid were separated by just a second and with the Ford Focus STs struggling for outright pace with weight on-board, Mat Jackson could only manage 25^th and Andrew Jordan 12^th – though four-tenths from pole.

Race one was more positive for the Kent-based squad as Jackson improved to 16^th while Jordan made 10^th, scoring solid points. With ballast cleared, race two proved more fruitful. Duo-backed Jackson battled his way through the mid-field into the top ten, adding 15 points to his Independents’ tally. A similarly hard-fought bout saw the #77 Pirtek Racing Focus of Jordan home in 8^th, enough to take the Independent Drivers’ championship summit.

The final round of the day was Jordan’s 250^th race in the BTCC. He produced a sterling effort to bring the Focus home 8^th for a hat-trick of points finishes, despite some hefty damage sustained in the 15 lap encounter. Meanwhile, Jackson – who also suffered the effects of contact – dropped down the order to finish 13^th.

A difficult weekend, but the Motorbase squad were still able to pull away at the top of the Independents’ championship with a gap of 49 points to WIX Racing. In the Independent Drivers’ table it's now Jordan leading the way and Jackson third.

Team Manager Oly Collins said: “After a tough weekend we’ve come away with our 100% reliability record intact, some important points finishes, extended our Independents championship lead and shown some good race pace. However, our poor qualifying results yesterday have proven too much to overcome for results today.

Andrew Jordan said: “I’m happy with our performance all weekend so it’s really frustrating to not get the results to show that. All things considered I think we’ve done a good job with what we’ve had but it’s not a fair reflection on the team. I just hope it gets looked at before we get to Croft.”

The official Facebook page of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has just smashed the 150,000 likes mark – a near 200% increase in numbers on a little over two years ago – after a stream of activity over the Oulton Park weekend.

The BTCC has always had a reputation for offering fans the opportunity to get closer to the sport and their heroes. Now with more people than ever before connecting with the BTCC’s online presence, we continue to strive to give fans unprecedented levels of access to the inside line – the series, its drivers and its teams.

With an active strategy focussed on fan engagement, our channels have gone from strength to strength – over race weekends we’ve consistently seen figures in the millions, with fans involving themselves in our content and following the BTCC across our social media platforms.

Levels of engagement are only getting better and we’ve been delighted to often see #BTCC trending UK-wide on both Twitter and Facebook.

With the addition of Instagram this year, nearing the 10,000 followers mark, and with Twitter going from strength to strength nearing 55,000 followers, we’re as committed as ever to bringing you the best coverage that’s possible.

We would like to thank you for your incomparable and continuing support and hope you enjoy the rest of this season’s racing and the content we’re sharing with you every day.

For those that aren’t following our social channels – simply hit the links in the text above and get involved!

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RCIB Insurance Racing’s Jake Hill showcased his capabilities as he stormed to the latest Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship #ForeverForward honours – gaining a total of 21 positions with a feisty string of performances over the three rounds at Oulton Park.

A busy weekend’s action in Cheshire left Rob Austin at the top of the overall Dunlop #ForeverForward standings after four events, with just one point in it to second placed man Rob Collard who also had a standout weekend at Oulton – carving his way through the pack on three occasions and leaping from 25^th to 6^th in race three.

Hill went even better though in his Team HARD-prepared Toyota Avensis. Round 11 was looking promising for the Kent racer, mixing it in the points in 13^th before contact with another Toyota, that of Rob Austin, saw him shuffled down the order. This put Hill on the back foot for Round 12, forcing him to start from 26^th on the grid. It did offer up an opportunity for the 22-year-old to slice his way through the pack, and he duly grasped that chance with both hands.

Hill systematically picked his way through the mid-field to an impressive 9^th place for his best ever finish in the BTCC, securing the 8^th quickest lap of the race in the process. In fact, he crossed the line just 0.9 seconds behind series legend Jason Plato who brought his Subaru home in third.

Delving into the Hill’s season so far, pace and promise have been more than evident. He has been squabbling for top ten finishes on several occasions – secure points-paying positions – no mean feat in the BTCC. Circumstances have often transpired against the young racer, however.

Running in 10^th at the season-opener at Brands Hatch, the BRDC Rising Star suffered a fuel pump sensor problem in race two – a double-whammy since that finishing position, it transpired, later yielded a reverse grid pole for race three.

At Donington Park, starting from 10^th on the grid after a strong performance in qualifying, Hill blasted off the line and into eighth by turn one past Matt Neal and Jack Goff. A puncture, however, brought proceedings to a halt for the Tunbridge Wells man.

It was a similar story at Thruxton as Hill got caught up in that race-ending melee on the exit of Club, once more putting pay to what was looking like a solid top-ten finish in race one.

Dunlop’s #ForeverForward honours for Oulton Park will offer some solace for Hill as he looks to capitalise on the promise he’s shown in 2016 so far.

Dunlop #ForeverForward drivers of the weekend

1 Jake Hill 21
2 Rob Collard 19
3 Rob Austin 18

Dunlop #ForeverForward overall standings

1 Rob Austin 62
2 Rob Collard 61
3 Martin Depper 52