BTCC BREAKS 150,000 BARRIER

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!

Hill storms to Dunlop #ForeverForward honours

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

Lloyd's front row seat

Eurotech Racing’s Daniel Lloyd followed up on an impressive, triple points-scoring debut in the crimson Honda at Thruxton with a further indicator of his potential as he scored a sensational front row, with second in qualifying for round 10 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park.

The Yorkshireman suffered a series of set-backs over the course of race-day, however, preventing him from capitalising on his undoubtedly impressive raw pace.

The weekend started in fine fashion as the 24-year-old came within just 0.019 seconds of pipping two-time BTCC champion Colin Turkington to pole. His time was enough, though, to secure a first front-row start for the Eurotech Racing outfit in more than two years.

“Getting P2 in qualifying on only our second time out in the Honda was mega! I’m still getting used to the tyres and learning how to get the most from them so to just miss out on pole was incredible,” said Lloyd.

“The Eurotech guys did a great job. The Civic Type R felt really good and actually I was a bit gutted about a mistake in the first corner as I think we could have got pole, but everyone was over the moon with second!”

Lloyd started strongly in race one before being edged out wide by the Gordon Shedden on lap two. He battled hard holding off challenges from Jason Plato’s charging Subaru for three laps before a move by the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver, later penalised, saw Lloyd drop to fifth. Struggling with the grip on the soft tyre in the latter stages, Lloyd had to settle for a sixth place finish.

Race two failed to deliver the improvements that Lloyd was hoping for with the #23 car struggling on the tight, twisty circuit, wrestling with 33kg of success ballast on-board. Despite his best efforts, a brake issue saw him drop down the order, eventually winding up 13^th.

With some set-up tweaks, the team were full of confidence heading into race three. The Civic Type R bolted, immediately moving up in 10^th in the opening laps before taking Morgan for ninth just after the mid-way point. Again suffering poor luck, Lloyd came off worst with contact as the pack headed into the chicane. He was forced off track with significant damage, ending the weekend early with his first DNF.

“It was unfortunate the way the races ended up after such a strong qualifying result but I have to take all the positives away from the weekend,” said Lloyd.

“I’m really, really proud to have put the car on the front row on only my second weekend in the car. That’s what we’re there to do.

“It’s still a steep learning curve for us in the BTCC and we’re still learning in terms of race set-up and pace. I had some really strong starts this weekend and took a big step forward from Thruxton. We have lots of positives to take into the next meeting at Croft.”

Turkington scores historic first win for Subaru

Sam Tordoff and Matt Neal hit the top with a win apiece at Oulton Park

Colin Turkington scored Subaru’s first ever Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship victory, while wins for Sam Tordoff and Matt Neal pushed them to the standings summit at Oulton Park.

Having secured pole position on Saturday afternoon, double BTCC champion Turkington produced a lights-to-flag performance in Sunday’s opener.

The Ulsterman made a strong getaway and was able to resist the attentions from Tordoff’s Team JCT600 with GardX BMW in the early running, before gradually stretching his lead in the latter stages.

It’s an historic result for the Japanese marque, which had so far endured a baptism of fire on its introduction to Britain’s biggest motor sport series.

Challenging weekends at Brands Hatch and Donington Park were followed by the difficult decision to withdraw from the race day at Thruxton last time out, amid safety concerns with its fuel system.

New components, engine modifications and a two-day pre-event test seemingly had the desired effect on the all-new Levorg model, as Turkington’s success was bolstered by a hat-trick of podiums for team-mate Jason Plato.

The BTCC’s most winningest driver finished third in Cheshire’s curtain-raiser as the two Subarus sandwiched Tordoff’s West Surrey Racing BMW 125i M Sport for the podium positions.

Tordoff then ignited his championship charge with his first victory of the season in race two – incredibly becoming the ninth different driver to win a race so far in 2016.

The BMW blasted off the line, past pole-sitter Turkington, and never looked back. The unpredictability of this BTCC campaign continued as the Yorkshireman romped home to add his name to an ever-growing list of race-winning drivers.

Turkington and Plato finished second and third to make it a brace of double podiums for Subaru in the first two bouts. Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Gordon Shedden and Speedworks Motorsport’s Tom Ingram finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The result also fired Tordoff to the top of the standings, despite being only sixth in the table at the start of Oulton Park’s proceedings.

Tordoff and Neal then pulled further clear in the championship table after securing the first two podium positions in the final race of the day, with the latter taking a quite dominant victory.

Honda originally looked in place to notch a one-two finish after Shedden muscled his way past MG Racing RCIB Insurance’s Josh Cook on the opening lap. The two bright orange Civic Type Rs immediately pulled away from the rest of the field, but reigning champ Shedden was never close enough to challenge his team-mate. Disaster struck for the Scotsman on the penultimate lap when a puncture, after apparently hitting a kerb, forced him out of contention.

Cook – already reeling from the earlier attack by Shedden – was now embroiled in a fairly heated debate with Tom Ingram’s Toyota, as the pair tapped and nudged their way through the entire contest. The battle would eventually play into the hands of the experienced Plato, who snatched the final spot on the rostrum in dramatic fashion.

Ingram was edged onto the grass as the gaggle of cars ran down to Lodge for the final time. The Speedworks star was determined not to let Cook past, but in holding up his rival he merely opened the door for the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing car to run around the outside and steal the advantage.

Despite being shuffled slightly down the order, young gun Ingram still went on to take his third Independents’ victory of the day – matching his best ever weekend points haul in the process.

Tordoff tops Neal by just one point in the overall championship, with both drivers now pulling clear of the chasing pack headed by Shedden and Rob Collard.

Collard made his final move of the weekend on the run to the chequered flag, rounding off a staggering display from the Team JCT600 with GardX driver. The experienced racer had seemingly carved his way through the field in each of the Oulton Park races, but misfortune had up to that point prevented him from scoring a real result. He would not be denied in race three, however, as he stormed from 25th to sixth – beating Turkington’s Subaru to the line by just 0.041s.

West Surrey Racing leads the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ points tally, whilst Team JCT600 with GardX top the HiQ Teams’ table.

Despite a relatively low key weekend for Motorbase Performance it still left the Cheshire track in command of the Independent Teams’ title, and its talent Andrew Jordan heads the Independent Drivers’ standings.

MG Racing RCIB Insurance driver Ashley Sutton maintained his advantage in the Jack Sears Trophy.

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship now moves on to Croft in Yorkshire in two weeks time (18/19 June).

Colin Turkington said: “I’m delighted for the team. This result is good for me, but it’s even better for all the guys who have put in so much hard work and until now got nothing back. To give them a victory and double podium is a great reward. The performance of the car has really progressed since the first three weekends; we’ve found the Subaru Levorg’s sweet spot and the whole package is really moving forward. I really enjoyed the race and felt comfortable in the lead and in the groove. We didn’t suffer from much tyre degradation, which allowed me to just do my thing.”

Sam Tordoff said: “It’s been an amazing weekend. To be honest, I’m a bit lost for words with how well it’s gone. We came here targeting a big points haul to move up the standings, but never in my wildest dreams did I think we would do as well as we have done. Being so hard to overtake at Oulton, qualifying was the key to our weekend – starting third on the grid for race one made our life a lot easier. The car was quick both with and without ballast on-board and to come away with a victory and two second places is just phenomenal. To be going to my home circuit of Croft – a track where the BMW has always excelled – as championship leader is fantastic.”

Matt Neal said: “It seems to be becoming a bit of a trend at the moment that we run under the radar in races one and two with the weight on-board and then win in race three! The ballast certainly hurt us in qualifying and race one, and race two got pretty fraught at times with some really robust driving – we really had to battle for every inch of track space! It was nice to have a more straightforward race three after that, although it was obviously a shame about Gordon’s puncture because it would have been great to take a one-two finish for the team. I was dead chuffed to get the win – I really don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that feeling!”

Jason Plato said: “I knew we were back in the game and that’s what makes me tick! We’re still not 100 per cent and still have a few tweaks to make, but the basics of the car are strong. It’s a fantastic achievement for the whole team and I’m absolutely chuffed for Colin and everybody involved. This project has been five years in the making and it’s been an epic journey. We’ve got something really special here – BMR isn’t a big team, but everybody has done a fantastic job and what they’ve achieved is the most beautiful piece of engineering I’ve ever seen in a touring car.”

Tom Ingram said: “I’m really chuffed – I think we did a cracking job. We were always going to struggle a bit against the rear wheel-drive boys here and the pace wasn’t necessarily there for the rostrum in today’s hotter conditions, but to be one of the quickest front wheel-drive cars was really satisfying. I fought as hard as I could in race three and it would have been nice to come away with an outright podium, but I was more than happy with three top five finishes – it’s the kind of performance we’ve been targeting all season. We ran up at the sharp end all weekend and achieved three really strong results entirely on merit.”

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Oulton Park

Race 1

Race 2

Race 3

Click here for the final classification from the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races at Donington Park.

Penalties

Qualifying:
Jason Plato was reprimanded and received a verbal warning for leaving the track and failing to rejoin safely.

Race one:
Jeff Smith was remprimanded and received two penalty points for an incident involving Rob Collard.

Martin Depper was reprimanded and verbally warned for an incident involving Rob Austin.

Jason Plato was reprimanded and fined a sum of £500 and received three penalty points for an incident involving Daniel Lloyd.

Silverline Subaru BMR Racing was fined a sum of £500 for having tyre trollies on the grid in contravention of championship regulations.

Race two:
Rob Austin was reprimanded and received two penalty points for an incident involving Jake Hill.

Oulton Park podium finishers speak to btcc.net

Another frenetic weekend's racing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship produced a maiden win in the championship for Silverline Subaru BMR Racing, with Colin Turkington's race one triumph, and added another new winner for the season in Sam Tordoff – making it nine different winners from twelve rounds so far.

The top three finishers from each of rounds 10, 11 and 12 spoke to btcc.net after the racing was done. Here's what they had to say:

Matt Neal wins as Sam Tordoff hits the top

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal secured victory in the final BTCC race at Oulton Park, whilst Sam Tordoff claimed an impressive second place finish to maintain the lead of the overall standings.

Tordoff tops Neal by just one point in the championship, with both drivers now pulling clear of the chasing pack after impressive performances in the final encounter in Cheshire.

Honda originally looked in place to score a one-two finish after Gordon Shedden muscled his way past Josh Cook's MG on the opening lap. The two bright orange Civic Type Rs immediately pulled away from the rest of the field, but reigning champ Shedden was never close enough to challenge his team-mate. Disaster struck for the Scotsman on the penultimate lap when a puncture forced him out of contention.

Cook – already reeling from the earlier attack by Shedden – was now embroiled in a fairly heated debate with Tom Ingram's Toyota, as the pair tapped and nudged their way through the entire contest. The battle would eventually play into the hands of the experienced Jason Plato. Ingram was run onto the grass as the gaggle of cars ran down to Lodge for the final time. The Speedworks star was detemined not to let Cook past, but in holding up his rival he merely opened the door for the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing car of Plato to run around the outside and steal the final place on the podium.

Rob Collard also made his final move on the run to the chequered flag, rounding off a staggering display from the Team JCT600 with GardX driver. The veteran had seemingly carved his way through the field in each of the Oulton Park races but misfortune had so far prevented him from scoring a top result. He would not be denied in race three, however, as he stormed from 25th to sixth - beating Colin Turkington's Subaru to the line by just 0.041s.

Andrew Jordan was eighth for Motorbase Performance, whilst Jake Hill and Adam Morgan were provided with some positives following a bruising day of action. Hill had driven well in the earlier bouts but had to wait until the final race for a well deserved top ten finish, as did Morgan, who had wrestled balance problems with his WIX Racing Mercedes A Class for the entire weekend.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 12 – Oulton Park

1 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 22m 18.716s
2 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +9.481s
3 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +11.662s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +11.760s
5 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +11.827s
6 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +12.015s
7 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +12.056s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +12.299s
9 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +12.494s
10 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +12.936s
11 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +13.589s
12 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +13.853s
13 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +15.163s
14 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing with Team Parker +15.880s
15 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +17.775s
16 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +18.629s
17 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +22.670s
18 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +23.262s
19 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +23.457s
20 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +25.925s
21 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC Racing +30.492s
22 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +43.085s
23 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +44.168s
24 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing+58.224s
25 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +1 lap
DNF Dan LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +3 laps
DNF Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +3 laps
DNF James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +4 laps
DNF Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +8 laps
DNF Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +8 laps
DNF Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club 0 laps
DNF Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport 0 laps

Tordoff makes it nine different winners

Sam Tordoff became the ninth different race winner from the opening 11 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship races so far this season after delivering a commanding drive in race two at Oulton Park.

The Team JCT600 with GardX driver blasted his BMW off the line, past pole-sitter Colin Turkington, and never looked back. The unpredictability of the 2016 BTCC campaign continued as the Yorkshireman romped home to add his name to an ever-growing list of drivers to reach the top step of the rostrum. Incredibly Tordoff also now leads the standings despite only being sixth at the start of today's action.

"Getting a good start was probably the difference between winning and coming second to be honest," claimed Tordoff. "The key is consistency and that’s been the aim this weekend, it was all about getting the lead and just consolidating.

"I was cautious of what was going to happen in the second part of the race with Colin (Turkington) behind but he didn’t have an answer for us. We changed a lot in terms of setup between races one and two and the car managed the weight beautifully. Credit to the team and my engineer."

Turkington and his Silverline Subaru BMR Racing team-mate Jason Plato squabbled over second for much of the contest, although the former eventually claimed the place comfortably from the BTCC's most winningest driver. The Levorgs have been in impressive form throughout the weekend with Turkington and Plato making it a brace of double podiums from the first two bouts in Cheshire.

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Gordon Shedden and Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram finished fourth and fifth respectively.

The race had begun in fairly dramatic fashion with a series of incidents leading to a brief early safety car period. Aron Smith's VW ran wide at Cascades on the opening lap, shortly before Rob Austin's Toyota made contact with Jake Hill's identical machine at the Island Hairpin. The knock-on effect speared Hill into Mat Jackson's Ford Focus, although the latter would go on to have a competitive race.

Much of the attention was on the flying Rob Collard following the restart, as the experienced race-winner continued his surge up the order from 23rd on the grid. The West Surrey Racing driver picked off car after car and was soon into the top ten, where he would then relegate his stablemate Jack Goff and Eurotech's Daniel Lloyd further down the order.

Collard then joined Josh Cook and Matt Neal in a three-way tussle for sixth, which would eventually end the BMW man's challenge. Cook and Neal had their own incident at Thruxton last month and the MG Racing RCIB Insurance man was determined to keep triple champion Neal behind him. The pair went side-by-side, making contact into Knickerbrook, but both the Honda and MG continued with only minor cosmetic damage.

WSR's Collard then saw off Neal on lap ten and made his way past Cook's MG two tours later. No sooner had he seemingly secured the move, however, that the BMW 125i M Sport ran wide on the exit of Old Hall. He returned to the circuit immediately in front of Cook and the two touched, which broke the rear-right suspension on Collard's machine – he eventually limped back to the pit lane and into retirement.

Cook held on to take sixth at the finish from Neal, while Motorbase Performance's Andrew Jordan made the most of the melee to nip by Jack Goff's BMW into eighth. Jackson recovered from his own eventful run to take a top ten finish.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 11 – Oulton Park

1 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX 24m15.404s
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.638s
3 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.309s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +5.544s
5 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +6.217s
6 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +12.302s
7 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +12.552s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +13.207s
9 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +13.848s
10 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +13.989s
11 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +14.260s
12 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +15.166s
13 Dan LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +15.841s
14 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +16.204s
15 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +20.586s
16 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +21.079s
17 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +29.433s
18 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing+29.820s
19 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing with Team Parker +29.844s
20 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +35.609s
21 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +36.117s
22 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC Racing +37.117s
23 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +38.700s
24 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +44.903s
25 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +2 laps
26 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +2 laps
27 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +2 laps
DNF Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2 laps
DNF Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +7 laps
DNF Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +10 laps
DNF James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +10 laps
DNF Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing

Turkington scores Subaru's first win

Colin Turkington claimed the first ever Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship victory for Subaru after producing a lights-to-flag performance in the opening contest at Oulton Park.

The double BTCC champion made a decent getaway from pole position and was able to resist the attentions of Sam Tordoff's Team JCT600 with GardX BMW in the early running, before gradually stretching away in the latter stages.

It's an historic result for the Japanese marque which had so far endured a baptism of fire on its introduction to Britain's biggest motor sport series. Challenging weekends at Brands Hatch and Donington Park were followed by the team pulling out of the Thruxton event due to safety concerns with its fuel system. Tireless hard work, updates to the car and a two-day test have since led to an impressive turnaround, culminating in this fantastic result at the Cheshire circuit.

"I’m delighted for the team," enthused Turkington. "This result is good for me, but it’s even better for all the guys who have put in so much hard work and until now got nothing back. The performance of the car has really progressed since the first three weekends; we’ve found the Levorg’s sweet spot and the whole package is really moving forward. We know there’s still more work to do and race two will be a bit of a step into the unknown as we’ve never carried any weight before, so I’m not so sure the next one will be quite as easy..."

While Turkington was leading from pillar-to-post, Tordoff was enjoying a similarly trouble free contest, having blasted by Daniel Lloyd's Honda off the line.

"I’m very pleased," said Tordoff. "It’s important to score big points, so this is a solid start. With Colin being on the soft tyres and us the mediums, we thought the race would come back to us a bit and it didn’t, which was a little bit of a shame – the Subaru seemed to have a bit more pace in the bag when it counted. The goal now is to score some more big points in race two and then consolidate in race three."

Lloyd hustled extremely well in only his third BTCC event, although he was shuffled further down the order by more experienced drivers. Gordon Shedden's Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda nipped by the at the Island hairpin on lap two, before Jason Plato followed suit in slightly more aggressive fashion on the seventh tour. Rookie Lloyd eventually finished sixth after Tom Ingram's Toyota pulled up alongside the Eurotech Racing machine on the run to the finish line, and went on to clinch fifth by just 0.139s.

Shedden's third place came under threat from Plato's Silverline Subaru BMR Racing machine shortly after mid-distance and a battle ensued between the two BTCC legends over the next few laps. Reigning champion Shedden defended valiantly on a number of occasions, before Plato was finally able to nudge the nose of his Levorg up the inside of the orange Civic Type R at the end of lap 12. Plato made the move stick into turn one and from there he pulled away to make it a fantastic one-three for Subaru.

"It’s a fantastic achievement for the whole team and I’m absolutely chuffed for Colin and everybody involved," beamed Plato. "This project has been five years in the making and it’s been an epic journey. We’ve got something really special here – BMR isn’t a big team, but everybody has done a fantastic job and what they’ve achieved is the most beautiful piece of engineering I’ve ever seen in a touring car."

Ashley Sutton tumbled down the pack from sixth place on the same lap, as part of an Ingram scrap and the other MG of Josh Cook. The latter took seventh behind Ingram and Lloyd, whilst Aron Smith and Matt Neal followed in eighth and ninth respectively. Andrew Jordan's Pirtek-backed Ford Focus completed the top ten order.

There was great racing throughout the field, highlighted by an eye-catching side-by-side duel between Aiden Moffat's Mercedes and Rob Austin's Toyota in the lower reaches of the top 20. The pair ran alongside eachother for the best part of a lap as a gaggle of cars looked on, proving that no quarter is given in the BTCC regardless of the position being contested.

All 32 cars were classified at the finish although there was one worrying sign for Silverline Subaru BMR Racing on the slowing down lap, when Warren Scott pulled off with what seemed like a fire in his Levorg.

Races two and three will take place at 14:45 and 15:55 respectively with the entire race day now being broadcast live on ITV4.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 10 – Oulton Park

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing 21m 56.702s
2 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +2.424s
3 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +9.954s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +3.429s
5 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +16.249s
6 Dan LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +16.388s
7 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +19.119s
8 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +19.312s
9 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +20.395s
10 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +20.819s
11 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +21.064s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +21.367s
13 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +22.008s
14 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +28.017s
15 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +28.401s
16 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +29.407s
17 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing+31.797s
18 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +32.374s
19 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +32.514s
20 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +32.619s
21 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +37.672s
22 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +39.319s
23 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +39.893s
24 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +41.874s
25 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +42.260s
26 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +45.759s
27 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +45.914s
28 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC Racing +47.526s
29 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +54.693s
30 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing with Team Parker +1:36.614s
31 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +2 laps
32 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +2 laps

Lloyd ‘almost abandoned’ front row lap

Daniel Lloyd has confessed that he very nearly abandoned the lap that earned him his first Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship front row qualifying performance at Oulton Park this weekend (4/5 June).

Following a one-off, points-scoring BTCC debut at Croft back in 2010, Lloyd returned to the fray at Thruxton after signing to contest the remainder of the season in a third Eurotech Racing Honda Civic Type R.

The 24-year-old Yorkshireman impressed with a double top ten finish in Hampshire and subsequently headed to Oulton keen to build upon that promising form, but he admitted that qualifying second – less than two hundredths of a second shy of pole position – exceeded even his own expectations. Not only that, but it was a lap that he almost didn’t complete at all.

“I was on the back foot until my last new set of tyres,” Lloyd revealed. “I’m still getting used to these Dunlops and understanding how to extract the most from them. It’s a learning curve for me, and it was a bit of trial and error initially.

“After Thruxton, people told me I’d done a good job, but I knew there was a lot more still to come and I’m over the moon to have proved that here. The guys at Eurotech have done a mega job and put in so much hard work, and I’m feeling a lot more comfortable in the car and starting to be able to do what I want.

“My first two runs weren’t ideal, and then on my third run, I messed up the first turn, missing the apex completely. I was tempted to abandon the lap, but from Cascades on, I nailed every single corner. It wasn’t a knife-edge lap by any means – it was all fairly neat and tidy and accurate.

“I’m a bit gutted about the mistake in the first corner, because it almost certainly cost me pole, but to be on the front row only second time out with Eurotech is unbelievable. I was really hoping for a top six position, so this is incredible. I’m over the moon.”

Warren Scott delighted with Subaru showing

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