Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden are Cheshire-bound as they continue their quest for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship laurels – with Oulton Park next on the calendar for the country’s premier motor sport series.

With three meetings of the campaign completed, Halfords Yuasa Racing tops the Teams’ standings, Neal leads the way, tied with Team JCT600 with GardX's Rob Collard in the Drivers’ classification and fellow multiple title-holder Shedden is in close contention in fifth. Both men have tasted victory champagne already this year and between them, have tallied more than ten triumphs at Oulton Park in seasons past.

Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal starred at both Brands Hatch and Donington Park, with the latter then leading the championship from his team-mate, but the multiple champion squad have not had it all their own way since.

At Thruxton, a double non-finish for champion Shedden put a hole in his points tally. He heads back to the scene of his breakthrough BTCC success ten years ago fired-up to rediscover the rostrum.

“I’m feeling good," said Sheddon. "I think I was ready to go again at about 6:30pm on the Sunday at Thruxton, because I wanted to immediately erase the memories of that weekend!

"Oulton is a fun track to drive and usually produces good racing – although overtaking isn’t easy – and the large and enthusiastic crowds generate a good atmosphere.

"Ballast is quite a penalty there, due to the stop-start nature of the circuit, its undulating layout and heavy-braking zones. That will put even more emphasis than usual on qualifying – particularly with a full grid of 32 cars.

"The flipside to Thruxton in that respect is having dropped a few spots in the standings, I’ll be the lightest I’ve been going into qualifying for well over a year, with the obvious exception of the first round of the season when everybody is on zero ballast – so I’ll need to make sure I get my finger out to really take advantage of that.

"We’re still trying to maximise the potential of the Honda Civic Type R – I don’t think we’ve completely aced it yet – so to be as competitive as we have been everywhere so far is really encouraging, and we’ve got some good ideas to improve it further. Hopefully we can come away from Oulton with three good finishes and a strong points haul to put us firmly back on the championship trail.”

Neal fared slightly better at Thruxton, with a race three podium making up for earlier disappointment. Twelve months ago he claimed a brace of podium finishes around the picturesque and challenging Cheshire circuit and returns with his sights firmly set on defending his championship advantage in the chase for the coveted crown.

“When things were going wrong at Thruxton, I remember thinking, ‘at least on the positive side, I’ll be nice and light going to Oulton’ – and obviously now that isn’t the case," said Neal.

"That said, I’ve always stressed that I’d rather carry the weight than not because it means the points are in the bag. Oulton Park was one of the first tracks I ever raced at and I used to test there a lot. It’s an enjoyable circuit to drive – very fast and not very forgiving, with not much run-off if you make a mistake and overtaking is notoriously tricky. It’s got a little bit of everything, which means you need a car with good balance and high-speed stability – a strong all-round package – and that’s where the Honda Civic Type R really comes into its own.

"Qualifying will be tough, especially as Oulton is probably one of the worst circuits we go to for ballast, with a lot of slow corners followed by long uphill straights. That certainly won’t make it easy for us, but everybody towards the top of the table is in the same boat. It’s so incredibly tight in this championship right now that you have to be absolutely on peak form and I need to remain realistic and focus on the long game, but if we can keep on racking up the points, we’ll be doing just fine.”

British Touring Car Championship set for Oulton Park outing

Eurotech Racing’s season hit a high at Thruxton with a career best finish in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship for one of its trio of drivers and a trophy-winning debut for its young rookie. Heading towards Oulton Park, their 2016 campaign is showing promise.

The Brands Hatch season opener back at the start of April yielded early encouragement for the Staffordshire outfit with its pair of new-build Honda Civic Type R’s. Having made the switch from the Honda Civic to the Type-R over winter, both Jeff Smith and Martin Depper were able to reap the rewards of an off-season’s hard labour. The former qualified 13^th and the latter 16^th.

Smith would go on to notch a trio of points-scoring finishes, including two top tens with a best coming in race three at the Kent circuit, gradually working through the rounds to the crescendo of a creditable seventh placed finish. Depper was unable to follow through on the pace shown in qualifying but he more than rectified that disappointment at Donington Park.

In Leicestershire, at Donington Park, both were able to fulfil the car’s inherent capabilities. Smith again planted the Honda into a strong position on the grid, one better than at Brands – 12th this time. While Depper couldn’t match his team-mate in qualifying, his pace was much stronger come rounds six, seven and eight come Sunday with a best of 11^th – good solid points – easily besting any of his trio of results from the Brands Hatch weekend. Smith, meanwhile equalled that excellent seventh placed finish from the season opener with another in race one at Donington Park. Both drivers failed to finish a round apiece, but it was an encouraging weekend, nonetheless.

Thruxton provided the highlight of the season so far for both drivers, and the addition of Dan Lloyd in a third Eurotech Racing Honda Civic Type R supplied a further boon.

Race one produced what would surely go down as one of the best in Eurotech Racing’s recent history as Depper sealed a career-best finish in what was a frenetic round seven of the BTCC campaign. A multi-car collision on the exit of Club forced the race into an early conclusion and he brought the Honda home fifth, closely following fourth-placed team-mate Smith as both expertly avoided getting caught up in the melee.

Additionally, both drivers scored a further points finish each in race three ensuring Eurotech Racing took third spot in the Independent Teams’ standings, just edged out by WIX Racing with Motorbase Performance 25 points clear at the top.

The leap to third in the Independents' coming out of the Thruxton weekend was aided in no small part by Dan Lloyd, the new signing at Eurotech Racing. The Huddersfield racer sealed treble points finishes on his bow, including a best of seventh in race two – taking him to the Jack Sears Trophy for the weekend. Expectations will be high after an impressive start.

Oulton Park, for the fourth weekend of the season, is sure to be an event where the squad will look to consolidate and build momentum on what has been a positive opening third of the 2016 campaign. Back in 2013, Jeff Smith looked for all the world like he would tally his first victory in the championship at the Cheshire circuit before a spin at Knickerbrook, gifting the victory to Andrew Jordan. He, and Eurotech Racing, will be hoping for a bit more luck come June 4^th/5^th. The trio may not be targeting the win as Smith was gunning for back in 2013, but they are sure to be looking for further finishes deep into the points-paying positions to add to their already impressive tally this year.

The three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds from Thruxton looked as if they would be among the most profitable yet for Aiden Moffat, following an extremely positive qualifying session. Saturday promise, it transpired, would not bear fruit come Sunday.

Laser Tools Racing's young Scot followed up on a strong free practice showing by landing second spot on the grid – his previous best in the championship being eighth. Moffat admitted some surprise at achieving a place on the front row for the weekend's opening race, hailing the job his team had done in prepping the Mercedes A Class.

"The guys in the team gave us a great set-up and a great car and then it was all down to me –  it all clicked," said Moffat. "Initially I was in fourth and as the session went on I dropped a few places and ended up tenth, which was still looking like a good result for us.

"Going for my next run, I knew my lap time was quicker but I was thinking I'd be around seventh or eighth, so I was surprised with second! Even so, I was still a little gutted when I found out how close we were to pole position — just three-hundredths-of-a-second shy."

The teenager was keen to keep expectations for race one in check following that encouraging qualifying display, indicating he would be aiming to mix it as best he could with the likes of Tom Ingram and Matt Neal around him, with a second podium finish in the BTCC in his grasp and firmly on the agenda.

When it came to lights out in race one, the Scot got away well but three into one wouldn't go as he was caught around the outside on the entrance to the complex with Ingram and Neal battling. Contact damaged Moffat's suspension and combatting the slide inevitably took some performance out of the Mercedes' Dunlop SportMaxx tyres.

Damage sustained to his car would ultimately cost the 19-year-old what would have been a career-best result in the BTCC – beating his third placed finish at Knockhill last year.

"After contact at turn three, I had another coming-together which bent the steering, causing the tyres to constantly scrub across the surface of the track," continued Moffat.

"I'd fought back to second and was trying to manage my pace and position rather than pushing too hard.

"Unfortunately, the damage (from earlier in the race) had already worked the tyres hard and that led to a puncture, resulting in us going off when we were sitting second."

Race two was hindered by what happened in the opener, and further damage during the second race put pay to any hopes of bouncing back immediately – 16th place as much as Moffat could manage as he wrestled with the car.

Unexpectedly, after a sparkling performance on Saturday, Laser Tools Racing were heading into race three without tallying as much as a single point. Not many would have predicted that, but the BTCC has a habit of producing the unexpected.

The third bout of the afternoon would provide an eventual crumb of comfort – the blue and black liveried Mercedes setting the quickest racing lap of the weekend in the hands of the Scot. This served as a reminder of what could have been for Moffat at Thruxton – his pace was there but his luck was not. His outlook is one of positivity, though, with more than enough encouragement to come from Thruxton to take to Oulton Park and beyond.

"Race three started well, I got a great start and quickly made my way into thirteenth. However, crossing the line at the end of lap one, I got hit and was forced into the pits. After making my stop, my pace was good and I scored the fastest lap.

"Although the weekend’s results were hugely frustrating and disappointing, it actually has given me even more confidence as it has shown how good a car we have, how great the Laser Tools Racing bunch are, and that I am capable of being up at the front.

"We will carry this momentum into the next race, and hopefully give something more to show for our efforts on Sunday next time."

West Surrey Racing climbed to the top of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Manufacturers’ standings, leapfrogging Halfords Yuasa Racing with a string of positive finishes over rounds seven, eight and nine at Thruxton.

Team JCT600 with GardX driver and Hampshire hero Rob Collard shares the points lead in the Drivers’ standings with Matt Neal, after notching the Surrey outfit’s best result of the weekend on his home patch, with a race two podium in addition to two sixth placed finishes.

It didn’t start the way Collard would have hoped after opening with a disappointing qualifying session which left him 18^th on the grid. He put that disappointment behind him immediately with a fine display in the opening race of the weekend as he carved his way through the field to finish a creditable sixth, despite hauling 48kgs of success ballast.

His runners-up spot came in round eight, finishing just half a second behind Motorbase Performance’s Andrew Jordan, followed by another top-six finish in the final encounter of the day to round off a profitable day’s racing for Collard on home turf. Combined with the efforts of team-mate Sam Tordoff, the silver and blue side of the WSR garage are now within just a point of the summit of the Teams’ standings.

“It’s a fantastic feeling to be leading the Drivers’ championship – and at my home circuit as well,” said Collard.

“After a disappointing qualifying session, we started the opening race from 18th place with a lot of making up to do, but we changed a lot of things overnight and the BMW was just superb all day.

“To climb to sixth in race one, even with 48kg of ballast on board, was a really great result, and then to follow it up with second is even better.

“We’ve surpassed expectations on a couple of circuits which haven't been our strongest in previous years, and now we head to Oulton Park and Croft, which really are good circuits for the BMW. I think we can really push on and continue to fight for wins and podiums.”

Over at Team IHG Rewards Club, Jack Goff consolidated his impressive start to the 2016 campaign with a pair of strong points finishes at Thruxton.

The High Wycombe racer started the opening race 12^th with a 57kg load of success ballast on-board. Climbing to eighth in race one by half distance, he looked set to move further up the field when the red flag was waved and the result declared due to a multi-car incident on the exit of Club.

Going some way to proving his pace, he took fifth in race two and was lying third in race three before contact with Gordon Shedden saw him drop to 18^th with just over a lap to run.

His weekend was strong enough to see him in sixth place in the Drivers’ table while Team IHG Rewards Club hold the same spot in the Teams’ standings. All things considered, Goff is hopeful with Oulton Park under a fortnight away.

“I think the BMW had the pace to put us on the podium twice if the races hadn’t been shortened,” said Goff. “The strategy was to wait for the front-wheel-drive cars to use up their tyres and then pounce, but the shorter races meant that didn’t really happen.

“Had it not been for the contact with Gordon [Shedden], which was a 50/50 incident in my opinion, I’d probably be second in the championship right now, but that would mean more ballast for Oulton Park, so actually, being P6 is pretty good and gives us a great chance to take another step in the championship fight.”

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “From a team point of view, it was an excellent weekend. Rob leaves Thruxton tied for the lead of the Drivers’ championship after driving superbly so far this season, and Sam showed more strong pace and achieved a fastest lap in race two.

“Not only that, but WSR leads the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ points and Team JCT600 with GardX is just one point away from the top of the teams’ standings.

“It was another strong weekend for Team IHG Rewards Club too, and sixth place in the Teams’ championship is a very good performance for a single-car team. Jack has continued to belie his lack of experience with a rear-wheel-drive touring car to run strongly in all three races.”

Our latest competition comes in conjunction with IHG® Rewards Club and we’re giving you the chance to win a weekend away in Cheshire (June 4/5) to see the BTCC at the renowned Oulton Park circuit plus an overnight stay at Holiday Inn Chester-South.

The headline prize also includes a chance to meet Team IHG® Rewards Club's star driver Jack Goff and the opportunity to take a walk down the BTCC grid right before the lights go out for one of the three rounds at the circuit.

The top prize includes:

• A pair of entry tickets to Oulton Park on Saturday/Sunday 4/5 June.
• Meet driver Jack Goff
• Grid walk before a BTCC race
• Saturday night at Holiday Inn Chester-South

In addition, four runners-up will win a pair of tickets to enjoy the full weekend’s racing.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply like the IHG® Rewards Club 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 using #IHGracing and tagging @ihgrewardsclub.

The competition closes at 4pm on Monday 30 May. For full terms and conditions see below!

Good luck!

Terms and conditions:

1x Like + Comment on Facebook = 1 entry or 1x RT + tag @ihgrewardsclub/#IHGRacing on Twitter = 1 entry. 1 entry per person. A winner picked at random. The competition will close 4pm on Monday 30 May. 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 Oulton Park 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.

Aside from the Motorbase Performance duo of Mat Jackson and Andrew Jordan running Ford machinery in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, there are of course two more fast Fords on the grid.

In addition to the Jackson and Jordan's Pirtek Racing and Duo-backed machines, Dextra Racing and Maximum Motorsport each brandish Focuses – with Alex Martin and Stewart Lines, respectively, at the wheel.

Both men have a season's worth of experience under their belt, having competed in the championship throughout 2015. It's time to have a look at how the 2016 has treated them, with just about a third of the campaign completed.

So far, it's been and encouraging start to proceedings for Martin and Dextra Racing. Though he has yet to match his previous best finish in the championship of 13th, which came in race three at Rockingham in 2015, the Dorset racer has already scored points – far earlier than he had managed to tally last season.

Martin's Thruxton weekend built to a crescendo after opening proceedings with a strong 16th in race one, narrowly missing out on points, then another top-20 finish in race two. Breaking into the points-paying positions with 15th in race three was a fine way to bring an encouraging third race weekend of the year to a close. Scoring championship points as a small family-run outfit is no mean feat in the BTCC.

As the rounds have passed, Dextra Racing have continued to improve as they re-familiarise themselves with the ins and outs of the Focus after the off-season. It would be fair to say Brands Hatch Indy was a poorer weekend than was hoped with just one top-25 finish but since then, Donington Park and Thruxton have yielded promise – first indicated with a race two 16th at the Leicestershire circuit back in mid-April.

For Maximum Motorsport and Stewart Lines, it's been a similar pattern of improving results as the squad dials in the Ford's setup, with the Focus entering this campaign off the back of a full rebuild. Bests of 22nd and 21st at Brands Hatch and Donington Park respectively were improved upon by race one at Thruxton, where Lines crossed the line 19th.

Despite the withdrawal of the four Silverline Subaru Team BMR cars accounting for some of the improvement seen in Hampshire, the trend is still an upward one – and it's fair to say that where teams have failed to finish, both Maximum Motorsport and Dextra Racing have ensured their entries make the chequered flag.

Following the Donington Park and Thruxton weekends Lines can feel the improvement, with the team heading in the right direction.

"The car was the best it has ever been in the past two outings," said Lines. "We had a tough weekend at Donington Park to begin with, but the lads worked tirelessly to turn it around.

“It’s was a challenging start to the weekend at Thruxton, as it was at Donington, but a positive finish. We are going the right way – we just need to build from here.

"I’m really happy with how everything is going at the moment, I have managed to get a lot of seat time at the last two and I have learned even more about the car. Hopefully stronger results aren't too far away."

Eurotech Racing's Martin Depper took the #ForeverForward honours for a second consecutive Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship weekend, gaining a total of 26 positions at Thruxton.

Race one's red flag inducing melee on lap 11 meant the round was a high scoring one as drivers picked their way through the wreckage of several cars on the exit of Club.

Depper's fifth place, a career high, gave him an 11 point start having lined up 16th on the grid. Rob Collard tied with Depper's tally while Dan Welch and Chris Smiley were next best, each having made up 10 spots on their qualifying spot.

Gordon Shedden improved by an incredible 19 positions in race two as he sliced his way through the pack to finish fourth in the Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda Civic Type R. He had started a lowly 23rd by his standards after becoming involved in the opening round's race-ending incident.

It was Depper again that topped the charts in race three. Starting 27th, he brought the Honda Civic Type R home in 12th – a 15 place swing.

Over the three rounds, then, Depper totalled 26 points. Matt Neal and Ashley Sutton followed on 22 points after consistent displays – making up ground in each of the races.

It's tight at the top of the overall standings now too. Just four points separate Depper in first and Collard in third. Thruxton really did throw things wide open.

#ForeverForward drivers of the weekend

1. Martin Depper 26
2. Matt Neal 22
3. Ashley Sutton 22

#ForeverForward overall standings

1. Martin Depper 46
2. Rob Austin 44
3. Rob Collard 42

Motorbase Performance duo Mat Jackson and Andrew Jordan shared the spoils at the UK's fastest racing circuit, with a win apiece extending the Kent-based squad's Independent Teams' Championship lead.

Pace was strong for the two Ford Focuses in Free Practice at Thruxton, though eighth and fourteenth in qualifying for Jordan and Jackson respectively left both feeling somewhat deflated.

Jordan immediately made his intentions clear in Sunday's opening race, charging off the line to take MG's Ashley Sutton and Josh Cook into turn one.

Frenetic racing ensued as the laps went by with battles up and down the field throughout a tightly-bunched pack. The Pirtek Racing man traded paint and positions on his way into the top ten.

Meanwhile, Jackson was forced into the pits with a puncture and damage to the front left quarter of his Duo-backed Focus. He would only muster 21st as a result.

The racing wasn't done for the other side of the Motorbase garage though, as Jordan was able to take full advantage of the race-ending melee on the exit of Club on lap 11 – picking his way through into third in the #77 Ford and netting his first podium with the Motorbase outfit.

Race two started equally well for the Midlander – shooting off the line and into second past the Speedworks Toyota of Tom Ingram. His attentions were then onto hunting down Adam Morgan, leading out-front in the WIX Racing Mercedes.

Race management has always been key at Thruxton, given the high-speed nature of the circuit and the abrasiveness of the track's surface. With 56kg of ballast on-board, Jordan was content to bide his time and play the long-game – keeping pressure on Morgan while doing his utmost to preserve his tyres .

The move for the lead came on lap 11. Jordan was right with Morgan into Club following a good run through Church. Out of the final chicane, the Focus was able to out-drag the A Class over the start/finish and into the lead come Allard.

With just a lap to go, Jordan had enough despite a gaggle of cars in close company waiting to pounce. It was his first victory since Croft 2014 – long overdue for the 2013 champion.

“It felt great to be back on the top step," said Jordan. "I knew that when the time was right we’d get the win.

"We rolled out on the pace in Free Practice and although we didn’t get the qualifying result we wanted we knew we had the race pace so to be able to back that up with a podium and race win was brilliant.

“For me to get the first win with Motorbase feels really special. I genuinely can’t say enough about how welcome I’ve been made to feel coming into the team, even when we had a tough weekend at Donington they supported me so it’s great to be able to repay that with a win today. I’m in a happy place. I feel that we have the momentum behind us now that we can build on.”

A recovery drive from Jackson in the sister car saw him make up twelve positions to place an eventual eighth in race two.

The reverse grid draw for race three resulted in a front-row start for Jackson, P2, with Jordan dropping to ninth with maximum ballast on-board.

Right out of the blocks, Jackson was past the pole-sitting Proton of Dan Welch and into the lead, where he would stay – controlling the race from lights to flag.

In the process of taking Motorbase's second race win on the day, he became one of only two drivers to notch two victories in the 2016 campaign – the other being WIX Racing's Morgan.

“To get the second win of the day for Motorbase felt great," said Jackson. "The hard work everyone puts in is paying off and we’re in a good place. The car’s performing well and we just need to keep clocking up the points and we’re all looking forward to going into Oulton Park in the Championship fight.”

A reverse of fortunes saw Jordan end on a low as he picked up a puncture on lap seven, eventually crossing the line in 21st position.

Motorbase Performance leaves Thruxton in a strengthened Championship position having extended its lead in the Independent Teams' standings and closed the gap on the HiQ Teams' standings, while Jordan moves into second in the Independent Drivers' Championship with Jackson close behind in third – fourth in the Overall Drivers’ Standings.

Team Manager Oly Collins said: “What a day! A fantastic double win for Motorbase shared between Andrew and Mat is a brilliant result for the team all round."

"They both drove outstandingly well all day. I’m really pleased for Andrew getting his first win with us and Mat’s win was the icing on the cake. We knew we would be strong in the races today and two wins repaid the whole team’s hard work. Now we can’t wait for Oulton!”

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship returns in four weeks’ time for rounds 10, 11 and 12 at Oulton Park, Cheshire on June 4/5.

Eurotech Racing's Daniel Lloyd made a strong impression on his 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship bow at Thruxton, picking up the Jack Sears Trophy for rounds 7, 8 and 9 with three points-scoring finishes.

The 24-year-old showed promise from the get-go – setting the 12th fastest time in the second of Saturday's Free Practice sessions. Minor quibbles with the car saw him qualify a couple of rows back from his best effort earlier in the day, as he lined up 16th for Sunday's opening race.

It was evident from the off that those that excelled in managing the car over a race distance at the notoriously abrasive Hampshire circuit would be well-placed to score points on a consistent basis over the weekend.

Lloyd brought the #23 Civic Type R home in 12th in race one, despite a slow puncture – discovered on his return to the pit-lane.

The Yorkshireman fared even better in race two. A great start saw him up to eighth by the end of the fourth tour with some firm-but-fair racing belying his rookie status. Lloyd came home seventh, after enjoying bouts with a few more experienced heads – reigning champion Gordon Shedden and Mat Jackson to name but two.

Third on the grid for race three after the reverse grid draw yielded an opportunity to Lloyd. A poor start and an eventual ninth placed finish left the Huddersfield racer frustrated – a marker of the high expectations he places on himself on even his debut weekend.

“Race two for me was by far the best race. I got a great start and the car felt mega,” said Lloyd. “The Eurotech guys did a good job and I felt really confident going into the final race starting in third.

"I didn’t get the best start in race three and the wheel spin lost us a few places so I’m a bit frustrated with myself for that but once we got settled again, we didn’t have the same pace in the car as we’d had in race 2.

"It was a bit of a battle to hold onto places in the end and I was quite pleased to have held onto P9.

“All in all it was a great debut weekend for us, we’ve come away with a really good set of results.

"This championship is all about consistency and three points finishes on our first weekend gets our campaign off to a strong start.”