Aron Smith made it an incredible 12 different winners in the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – a record number in the illustrious 59-year history of the series – after the Irishman soaked up race-long pressure to win the final bout at Rockingham.

Smith had to contend with three safety car periods and two double champions in his rear mirrors, but he dealt with every challenge to claim the first every victory for the fledgling Team BKR outfit.

It was Matt Neal and Mat Jackson initially pressuring Smith off the line, but the pair would later succumb to the charging Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington – both running the medium Dunlop SportMaxx compound.

The Team JCT600 with GardX BMW of Rob Collard also looked to be a contender but he couldn't keep pace with Shedden's charge, with the Honda man disposing of Ashley Sutton, Jackson and team-mate Neal in quick succession.

Andrew Jordan was another to lose places, particularly after he produced a sensational save from a wild slide.

Turkington was busy scything his Subaru through the order from 16th on the grid and when the dust settled during a third and final safety car period the Ulsterman found himself in a podium position.

The battle between Shedden and Turkington over the final three-lap shootout aided Smith's cause with the trio eventually crossing the finish line separated by just half a second.

Neal and Jackson held on to fourth and fifth respectively while Collard had to settle for sixth at the finish. Halfords Yuasa Racing's Neal has now closed to within five points of championship leader Sam Tordoff, who finished outside of the points in his ballast-laden BMW 125i M Sport.

Adam Morgan was seventh for WIX Racing, ahead of impressive runs from Jake Hill and Aiden Moffat. RCIB Insurance driver Hill finally got the result his undoubted pace deserved, whilst Moffat made it a hat-trick of points finishes on the day.

Jason Plato was tenth after the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing driver produced his own fantastic drive from the back of the grid.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 24 – Rockingham:

1 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR 29m49.905s (74.13 mph)
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.400s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.572s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +3.491s
5 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +4.519s
6 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +4.936s
7 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +5.686s
8 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +6.227s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +10.578s
10 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +10.899s
11 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +11.358s
12 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +11.690s
13 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +12.611s
14 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +12.913s
15 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +13.478s
16 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +14.466s
17 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +14.924s
18 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +18.088s
19 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +18.805s
20 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +19.035s
21 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +19.879s
22 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +20.159s
23 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +21.202s
DNF Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +4 laps
DNF Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +6 laps
DNF Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +7 laps
DNF Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +8 laps
DNF Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +12 laps
DNF Tony GILHAM (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +15 laps
DNF Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +18 laps
DNF Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club

Team JCT600 with GardX driver Sam Tordoff scored a victory in the second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship contest at Rockingham, producing yet another incredible drive in the BMW 125i M Sport.

Tordoff had earlier fought back from 28th on the race one grid to finish tenth in the opener, and he continued his surge through the order this time around by picking his way past several rivals in the early stages.

Running in third place by mid-distance, Tordoff then cruised up behind the Motorbase Performance duo of Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson. He disposed of Jordan with consummate ease before repeating the trick by Jackson on lap nine.

"Fair play to the team because once again my engineer John made a big call with setup and it transformed the car – it was absolutely beautiful," enthused Tordoff. "It was probably my most enjoyable race ever. I could put the car wherever I wanted and after yesterday it’s a fantastic turnaround.

"I’ve become better at parking reservations to one side and concentrating on the driving, telling the guys it would be okay. The Fords knew what was coming. Fair play to them, they knew they were in a different race to me. Race three’s damage limitation. The hard tyre with 75kgs doesn’t bode well but we’ll take what we can get, hopefully a top 10."

The ballast-laden Ford of Jackson couldn't hang on to second either as he was first relegated by team-mate Jordan with West Surrey Racing's Rob Collard following suit in the closing stages.

"We thought there might be a win on with Mat (Jackson) on more weight," said Jordan. "I could see him struggling and with Sam’s (Tordoff) pace, I didn’t fight it too much. We had the call to make the right decision and play nicely. We’re clever boys and we know we don’t need to be fighting too hard.

"Mat’s fighting for championship points and it’s a good result really for the team and our sponsors. Up until a couple of laps from the end I was eking out time on Rob (Collard) but he made it really close right at the end."

Ashley Sutton took another top five finish for MG, although his stablemate Josh Cook was caught up in unfortunate first lap drama. Contact between the MG6 and Jason Plato's Subaru forced both cars out of contention.

Matt Neal maintained his consistent championship challenge with sixth, ahead of Aron Smith - the BKR man enjoying one his most competitive meetings since the team's fading early season form. Smith will have been further bouyed by the post-race reverse grid draw, which led to him being rewarded with pole position for today's final encounter.

The two Mercedes' squabbled over eighth place with WIX Racing's Adam Morgan eventually getting the better of Laser Tools Racing's Aiden Moffat.

Gordon Shedden rounded out the top ten having fallen down the order from pole position, with the team putting his difficult race down to tyre choice and the maximum success ballast being carried by his Honda Civic Type R.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 23 – Rockingham:

1 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX 22m44.838s (81.87 mph)
2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +2.886s
3 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +3.085s
4 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +6.863s
5 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +15.027s
6 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +18.661s
7 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +21.341s
8 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +22.624s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +25.489s
10 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +28.536s
11 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +29.025s
12 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +29.937s
13 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +30.221s
14 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +30.742s
15 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +37.517s
16 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +45.687s
17 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +46.268s
18 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +46.474s
19 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +46.775s
20 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +1:11.838s
DNF Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1 laps
NC Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +5 laps
NC Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +6 laps
DNF Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +12 laps
DNF Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +12 laps
DNF Tony GILHAM (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +14 laps
DNF Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +15 laps
DNF Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +15 laps
DNF Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +16 laps
DNF Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +16 laps

Gordon Shedden has taken his third win of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after securing a lights-to-flag victory in the Rockingham opener.

The Halfords Yuasa Racing driver made a decent getaway but had to fend off the attentions from fellow front-row starter Mat Jackson in the early stages.

Jackson soon fell back into the clutches of the Subarus, however, after both Jason Plato and Colin Turkington blasted by Josh Cook's MG off the line.

A number of minor incidents on the opening lap led to a short safety car period, but reigning champion Shedden produced a stellar restart before gradually pulling away from the chasing pack. When the #52 eventually crossed the line, Shedden had secured the perfect pole position, fastest lap and race win treble.

"I’m giving it everything to claw my way into the title race," said Shedden. "The championship’s swinging so much round by round. I don’t want to let go of it just yet. Another win is just the momentum we need at this point in the season. Mat (Jackson) almost got around the outside of me into turn two on the opening lap. He got a good run but I held on."

Jackson's Ford Focus became the widest car on the grid for the second successive race after the Motorbase Performance driver backed up his Knockhill race win with another masterclass here. Although this battle was for second, Jackson again produced an impressive defensive drive to keep Silverline Subaru BMR Racing duo of Plato and Turkington at bay.

"It was a good race for us," commented Jackson. "The Subaru didn’t look as if it had the legs through the corners but in traction they definitely had the advantage that comes with the rear-wheel drive. Every lap he (Jason Plato) was within striking distance of going up the inside at turn two but he couldn’t quite make it past. It’s good for us and good for the championship result. Let’s see what race two brings."

"I couldn’t find a way past," Plato confirmed. "I was all over him through the corners but he was pretty good on the brakes so it was a bit of a stalemate. I was hoping he’d struggle more with the tyres towards the end but third’s good, isn’t it? Colin (Turkington) didn’t have any more pace than me, really. We kind of ebbed and flowed though, I was quicker in some areas and he was quicker in others."

The MGs of Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton recovered from relatively slow starts to come home fifth and sixth.

Andrew Jordan made it an Independents' one-two for Motorbase Performance after he surged from 14th on the grid to finish seventh after a number of eye-catching moves. Championship leader Sam Tordoff produced arguably the most spirited drive, however, coming from 28th through to tenth.

Matt Neal and Dave Newsham fell between the fightback drives from Jordan and Tordoff. Title contender Neal had to scrap for every single position, eventually finishing exactly where he started in eighth. The Honda man dropped outside the top ten at one stage before he hauled his ballast-laden Civic back up the order, ahead of another impressive drive from Power Maxed Racing's Newsham.

RCIB Insurance driver Jake Hill was robbed of a hard earned top ten result as mechanical gremlins with his Toyota Avensis ended his challenge late on.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 22 – Rockingham:

1 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 26:36.324 (78.75 mph)
2 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +2.561s
3 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.869s
4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +3.165s
5 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +8.741s
6 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +12.144s
7 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +14.072s
8 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +18.224s
9 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +23.899s
10 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +24.168s
11 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +25.086s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +26.423s
13 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +28.526s
14 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +28.994s
15 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +29.625s
16 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +31.391s
17 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +33.533s
18 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +39.864s
19 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +40.123s
20 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +42.436s
21 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +43.295s
22 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +43.626s
23 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +46.925s
24 Tony GILHAM (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +50.092s
25 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +2 laps
26 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2 laps
DNF Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +2 laps
DNF Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2 laps
DNF Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +7 laps
DNF Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing
DNF Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR

Following a storming qualifying session at Rockingham yesterday in torrential conditions, pole man Halfords Yuasa Racing's Gordon Shedden along with second placed Mat Jackson in the Motorbase Ford and MG Racing RCIB Insurance man, third placed Josh Cook, spoke to btcc.net before they'd even had a chance to dry out...

Reigning champion Gordon Shedden claimed his second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship pole position of the season after setting the pace during challenging conditions at Rockingham.

Thunder and lightning greeted the 31-cars as the qualifying session got underway, with all drivers keen to clock a benchmark lap in the early stages. Halfords Yuasa Racing's Shedden did exactly that as the Honda Civic Type R man produced a timesheet topping effort.

Motorbase Performance's Mat Jackson and the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing duo of Jason Plato and Colin Turkington slotted in behind the Scotsman, before another deluge of rain halted proceedings. Matt Neal, Rob Collard and Plato were among those to endure off-track excursions during the running, proving that the conditions were a handful for even the most experienced of BTCC drivers.

A ten minute delay allowed for the rain to ease and officials to assess the track conditions, which were deemed driveable once more with 14 minutes still on the clock.

As grip levels improved with every tour Shedden rubber-stamped his authority on proceedings by recording a further improvement in the closing moments.

"It was ok for the first three laps and I was able to set a good time," said Shedden. "It got worse out there very quickly and I nearly collected Jack Goff's BMW who was spinning in front of me. It was definitely the right call to stop the session. Then the circuit improved dramatically late on and I set an even quicker one at the end, showing that the Honda Civic Type R is a great car in all conditions."

Jackson's Ford held on to second ahead of the charging Josh Cook – the young MG Racing RCIB Insurance driver waiting until the final seconds to fire his MG6 into third.

"P2 puts us right into the mix for tomorrow," said Jackson. "It’s great fun in the wet. You hold on tight through turn one and do the seatbelts up. We’re hoping to get a good run off the start tomorrow and shuffle things up. There’s 200 odd points still available so it is very much all to play for."

"It was good fun," agreed Cook. "It was a mixed session and I couldn’t see anything at one point. I left it until right at the end and pushed at just the right time. Credit to the guys for turning the car around after a difficult few meetings."

Plato and Turkington were next in the order although the former's Subaru Levorg limped back to the pits with rear damage after another incident late on. Ashley Sutton made it two MGs in the top six as the rookie continues to impress in his maiden BTCC campaign.

Tom Ingram's Toyota was next up, whilst Neal will be content to have come home in eighth. The triple champion will have been further pleased to see that his main championship rivals – Sam Tordoff and Rob Collard – languishing down the order. All three West Surrey Racing BMWs faced a difficult session with Goff, Collard and Tordoff ending up 26th, 27th and 28th respectively.

There was better news for Adam Morgan and Hunter Abbott, however, as they completed the top ten order. WIX Racing's Morgan still harbours intention of winning the championship, whilst Power Maxed Racing's Abbott continued his upturn in qualifying form since the mid-season break.

Rob Austin will start tomorrow's opening race from the back of the grid after officials today reviewed an incident between him and Morgan from Knockhill. Handy Motorsport's Austin was adjudged to be at fault and now faces the grid penalty due to it being his third strike of the season.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Rockingham:

1 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 1m36.338s (72.49 mph)
2 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.288s
3 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.638s
4 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.705s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.753s
6 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.882s
7 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.237s
8 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.242s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +1.302s
10 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.396s
11 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.959s
12 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.969s
13 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.031s
14 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +2.062s
15 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +2.369s
16 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2.375s
17 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.508s
18 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.516s
19 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +2.539s
20 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +2.685s
21 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +2.979s
22 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +3.091s
23 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +3.220s
24 Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +3.510s
25 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +3.650s
26 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +4.275s
27 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +4.695s
28 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +5.222s
29 Tony GILHAM (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +5.337s
30 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +2.567s

Silverline Subaru BMR Racing's Colin Turkington topped the final Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Rockingham, with Tom Ingram, second in the running once again.

Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden following in third and fourth respectively, while championship leader Sam Tordoff found himself 21st – aiming to make up for valuable lost installation and setup time after a trip through the gravel in FP1.

Turkington's benchmark came early on, and Ingram's initial efforts saw him in second spot throughout the early throes. The Speedworks Toyota's berth wasn't to last, however, as Neal and Shedden set about their qualifying simulation.

Initally, Neal flew into P2, though still three-tenths shy of the Subaru at the top of the time-sheets. His second run brought the gap down to a couple of tenths while team-mate Shedden demoted Ingram another spot to P3.

The Speedworks racer's final run yielded his best time of the day, though, as he took back what was his from the Hondas, rounding off practice two as he'd finished practice one – second quickest.

This morning's pace-setter, Motorbase Performance's Andrew Jordan found himself sixth, just behind a racy-looking Rob Austin, who'd placed his Handy Motorsport Toyota fifth.

WIX Racing's Adam Morgan and BKR man Aron Smith followed the Pirtek Racing machine in seventh and eighth respectively while Power Maxed Racing's Hunter Abbott held a strong ninth.

Rounding out the top ten was Rob Collard in the Team JCT600 with GardX BMW 125i M Sport. Collard, by his own admission, is not as strong as he would like over a single lap but his practice showing will undoubtedly be a source of encouragement of what may be possible, even with weight on board, come qualifying.

Aside from Turkington's running, Silverline Subaru BMR Racing's FP2 did not go as they would have liked. Warren Scott suffered a spin and James Cole a lack of power prompting further investigation. Jason Plato found himself on the receiving end of an oil leak as he clouted kerbs a little too hard, causing his Subaru's sump to crack on its way back down to earth.

"I made a little mistake at T9," Plato said. "I caught the kerb on the left. The car jumped towards the exit kerb and landed on the sump, which we’ve broken.

"We’re making good progress though. In FP1 we had lots of understeer which is not unusal given its our first time here. All my understeer is gone now and we’re looking okay. Colin (Turkington) is in the groove and it’s a bit of a shame for me but it was my mistake."

Tordoff did his best to make hay after missing the majority of the morning's practice session. He now feels he could well be in for a difficult weekend as a result of beaching his BMW early in the day.

"The car was full of gravel," Tordoff said. "We set the brake bias up wrong, causing the spin. We had a lot to get into in FP2, lots to do. We'll sit down and work out what was good or bad at the end of it. We didn’t put fresh tyres on so we’re maybe a little further down than we should be but I think we’re in for a tough one this weekend by the looks of it."

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Rockingham:

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing 1m22.914s (84.23 mph)
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.148s
3 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.215s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.349s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.501s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.520s
7 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.579s
8 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.590s
9 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.601s
10 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.611s
11 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.697s
12 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.722s
13 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.749s
14 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.809s
15 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.811s
16 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.930s
17 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +1.058s
18 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.136s
19 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +1.170s
20 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.181s
21 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.302s
22 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.339s
23 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.654s
24 Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +1.739s
25 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +2.005s
26 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +2.155s
27 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +2.294s
28 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +2.565s
29 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +2.567s
30 Tony GILHAM (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +3.532s
31 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing NO TIME

Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan topped the timesheets in Saturday morning’s opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship practice session from Rockingham with Speedworks man Tom Ingram in close company, just 0.059s back in second.

Twenty-nine cars were separated by just 2.6 seconds, especially close given the usual spread seen in practice as teams and drivers get to grips with conditions, installation and look to dial in their setups.

Three red-flag stoppages threw the running off-kilter as Team HARD drivers Mike Epps and Jake Hill found themselves stranded out on track – the latter in gravel. Sam Tordoff, Drivers’ standings leader also found himself in the wars as he was surprised by a rear brake bias discrepancy which saw him beached. A touch of Gymkhana was how the Yorkshireman described it.

Jordan’s running was limited too, with Motorbase searching for the source of a minor vibration in the Ford Focus. Despite this, two quick runs were enough to best the rest with a time set midway through the session, while stablemate Mat Jackson set the fifth fastest time of the session.

“We only did two flying laps and there’s a vibration on the car so we’re trying to get to the bottom of it,” said Jordan. “We limited running and just stuck to the two so we could solve the issue but the car felt good out there. It’s early days – you don’t know what others are doing with tyres so it doesn’t mean too much overall really, as ever.”

Ingram was on the pace from the off, as he has been more often than not through 2016. He found himself just 0.059s shy of Jordan after a quicker run late in the session.

“Most people up and down the grid will be saying things aren’t feeling fantastic just yet,” said Ingram. “The circuit’s going to evolve over the next few hours. We’re towards the sharp end anyway so that’s a positive.

The WIX Racing Mercedes of Adam Morgan was pipped to P2 late on by Ingram though he still holds an encouraging third, while MG duo Ash Sutton and Josh Cook were back on form after a slightly disappointing Knockhill weekend – P4 and P7 respectively for the young-guns.

Gordon Shedden was the best placed Honda with sixth – a solid start. Halfords Yuasa Racing team-mate Matt Neal will be looking to kick on from a best of P10 as the day progresses with his Civic Type R contending with near-maximum success ballast.

After a storming weekend in Fife, the best placed Silverline Subaru BMR Racing machine was that of eight-placed Colin Turkington.

Tony Gilham’s return to the driver’s seat suffered a false start as gearing issues put pay to his FP1, preventing his TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing Toyota Avensis leaving its garage and adding to the Team HARD stable's woes.

Free Practice 2 is set to get underway at 12pm with qualifying to follow at 15:15 LIVE on itv.com/btcc.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Rockingham:

1 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance 1m23.045s (84.09 mph)
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.059s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.128s
4 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.184s
5 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.415s
6 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.484s
7 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.487s
8 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.677s
9 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.817s
10 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.820s
11 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.893s
12 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.925s
13 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.018s
14 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.229s
15 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.249s
16 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +1.259s
17 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.262s
18 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.268s
19 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.344s
20 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.441s
21 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.445s
22 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +1.504s
23 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.567s
24 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.644s
25 Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +1.671s
26 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.878s
27 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +1.928s
28 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +2.525s
29 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +2.637s
30 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +8.890s
31 Tony GILHAM (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing NO TIME

Team JCT600 with GardX man Sam Tordoff is contesting his fourth full season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and the multiple race-winner is mounting his biggest title challenge yet.

The Yorkshireman scored victories in each of his first two years with the manufacturer-backed MG squad, before his switch to BMW machinery in 2015. Further successes followed in his maiden campaign with West Surrey Racing, but his speed and consistency during the 2016 season so far sees the talented Yorkshireman hold a nine-point lead in the current standings.

A stellar afternoon at Oulton Park in June cemented Tordoff’s championship credentials, with a win and two-second place finishes moving him to the summit.

Tordoff has remained in the top two ever since, with a strong outing at Knockhill last time out handing him an extended advantage over Matt Neal and his WSR stablemate Rob Collard.

“We’ve had a good run but I’m sure Rockingham will be an extremely tough challenge,” said Tordoff. “It was important that we took points at the circuits which really suited the BMW, which we did, and next weekend will be no different in terms of our approach.

“We need to just keep scoring points consistently as that’s what winning championships is all about. We’re fast, the car’s good and we’re good on weight. I’m feeling strong but there’s a long way to go.”

If Tordoff is to win a first BTCC title then he will have to hold off Collard's challenge from within his own team, whilst Halfords Yuasa Racing remains ever-strong through Neal and Gordon Shedden.

The Motorbase Performance Fords of Mat Jackson and Andrew Jordan are also among the contenders, as are Subaru's super duo of Colin Turkington and Jason Plato, plus a host of others.

Topping the Drivers' standings at this stage of the season, with the light at the end of the tunnel beginning to appear, is tantalising. It's also a sign of how well all the components vital to a title charge have been married together by WSR and Tordoff over an ultra-competitive season so far.

“To be leading the championship with three rounds to go is more than I could have expected and is a real credit to everyone at Team JCT600 with GardX," said Tordoff.

"The WSR-prepared BMW has performed fabulously, carried ballast well and given me the opportunity to take good points everywhere – even when it seemed like that might not be possible.

"I’d rather be nine points ahead than behind, but it’s a slender gap and I know that one slip-up could have a big consequence.

"Maximising every points opportunity is key and we'll see where we are come Sunday night. It sounds like the oldest cliché in the book, but we really do have to take things race by race.”