Halfords Yuasa Racing team-mates Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal are eager to confirm their pre-season potential when the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship returns this weekend at Brands Hatch.
 
Shedden concluded the 2016 campaign by fighting to a third title in the UK’s premier motor sport series in dramatic fashion, with Neal also heading into the thrilling season finale with a very real shout of lifting the laurels.
 
The Honda Civic Type R has undergone a comprehensive development programme over the winter months, with particular attention on the new Dunlop Sport Maxx tyre that will be introduced this year.
 
Shedden and fellow three-time BTCC champion Neal have been out on-track at Parcmotor Castellolí in Spain and various British circuits in recent weeks, and both men are in positive mood as the start of the season speeds rapidly into view.
 
“Testing has gone well," started Shedden. "There has been plenty of learning with the new Dunlop tyres, but I think we’re getting our heads around it all and I’m in a reasonably happy place right now.

"The week in Spain was really beneficial and highlighted a few things we needed to work on early in our preparations. That ensured we were on the right track by the time we got back to the UK and the car feels good.

"It actually feels different to last year – the tyres have had more of an effect than I’d expected, to be honest – but we seem to be increasingly unlocking the little Civic Type R’s potential.

"Of course, the one thing we don’t know at this stage is how quick everybody else will be, but what’s for sure is that it’s going to be insanely close in qualifying at Brands Hatch with the whole field on zero ballast – you’re going to need to absolutely nail your lap if you want a good starting position.

"I really believe the difference between first and last on the grid this season could be the smallest it’s ever been. The quality stretches further down the field than in recent years, meaning it will all come down to hundredths – if not indeed thousandths – of a second.”
 
Neal echoed his team mates' thoughts on what both see as an ultra-competitive field this year.

Neal said: “This is the first year in a while that we will arrive at the opening round with a sorted chassis and sorted engine, which bodes well. In recent seasons, we’ve tended to be a bit last minute because we’ve always had something new to introduce.

"That said, the calibre of the field in 2017 will certainly make our lives harder! There are some very good driver and car combinations out there, which is what everybody wants to see – if the BTCC wasn’t a challenge, we wouldn’t be here. Everybody is going to have good and bad weekends – that’s inevitable, particularly this year as getting to grips with the new Dunlop tyre has been a learning curve for us all – but our goal is to be as consistent as we possibly can be over the course of the campaign.

"I never like to be confident, because I think confidence breeds complacency, but I’m feeling good and three solid results at Brands has to be the goal; of course it would be lovely to come away with a win or even a podium, but points in the bag are the main priority. I think we should be in with as good a chance as anybody else.”

The 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship fires into life at Brands Hatch next weekend (1-2 April) with the most successful grid in its history, as an extraordinary 16 race-winners and a host of challengers get set to battle for the most coveted prize in British motor sport.

A capacity 32-strong field tallying an astonishing 329 victories between them – the very best touring car talent – will take to the 1.2-mile Indy circuit in front of what is always a huge crowd at the famous Kent venue.

Honda's Gordon Shedden clinched the crown after a breathless end to 2016. In a tussle between eight drivers heading into the final weekend, it was the Scotsman who prevailed to take his third BTCC title. He faces a daunting challenge if he is to retain it this time around as he bids to make it a record-equalling three in a row, matching Andy Rouse's efforts more than 30 years ago.

There are two new manufacturer entries on the list for 2017, with Vauxhall making its eagerly-anticipated return and the famous colours of BMW joining the fold, ready to contest the honours alongside Honda, Subaru and MG. A a host of further outfits will be in the fight for outright Teams' glory.

The BTCC will again comprise 30 races across ten events at nine different venues around the UK. All of the action will be played out in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands of fans trackside and many millions more watching live and free-to-air via the championship's long-term partner ITV on ITV4, ITV Hub and online at itv.com/btcc alongside extensive highlights programmes.

Five Star
Five manufacturers will take to the grid this season, with BMW and Vauxhall making their much-vaunted returns to Britain's biggest motor racing contest. They will compete alongside Honda, MG and Subaru – the latter looking to build on a storming debut season which sets the bar high for the new boys.

Gordon Shedden is the champion incumbent and is back with Honda – as is long-time team-mate and fellow triple-champ Matt Neal. With an intensive winter testing programme and a chassis-engine-driver combination proven many times over, there is no reason to believe Halfords Yuasa Racing's challenge will in any way weaken. The newly-liveried stealth black Civic Type R with signature orange flashes is certainly the car with the target on its rear bumper.

On its return, BMW aligns with West Surrey Racing – running a trio of 125i M Sports. The addition of factory support from the Bavarian giant has only served to galvanise WSR's bid to hammer home its authority as the current Manufacturers' and Teams' title-holders. In a move that will surely have sent shivers down the spine of many of the Northern Irishman's rivals, rear-wheel drive specialist Colin Turkington has re-signed for the team – one that made him a double champion in 2009 and 2014. Rob Collard has agreed a new deal with the Surrey squad, while reigning Independent Drivers' champion Andrew Jordan joins the stable under the BMW Pirtek Racing banner. All three challenged right down to the wire for last year's overall Drivers' honours.

Subaru's first foray into the BTCC in 2016 threw a cat amongst the pigeons, with the Japanese marque making a quantum leap forward mid-season, as both Turkington and Jason Plato vied for race wins on a regular basis. The former has since moved to pastures new, but Plato remains. The series' record race-winner is hungrier than ever for a third title. In practically every season since 1997, his inaugural campaign, Plato has been a top three contender. 

'JP' will be joined at Adrian Flux Subaru Racing by Jack Sears Trophy champion Ashley Sutton – a bright young prospect who enjoyed a stunning rookie year in 2016 – as well as James Cole and 18-year-old Renault UK Clio Cup graduate Josh Price, one of five newcomers looking to conquer the JST this season.

Power Maxed Racing’s Vauxhall Astra is one of the most intriguing propositions in the pack, with Tom Chilton reigniting his BTCC career six years on from his previous stint. Alongside the Surrey star will be Senna Proctor, who – like Price – will make his BTCC debut at Brands Hatch next month as he jumps up from Clio competition.

MG has undergone something of a transformation over the winter with Aron Taylor-Smith and Daniel Lloyd forming its new-look driver line-up. Taylor-Smith is a multiple race-winner while Lloyd offers young promise, having shown glimpses of his raw pace at a couple of race weekends last season. 

Indie labels
Looking to pick up from where they left off at the end of a watershed campaign in 2016 will be Motorbase. Following its maiden titles, the Independent Teams' champions field Shredded Wheat as their new headline sponsor and will run three striking yellow Ford Focus STs. Stalwart Mat Jackson resumes his longstanding relationship with the Kent-based squad, with Martin Depper and rookie Luke Davenport completing the triumvirate. The outfit will be looking for home comforts at Brands Hatch, and will surely be able to count on strong backing from the grandstands.

At Donington Park's official test accompanying the BTCC Season Launch in mid-March, the top seven times were set by Independent teams – perfectly illustrating how competitive the championship continues to be, and that Independents can more than mix it with the Manufacturers. Tom Ingram's Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis provided the benchmark time – underlining his potential, evidenced last year most notably with two race wins and a brace of pole positions. 

Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin, also wielding an Avensis, will be looking to build on a strong second half of 2016 after finishing just 0.1 seconds shy of the best on offer at Season Launch – an encouraging sign.

Another 2016 race-winner – including the Brands Hatch Indy opener no-less – hoping to step up to the next level is Adam Morgan. The Lancashire racer will be pushing to make good on work behind the scenes at Ciceley Motorsport, with newly-acquired Mac Tools backing adorning its beautiful Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Aiden Moffat in the sister Laser Tools Racing Mercedes has edged consistently closer to the front of the field and now has the top step of the podium firmly in his sights.

New chargers, BTC Norlin Racing started in the best possible way with two top ten times at Season Launch. Chris Smiley placed his striking grey Chevrolet third with Dave Newsham, making a full-campaign return to the BTCC, ninth. The name is new but the backbone of the team has experience, having previously competed in the series between 2006-2008 and again in 2014. The aim will be to spring a surprise or two, and that certainly isn't out of the realms of possibility.

Jack Goff has traded rear-wheel drive for front-wheel drive with a move to Eurotech, partnering Jeff Smith in the squad's brace of Honda Civic Type Rs. Team HARD, meanwhile, has traded its trio of Toyota Avensis’ for three Volkswagen CCs, with Jake Hill remaining on-board to pilot the TAG Racing entry and fellow returnee Michael Epps driving one of two Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing-branded cars alongside rookie Will Burns.
 
Matt Simpson is preparing for his second season in his eponymous Simpson Racing Honda Civic Type R, which is now being run by Honda powerhouse Team Dynamics. Two-time race-winner Stephen Jelley is a welcome ‘comeback kid’ eight years on from his last BTCC start as he lines up for Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport alongside Josh Cook, who claimed a brace of rostrum finishes in 2016 and is chasing his first victory in the series.
 
Ollie Jackson is back in AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts’ distinctive Audi S3, and he will be joined by reigning Renault UK Clio Cup Champion Ant Whorton-Eales, who will be eager to make a speedy impression. 

Ever-evolving
The BTCC's Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulation refresh is complete, with the entire grid carrying the latest RML chassis, suspension and components for the first time in 2017 while an all-new TOCA powerplant has also been introduced. The resulting upturn in performance will be bolstered by Dunlop's new range of bigger Sport Maxx BTCC tyres – the series' title sponsor forecasting lap times may now be as much as a second per lap quicker.

Home comforts
A quartet of local teams – Motorbase, Team HARD, AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts and West Surrey Racing – will be hoping to impress at Brands Hatch.

Fresh off the back of its titles with then-driver Andrew Jordan sealing the Independent Drivers' laurels and the team itself comprehensively clinching Independent Teams' honours, Motorbase will be looking to continue its form into the new year. Team HARD and AmD, meanwhile, both showed flashes of form in 2016 and will be eager to shine on home turf. A strong start will surely be an expectation for those at WSR, now with BMW backing.
 
TAG Racing's Jake Hill is Kent born-and-bred, AmD man Ollie Jackson hails from Reigate, Surrey – as does Tom Chilton – while Matt Simpson is West Drayton-based, meaning all four of them count Brands as their BTCC backyard.

Timetable and tickets 
The opening race weekend of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship begins on Saturday 1 April, with the entire race day on Sunday 2 April broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4. Those in attendance at the circuit can stay in touch with the commentary and live timing from every session, available at btcc.net/live over the whole weekend.
 
In addition to the BTCC, the support series on the TOCA package are set to deliver even more action to the fans at Brands Hatch. Sportscar fans will get their fix with races from the Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Porsche Carrera Cup GB and Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship. The Renault UK Clio Cup – often seen as a stepping-stone to reaching the BTCC, with three new graduates this year alone – will also feature on the huge bill of British racing, as will the F4 British Championship.
 
Tickets for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season-opener at Brands Hatch (1-2 April) are available from £27 for adults, with free entry for children aged 13 and under. For more information call 0843 453 9000 or visit www.brandshatch.co.uk. All admission includes access to Sunday’s autograph session with the BTCC drivers in the pit lane, as well as free parking.

For the first time, AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts will run a two-Audi operation in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship this year, with Renault UK Clio Cup Ant Whorton-Eales joining the fold alongside Ollie Jackson.

Ahead of its home race, the season opener at Brands Hatch in little over a week's time, there's plenty of positivity down at AmD. Jackson placed his Audi inside the top ten at the official pre-season test at Donington Park in mid-March, serving to galvanise the outfit's vein of optimism after a breakthrough in setup which came midway through last season.

Back at the Autosport International Show in January, Team Boss Shaun Hollamby said the progression to a brace of Audi S3s had been in the pipeline for some time.

“I’m very pleased with what we’ve done,” said Hollamby. “Ollie came on leaps and bounds last year, getting used to the S3.

“The deal was done very late in the day for the previous campaign so he was thrown in the deep end, and I think he did very well given that.

“We’ve been planning the second Audi for a year and a half now with the shell ready to go. The key for me is to get young blood into the series and Ant Whorton-Eales was always on the radar.

“He was talking to other teams and I’m really keen to have someone young and enthusiastic like him. Plus, we can fight for the Jack Sears Trophy, which we won a few years back with Dave Newsham. I know we’ll be getting a feisty racer.”

The team, along with new charge, and BTCC rookie, Whorton-Eales, have had limited running this winter, but the outfit are much better placed than this time last year – with more time on track under the belt and a stronger base to work from, having learned plenty about the S3 chassis throughout 2016. A pair of drivers, too, should aid in learning and further development of the team's package.

The Clios champion is firmly looking to his peers as his marker for the year ahead.

"Everything went to plan on our first proper day's testing at Donington Park," said Whorton-Eales. "Up to then, we had one day's shakedown and half a day at Silverstone at the beginning of March.

"This is all new to me but it's looking good and the car's feeling really good. If we keep progressing then we're optimistic.

"For me, this year overall positions among the 32 cars are irrelevant. I just want to compete with the other rookies and get my hands on the Jack Sears Trophy.

"I'm under no illusion about how difficult it will be. I've got to show respect to the big boys who've been in the championship many years. We're not right up the front as of yet so credit has to go to them for the times they're putting in.

"I know how hard it's going to be to gain that extra second and I'm looking forward to mixing it come Brands Hatch and I'll look to learn from the older heads as I go."

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with DUO squad signed-off its extensive pre-season testing programme in fine form at Oulton Park yesterday as the Motorbase-run outfit makes its final preparations for the start of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season. 

The Kent-based outfit, with its trio of Ford Focus STs piloted by Mat Jackson and newcomers Martin Depper and Luke Davenport, has clocked up an impressive 4,500 kilometres with an astounding 100 per cent reliability record in the run up to next weekend’s season opener at Brands Hatch.

Focus was on understanding Dunlop's new tyre compound and construction over a three day test at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao, Portugal in February before returning to the UK for further running at Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Oulton Park.

Team Manager Oly Collins hailed what has been a highly productive BTCC off-season.

“The way that we’ve approached this testing programme this year has probably been the best for us whilst competing in the BTCC," said Collins. "It’s been great having the benefit of all three cars running and we’ve averaged over 1,500km in each car, which collectively is around the same as a full season in the BTCC.

"The reliability of the cars throughout has been great as usual thanks to the guys in the team.

“The guys have yet again done an outstanding job of building the third car. It often gets overlooked as the Motorbase cars are so reliable but it’s a real testament to the level of talent within the team and their meticulous work ethic that they always turn out a cracking car.

“A lot of work and development has gone into the cooling system this winter. We’ve been working very closely with Mountune and Pro Alloy, making improvements and trying to find any edge at all over the competition.

"We finished last year with a pretty good car at every circuit and everything we learnt has some relevance going into this year, but it’s all about tuning this into the new tyre. We’ve also got the hard compound tyre which is going to be used more frequently this year.”

Motorbase stalwart Mat Jackson is equally encouraged.

“We’ve had a great warm-up to the season starting and everyone is upbeat heading into the first round at Brands Hatch," said Jackson. "Having such an extensive programme in place has helped us to try some new things on the Focus and also given us that all-important bit of extra track time to get our heads around the new tyre.

“We know that we have a strong package and hopefully the changes that we’ve made this winter should hold us in good stead going into the new season.”

Meanwhile, new charges, Depper and Davenport, have both settled into new surroundings and are aiming for strong campaigns ahead.

“It’s been great to be able to have had so much time in the Focus before the start of the season," said Depper. "With everything I do, I’m always looking to develop and push forward so it’s been great to spend time in the car and get to understand its characteristics.

“The team are all great guys and I think we’re gelling together well. I feel sure that this year is going to be a great year on and off track.”
 
“We’ve had a really good pre-season and the support from DUO and Shredded Wheat has allowed us to get some good mileage under our belts, which has been great in terms of seat time for me and allowing me to get used to the car," added Davenport.

"I’m fortunate to have Mat and Martin there for feedback and the three of us have worked together well.

“I’m going into the opening round with good knowledge of the car and I feel as well-prepared as I can be! The new tyre has levelled the playing field a little this year; it’s also allowed me to settle in and to be able to contribute valuable feedback. I’ve been amazed by the reception from the BTCC fans and the support is brilliant - it’s given me a lot of confidence coming into the BTCC for my first season."

Handy Motorsport is nearing the end of a bumper winter testing schedule that has seen Rob Austin take in near half of the circuits on the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar, as fine tuning of the outfit's Toyota Avensis continues.

The team has spent a week lapping this off-season, visiting Brands Hatch, Snetterton, Oulton Park and Donington Park. With hundreds of laps now in the bank, Handy is confident building on a strong end to 2016.

An early-season issue with the Toyota's setup last year, whereby the team followed a philosophy that did not transpire to suit Austin, was rectified mid-season. Multiple podium finishes through the second half of the season and a front row in qualifying at the finale demonstrated an impressive rate of progress for the team who ended the season on a high.

At last week's Donington Park Season Launch test session, the outfit underlined its potential heading into the 2017 campaign, with Austin notching the second fastest time on the day – just 0.1s shy of the benchmark.

The Evesham racer worked through a comprehensive programme on the day, forming the final throes of his preparation for the season ahead.

“Donington was a good indicator, but it’s by no means the full picture," said Austin, “We were confident we had good pace in the car and the test proved it, but I know there’s no way all of the works Hondas, Subarus and BMWs will be outside the top 10 come Brands, as they were at Season Launch.

“Our plan was to just go about our test programme as though nobody was watching and at the end of the day see how we stacked up. To be P2 was a pleasant surprise considering I had made such a mess of our new tyre run that we had actually set our fastest time of the day on old tyres, so there was plenty left on the table.”

A largely unbroken four-hour block of testing, gave Handy Motorsport the opportunity to undertake a lot of mileage where race set-up was the paramount consideration. 

Team Principal Simon Belcher added: “We ran the hard tyres mostly, did a lot of laps on those and only did one new tyre run, so to be P2 we’re happy with that. There was more time to be had but there are no prizes for the test day, it’s in a couple of weeks where that counts.

“We focused on a lot of longer runs and everything is looking really good ahead of Brands, it’s confirmed what we thought during the pre-season. Overall for the day we’re really happy and very excited ahead of the first round.”

With the 2017 campaign less than a fortnight away, Austin confident his Toyota Avensis has the capability to qualify and more importantly, race competitively enough to mount a challenge this season.

“I’m certainly confident going to Brands”, he commented, “I’ll try to qualify on pole, of course, but this is an extremely competitive year and cannot be underestimated, so realistically I will be happy as long as we can qualify in the top 10. We’ve developed an extremely strong race car and I believe that if we can start in the top 10 on Saturday then we will be set for a very exciting Sunday.”

Power Maxed Racing is fresh off the back of an encouraging week of testing with its new Vauxhall Astra, garnering valuable track time ahead of the season-opening Brands Hatch weekend in a fortnight's time.

The team completed some 60 laps in Leicestershire alone, between drivers Tom Chilton and Senna Proctor, having made headway with the car between an initial outing at Donington Park and last week's Season Launch pre-season test session on Thursday. This was followed by the next stop on their programme at Snetterton a day later.

PMR continues to hone its pair of Astras, with BTCC returnee Chilton encouraged by the progress that has so far been made, having lapped within 0.6s of the benchmark time set by Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram at Donington.

"Out of the box the car felt there or thereabouts," said Chilton. "We made some changes and I went a few tenths faster, then faster again – gradually getting it to where we want to be. It still needs a little bit more refinement but it’s quite close to the sweet spot just by feeling where it is now.

"I drove the car two weeks ago for the first time and the boys were working on it until two in the morning – the remit then was just to go and do lots of laps. Now we’ve had time to scratch our heads and do lots behind the scenes, we’ve got a nice base setup. We need to get to a state where we can go from that base and go to any circuit, fine tune and go from there. We’re getting close to that now."

Chilton was delighted to be back behind the wheel of some BTCC machinery, and particularly to be racing on behalf of a Manufacturer with which he enjoys a special relationship.

"Matt Neal was out on hard tyres doing a race run, I think, and I was within one or two metres for a few laps. I out-braked him at the first corner to sort of say “I’m back!” then I held a drift down through the Craners and Old Hairpin just to show I can still drive after being away for five years!

"I love driving British Touring Cars. I love the fans and I’m loving the fact I’m back with Vauxhall too so I’m hoping I can go and win some races.

"Vauxhall is the best manufacturer we’ve seen in the BTCC. Not just for the hard work and commitment we’ve seen from them but for the Championships they’ve won too. Last time I was with them we won the Manufacturers’ title, alongside Fabrizio Giovanardi and I’d love to do it again – I don’t want to let them down."

BTC Norlin Racing has undertaken a huge amount of work in preparation for its maiden BTCC season, but the rookie squad is on-track and ready for action.

The inevitable race against time is often a factor when new teams join the grid, but BTC Norlin has already been busy clocking up the miles ahead of a first campaign in Britain’s toughest championship.

The squad’s Chevrolet Cruzes were readied for a recent trip to Spain’s Parcmotor Castellolí for a week-long test, as they joined the likes of Halfords Yuasa Racing at the tight and twisty track, setting them up perfectly for the Season Launch run at Donington Park. An incredible effort there saw both cars come home inside the top ten – just reward for the hard graft during the winter.

“After completing our first test in the UK last week and of course the five days in Spain we are very happy with our progress in just 14 weeks,” commented BTC Norlin boss Bert Taylor.

“The team worked remarkably well to get us ready for Spain. The reliability was great, and it was even better for team building, so we're looking forward to the the opening race weekend at Brands Hatch.”

Both BTC Norlin drivers are series returnees of sorts with Chris Smiley looking to contest his first full season in the BTCC, after a bit-part challenge in 2016, whilst race-winner Dave Newsham is back where he belongs after his own brief sabbatical last year.

Smiley came flying out of the blocks to finish the only official pre-season BTCC test in third, while Newsham was still an impressive ninth on the timesheets at Donington, resulting in BTC Norlin Racing as the only team to have two cars in the top ten.

“Dave and Chris both evaluated new parts that we took to Spain and left extremely happy, and we obviously enjoyed a good run yesterday. What more could we ask for at this stage?” continued Taylor.

Whilst the progress has so far been extremely rapid, Taylor is under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead and hopes to build steadily throughout the 2017 season.

"Looking forward as a team we'd like to get ourselves inside the top 15 and then into the top ten," he concluded. "We want to try and build steadily over the course of the season, particularly as it’s our first year in the BTCC.

"We are delighted to be working closely with our sponsors at Norlin too. It's their first time in the BTCC also, and you can't find a better place to be than the BTCC!"

You can see BTC Norlin Racing and the rest of the packed 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship grid at Brands Hatch on the 1/2 April for the opening rounds of the season.

James Cole has been getting back into the groove in recent days after rocking and rolling on both sides of the Atlantic during the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship off-season.

Cole enjoyed a first outing of 2017 behind the wheel of the Adrian Flux Subaru Racing Levorg at Snetterton last week, right off the back of a whirlwind trip to the United States.  

The former Formula Ford champion is a talented musician, as well as a BTCC star, and the 28-year-old has been busy performing at a number of sold out dates as Musical Director and Guitarist with The Classic Rock Show.

Since January, Cole has played to more than 30,000 people at gigs throughout both the USA and UK. While performing across the pond, his pre-season testing schedule was finalised, meaning a last-minute dash and re-arranged flight home from Baltimore. James was in a cab and on the way to Norfolk a little over 24 hours after The Classic Rock Show bowed out with its finale on the US leg of its tour! 

Next up was yesterday's Season Launch at Donington Park and a busy afternoon test session alongside the morning's media duties. Cole was little over a second shy of Tom Ingram's benchmark time but the four-hour outing provided ample opportunity to rack up the laps for the Subaru man – 45 in fact – as well as the chance to hone the Levorg ahead of the Brands Hatch season opener, 1/2 April.

"We've had a good start and we’re going through our plan," said Cole during yesterday's test. "It’s not about times it’s about where we are in qualifying in two weeks.

"Testing is a time to be nosy to see how many are showing their true colours and who’s putting it on a little bit. All is good and I’m happy to be back racing but I was delighted with the tour – it was just surreal.

"This year’s very important for me. I’ve missed continuity in the championship in the past and now I’ve got a little bit – I’m in the same car over a two year period for the first time. We’re going to take what we’ve got and develop it a little further."

Speedworks Motorsport’s Tom Ingram topped the times in the only official BTCC pre-season test at Donington Park earlier today (16 March).
 
The most successful grid in the series’ history had been confirmed during the Season Launch event at the Leicestershire venue, with an incredible 16 race-winners included among the capacity 32-car line-up.
 
It was Ingram who earned the early bragging rights as he impressively led a Toyota one-two, ahead of Handy Motorsport’s Rob Austin.
 
Ingram’s newly facelifted Avensis set the pace throughout much of the four-hour long session, with Austin also backing up the Toyota’s credentials with his own stellar lap.
 
BTC Norlin Racing – new entrants for 2017 – starred during the test, as Chris Smiley took third in his Chevrolet Cruze, whilst race-winner Adam Morgan was just 0.004s behind in the Mac Tools-backed Mercedes A-Class.
 
Jack Goff claimed fifth for Eurotech Racing ahead of Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat. Michael Epps was seventh on an impressive afternoon for Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing.
 
Series returnee Tom Chilton was the first of the manufacturer drivers on the timesheets, as the all-new Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra ran extremely well on its first official outing.
 
Dave Newsham made it two BTC Norlin Chevrolets in the top ten as he pipped Ollie Jackson’s AmD Audi S3 to claim ninth.
 
A number of the big guns failed to show their true pace with champion drivers Gordon Shedden, Colin Turkington, Matt Neal, Jason Plato and Andrew Jordan all finishing down the order.
 
The hugely competitive field was able to provide a sign of things to come with some 18 drivers separated by less than a second. Thirty cars completed laps during the session, with more than 1,200 laps clocked throughout the field.
 
Two of the five young rookies on the 2017 grid – Luke Davenport and Will Burns – endured trips into the gravel on the day but both drivers gained valuable experience ahead of their upcoming BTCC debuts.
 
Final preparations will now be made before the field makes its way to Brands Hatch for the opening rounds of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship on 1/2 April.
 
Tom Ingram said: “I’m obviously happy with that. It goes to show that the immense amount of hard work put in by all the Speedworks boys over the winter has paid off. We had strong pace throughout and managed to get a lot done today in terms of the car balance and race distance runs. It’s been a good start.”

Rob Austin said: “We just went about our business today and the Avensis feels really good. We went out on old tyres to begin with. I thought I heard ‘P10’ over the team radio, which I was quite happy with but it turned out to be P2. Today’s by no means the full picture, of course, but it’s a good indicator.” 

Chris Smiley said: “Today was the first day I’ve driven my own car but I felt comfortable straightaway. I didn’t even hook my best lap up properly because I made a mistake. Okay, it’s not a race weekend but this gives the whole team a boost going to Brands Hatch as it proves we’re not far away. We’re in the mix.” 

Adam Morgan said: “To end up with two Mercedes' inside the top six is always encouraging. We managed to diagnose and eradicate some of the issues that have cropped up in previous tests, and we continued to experiment with different set-ups and get used to the new tyres. Overall, I’m very happy.” 

Jack Goff said: “It’s great to finish today inside the top five, although on my last lap I was two-and-a-half tenths up again before hitting traffic. Obviously it’s always tricky to tell at this stage because you never know what ballast levels different people are running but I think we’re there or thereabouts.”

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Official Pre-Season Test – Donington Park:

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 1m09.995s (101.78 mph)
2 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.114s
3 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.198s
4 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.202s
5 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.251s
6 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.352s
7 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.612s
8 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.663s
9 Dave NEWSHAM (IRL) BTC Norlin Racing +0.682s
10 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +0.737s
11 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.765s
12 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.781s
13 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.807s
14 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.820s
15 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +0.878s
16 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.914s
17 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.948s
18 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.988s
19 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.062s
20 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.076s
21 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1.178s
22 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.258s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.260s
24 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.263s
25 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.311s
26 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.322s
27 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.383s
28 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.408s
29 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.540s
30 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.812s

Long-standing Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship partner IHG® Rewards Club will launch its Podium Predictor this season with the promise of big prizes, bragging rights and the chance to outwit the pundits.

Before the Podium Predictor goes live on 11 April, from the Donington Park weekend, fans can follow the form book from the first three rounds or make their own forecast as they get the opportunity to have their say to decide who they think will finish first, second and third in each round and who’ll take the fastest lap.

Predictions will be pitted up against those made by celebrity pundits, and a prize pool will be up for grabs at the end of every race weekend for those who come closest to the real result.

Anyone who manages to outdo the pundits’ score will be entered into a draw to win 50,000 IHG Rewards Club points – enough for a two-night break at a Holiday Inn, framed artwork of all ten BTCC circuits and four tickets to any future race weekend on the BTCC calendar.
 
Any fan who correctly predicts every podium result and every fastest lap on a weekend will be in line to win the one million IHG Rewards Club points, which is equal to twenty nights in any InterContinental Hotel & Resorts, or even more nights at all of IHG’s many other great hotel brands located around the world.
 
Adrian White, Director of Global Brand Partnership’s at IHG, is excited at the prospect of the Podium Predictor: “The British Touring Car Championship offers unparalleled racing entertainment for its legions of fans. With such a level playing field and high-drama, it’s the perfect proposition for our Podium Predictor.

"The BTCC Podium Predictor powered by IHG Rewards Club is an ideal opportunity for fans to win a bundle of top prizes and the all-important bragging rights! We’re thrilled to give fans the opportunity to further engage with a Championship that prides itself on involving those who have the sport at heart.”
 
Alan Gow, Series Director of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship said: "The BTCC Podium Predictor powered by IHG Rewards Club is a great initiative. I've no doubt our fans will enjoy trying to predict the outcome of our hugely competitive races - and the prizes on offer from IHG make it incredibly appealing for them to have a go!"