Power Maxed Racing left Thruxton with a trio of points finishes and more silverware following another positive Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship weekend for the new Vauxhall Astra.

The outfit were optimistic following valuable testing outing in Hampshire two weeks prior and qualifying showed that the team could well be there or thereabouts.

Chilton donned new tyres for a run half way through the session and promptly set a session record sector one, followed by a flying second sector – a personal best. Unfortunately at the last, the red flag emerged, forcing Chilton to back off and effectively invalidating his lap. Still, Chilton qualified in 11th with Proctor just behind in 14th. 

Race one saw Proctor pass Chilton as the latter lost ground through an obscured view of the five second board. Chilton now had a point to prove, passing Matt Simpson on lap nine, Aiden Moffat on lap 12 and was fighting with Andrew Jordan for 12th.

An uncharacteristic spin from Jordan forced the Vauxhall man into evasive action, losing the Surrey racer two positions in the process. Proctor, meanwhile kept his head down to cross the line just outside the points in 16th – collecting another Jack Sears Trophy victory.

Proctor was involved in contact with the two MGs at Church on the opening lap of race two, resulting in all three cars leaving the circuit and Dan Lloyd hitting the barrier with force, causing a red flag. The Vauxhall was forced into pitting to repair a damaged oil cooler and tyre and the PMR mechanics made the turnaround for the restart with some quick work down in the garage. 

After the restart, Chilton briefly found himself on the defensive but had made three forward moves by the third tour. Proctor's focus was firmly on the JST, and race two would be a case of damage limitation. The rookie made up seven places by lap six when the race was prematurely ended by another red flag.

Both Astras started race three well, with Chilton running 11th and Proctor 22nd. The former held station throughout a competitive race, making up a spot to finish top-ten, and setting the fastest race lap of the weekend, just a few thousandths-of-a-seconds shy of Yvan Muller's 2002 lap record, also set in a Vauxhall Astra.

“The team have put together a mega car, and it's a case of could have, should have, would have," said Chilton.

"I didn’t have the best start to the weekend. First, the red flag in qualifying, then being unsighted and losing grid places for the start of race one. However, I got my head down and did what I do best – race for position.

"It was great to be able to be in thick of the action and gain places, but I just wish I’d have started further up the grid."

Senna Proctor said: “It’s been an exciting weekend, race one was a steady way to ease into Thruxton, winning the Jack Sears was a good result for a steady race.

"The second was an action-packed affair, and I was thrown right into the action being sandwiched in between the two MG’s and honestly I think I was lucky to escape that one. Race three was more promising, and I wanted to keep it clean.

"To come away with the Jack Sears Trophy for the third weekend is real testament to the team and the rapid development in both myself as a BTCC rookie and for the brand new Vauxhall Astra, I am thrilled."

Adam Weaver, Power Maxed Racing Team Principal, reflected: “The team have had their work cut out this weekend and have again risen to the occasion. It is only the third outing for our new Vauxhall Astra Touring Car, and we are still learning a lot.

"So to bag points, the fastest lap and the Jack Sears is a great achievement for the team and the drivers. They are a great bunch, and I’m proud to say they represent Power Maxed Racing."

Thruxton is always a favourite on the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar, with cars reaching speeds of almost 160mph, sometimes two and three abreast through the quickest sections, and this year a record crowd lapped up the action.
 
On an historic day for the championship, three-time title-holder Matt Neal marked a major milestone in his career as he matched touring car legend Andy Rouse’s tally of 60 BTCC victories – elevating him to equal-second on the all-time winners’ list.
 
There was glory, too, for local favourite Rob Collard, who finally broke his Thruxton duck – and in some style. Renowned as the series’ best starter, the Hampshireman made the most of his rear wheel-drive advantage when the lights went out in race two and following a power steering issue for Neal, he thereafter staved off the sister Honda of defending champion Gordon Shedden to triumph.
 
Team-mate Colin Turkington then made it cause for a double celebration for BMW by claiming the Bavarian marque’s landmark 100^th BTCC success in the weekend’s finale, while the support series also delivered non-stop action from lights-out to chequered flag.
 
The Renault UK Clio Cup, Ginetta Junior Championship and Ginetta GT5 Challenge were all clear crowd-pleasers – delighting the tens of thousands of fans thronging the grandstands and spectator banks in the warm spring sunshine. The young stars of British F4 in particular put on a tremendous show, with a succession of spectacular slipstreaming scraps providing a welcome tonic after recent events.
 
Indeed, Billy Monger was at the forefront of many people’s thoughts, with a Saturday evening track walk seeing fellow drivers, team personnel, championship members and spectators alike pour onto the circuit to raise a further £7,500 towards the popular teenager’s recovery and rehabilitation from the life-changing injuries he sustained last month.
 
The pit-lane was similarly packed for the ever-busy Pit Walk the following morning, with fans taking advantage of the opportunity to fill their autograph books and snap selfies with their BTCC heroes.
 
“What a wonderful weekend of racing we’ve had,” enthused Thruxton Group Managing Director Bill Coombs. “It’s always fantastic to host the BTCC, and it was great to see so many passionate and enthusiastic fans coming through the gates to enjoy the action.
 
“It was also very gratifying to see that the first phase of safety improvements brought to Church Corner over the off-season are yielding the desired effect, with Daniel Lloyd thankfully walking away unscathed after leaving the track at high-speed during the second race on Sunday.
 
“Work on that front will continue next winter, but in the meantime, there is plenty more to be enjoyed here at Thruxton, most notably British Truck Racing in June and the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship for two-wheeled aficionados at the beginning of August. Both are absolutely brilliant events – so make sure you don’t miss out!”

Tom Ingram increased his lead in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton with a trio of top four finishes in the Speedworks Motorsport Toyota at the fastest circuit in the country.

Having moved to the top of the points table three weeks earlier courtesy of a second victory of the campaign at Donington Park behind the wheel of his Avensis, Ingram arrived at Thruxton with his sights set on consolidating his advantage, albeit carrying 66kg of success ballast aboard the #80 entry.

The talented young Bucks ace initially looked to be struggling during the opening throes of the weekend, around a second shy of the benchmark as he proved unable to crack the top ten in free practice as he struggled to strike a satisfactory balance over a single lap.

That left Speedworks chasing its tail heading into qualifying, but a raft of changes and a strong early effort from Ingram secured fourth spot on the grid, in so doing preserving the 23-year-old’s record as the best average qualifier of the season to-date.

Ingram held station in race one, with the Toyota carrying its ballast well, and applied pressure on Jack Goff's lighter Eurotech Honda Civic Type R ahead while simultaneously staving off a threat from behind. Fourth place marked a positive result, and with less ballast on-board for race two, Ingram would look to attack.

Following an early red flag, he muscled Ashley Sutton’s Subaru out of fifth and profited from an issue for early leader Matt Neal to advance to fourth, stealing third place from Goff at the beginning of lap four. Ingram was looking to reel in the leaders before an incident further down the order prompted the red flags to fly again – this time for good.

From fourth on the grid in the day’s finale, Ingram manoeuvred around the outside of defending champion Gordon Shedden on the opening lap before going on to take third from Rob Austin and second from Goff. Thereafter, he considered giving chase to Colin Turkington but a ‘moment’ later in the race convinced him that on this occasion and with a hefty 57kg of ballast on-board, discretion was the better part of valour.

Ingram’s fifth podium and eighth top five finish from nine starts in 2017 enabled him to extend his overall championship lead to 17 points and his margin in the Independents’ Trophy to 21 points, with Speedworks similarly stretching its legs in the Independent Teams’ standings and holding firm in third spot in the Teams’ classification.

“Given the ultra-competitive nature of the BTCC and the impact of success ballast, it’s tremendously difficult to score three strong results over a race weekend now, but just like at Donington Park, that’s exactly what we achieved at Thruxton,” said Team Principal Christian Dick. “Not only that, but to do so with a car that never carried less than 48kg additional weight was mightily impressive.

“It’s fair to say that after free practice, there was a lot of head scratching going on. I know some other teams were saying we were sandbagging, but we really weren’t – we were just struggling massively to unlock the Avensis. We were quite happy with our race pace, but nailing single-lap speed was proving to be rather more elusive. We were staring at the likelihood of qualifying outside of the top ten, and starting in the middle of the pack is notoriously fraught with danger.

“We led the championship after Donington because of an exclusion, but we left Thruxton having extended that lead entirely on merit and I think we showed that as a team, we have the skill, expertise and passion to challenge right at the sharp end in the toughest championship in the country. The Toyota has been bang on the pace everywhere we’ve been so far and extremely consistent with it regardless of the success ballast – and that gives us a lot of confidence to take on to Oulton Park.”

“What a mega weekend!” said Ingram. “We went to Thruxton with what we thought were very realistic expectations. We were obviously carrying a lot of weight, but it’s also a track that I love – one that really rewards bravery and commitment – and having set a new lap record there in qualifying last year, I was looking forward to going back.

“We were quietly confident and knew after free practice that we had a consistently strong race car underneath us, but there was a major question mark over our qualifying form because we couldn’t get it hooked up the way we needed to. We went into the session fully anticipating an uphill battle, but I managed to pull a lap out of the bag that put us towards the front of the grid and as a team, I really think that was one of the best performances we have ever produced given how much our backs were against the wall.

“I was quicker than both Goff and Shedden in race one, but with the bigger picture in mind, there was no point in trying any risky moves as fourth position still represented a very solid finish. We were then in really good shape in race two, and it was a shame it was stopped when it was because I had latched onto the tail of the two leaders and was lining up to launch an attack. With just a few more laps, I’m confident we could have pushed for the win.

“We fought through again in race three, and once I had cleared Jack, I tried to see if I could close the gap to Colin too but after a big moment on the run down to the final chicane, I decided it was better to back off and settle for a safe second place. The Avensis was fantastic all day – absolutely superb – and we had the pace to challenge for victory in two of the three races. I really cannot praise the Speedworks guys and girls highly enough for what they are doing right now.

“To come away having actually extended our points lead is incredible – we honestly never expected to do so well, but it just goes to show once again what an awesome job Speedworks are doing on a very limited budget. I still can’t quite believe what we have achieved over the first third of the season – it’s amazing.”

Rob Collard and Colin Turkington make it 100 wins for BMW, as Matt Neal equals Andy Rouse

Colin Turkington claimed BMW's 100^th Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship win, after team-mate Rob Collard had earlier secured the 99^th success for the German marque in a thrilling day of racing at Thruxton.
 
Honda machinery looked to be the dominant force after taking a 1-2-3 finish in the opening contest at Britain’s fastest circuit, which saw Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal head home stablemate Gordon Shedden and Eurotech Racing’s Jack Goff.
 
It was a faultless lights-to-flag display from pole-sitter Neal, who drew level with Andy Rouse’s tally of 60 BTCC wins – the equal-second most victories in BTCC history.
 
Collard then claimed his first-ever triumph at Thruxton in a truncated encounter that included two stoppages and heartache for race one winner Neal.
 
Team BMW’s Collard had already surged from tenth on the grid up to sixth, before the race was red flagged for the first time following a high speed accident involving Senna Proctor’s Vauxhall and the two MGs of Aron Taylor-Smith and Daniel Lloyd.
 
Local driver Collard blasted his BMW 125i M Sport off the line again at the restart, firing his rear-wheel drive car up to third and immediately harassing the two factory Hondas ahead of him.
 
It was three-wide for second into the final chicane on the opening lap as Collard emerged, 'elbows out', ahead of Goff and Shedden.
 
The drama continued as the Honda Civic Type R of initial race leader Neal crawled into the pits with steering problems one tour later, handing Collard the advantage.
 
With the race seemingly building towards an exciting climax it was unfortunately cut short due to an accident for the Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo Ford of Martin Depper.
 
So, as the red flags waved it was Collard claiming a maiden win on home soil at Thruxton from Shedden and Ingram, who had both dispatched Goff earlier in the contest.
 
Then came another magic milestone as Turkington – having powered to two BTCC titles in BMW machinery – fittingly secured the memorable century for the German manufacturer.
 
The West Surrey Racing driver produced a commanding getaway from pole position and never looked in danger – the Northern Irishman eventually taking the chequered flag nearly three seconds ahead of the chasing pack.
 
Speedworks Motorsport’s Ingram took second place to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship, whilst Goff claimed a second podium of the day. The latter’s trio of top four results was just reward for the 26-year-old and his Eurotech Racing squad.
 
Honda’s Gordon Shedden finished fourth in the final encounter – cementing his place as the highest points-scorer over the course of the weekend, keeping pressure on Ingram in the process. Turkington is now third in the standings after his latest success.
 
Honda closed the gap on BMW in the Manufacturers’ order while Team BMW slightly extended its advantage in the Teams’ standings.
 
Ingram and his Speedworks squad still hold sway in both Independents’ tables, whilst Senna Proctor took his third successive Jack Sears Trophy.
 
The BTCC returns in two weeks’ time (20/21 May) for Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire.
 
Matt Neal said: “I hadn’t given much thought to equalling Andy’s win tally, to be honest. We all thought Andy’s record was unachievable and even though Jason [Plato] exceeded it, I never thought I would get there. Just unbelievable. Yes, there are a lot more races in the season now, but its tough out there. We had a bit of a nightmare here last year and then Donington Park was a rotten weekend all-round for everybody, so to come away with a Halfords Yuasa Racing one-two and a Honda podium lockout on home soil is a dream – a fabulous result. I made sure to look after the car and the tyres were superb throughout.”

Rob Collard said: “The BMW felt absolutely stunning and I’m so pleased for the team. We did a lot at the first start, and then the re-start was similarly textbook. I had a really good opening lap and then I’m not sure what happened to Matt – I could see sparks coming off – so it was obviously a shame for him. but I will take this one and with pride. I must admit, going three-abreast into the chicane was pretty scary! I had one of the Hondas on my left and then cheeky Jack Goff snuck up my inside on the right – I didn’t see that one coming! The BMW was on fire today and it’s brilliant to take my first win of 2017. A big shout out to Billy [Monger], who is watching at home on TV – Forza!”

Colin Turkington said: “I wasn’t that confident before the race because we had been chasing the set-up all day, but the guys never let up which moved the car in a new direction – and the pace was there for all to see. To achieve BMW’s 100^th win in the BTCC is a very special feeling for me. I grew up watching the likes of Smokin’ Jo Winkelhock and Tim Harvey, so to continue the history of this iconic brand means a lot to me. I’m so pleased to end the day like this. The BMW 125i M Sport is a fantastic car at the moment and we’ve really got it in the window. Thruxton has always been a challenge for us – it’s probably the circuit where we’ve won the least – so to take two victories is fantastic.”

Tom Ingram said: “After last month’s test, we came here knowing we had a car that would struggle to set a quick qualifying time but would be very strong in the races – and we proved that today. It’s a cracking points total to take away from here, and as long as we keep focusing on the consistency, the results will keep coming. That approach is paying dividends at the moment. At some stage, the gap will clearly close up but while we’re extending it, then I’m very happy.”

Jack Goff said: “We actually finished where we started for once – I’ve usually gone backwards this year! It’s a great result for Eurotech Racing and all my sponsors, because I’ve made them wait a little while this year for my first podium and it’s nice to finally be able to repay their support. I was keeping pace with Shedden until one of the Audis – which we were lapping – had a massive moment right in front of me and I had to lift off the throttle, which cost me all my momentum but we’ll still definitely take third place. We started off the weekend pretty strong in practice, and that form continued today. We improved the car again for the last race. I made a mistake through Church that allowed Tom [Ingram] to get a run on me and get past, but it’s been a very solid weekend with two third places and a fourth – I think we can be very happy with that.”

Gordon Shedden said: “To be on the front row with 75kg in the car definitely exceeded my expectations; every lap was an adventure as I tried to keep my foot in for as long as possible through the faster corners out the back of the circuit – there wasn’t much left in the tank! I got a slightly better start than Matt in race one but he was a lot lighter than me so I didn’t force the issue too much. It was fantastic for him to take his 60^th BTCC win, and a tremendous effort from the boys to get a one-two finish. It was disappointing that we didn’t have another five or six laps in race two because we were definitely faster than Rob and then race three was another good finish. You always want more of course, but we came away with three very solid results and a strong points haul – and that gives us a lot of confidence going to Oulton Park.”

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 7 – Thruxton

1 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 16 laps
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.290s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.372s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.772s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +2.230s
6 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2.474s
7 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +5.060s
8 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +5.940s
9 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +6.366s
10 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +7.302s

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 8 – Thruxton

1 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW 6 laps
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.212s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.507s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.575s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +2.791s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +2.971s
7 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +3.327s
8 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +4.143s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +5.152s
10 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +5.623s

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 9 – Thruxton

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 16 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2.576s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +4.081s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +5.836s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +10.002s
6 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +10.756s
7 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +11.732s
8 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +12.414s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +12.989s
10 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +13.694s

Penalties

Qualifying
Tom Chilton was penalised by the loss of lap-time due to not slowing down under yellow flag signals. He received three penalty points.

Race One
Jake Hill was verbally reprimanded and received two penalty points for an incident involving Josh Cook

Race Three
Matt Neal was penalised by the addition of 0.5 seconds to his race time for gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Tom Chilton.

Colin Turkington has taken the 100th BTCC win for Bavarian marque BMW after producing a dominant lights-to-flag success in the final race at Thruxton.

Turkington fittingly secured the century – having taken both of his BTCC titles in BMW machinery – with arguably one of the more straightforward victories in his illustrious career so far.

The BMW 125i M Sport blasted away from pole position and was never in danger as the Ulsterman looked after his Dunlop SportMaxx tyres from start to finish. Squabbling behind involving Jack Goff, Tom Ingram, Rob Austin and Gordon Shedden made the task slightly easier for Turkington, who produced consistent lap after consistent lap, eventually taken the chequered flag nearly three seconds ahead of the chasing pack.

It was championship leader Ingram that headed that pack, as the Speedworks Toyota man made moves by Goff's Honda and Austin's Toyota. Goff claimed a second podium of the day with his trio of top four results in Hampshire being just reward for the 26-year-old and his Eurotech Racing squad.

Austin was demoted to fifth by Halfords Yuasa Racing's Shedden, who keeps the pressure on Ingram at the top of the table. Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Ashley Sutton took seventh after making a great pass by Team BMW's Rob Collard, whilst the inseparable Mercedes' of Aiden Moffat and Adam Morgan were next up in the order.

A special mention must go to race one winner Matt Neal, who started the final encounter from the back of the grid following steering problems in race two. The triple BTCC champ carved his way through the field and eventually took an incredible 11th place finish, behind the Vauxhall of Tom Chilton, who impressively set the fastest lap in the Power Maxed Racing Astra.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 9 – Thruxton

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 16 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2.576s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +4.081s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +5.836s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +10.002s
6 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +10.756s
7 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +11.732s
8 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +12.414s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +12.989s
10 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +13.694s
11 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +13.725s
12 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +14.616s
13 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +14.917s
14 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +17.474s
15 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +19.220s
16 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +20.962s
17 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +21.430s
18 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +21.647s
19 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +22.520s
20 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +22.865s
21 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +26.224s
22 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +26.275s
23 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +32.973s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +34.599s
25 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +41.519s
26 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +42.960s
27 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +52.180s
28 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2 laps
DNF Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +10 laps
DNF Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +15 laps

Team BMW's Rob Collard claimed a dramatic win in a truncated second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship contest at Thruxton.

The local driver had already surged from tenth on the grid up to sixth by the time the race had been red flagged for the first time, following a high speed accident involving Senna Proctor's Vauxhall and the two MGs of Aron Taylor-Smith and Daniel Lloyd.

Contact between Proctor and Taylor-Smith collected the unfortunate Lloyd, whose MG6 was fired off into the barrier at Church corner. Whilst the three drivers exited their vehicles unscathed, the same couldn't be said of the Armco barrier which required significant repair.

Collard blasted off the line again at the restart with his rear-wheel drive BMW 125i M Sport immediately up to third and harassing the two factory Hondas ahead of him. 

It was three-wide for second into the final chicane on lap two as Collard emerged ahead of Eurotech's Jack Goff and Halfords Yuasa Racing's Gordon Shedden.

The drama continued as the Honda Civic Type R of race leader Matt Neal was then seen slowly crawling down the pitlane with a steering problem, handing Collard an unlikely advantage. Reigning champion Shedden soon disposed of Goff for second and a two-way tussle for the win commenced.

With the race seemingly building towards an exciting climax it was unfortunately cut short following an accident involving the Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo Ford of Martin Depper. The Focus ran off at Goodwood and speared across the track into the tyre wall, leaving debris in its wake.

So, as the red flags waved it was Collard claiming his first ever Thruxton win from Shedden, whilst Tom Ingram completed the podium following his own eye-catching pass on Goff.

"That was an explosive few laps!" beamed Collard. "The BMW felt absolutely stunning and I’m so pleased for the team. We did a lot at the first start, and then the re-start was similarly textbook. I had a really good opening lap and then I’m not sure what happened to Matt – I could see sparks coming off – so it was obviously a shame for him but I will take this one and with pride.

"I must admit, going three-abreast into the chicane was pretty scary! I had one of the Hondas on my left and then cheeky Jack Goff snuck up my inside on the right – I didn’t see that one coming! The BMW has been on fire today and it’s brilliant to take my first win of 2017. A big shout out to Billy [Monger], who is watching at home on TV – Forza!"

Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin made a great move on Team BMW's Colin Turkington to take fifth, whilst the two Mercedes' of Adam Morgan and Aiden Morgan sandwiched Ash Sutton's Subaru in the latter half of the top ten. It was Eurotech's Jeff Smith who claimed tenth, ahead of the next Honda in the pack – Matt Simpson.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 8 – Thruxton

1 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW 6 laps
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.212s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.507s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.575s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +2.791s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +2.971s
7 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +3.327s
8 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +4.143s
9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +5.152s
10 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +5.623s
11 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +6.255s
12 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +6.770s
13 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +7.120s
14 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +7.640s
15 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +8.319s
16 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +9.591s
17 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +9.867s
18 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +10.554s
19 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +11.617s
20 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +11.830s
21 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +12.389s
22 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +13.039s
23 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +14.639s
24 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +16.431s
25 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +16.431s
26 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +19.115s
27 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +20.190s
28 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +21.437s
29 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +39.987s
30 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +50.217s
31 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1 lap
32 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance 0 laps completed

Winner - Matt Neal:

“I hadn’t given much thought to equalling Andy’s win tally, to be honest. We all thought Andy’s record was unachievable and even though Jason [Plato] exceeded it, I never thought I would get there. Just unbelievable. Yes, there are a lot more races in the season now, but its tough out there. We had a bit of a nightmare here last year and then Donington Park was a rotten weekend all-round for everybody, so to come away with a Halfords Yuasa Racing one-two and a Honda podium lockout on home soil is a dream – a fabulous result. I made sure to look after the car and the tyres were superb throughout. It’s going to be a little bit tougher now with more weight in the car, but bring it on!”

Second Place - Gordon Shedden:

“With 75kg on-board, you just want to focus on looking after the tyres in the first race, keep everything smooth and calm and score some points. I got a slightly better start than Matt but he was a lot lighter than me so I didn’t force the issue too much, because I didn’t have enough to fight him with in that race. It’s fantastic for him to take his 60^th BTCC win, and a tremendous effort from the boys to get a one-two finish. We’ve had a few of those over the years and probably more here than anywhere else – and long may that continue. We’ll make some tweaks now for race two and see if we can get to the top of the podium.”

Third Place - Jack Goff:

“We actually finished where we started for once – I’ve usually gone backwards this year! It’s a great result for Eurotech Racing and all my sponsors, because I’ve made them wait a little while this year for my first podium and it’s nice to finally be able to repay their support. I was keeping pace with Shedden until one of the Audis – which we were lapping – had a massive moment right in front of me and I had to lift off the throttle, which cost me all my momentum but we’ll still definitely take third place.”

Matt Neal claimed the 60th victory of his BTCC career with a faultless lights-to-flag display in race one at Thruxton.

The Halfords Yuasa Racing star headed home team-mate Gordon Shedden and Eurotech Racing's Jack Goff, making it a dominant 1-2-3 for Honda machinery.

Neal made a steady getaway from pole position and kept the chasing pack at arms length throughout the 16-lap contest, eventually taking the chequered flag to draw level with triple champion Andy Rouse's number of race wins – the equal-second most victories in BTCC history.

"I hadn’t given much thought to equalling Andy’s win tally, to be honest," he said. "We all thought Andy’s record was unachievable and even though Jason [Plato] exceeded it, I never thought I would get there. Just unbelievable. Yes, there are a lot more races in the season now, but its tough out there.

"We had a bit of a nightmare here last year and then Donington Park was a rotten weekend all-round for everybody, so to come away with a Halfords Yuasa Racing one-two and a Honda podium lockout on home soil is a dream – a fabulous result. I made sure to look after the car and the Dunlop tyres were superb throughout. It’s going to be a little bit tougher now with more weight in the car, but bring it on!”

In truth, it was only Goff's podium position that came under any threat from Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram, with most of the wheel-to-wheel racing coming in the lower half of the top ten.

Josh Cook's Ford and Jake Hill's VW made impressive moves by the Vauxhall duo of Tom Chilton and Senna Proctor on lap two, before completely undoing their initial good work. The pair went side-by-side through Campbell and Cobb corners before contact sent both cars spiralling towards the barrier – ending their respective challenges on the spot.

Adam Morgan's Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes nipped by Rob Austin's Handy Motorsport Toyota at the Complex for fifth on lap five, and he was soon followed through by Ashley Sutton's Subaru and Mat Jackson's Ford in some of the most eye-catching competition of the 2017 season so far.

The rear-wheel drive BMW's grew in strength as the race developed with Colin Turkington, Rob Collard and Andrew Jordan all making progress through the order. Late drama scuppered a promising result for Jordan, however, as the BMW Pirtek Racing man spun out of contention while challenging Jeff Smith's Honda.

When the dust settled behind the podium positions it was championship leader Ingram clinging on to fourth from Morgan and Sutton, the latter also scoring an extra point for setting the fastest lap in his Subaru Levorg.

Turkington and Jackson claimed seventh and eighth with the fading Austin fending off the charging Collard at the finish - completing an impressive tenth place for the man who started 18th on the grid.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 7 – Thruxton

1 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 16 laps
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.290s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.372s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.772s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +2.230s
6 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2.474s
7 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +5.060s
8 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +5.940s
9 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +6.366s
10 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +7.302s
11 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +14.721s
12 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +14.925s
13 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +15.605s
14 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +15.801s
15 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +15.999s
16 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +16.684s
17 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +17.127s
18 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +17.283s
19 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +19.683s
20 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +21.023s
21 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +21.373s
22 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +22.837s
23 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +23.869s
24 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +24.039s
25 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +25.383s
26 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +27.719s
27 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +28.300s
28 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +28.585s
29 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +29.374s
30 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1 lap
DNF Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +14 laps
DNF Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +14 laps

Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin looks back at yesterday's qualifying session for Round 7 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, where the multiple BTCC race-winner qualified in fifth place at Thruxton:

 

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal has claimed his first Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship pole position in nearly five years after setting a qualifying lap record at Thruxton.

The triple champion hauled his Honda Civic Type R around the 2.356-mile circuit – the fastest track in the country – with supreme style to claim top spot ahead of his team-mate Gordon Shedden.

Neal had set the early pace before getting loose on the following tour, initially scuppering his chances of further improvement. On his ultimate lap, the experienced racer also locked up slightly going into the final chicane, but the stellar effort was still enough to grab an historic pole position – his first since Croft in 2012.

Jack Goff and Tom Ingram were at the top of the order mid-session, though the young duo eventually had to settle for third and fourth respectively. Eurotech Racing's Goff had been on the pace throughout the day and the 26-year-old made it a one-two-three lockout for Honda machinery, whilst championship leader Tom Ingram also produced heroics in his ballast-laden Speedworks Toyota.

Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin proved the potency of the Avensis by claiming fifth, backing up his own pole position at Donington Park last time out. Austin has shown speed throughout the 2017 season so far but has been caught up in a number of unfortunate incidents on race day – a factor he will be looking to overcome tomorrow.

Jeff Smith had a wild ride to sixth, which included a session stopping accident on the exit of Allard. The Eurotech man had already set a solid lap time before running wide on the opening turn, resulting in his Honda car sliding across the grass and into the barrier.

Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan surged to seventh in his Mercedes A-Class, while Ashley Sutton continues to fly the flag for Adrian Flux Subaru Racing as the young gun claimed eighth.

Team BMW endured a challenging session overall with Colin Turkington's ninth place the best result on the day for the Bavarian marque. Mat Jackson brought his Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo Ford Focus around in tenth spot – a high for a Motorbase-backed car on a Saturday this year.

Tom Chilton, who showed strong pace, dropped from eighth to 11th after a post-session penalty for failing to slow under yellow flag conditions.

A host of famous faces had to settle for places outside of the top ten with the top 21 cars covered by less than a second. Such is the competitiveness in the series this season that it was double champion and BTCC legend Plato in that 21st position, just 0.999s behind Neal's benchmark.

Three thrilling BTCC races are expected at Thruxton tomorrow with the entire race day being broadcast live and exclusively on ITV4 from 11:15.

Matt Neal said: “I actually can’t remember the last time I was on pole! After the disappointment of Donington, we needed to bounce back and this is a great start – although ‘Flash’ certainly made me work hard for it. For Honda, this is like our home event with the cars manufactured up the road and it’s great to see so many guys from the factory here and to reward them with a one-two in qualifying. Now we just need to try to convert it tomorrow."
 
Gordon Shedden said: “To be on the front row with 75kg in the car definitely exceeded my expectations – it was a proper lap and a fair chunk quicker than we went in FP2. Realistically, I’d thought we would be doing well even to sneak into the top ten so I’m dead chuffed! Every lap was an adventure out there as I tried to keep my foot in for as long as possible through the faster corners out the back of the circuit – there wasn’t much left in the tank.”
 
Jack Goff said: “If I’m honest, I wanted a bit more there and pole position was definitely in the car, but I locked up and missed the chicane when I was three tenths-of-a-second up on my quickest lap. Our race pace seems strong too – we showed that in both free practice sessions and did more than a full race run in FP1 – so it’s all about getting a clean start and clean first lap and with Gordon [Shedden] carrying maximum ballast, hopefully we can then pick him off and go from there.”
 
Tom Ingram said: “We were really struggling for balance in both practice sessions – we couldn’t get the Avensis hooked up at all – and that left us all sat inside the truck scratching our heads. We just threw everything at it and managed to get on top of the issues, and full credit to the Speedworks boys for getting the job done. Given the ballast we’re carrying and the way our day started, I think we can be more than happy with P4 on the grid.” 
 
Rob Austin said: “I’m absolutely over the moon with that – my best lap in qualifying was properly on the edge! We knew we didn’t have the best-suited car for this circuit – I think it’s clear the Hondas are something else round here – and when we tested here a couple of weeks ago, we struggled with the balance. The boys did an awesome job and changed pretty much everything on the car, and from the moment we hit the track in FP1 it felt so much better. All of our work has been geared around race day, and I think we now have a very strong car for tomorrow. I’m very happy with my day’s work.”

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Thruxton

1 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 1m16.040s (111.54mph)
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.035s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.160s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.196s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.337s
6 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.355s
7 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.454s
8 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.548s
9 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.582s
10 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.600s
11 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.608s
12 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.613s
13 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.616s
14 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.662s
15 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.702s
16 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.824s
17 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.894s
18 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.922s
19 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +0.926s
20 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.934s
21 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.999s
22 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.020s
23 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.090s
24 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1.208s
25 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.212s
26 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.215s
27 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.243s
28 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.411s
29 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.420s
30 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.531s
31 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.727s
32 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2.132s