Hunter Abbott is keen to confirm the progress he and Power Maxed Racing made at Oulton Park last time out in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, as he targets a solid points haul at Croft this weekend (18/19 June).

Having switched from a rear-wheel drive Audi A4 to the front-wheel drive Chevrolet Cruze this year, Abbott has spent the first few race meetings finding his feet in his new surroundings, but a breakthrough weekend at Oulton a fortnight ago saw the 35-year-old narrowly miss the top ten in qualifying – lining up a season-best 11^th – and then bag a brace of points-scoring finishes.

Along the way, he lapped fifth-fastest in race one – topping the timing screens through the first sector – and third-quickest in race two, the best of the Independent runners and even outpacing race-winner Sam Tordoff. Abbott’s #54 car will sport the logo of new team sponsor CCTVKits.co.uk at Croft, and its driver is keen to consolidate his and PMR’s improving form.

“Over the last couple of meetings, my understanding of front-wheel drive has started to click and that has shown in our pace,” he reflected. “At Thruxton, we were third-quickest in race two, whilst at Oulton we topped the sector times at points throughout the weekend and were the second-fastest front-wheel drive car in race two. The results were solid if not quite as good as our pace, but everything is moving in the right direction.

“I like Croft and I’ve had good results here before touring cars. It’s a great circuit with some really ballsy corners which – mixed with the technicalities of the Complex – produces some brilliant racing. Tyre wear and performance drop-off is always an issue and I'm looking forward to learning more about managing the Dunlops in a front-wheel drive car, which uses its tyres more aggressively than the RWD format I’m used to. That will be the key to our results this weekend.”

 

Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat set the pace in a relatively sedate Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Croft, with the teenager’s last gasp flyer providing late excitement in the session.

Andrew Jordan, Colin Turkington, Aron Smith and Tom Ingram filled the places at the top of the timesheets in the opening 20 minutes of running, highlighting the potential in Ford, Subaru, VW and Toyota's respective machinery.

It wasn't long before BMW joined the party, however, as championship leader Sam Tordoff blasted into second. Croft has been a happy hunting ground for West Surrey Racing's fleet of BMWs over the last few years, and Tordoff's effort in the ballast-laden Team JCT600 with GardX 125i M Sport again proved the rear-wheel drive car's value at the North Yorkshire venue.

A number of changes took place in the closing moments and it was the impressive Scotsman Moffat who claimed top spot with a 1:25.038s lap time, while the #77 car of Jordan held off Tordoff by just 0.077s to take second.

"It's nice to put Oulton Park behind us and show that we're in the ball park here straight out of the box," said Moffat. "It's very early days of course so we're not getting carried away, but we've made a lot of changes to the car and it's always good to immediately feel the improvements."

Ingram was fourth while WIX Racing's Adam Morgan moved into fifth, rounding off an encouraging start to the weekend for the two Ciceley-run Mercedes'.

"Seeing Adam up in fifth is also encouraging," continued Aiden. "When one of you goes quickly you're never quite sure, but both of us being up there hopefully means that we've collectively found something in the car. I haven't spoken to him yet but we'll look at the data as I'm sure there's more time to find."

Turkington held on to sixth with Gordon Shedden next up in the first of the Hondas. Smith could only manage eighth at the finish in his BKR VW, whilst Eurotech duo – Martin Depper and Daniel Lloyd – completed the top ten order.

All 32-cars took part in the session, although the Team HARD-run Toyota of Chris Smiley stopped out on track and had to be retrieved after the chequered flag fell.

Free practice two takes place at midday, which you can keep in touch with via the BTCC's Live Zone and social media accounts. Qualifying commences at 16:00, with the entire session being streamed live via www.itv.com/btcc.

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

1 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 1m25.038s
2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.026s
3 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.103s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.113s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.145s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.154s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.296s
8 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.363s
9 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.431s
10 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.457s
11 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.490s
12 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.497s
13 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.713s
14 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.726s
15 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.772s
16 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.802s
17 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.806s
18 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.903s
19 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.942s
20 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.965s
21 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.094s
22 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+1.179s
23 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.571s
24 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.590s
25 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +2.145s
26 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +2.231s
27 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2.246s
28 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.347s
29 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +2.969s
30 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +3.419s
31 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +3.745s
32 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +3.842s

Team JCT600 with GardX driver Sam Tordoff’s car will take on a different look at Croft this weekend (June 18-19) as he runs a special anniversary livery at the fifth round of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Marking the 70^th anniversary of title sponsor JCT600 on June 20, the championship leader’s BMW 125i M Sport will celebrate the occasion by running in a platinum livery with black lettering.

The 27-year-old Leeds driver will be hoping his new colour scheme will bring him additional good fortune in North Yorkshire on what is home turf.

Bradford firm JCT600 has been a main partner of WSR in the BTCC since 2015. The Team JCT600 with GardX cars of Tordoff and Rob Collard currently lead the teams’ championship.

Sam Tordoff said: “It’s an honour to celebrate the platinum anniversary of JCT600 with a special livery at Croft. When I saw the first designs of the livery, I thought ‘that’s pretty cool’ and then when I saw the car in person, it looked even better. JCT600 started in Yorkshire, so for a local boy like me to be able to mark the 70^th year of the family business in this way – and at the only Yorkshire circuit in the BTCC - makes me feel very proud.”

Dick Bennetts, WSR Team Principal, said: “It’s great to be able to celebrate the platinum anniversary of JCT600 in this way. JCT600 has been a terrific supporter of WSR since the start of 2015 and we’ve taken Sam and Team JCT600 with GardX to the top of the drivers’ and teams’ championships heading into Croft. We’re aiming for strong results from both Sam and from Rob in the sister car. I thought the current two JCT600/Gardx cars looked great, but this 70^th anniversary livery looks even better!”

Series organiser TOCA has today (15 June) confirmed its calendar of events for the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The current hugely successful format and order of its ten events will continue for a sixth successive season.

“With the BTCC’s enormous and ever-increasing popularity, this format has continually proven to be a real winner," said Series Director Alan Gow.

"It provides our teams, partners, venues, huge TV audience and of course our hundreds of thousands of fans with a consistent and proven calendar that always delivers a great championship".

“We have defined our 2017 calendar as early as possible with this unprecedented mid-June announcement to help other UK motor sport events in reducing the amount of clashes that can inevitably occur”.

Britain's biggest championship will visit each of the nation's top venues, starting the first weekend in April on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit layout. It's then on to Donington Park, Thruxton, Oulton Park and Croft. The traditional summer break takes up its usual slot in the weeks between the North Yorkshire event and Snetterton, before the series' annual pilgrimage to Knockhill in Scotland. A double in Northamptonshire at Rockingham and Silverstone follows, ahead of the season finale back in Kent on the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

Each of the scheduled weekends on the calendar comprise three races of equal distance, totalling 30 rounds over ten events. The location and date for the annual Season Launch event is to be confirmed in the coming months.

All of Britain's major circuits are ports of call for the BTCC and its support series, providing an enviable geographical spread which ensures that hundreds of thousands of fans will be able to experience first-hand the UK's biggest motor racing package over the course of 2017.

ITV4 will continue to broadcast every BTCC race-day live, free-to-air and in high definition in 2017, as well as streaming live via the ITV Sport website and the ITV Hub app. Regular highlights programmes will be screened on ITV4 following each event and are also available via their ITV Hub catch-up service.

2017 BTCC Calendar:

Rounds           Date                                                      Circuit, County
1,2,3                Sat 1/Sun 2 April                               Brands Hatch (Indy), Kent
4,5,6                Sat 15/Sun 16 April                          Donington Park, Leics
7,8,9                Sat 6/Sun 7 May                               Thruxton, Hampshire
10,11,12         Sat 20/Sun 21 May                          Oulton Park, Cheshire
13,14,15         Sat 10/Sun 11 June                          Croft, North Yorkshire
16,17,18         Sat 29/Sun 30 July                           Snetterton, Norfolk
19,20,21         Sat 12/Sun 13 August                     Knockhill, Fife
22,23,24         Sat 26/Sun 27 August                     Rockingham, Northants
25,26,27         Sat 16/Sun 17 September              Silverstone, Northants
28,29,30         Sat 30 Sept/Sun 1 October             Brands Hatch (Grand Prix), Kent

By nature, most racing drivers are adrenaline junkies and Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) race-winners Rob Austin, Jack Goff and Árón Smith are no exception – that’s why they will be participating in a special pre-Croft charity skydive this Friday (17 June) to raise vital funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Well accustomed to white-knuckle rides at speeds of up to 160mph in the no-holds-barred BTCC, ahead of this weekend’s fifth outing of the 2016 season at popular North Yorkshire circuit Croft (18/19 June), the intrepid trio will take to the skies above Durham Tees Valley Airport for a different kind of thrill.

Their aim is to raise £3,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, the official charity partner of BTCC title sponsor Dunlop. Macmillan offers information, practical advice and support to those diagnosed with cancer and their loved ones before, during and beyond the treatment phase.

There are some 2.5 million people in the UK currently living with cancer, and that figure is set to rise to an alarming four million by 2030, making the work that Macmillan Cancer Support does absolutely essential.

Between them, Handy Motorsport fans’ favourite Austin, IHG® Rewards Club-backed Goff and BKR ace Smith are aiming to raise at least £3,000 to bolster Macmillan’s efforts, and a JustGiving page has been set up with this purpose at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/CroftBTCCSkydive

As soon as their feet touch the ground again from their high-flying adventure, the three tin-top stars will hot-foot it back to Croft to continue their preparations for the BTCC race weekend.

Tickets are available on the gate priced at just £14 for Saturday, 18 June and £28 for Sunday, 19 June, with weekend passes a steal at only £36. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free of charge – even more reason to make it a family date for Father’s Day.

For further information, visit http://www.croftcircuit.co.uk/racing/btcc or call 01325 721815.

Ciceley Motorsport is to offer its Renault UK Clio Cup drivers a shot in its race-winning Mercedes A Class Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship machine at the end of the current campaign.

Max Coates, Dan Zelos and Ollie Pidgley will be the first to receive the test as part of Ciceley's support of up-and-coming young drivers through the ranks of British motor sport following its recent foray into the UK Clio Cup.

Team Principal Adam Morgan, and driver for the Ciceley-backed WIX Racing outfit, said: “I've seen the immediate impact the top drivers coming from the UK Clio Cup have had in British Touring Cars. I'd know – I’m up against them!

"We feel each of our drivers after a season in the UK Clio Cup deserves a run in the touring car," continued Morgan.

“We put great pride into nurturing our young drivers and really believe this adds significant value to what we can offer those joining our team in future."

The Lancashire squad are the most recent in a series of tie-ins between the BTCC and the UK Clio Cup. Team BMR backs several drivers racing Clios through its young driver programme, Team Cooksport is run by MG Racing RCIB Insurance man Josh Cook and Dunlop – title sponsor and tyre partner of the BTCC – are to offer a test in a touring car to the 2016 UK Clio Cup Champion.

Dunlop shattered the four-wheel Isle of Man TT record with a joint Subaru-Prodrive developed WRX STi driven by Mark Higgins, decimating the existing record by 23 seconds using Dunlop’s Sport Maxx BTCC medium compound tyre.

The record was broken at the first attempt, in a time of 17m 49.75 seconds, an average speed of 126.971mph, shaving nine seconds off the existing 117.510mph lap.

With a subsequent effort, the Manxman demolished that record, with another 14 seconds off the lap time, to take a 17m 35.139sec lap and an average speed of 128.73 mph.

James Bailey, Public Relations and Communications Director, Dunlop Motorsport said: “We are extremely pleased to have helped Subaru and Prodrive in their bid to break our previous Isle of Man TT record.

"Dunlop’s Sport Maxx tyres, developed from our on-track competition in the British Touring Car Championship, performed well throughout each of the runs, which culminated in twice breaking the record we set in 2014 on our road legal tyres.

"The tyre's performance was key to the success in achieving a new record and the BTCC medium compound offered the best combination of performance and durability, essential for the demands of the iconic TT Mountain course.”

 

Next stop Croft for Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship hits the midway point of its 2016 pilgrimage around the best of the UK's motor racing venues, as a capacity 32-car field prepares for battle in North Yorkshire next weekend (18/19 June).

Some of the world's most talented touring car drivers are still searching for a foothold in Britain's premier motor sport series this season, with rounds 13, 14 and 15 at Croft now looking set to be a pivotal weekend for many.

Unpredictability has been abound this campaign, with nobody able to stamp their authority on an ultra-competitive championship. Nine different drivers have graced the top step of the podium from the 12 intoxicating encounters so far.

There have been an astounding six different manufacturers represented in the winners' circle. Subaru scored an historic first BTCC victory in race one at Oulton Park earlier this month, much to the delight of all involved with the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing outfit.

The outlook in the Drivers' rankings changed once again following the fourth race weekend of 2016. Now, West Surrey Racing's Sam Tordoff, himself a Yorkshireman, leads the way from the Honda of Matt Neal. The Team JCT600 with GardX driver won race two and scored consistently throughout the Cheshire meeting and he'll be looking for more on home ground. There is, however, just a point in it at the summit, with three-time champion Neal breathing down the Leeds-based racer's neck.

A big crowd is expected to descend on the charming, challenging and charismatic Croft venue – not to mention the many more who will be watching the action live on ITV4 – as you’re always guaranteed fireworks when the BTCC comes to town!

Talking point: Croft challengers
An incredible turnaround for the Subarus at Oulton Park has thrown the pecking order even further up in the air, as if it wasn't already competitive enough in the fight for the BTCC crown. Colin Turkington took a surprise pole position last time out and followed up with a commanding lights-to-flag victory in the opening race in the north west a fortnight ago, leaving early-season teething problems for the Team BMR-backed effort far behind.

Croft, a circuit that naturally favours rear-wheel drive machinery, could well provide further encouragement for the BMR boys – including for a certain BTCC legend hailing from the north east, one Jason Plato. Like Turkington, his expectations will undoubtedly have taken a turn for the better as his 2016 season sprung into life with a triple podium at Oulton – issuing a firm 'I'm back' message to his rivals in the process.

Turkington, dubbed the 'King of Croft' from his exploits in campaigns past, will be looking to capitalise on winning form and the nature of the circuit to push his points tally up yet further. The intra-team battle between the Subarus will be fascinating in itself.

The BMWs usually fare extremely well around the classic Darlington venue. With WSR leading the way in the Manufacturers'/Constructors' table after an outstanding effort from Yorkshireman Sam Tordoff to notch two podiums and a win a fortnight ago, they will be looking to consolidate and celebrate next weekend. As well as Tordoff you can also expect his stablemates – Rob Collard and Jack Goff – to be there or thereabouts.

Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal both had solid showings at Oulton. The latter dominated race three in fine style while the former continues to score strong points, leaving both in the thick of the mid-season title picture.

There willl be no shortage of challengers next weekend, with the likes of Andrew Jordan, Mat Jackson, Adam Morgan and Tom Ingram among the 2016 race winners looking to reach the top step of the rostrum again.

The no-holds-barred and unpredictable racing provided by the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is not only what the fans love, but also serves to cement its position as the country’s top motor sport series – it is certain there will be more on offer at Croft if the first four events of the season are anything to go by.

Local Heroes: Plato pumped for home run
"I always enjoy racing at Croft," claims Jason Plato, who grew up in nearby Newcastle. "The phone invariably rings with friends contacting me for tickets, but in truth it's great to see familiar faces there. The racing is always good up there. It’s a rear-wheel drive track and I think it’ll suit the Subaru, so I can’t wait for the weekend."

The spring is clearly back in Plato's step as the touring car legend also reflects on the last event at Oulton Park, where the Silverline Subaru BMR Racing squad really arrived in the BTCC.

"It was a great weekend," he enthuses. "Whilst there was never any doubt in the team’s mind that it would come good, we were especially looking forward to Oulton. We’d done quite a lot of development, so we were feeling up for it."

Team-mate Colin Turkington took a win and another podium, whilst Plato scored a hat-trick of rostrums from the triple-race encounter at the picturesque Cheshire venue.

"It was a monumental day for everybody and I have to thank all involved," he concluded. "We’re back in town. I haven’t won a race yet but I was pretty close to doing so. We took three podiums in a day, so I’m happy with that."

As mentioned above, however, it's Sam Tordoff who is currently top dog in the BTCC and the Yorkshireman will have his own backing at Croft. Young rookie Daniel Lloyd, who qualified on the front row at Oulton Park, is another local lad looking for success next weekend.

So it's undoubtedly a momentous time for the area in British motor sport – not only is the north east looking forward to welcoming the UK's best motor racing series to its Croft circuit, but the region also boats some of the championship's biggest stars.

Timetable and tickets
All three BTCC races on Sunday, 19 June – and many of the day’s other races – will be 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 on the btcc.net Live Zone throughout the weekend.

The support series on the TOCA package are also guaranteed to thrill with a double digit total of races set to entertain the crowds. The Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Renault UK Clio Cup, F4 British Championship and two Ginetta series' will all be in attendance in North Yorkshire, making for a jam-packed weekend of truly unmissable racing.

Tickets can be purchased on the gate at £14 on Saturday and £28 on Sunday, or £36 for the full weekend. Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free. For further information see www.croftcircuit.co.uk or call 01325 721815.

 

COMPETITION: In conjunction with AmDTuning.com we’re giving you the chance to win weekend VIP passes for Rounds 13, 14 and 15 at Croft Circuit. There’s a bumper selection of other prizes too, including a fully fitted exhaust system from AmD Tuning – the Essex-based tuning specialists.

The prize includes:

A pair of VIP tickets to Croft Circuit with AmDTuning.com on Saturday/Sunday 18/19 June.

Meet the team and driver Ollie Jackson

Grid walk before a BTCC race and a guided garage tour

A fitted Cobra exhaust system

A dash cam

Two team polo shirts

To be in with a chance of winning, simply like the AmD Tuning Facebook page, share our competition post and comment on our Official BTCC Facebook Page to let us know you’ve entered! You may also enter on Twitter by RT’ing our competition post and tagging @amdessex.

The competition closes at 4pm on Monday 13 June. For full terms and conditions see below!

Good luck!

Terms and conditions:

1x Like + Comment on Facebook = 1 entry or 1x RT + tag @amdessex on Twitter = 1 entry. 1 entry per person. A winner picked at random. The competition will close 4pm on Monday 13 June. The winner will be announced on Facebook and Twitter the following morning. The winner will have 24 hours from the announcement to come forward. If this does not happen another winner will be selected. The winner must be available over the Croft Circuit race weekend, transport to and from the circuit is not included. The prize is non-transferrable. Children under 16 will not be able to take part in the grid walk.

Motorbase Performance extended its lead in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Independents’ standings despite a relatively low-key weekend at Oulton Park.

Qualifying on Saturday was characterised by its closeness. The first 22 cars on the grid were separated by just a second and with the Ford Focus STs struggling for outright pace with weight on-board, Mat Jackson could only manage 25^th and Andrew Jordan 12^th – though four-tenths from pole.

Race one was more positive for the Kent-based squad as Jackson improved to 16^th while Jordan made 10^th, scoring solid points. With ballast cleared, race two proved more fruitful. Duo-backed Jackson battled his way through the mid-field into the top ten, adding 15 points to his Independents’ tally. A similarly hard-fought bout saw the #77 Pirtek Racing Focus of Jordan home in 8^th, enough to take the Independent Drivers’ championship summit.

The final round of the day was Jordan’s 250^th race in the BTCC. He produced a sterling effort to bring the Focus home 8^th for a hat-trick of points finishes, despite some hefty damage sustained in the 15 lap encounter. Meanwhile, Jackson – who also suffered the effects of contact – dropped down the order to finish 13^th.

A difficult weekend, but the Motorbase squad were still able to pull away at the top of the Independents’ championship with a gap of 49 points to WIX Racing. In the Independent Drivers’ table it's now Jordan leading the way and Jackson third.

Team Manager Oly Collins said: “After a tough weekend we’ve come away with our 100% reliability record intact, some important points finishes, extended our Independents championship lead and shown some good race pace. However, our poor qualifying results yesterday have proven too much to overcome for results today.

Andrew Jordan said: “I’m happy with our performance all weekend so it’s really frustrating to not get the results to show that. All things considered I think we’ve done a good job with what we’ve had but it’s not a fair reflection on the team. I just hope it gets looked at before we get to Croft.”