Michael Epps's weekend at Thruxton proved a promising one, with a hat-trick of points finishes across the three Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds, including a breakthrough top ten result in the final race.

The RCIB Insurance man notched a maiden points finish last time out at Donington Park and a trio of battling drives in his Toyota Avensis yielded eleventh, fourteenth and tenth place finishes in Hampshire.

After a below par Saturday at the fastest circuit in the UK, with a lack of running in free practice, a difficult qualifying session saw him muster only 22nd on the grid for race one.

Epps progressed nicely at the start of the opener, working his way up to 16th by the third tour before picking his way through a dramatic final corner accident on lap twelve to take ninth position on the road. This became eleventh when the result was declared on count-back after the red flags were waved.

Retaining his top twelve position throughout the opening stages of the second encounter, Epps moved up to a high of ninth at mid-distance and had eighth in his sights.

Trying to defend and attack at the same time, Epps was forced out around the back of the circuit late on, dropping back to an eventual 14th place finish – his consistency and tyre management left him confident for race three.

Another battling drive in front of the ITV cameras saw the Team HARD ace make good ground on the way to the cusp of the top ten scuffle as rivals faltered. Epps set a fastest lap bettered by only one driver ahead of him en-route to his tenth place finish.

"It was a case of being patient and powering through this weekend," said Epps. "We had some issues yesterday, but we managed to rectify the situation and that allowed us to have a positive race day.

“Qualifying wasn’t the strongest showing, but we didn’t get the perfect lap and we know our race pace would be stronger than where we started. A lot of people were impatient in the races and we were there to pick up the scraps.

“A first top ten and three points finishes are a couple more milestones reached for us, and to be consistently in the top fifteen across all three races shows that the car is there and I can race with those drivers.

Epps maintains his top-twenty standing in the overall drivers’ championship and a top ten position in the Independents Trophy ahead of the visit to Oulton Park in Cheshire for Rounds 10, 11 and 12 next month (04/05 June).

“I really like Oulton Park," continued Epps. "The rhythm of the circuit seems to work with me and I can imagine it’s a meeting we can do quite well at. We’ve got some work to do on the car, we’re going back and forth with set-ups at the moment, but we hope we can continue with the top tens at Oulton.”

WIX Racing’s Adam Morgan took a win and two further podiums in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship event at Thruxton, whilst Motorbase Performance duo Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson claimed a victory apiece at the UK’s fastest circuit.

Podiums for Rob Collard and Matt Neal propelled the experienced pairing to the championship summit, with the top eight drivers now covered by just 21 points in the overall standings.

A fast and frenetic triple-header of races was played out in front of a huge crowd in Hampshire – basked in glorious sunshine ­– and the packed banks of spectators were provided with yet more high-class entertainment.

Morgan won a breathtaking opener, having carved his way through the melee to become the first double winner of the 2016 season.

The race began in a frenzied fashion and that theme was maintained throughout the shortened contest, which initially looked to favour pole-sitter Tom Ingram off the line. A slipstreaming contest commenced down to the first chicane, however, which left Ingram alongside both Neal and Aiden Moffat.

Three into one simply wouldn’t go and when the dust settled it was Neal’s Honda out front while Moffat and Ingram were shuffled down the order following slight contact.

MG’s Josh Cook and the Mercedes of Morgan slipped through into second and third respectively, whilst the other MG6 of Ashley Sutton went off on lap two while tussling with Ingram.

Neal led from Cook, Morgan, Moffat and Ingram at the end of the second tour, with positions changing hands at almost every corner. Morgan then blasted by Cook into the final chicane, and a bevy others further demoted the MG Racing RCIB Insurance driver as he tried to regain his composure.

Morgan hounded Neal’s ballast-laden Honda Civic Type R and produced a stunning move on the leader across the start/finish line at the end of lap four, as a gaggle of some seven cars jostled for places.

Moffat clawed his way past Neal too, seemingly completing his recovery while potentially rewarding Mercedes with a maiden one-two in the BTCC. It wasn’t to be though, as a puncture forced him onto the grass and back down the order on lap. Jackson’s Ford Focus incurred a similar fate at the same time, leaving debris all over the circuit.

By the time the leaders next blasted their way down Brooklands and Woodham Hill, Neal’s Honda had too picked up a puncture. The triple champion attempted to pull into the pit lane but was collected by an unsighted Cook, which resulted in the likes of Gordon Shedden, Jeff Smith and Jake Hill, among others, being caught up in the incident.

With cars now littering the track, officials were left with little choice but to cut the race short, and duly the Thruxton marshals waved the red flags to signal the end of the showdown.

With the contest being officially classified at the end of lap 11 it left Morgan with a richly deserved win ahead of the recovering Ingram and Andrew Jordan’s Ford Focus, who had himself made steady progress up the order.

Jordan then joined a list of seven different race winners from the opening eight BTCC races, after the Pirtek Racing driver produced an impressive drive in the second bout of the day.

Morgan made a steady getaway from pole position and the WIX Racing driver coped well with maximum success ballast in the first half of the race. Jordan had nipped by Ingram’s Speedworks Toyota off the line and worse was to come for the latter when he was adjudged to have jumped the start.

A subsequent drive through penalty for Ingram forced him out of the fight as a gaggle of five cars moved into contention. Morgan led from Jordan and the WSR trio of Collard, Jack Goff and Sam Tordoff in close company – the BMWs coming alive in the battle for victory.

The pivotal moment came on lap 11 as Jordan scythed his way past Morgan, with the Mercedes struggling to hang on after a valiant effort at the head of the pack. Morgan was shuffled down again by Collard’s Team JCT600 with GardX BMW, but he fended off further attacks from the now trio of cars behind him.

Incredibly Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Gordon Shedden had hauled his Honda onto the lead quintet in the closing stages, having started from the back of the grid. While Jordan was busy taking the lead, Shedden caught Goff and Tordoff napping to slip into fourth place.

Motorbase Performance then scored its second win of the day as Jackson followed Jordan’s race two success with his own dynamic display in the Thruxton finale.

The victory also marked Jackson’s second of the 2016 campaign as he joined Morgan as the only two drivers to record double wins so far this season.

Off the line, Jackson’s Ford Focus blasted past the Proton of pole-sitter Dan Welch, and despite being kept honest by the chasing pack throughout, he was able to cruise to the chequered flag in relative comfort.

After a series of incidents, Team IHG Rewards Club’s Goff inherited second until Neal’s Honda got by on lap eight. Then, as the second Honda of Shedden attacked Goff for a spot on the podium, closing as the duo swept through Church, the BMW locked up going into the final chicane and the pair made contact. Shedden retired with damage after limping over the start/finish line while Goff could only manage an eventual 18th place.

The final spot on the rostrum went to Morgan – making it a hat-trick on the day – as he crossed the line just 0.198s ahead of MG pair Cook and Sutton.

Collard claimed sixth and with it the joint lead of the championship alongside Neal. The top eight drivers are covered by just 21 points – with Morgan, Jackson, Shedden, Goff, Tordoff and Jordan all in contention.

West Surrey Racing now leads the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ Championship from Honda, although the latter has maintained its lead of the HiQ Teams’ standings.

Morgan tops the Independents’ Trophy for drivers while Motorbase Performance maintained its position at the summit of the Independent Teams’ table.

MG’s Sutton heads the Jack Sears Trophy although Michael Epps has closed the gap after a hugely impressive day in his Toyota Avensis.

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship now rolls on to Oulton Park in Cheshire on 4/5 June for Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the series.

Adam Morgan said: “It was incredible. It didn’t feel like I was trying too hard from the beginning and I was taking time out of people all the way round. It’s been a mega job by everyone in the team. The car was hooked up and I couldn’t have asked for much more. Every time I got the chance, I was asking my team what the gap was and just trying to conserve as much as I could. I saw that Mat (Jackson) held everyone up for me and then later on there were a couple of incidents, so it was a tricky one and a fantastic win. I love Thruxton – it just seems to work.”

Andrew Jordan said: “I got a bit emotional initially because it’s such a big relief. A lot of the media like to remind you when you last won a race. I knew it’d come when the time was right and when everything fell into place. Adam (Morgan) drove a really good race but I could see where he was struggling off the chicane. He gave me good room and saw I had enough on him so it was fair enough. It was a great race with great guys. I love racing with people like this. There’s just a great respect between us.”

Mat Jackson said: “It had been tough earlier on. Race one was a bit of a nightmare. To come through and pick up eighth in race two, and get the reverse grid massively helped. We’ve ended the day well but it’d been a difficult day. It was very warm and it’s hard on tyres at Thruxton. The downside is we go to Oulton with ballast, but success comes at a price and that’s the price you pay. We’ve certainly got a car that can challenge and I feel very confident and comfortable in it. It’s frustrating that we’ve had two zeroes. Everyone can say the same though. Ifs, buts and maybes don’t win the championship.”

Matt Neal said: “It was certainly good to finish on a high – it makes the journey home a lot more enjoyable! It was a bit of a shame overall because in truth, it was a weekend that had promised so much more and I was staring down the barrel of a gun until the last race! Thruxton has always been a Honda circuit, and we proved that again with the ballast on-board in qualifying. I was surprised just how strong we were carrying so much ballast in race one and the puncture was nobody’s fault. The boys did a stellar job to get us out again for race two in the nick of time – they had to deal with not just one but two cars in a million pieces – and then I was able to open the car up again in race three and was flying at the end. I would never have thought I’d leave here still leading the championship after the first two races, so all’s well that ends well, as they say.”

Rob Collard said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joint leading the championship after three race weekends – it’s fantastic. It shows that age is only a number with the two oldest boys at the top! It’s experience that’s counting at the moment. I struggled in qualifying yesterday and went to bed thinking ‘my championship’s over’ but it came back to me on race day. We changed the car overnight and dialled the BMW in. We fettled to compensate for the ballast in each race and the car was the best it has been in race three.”

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 7 – Thruxton

1 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing 11 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +3.310s
3 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +3.820s
4 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +5.115s
5 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +5.824s
6 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +6.464s
7 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +8.179s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +8.179s
9 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +8.672s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +8.809s

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 8 – Thruxton

1 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance 12 laps
2 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.401s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing 1.791s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.978s
5 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +2.786s
6 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +3.017s
7 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +10.738s
8 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +6.201s
9 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +7.034s
10 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +7.260s

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 9 – Thruxton

1 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance 12 laps
2 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.256s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +4.568s
4 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +4.766s
5 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +5.006s
6 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +5.460s
7 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +6.082s
8 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +6.291s
9 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +10.533s
10 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +11.333s

Motorbase Performance has scored a second win of the day as Mat Jackson followed up Andrew Jordan's race two success with his own impressive display in the Thruxton finale.

The victory was also Jackson's second of the 2016 campaign as he joined WIX Racing's Adam Morgan as the only double winner so far this season.

Jackson's Ford Focus blasted past the Proton of pole-sitter Dan Welch off the line and despite being kept honest by the chasing pack throughout, he was able to cruise in relative comfort.

Welch went side-by-side with WSR's Sam Tordoff on the opening lap before the BMW slid wide at Segrave and onto the grass. Being cheered on by the packed banks of spectators, underdog Welch then fended off several attacks from behind whilst closing in on leader Jackson, but the Goodestone Racing driver would face disappointment on lap five as his car went off and hit the tyre barrier.

Both Rob Collard and Gordon Shedden recovered from contact down at Club on lap seven, whilst Jordan was forced to retire with a puncture on the same tour.

Team IHG Rewards Club's Jack Goff inherited second until Matt Neal's Honda got by on lap eight, and worse was to follow for the BMW driver. As the second Honda of Shedden attacked him for third, closing as the duo swept through Church, Goff locked up going into the final chicane and the pair made contact. Shedden retired with damage after limping over the start/finish while Goff could only manage 18th place at the finish.

The final podium place went to Morgan – making it a hat-trick on the day – as he crossed the line just 0.198s ahead of MG pair Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton.

Collard claimed sixth and with it the joint lead of the championship alongside Neal, while Rob Austin and the recovering Tordoff completed the top eight positions.

The top ten included two young drivers who each enjoyed a special day's racing in the BTCC. Dan Lloyd took ninth and the Jack Sears Trophy to complete a fine debut with Eurotech Racing, whilst tenth placed Michael Epps took his best ever result and good points.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 9 – Thruxton

1 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance 12 laps
2 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.256s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +4.568s
4 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +4.766s
5 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +5.006s
6 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +5.460s
7 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +6.082s
8 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +6.291s
9 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +10.533s
10 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +11.333s
11 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +11.494s
12 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +11.874s
13 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +16.867s
14 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +18.070s
15 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +18.440s
16 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +22.365s
17 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +24.336s
18 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +27.363s
19 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +42.473s
20 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +1m07.088s
21 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1 lap
22 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1 lap
DNF Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2 laps
DNF Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +3 laps
DNF Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +4 laps
DNF Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +8 laps
DNF Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +9 laps
DNF Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +11 laps

Andrew Jordan has joined a list of seven different race winners from the opening eight BTCC races in the 2016 season, after the Pirtek Racing driver produced an impressive drive at Thruxton.

Adam Morgan made a steady getaway from pole position and the WIX Racing driver coped well with the maximum success ballast in the first half of the race. Jordan had nipped by Tom Ingram off the line and worse was to come for the latter when he was adjudged by officials to have jumped the start.

A subsequent drive through penalty for Ingram forced him out of the fight as a gaggle of five cars moved into contention. Morgan led from Jordan and the WSR trio of Rob Collard, Jack Goff and Sam Tordoff with the BMWs coming alive in the battle for victory.

The moment of truth came on lap 11 as Jordan scythed his way past Morgan, with the Mercedes finally struggling with the weight. Morgan was shuffled down again by Collard's Team JCT600 with GardX BMW, but he fended off further attacks from the now trio of cars behind him.

Incredibly Halfords Yuasa Racing's Gordon Shedden had hauled his Honda onto the lead quintet in the closing stages, having started from the back of the grid. While Jordan was busy taking the lead, Shedden caught Goff and Tordoff napping to slip into fourth place.

Eurotech Racing had all three of its drivers in the top ten at one stage but its two more experienced drivers would face heartache. Jeff Smith ran wide at high speed and left the circuit while Martin Depper retired late on. There was some respite with rookie Dan Lloyd, however, who drove brilliantly to secure seventh place and Jack Sears Trophy honours in the process.

Motorbase Performance's Mat Jackson took eighth ahead of Goodestone Racing's Dan Welch, who enjoyed his best result since Silverstone 2013. There was further joy for the plucky Welch when his number was picked at random in the reverse grid draw by Andy Priaulx, meaning the Proton racer will start the finale from pole position.

Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin rounded out the top ten, ahead of Matt Neal and Josh Cook, who were both recovering from earlier disappointment in race one.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 8 – Thruxton

1 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance 12 laps
2 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.401s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing 1.791s
4 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.978s
5 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +2.786s
6 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +3.017s
7 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +10.738s
8 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +6.201s
9 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +7.034s
10 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +7.260s
11 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +7.423s
12 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +7.921s
13 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +8.371s
14 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +8.399s
15 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +8.605s
16 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +9.470s
17 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +12.099s
18 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +13.777s
19 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +16.312s
20 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +16.680s
21 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +16.825s
22 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC Racing +20.421s
23 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +24.414s
24 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +26.094s
25 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +34.136s
26 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +39.363s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1 lap
28 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +7 laps

More to follow...

Due to unseasonably high track temperatures BTCC Series Organiser TOCA, in consultation with its official tyre supplier Dunlop, has taken a decision to reduce the distances of the remaining two races at Thruxton.

An enthralling opening race at the fastest circuit in the country was unfortunately cut short, following an accident that was initially caused by a puncture to Matt Neal’s Honda.

While a bespoke compound is produced by Dunlop to cope specifically with the high-speed and abrasive nature of the Thruxton circuit, the warm climate (33 degrees track temperature) faced this weekend is pushing an even greater workload through the tyre.

To avoid any further risk the decision has been taken to reduce the number of laps to 12 for Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Adam Morgan won a quite breathtaking opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton after carving his way through the melee to become the first double winner of the 2016 season.

The race began in frenetic fashion and that theme was maintained throughout the shortened contest, which initially looked to favour pole-sitter Tom Ingram off the line. A slipstreaming contest commenced down to the first chicane, however, which left Ingram alongside both Matt Neal and Aiden Moffat.

Three into one simply wouldn't go and when the dust settled it was Neal's Honda out front while Moffat and Ingram were shuffled down the order following slight contact.

MG's Josh Cook and WIX Racing's Morgan eyed their opportunity and slipped through into second and third respectively, while the other MG6 of Ashley Sutton went off on lap two while tussling with Ingram.

Neal led from Cook, Morgan, Moffat and Ingram at the end of the second tour, with positions changing at almost every corner. Morgan's Mercedes then blasted by Cook into the final chicane, and the latter was further demoted by several others as he tried to regain his composure.

Morgan hounded Neal's ballast-laden Honda Civic Type R and produced a stunning move on the leader across the start/finish line at the end of lap four, as a gaggle of some seven cars jostled for places in front of the stunned spectators beneath the Hampshire sunshine.

Moffat clawed his way past Neal too, seemingly completing his recovery and potentially giving Mercedes a first ever one-two in the BTCC. It wasn't to be, however, after he ran wide with a puncture on lap ten. Mat Jackson's Ford Focus faced a similar fate at the same time, leaving debris all over the circuit.

When the leaders next blasted their way down Brooklands and Woodham Hill it was to be Neal's Honda that endured a puncture. The triple champion attempted to pull into the pitlane but was collected by an unsighted Cook, which then resulted in the likes of Gordon Shedden, Jeff Smith and Jake Hill also being caught up in the incident.

With cars now littering the track officials were left with little choice but to cut the race short and the red flags were immediately waved by the Thruxton marshals.

With the contest being officially classified at the end of lap 11 it left Morgan with a richly deserved win ahead of the recovering Ingram and Andrew Jordan's Pirtek Racing Ford Focus, who had himself made steady progress up the order.

Jeff Smith maintained fourth, despite the incident, while team-mate Martin Depper scored a career best fifth place - handing Eurotech Racing an impressive double top five finish.

Rob Collard topped a BMW trio next in the order as he surged ahead of his WSR stablemates Sam Tordoff and Jack Goff to take sixth. Collard was disappointed to have qualified down in 18th yesterday, but his performance and result in race one will have gone some way to making amends.

Feel good stories followed in the classification for Welch Motorsport and Team Hard. Daniel Welch took ninth – his first top ten since Silverstone in 2013 – while Jake Hill and Michael Epps were next in the order. Hill scored Team HARD's first top ten since Goff's podium in the 2013 season finale and team-mate Epps, in eleventh, took Jack Sears Trophy honours.

Race two is scheduled to take place at 14:30 with all the action being screened live and exclusively on ITV4.

Morgan:
“That was nuts! It all kicked off going into the Complex on lap one, but I managed to put my car in the right place at the right time and miss most of it, which moved me up to third. Tyre conservation was clearly key, but without reallypushing the car that hard, I seemed to be taking loads of time out of Matt [Neal] and Josh [Cook] ahead. Matt gave me a tough time trying to get past for the lead, but once I was through it was a case of getting my head down and with Matt defending so heavily from the rest, I was able to escape up the road. First double winner of 2016 – yep, we’ll take that!”

Ingram:
“Well that was all a bit dramatic, wasn’t it! I got hit on the opening lap and then again a few laps later. It was all about keeping your head and trying to manage your tyres as best as possible – although obviously, the racing instinct also kicks in, which is what made for so much carnage. I knew we had the pace towin, but after the first lap, it became more of a recovery drive. We’ve got a little bit of cosmetic damage, but in the circumstances, nothing too bad and I’ll definitely settle for second place given everything else that was going on!”

Jordan:
“What a manic race! I quite enjoyed it all – we came out of it alright and I’m very happy to finish third. There were a lot of people taking some brave pills and very little quarter given, which made for a few worrying moments. The car felt really good and our tyres hung on well. I’m feeling positive for race two, although with more weight on-board, we’ll need to focus on playing the long game for the remainder of the day.”

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 7 – Thruxton

1 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing 11 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +3.310s
3 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +3.820s
4 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +5.115s
5 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +5.824s
6 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +6.464s
7 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +8.179s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +8.179s
9 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +8.672s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +8.809s
11 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +9.185s
12 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +10.738s
13 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +14.491s
14 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +14.839s
15 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +16.076s
16 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +20.748s
17 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +21.288s
18 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC Racing +21.280s
19 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +31.218s
20 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +46.808s
21 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1m24.922s
22 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1m48.340s
DNF Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +6.305s
DNF Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1 lap
DNF Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1 lap
DNF Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +2 laps
DNF Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +9 laps
DNF Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +10 laps

Statement from Silverline Subaru BMR Racing:

It is with great disappointment that Silverline Subaru BMR Racing are withdrawing from rounds 7, 8 and 9 today at Thruxton on safety grounds.

Following an incident with James Cole at Donington where there was a failure of the high pressure fuel rail there was a re-designed and re-manufactured component fitted to all cars for the Thruxton event. Following a review of the new design post qualifying, the new part has shown signs of fatigue that could lead to a similar failure.

We have investigated all avenues available to us overnight and this morning, however the engineering team have taken the decision to withdraw the cars as none of the solutions available are able to be durability tested prior to competing on circuit.

We are obviously disappointed with the outcome, however in this situation the risk to the drivers, other competitors and circuit officials is not acceptable, so the correct decision is to retire the cars for the remainder of the event.

The top three from Saturday's Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session at Thruxton took time out following a breathless half-hour to speak to btcc.net. 

Tom Ingram took a second pole of the season and his career in the Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis after trading times with Matt Neal in the opening throes of the session.

Aiden Moffat sealed a stunning second place on the grid for Laser Tools Racing, especially considering his previous best in the BTCC was 8th.

That stormer from the young Scot left Neal's third, though the Honda man was rightly pleased with a spellbindingly quick lap set with copious ballast on board.

Tom Ingram has taken his second pole position of the season after the young gun broke the Thruxton lap record during qualifying for Round 10 of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The Speedworks Motorsport driver experienced a stressful opening to the session as he had his first two flying lap times removed by officials for not respecting track limits. Ingram wasn’t alone in being pegged back, however, as a host of drivers were penalised for cutting the final chicane in the early stages.

Championship leader Matt Neal was among those to be demoted, but the multiple champ responded brilliantly with a staggering lap time in his ballast-laden Honda Civic Type R. The Halfords Yuasa Racing driver held provisional pole until Ingram’s effort, and he would eventually have to settle for third due to a Flying Scotsman.

Ordinarily you would expect that term to be reserved for reigning champion Gordon Shedden, but on this occasion it was impressive teenager Aiden Moffat who wowed the crowds. The young Laser Tools Racing driver starred during practice earlier today and he duly backed that up by making the front row in qualifying – his best ever result.

Neal had parked his Honda long before the finish, believing that he’d dragged every last ounce of performance from his car. Although dropping to third late on, the experienced racer will be pleased to have fended off another eye-catching attack from MG’s young duo.

Ashley Sutton and Josh Cook produced a front row lock-out at Donington Park last time out, and will start tomorrow’s opener from fourth and fifth on the grid, with the latter getting the better of his rookie team-mate on this occasion. Both drivers worked together for much of the session, benefitting from a tow through Thruxton’s high-speed sections for each of their best-timed tours.

Adam Morgan confirmed the performance of the Mercedes A-Class by planting his WIX Racing machine inside the top six – a result that had seemed some way off earlier today after a high-speed shunt forced the squad to produce some substantial repairs.

Jeff Smith made the top ten for the first time since Rockingham in 2013 as the Eurotech racer ended up just 0.015s behind Morgan. Andrew Jordan couldn’t match his practice pace and ended up eighth in his Pirtek Racing Ford Focus, whilst BKR’s Aron Smith and WSR’s Sam Tordoff completed the top ten order.

Tom Ingram said: “Awesome! Two poles out of three – that’s not a bad start to the season, is it? It was pretty sketchy early on, because I kept getting calls over the team radio saying ‘you’re quickest’, swiftly followed by ‘your lap time’s been removed’, so I knew I needed to calm down a bit. We had no ballast, which obviously played to our advantage and everything just hooked up perfectly. You’re never really sure where everybody is during practice and who’s sandbagging, but we knew we had some good pace in the car. The Speedworks boys are a great bunch of lads and having taken pole once at Brands Hatch, it instilled in us the belief that we could do it again – and now we have! I could definitely get used to this feeling. Pole position is one thing, however, and it’s vital that we now go on to score some good points tomorrow.”

Aiden Moffat said: “It’s a great feeling obviously. We came in a bit early and you’re sitting in the pits and it’s the most nerve-wracking thing in the world when you’re expecting a few names to creep up there. Before this, my best was eighth so to get right up there is brilliant. This year has been our best start since we’ve been involved in the BTCC. The guys in the team have given us a great set-up and a great car and it was all down to me then, and thankfully it all clicked. We’ll certainly be pushing hard. If Tom gets away well, he’s a fast, fast driver and it’d be silly to get caught up battling him. He’ll be a great person to try and latch onto. Matt Neal is always charging hard to try to get to the front, so my mirrors will be full if I can keep him behind off the start. You never know what will happen, but we’ll definitely give it a good go.”

Matt Neal said: “After making some changes between free practice and qualifying, I was hoping for the top six but thinking top ten was more realistic, so I’m over the moon to end up inside the top three. The Honda Civic Type R was just hooked-up, and I was certainly pretty committed round the back of the lap. The race might be a different affair for us – I’m not sure we will be quite so strong over a long run – but we’ll try to stay out of trouble and see what happens. Thruxton is notorious for tyre wear, so we’ll need to remain mindful of that.”

Josh Cook said: “It was a hell of a lap, I’m not going to lie! What we managed to get out of that car was awesome. Ash and I were really working well together, which is how we got the time – he towed me and I towed him, and we got that extra time out of it. The guys have done a great job with the car. There is a little more to find just to extract that final bit – the top few are really on it. We can certainly race from here, so we’ll just try and convert it into some solid points and go from there.”

Ashley Sutton said: “I’m very pleased. We suffered a few issues in practice. Between the two sessions combined, I only put ten laps together leading into qualifying – to have had so little track time around here in a touring car before going and putting the car fifth on the grid, I’m over the moon. I really want to focus on looking after the tyres, but we’ve got to push forward. I want to start getting some podiums and that’s my aim – although to stay in the top five and score solid points would be just as good, to be honest.”

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

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 1m16.161s
2 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.033s
3 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.086s
4 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.416s
5 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.566s
6 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.650s
7 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.665s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.684s
9 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.703s
10 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.726s
11 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.772s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.828s
13 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.928s
14 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.951s
15 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.076s
16 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.091s
17 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.092ss
18 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.300s
19 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.355s
20 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +1.368s
21 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.483s
22 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.515s
23 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.536s
24 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.719s
25 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+2.492s
26 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +2.544s
27 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.667s
28 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.718s
29 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.984s
30 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +3.949s
31 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +4.455s
32 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing NO TIME

Andrew Jordan and Tom Ingram have topped a practice session apiece so far today at Thruxton, and btcc.net caught up with the pair ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session...

Andrew Jordan said:

“I think the ultimate pace is there; we did a long run in FP2, and the drop-off in terms of tyre performance felt really good so I’m very happy in that respect looking to the races. If we can string it all together and I keep driving the way I am, I think pole position is definitely on the cards. I’m feeling the most comfortable yet in the Focus and the most encouraging aspect is that we rolled off the truck here and were in the ballpark straightaway.”

Tom Ingram said:

“The car feels good, although I think it’s fair to say nobody has shown their true hand yet. We did a little bit of qualifying prep at the beginning of FP2, and then focused on a race run for the remainder of the session. Our qualifying simulation was by no means perfect and I would like to think there’s at least another half-a-second in the car and that we can be in the fight for pole – we will certainly give it our best shot!

"We’ve come into this weekend with a different mindset; instead of going all-out for wins, we need to be targeting consistent points finishes across all three races, because we are far lower down the championship standings than we should be.”