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

Halfords Yuasa Racing returned to the top of the timesheets as reigning champion Gordon Shedden set the pace in the second Free Practice session at Thruxton.

"It was a big surprise to end up quickest – there wasn’t a lot left in the tank!" said Shedden. "I expect the times to tumble in qualifying and for pole to be somewhere in the 1m15s bracket – although I don’t think I’ll be in the 1m15s. We’re still trying to find the sweet spot with all the weight, but I think the top ten is a realistic target from our side."

Jack Goff made it a one-two for Honda machinery - albeit for the independent Eurotech squad – as the 26-year-old backed up his earlier pace with another strong showing in FP2.

Adam Morgan's potent Mercedes continues to show good form as the Ciceley Motorsport man produced the third best time, ahead of the impressive Rob Austin in the Handy Motorsport Toyota.

Team BMW's Colin Turkington is looking to cement his championship credentials this weekend, with fourth during practice further boosting confidence. The Ulsterman took a reversed grid win at Thruxton on his way to the title back in 2014, and the WSR man will be pleased with a similar return this time around.

Vauxhall's Senna Proctor looked to be far and away the best of the rookie drivers until he was demoted down the order the by a high flying Luke Davenport in the striking Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo Ford. The Motorbase-run squad have experienced a challenging start to the 2017 campaign, but they will have been buoyed by their young gun's efforts in Hampshire.

Andrew Jordan wedged his BMW 125i M Sport inbetween the two rookies to take seventh, whilst Matt Neal and Dave Newsham rounded out the top ten. 

Neal responded well to a minor mid-session off and Newsham made it two top tens on the day so far. His young team-mate Chris Smiley confirmed the pace of the BTC Norlin Racing Chevrolet with 11th.

The all-important qualifying session for Round 7 of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will take place at 16:10, which you see live via www.itv.com/btcc. 

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Thruxton

1 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 1m16.510s (110.85mph)
2 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.004s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.318s
4 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.414s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.469s
6 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.511s
7 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.512s
8 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.562s
9 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.614s
10 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.647s
11 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.781s
12 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.842s
13 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.976s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.978s
15 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.987s
16 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.989s
17 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.003s
18 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.005s
19 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.038s
20 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.109s
21 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.253s
22 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.312s
23 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.329s
24 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.377s
25 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.384s
26 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.423s
27 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.541s
28 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.558s
29 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.163s
30 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.838s
31 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2.228s
32 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +2.657s

We caught up with the top three from the opening session of this Thruxton race weekend – Free Practice 1. 

Eurotech Racing's Jack Goff set the pace in the early running with the Mercedes-Benz of Adam Morgan following up just a tenth behind. Matt Neal's Honda rounded out the top three.

"It’s always very hard to tell where you are in FP1," said Goff. "We know what we’re doing but we don’t necessarily know what everyone else is doing.

"That said, I think we’re reasonably happy. We didn’t get the car absolutely spot on and it’s one of those tracks you build up to. My lap was by no means perfect and there’s definitely more in it with three or four tenths in myself and maybe a tenth or two in the car. Our race pace is good, too.

"Our base setup is good so it’s just fine tuning now between sessions. The test was really important for us. We saw where we were as far as our pace. Now that we’re here, FP1 and FP2 are about getting things spot on for qualifying and the race tomorrow.

"We’ve had two mediocre weekends where we didn’t really get the results that we should have got and we’re still in the top six. If we can get all three races somewhere near this weekend then we can move back towards the real front end of the championship.

"We know this is a strong circuit for the Honda Civic Type R so we’ve to make sure we get some good points this weekend.

"I’m looking at the front row, or definitely the front two rows. We know we have the pace in the car to be on pole and if I wasn’t going out there to go for that then I’d be lying."

Adam Morgan was pleased with how things started this morning too. 

"We’ve a few setup changes to make but overall the pace was strong and we seem to have found a setup where we’ve got strong race pace as well so we’re happy with that," said the Lancastrian.

"If we could come away from here with a podium or just three top tens it’d be mega. I am aiming for a podium this weekend. Whatever happens I’ll keep plugging away to get good points.

"The car just seems to work here, and it always has done. It looks after its tyres well, it handles well through the tight stuff and it’s got good balance. Whether it’s a combination of me and the car, I don’t know but we always seem to come here and it does work.

"We learned at the test that the setup we’ve been using at Brands and Donington doesn’t work around here and straight away it’s been a different car since we’ve made the change – it’s so much more driveable. We’re confident and we’re looking to be near the front in qualifying."

The Hondas always go well in Hampshire and Matt Neal is aiming to please on 'home soil' for Honda.

"It was pretty good out there but the car was pretty lively!" said Neal. "Whether it was the wind out the back there or what; I had a few moments through the quick stuff.

"I’m hopeful but some others have come to the fore and Adam Morgan’s always a dark horse, he’s not got much weight and so is Rob Austin. There's plenty of potential up top.

"We work as hard, if not harder than anybody else on high speed stability with the aero and that’s what Thruxton’s all about. The strength in the Civic has always been high speed corners and that’s 90 per cent of what Thruxton is, so it comes into its own here – the engine is also strong at the top end too normally.

"I really enjoy coming here, I love the place but I’ve always had rotten luck.

"It’s been a great hunting ground for Honda traditionally and it’s not too far from Swindon where these cars are made so it’s a bit of a home event for us.

"There’s always a good showing here from Honda UK so it’s always good to have a strong weekend here for them.

"I’m going to try and stick it on the front row!"

Early Thruxton pace-setter Jack Goff has silverware in his sights in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship this weekend (6/7 May) around a track that has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for the Honda Civic Type R.

Goff has enjoyed a solid if somewhat under-the-radar start to the 2017 campaign after switching fromWest Surrey Racing’s rear-wheel drive BMW 125i M Sport to Eurotech’s front-wheel drive Civic, qualifying well and finishing inside the points in every race but thus far lacking the ultimate pace to challenge for the podium.

The 26-year-old was firmly on the pace in the Thruxton pre-event test, however – a day topped by his team-mate Jeff Smith – and Goff posted the benchmark lap time during FP1 today as he bids to concretise his potential with a return to the rostrum for the first time since Knockhill last summer.

“I look at our season so far in two different ways,” he reflected. “We’ve had two mediocre weekends where it hasn’t quite gone to plan, but we’re still sixth in the overall championship and third in the Independents’ so I think if we can put together a complete weekend rather than just one or two good races, we should be somewhere near where we need to be.

“Going back to front-wheel drive in the Honda Civic Type R has been great for me; the first time I jumped in it, I could tell how good it was. It probably isn’t the fastest car over a single lap in qualifying just due to its shape and drag, but certainly in the race it comes alive and that’s so important in touring cars. It doesn’t really have a weak track either.

“They’re a great bunch at Eurotech and I like to think I’ve brought a little bit to the team as well. We’ve admittedly put ourselves under some pressure this weekend after going so well in testing, but the Civic has proven to be quick at Thruxton in recent years so history is on its side and I want to go out there and bring the Eurotech boys and girls back some trophies.”