Indies lead for mighty Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan made a strong start to his 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign with a trio of top six finishes and an Independents' win at Brands Hatch last weekend.

Morgan’s Mac Tools-sponsored Mercedes-Benz A-Class showed its promise early on in the weekend and duly qualified a creditable sixth fastest in a session punctuated by two red flags and changeable weather conditions.

“The car worked really well all day on Saturday,” said Morgan. “I was the first person to hit the rain when it came and I was on slicks so that was tricky but I was more than confident for Sunday.”

That confidence proved to be well placed as the Lancashire-based driver fired off the line to take fifth at Paddock before grabbing fourth on lap six with an incisive move at Graham Hill Bend. As early pace-setter Jeff Smith ran wide in his Honda Civic Type R, reigning champion Gordon Shedden pounced with Morgan following through behind the Halfords Yuasa Racing man to secure a potential place on the podium.

The Accrington flyer wasn’t finished there, however, wasting no time in charging up to Shedden's rear bumper, looking to steal second. He missed out by just over 0.150s in the end as the cars took the chequered flag, but with an opening weekend podium in the bag.

“I was catching Gordon (Shedden) but I wasn’t convinced it was worth risking everything with two more races to go. I decided it was better to bank the points," said Morgan.

That result meant Morgan would be placed third on the grid for race two with the regulation success ballast in his A-Class. With weight on board, a ding-dong between Rob Austin's Handy Motorsport Toyota ensued, before a late-race clash between Andrew Jordan's BMW and Austin's Avensis, just ahead of Morgan – allowing the Ciceley racer to nip through past the 125i M Sport. With Austin's post-race exclusion, this would yield a net fourth for Morgan, who added: “Carrying all that weight made it hard, but I had a go at Austin and there was a bit of a rub. He got his own back so I tried to stay with him and we then caught Jordan, so fourth became another good haul of points.”

Race three brought more reason for cheer for a packed garage full of the team's Mac Tools, WIX Filters and Fuchs Lubricants guests as Morgan hustled the Mercedes to fifth overall and the Independents' Trophy as well as the Independent Drivers' Championship lead heading to Leicestershire's Donington Park in just under a fortnight's time.

“It was a brilliant opening weekend,” said Adam. “I should have let Colin Turkington past earlier in race three because defending him hurt my tyres, but to come home fifth and win the Independents’ Trophy is fantastic. We've never had as good a start to the season as this and it is a great way of saying thanks to all of our partners for the support. We go to Donington at Easter looking for overall wins.”

Ciceley Motorsport’s Commercial Manager Norman Burgess said: “Adam has been fantastic this weekend and our sponsors couldn’t be happier. To come away with an Independents race win is great but Adam is leading the Independents Trophy for drivers and Ciceley Motorsport is leading the Independents’ Team Trophy. It has been the ideal way to welcome Mac Tools on board and to thank our many guests who cheered Adam all weekend. Now, we need to put the silverware away and look forward to Donington and maintain the great pace we have shown at Brands Hatch.”

Spoils shared at Brands Hatch

Success for Ingram, Shedden and Jordan in BTCC curtain raiser

Tom Ingram, Gordon Shedden and Andrew Jordan took a win apiece as the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship got underway at Brands Hatch this weekend (1/2 April).

Jeff Smith had secured the first pole position of the new campaign during mixed conditions on Saturday, but the experienced Eurotech Racing driver couldn’t hang on at the front once the lights went out for Sunday’s season-opener.

Fellow front row starter Ingram secured his move for the lead before the cars had even roared into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, gliding his Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis around the outside of Smith’s Honda Civic Type R, whilst contact behind took two of the championship’s big guns out of the running.

Matt Neal tried to defend against the charging rear-wheel drive BMW of Colin Turkington off the line, but unfortunate contact was made as the Honda moved across the track. Both cars stuttered into retirement with damage, bringing about the first safety car period of the new season.

Smith was immediately forced into full defensive mode when the race restarted, but he couldn’t keep Shedden’s Honda behind. The reigning champion made a superb move into Graham Hill Bend on lap six, whilst Adam Morgan eyed his opportunity to follow suit.

This left a top three of Ingram, Shedden and Morgan, an order that would remain unchanged until the chequered flag. It was an extremely good drive from race-winner Ingram, the 23-year-old repeating his 2016 performance with victory in the opening race of the season.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Shedden grabbed victory in a frenetic second encounter after a series of incidents interrupted proceedings.

An aborted start due to a problem for pole-sitter Ingram was followed by an accident at the restart, as Jason Plato’s Subaru Levorg was turned into the pit wall off the line. Heavy contact left the double champion’s Japanese machine stricken on-track in a dangerous position, obliging officials to red flag the contest.

Eventually it was lights-out for a reduced 23-lap race, as Ingram initially led the way from Shedden’s Honda. The ballast-laden Toyota Avensis couldn’t hang on however, as the Scot slipped by at Paddock Hill Bend on the second tour.

Shedden looked assured at the head of the pack, and his place was further cemented as Rob Collard hauled his BMW 125i M Sport onto the rear of Ingram’s Toyota. The experienced Collard nudged Ingram through Paddock Hill on lap 20 and eventually made the move stick on the run downhill. There was little time for him to make inroads into Shedden’s advantage, however, and the Honda man comfortably secured his first win of 2017.

Jordan completed a dream debut for BMW by claiming a victory in the final race on the 1.27-mile Indy circuit.

The 27-year-old – who switched from Ford to BMW machinery during the off-season – held off a late attack from West Surrey Racing stablemate Turkington. The pair touched briefly during the final lap, but Jordan held on to clinch an historic win for the returning manufacturer.

Tom Chilton made it a memorable podium as Vauxhall marked its own BTCC comeback with a fine third place for Power Maxed Racing.

BMW Pirtek Racing’s Jordan blasted from third on the grid to lead the field into Paddock Hill Bend on lap one, whilst Mat Jackson faced heartache trying to follow suit. Jackson’s Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo Ford went around the outside of Chilton’s Vauxhall Astra, but the former ran out of road after slight contact and endured a trip across the gravel.

Chilton maintained second while fellow front row starter Josh Cook was being shuffled down the order in the Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport Ford Focus.

Team BMW’s Turkington had jumped from tenth to third by a little over mid-distance and he busily closed in on Chilton’s PMR Astra ahead of him. The series returnee had no answer – deciding discretion was the better part of valour – and he allowed the Northern Irishman to nip by on lap 17.

Far from settling for second, Turkington reeled in Jordan at a rate of knots, and was on the blue Pirtek machine’s tail for the final few laps. He tried everything he could to get by – including a friendly rub through Clearways – but 2013 champion Jordan held firm to lead home a fantastic one-two for BMW.

Neal took fourth from Morgan, with both finishing ahead of the fading Collard, whilst Shedden had to settle for seventh – cementing an extremely positive day for the reigning champion.

Eurotech Racing’s topsy-turvy day ended with eighth for Jack Goff, following his earlier fourth and 12^th-place finishes, whilst the impressive Michael Epps and Jake Hill rounded out the top ten in the Team HARD-run VWs. Epps notably scored three top ten finishes throughout the day for Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing.

Other standout results included a fifth-place finish for Rob Austin in race one, although his day rather unravelled following exclusion from the second contest due to contact made with Jordan and completing an overtaking manoeuvre under yellow flag conditions.

As the dust settled on an exciting opening weekend of the 2017 season, triple champ Shedden leads the standings by just six points from Ingram, with Jordan a further point in arrears.

Morgan is fourth after a trio of top five finishes, with Collard just behind following his own good run of results. Morgan and his Ciceley Motorsport squad also lead the Independents Drivers’ and Teams’ order.

BMW and Halfords Yuasa Racing top the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ tables respectively, whilst Vauxhall new boy Senna Proctor holds the advantage in the Jack Sears Trophy.

The 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship continues at Donington Park on 15/16 April.

Tom Ingram said: “That was absolutely fantastic, how do you put it into words? Winning here two years on the bounce – it’s the best way to repay all that hard work over the winter. It’s a heck of a result and I’m really pleased. Everyone was reminding me for the next race, ‘get points – just get points’. As soon as I saw Rob [Collard] throw his nose down the inside at Paddock in race two, I thought, ‘I remember this from last year!’ We prioritsed the points and considering the weight we were carrying, third was a great return.”

Gordon Shedden said: “I’ll take those three results any weekend of the year – it’s been a brilliant start to the season. The Civic Type R felt great throughout. In fact, it was even better with the weight in race two than without it in race one, which was slightly random – but very encouraging going forward. I think this must be my best ever start to a BTCC campaign, so we’re clearly going in the right direction. I’m absolutely chuffed – a very happy Scotsman heading back north tonight!”

Andrew Jordan said: “That was quite a start wasn’t it with rear-wheel drive and a new team? I was getting a bit twitchy with Colin (Turkington) looking really, really strong on the soft tyres behind – the rear-wheel drive expert! We had a little rub at the end there but it was a good way to end. I knew he wasn’t going to do anything silly. It’s really special, to get the win on my first event with BMW Pirtek Racing and West Surrey Racing. It’s down to the team – credit to the guys for all the work they’ve put in.”

Adam Morgan said: “To get on the podium in race one was incredible. A third, fourth and fifth was more than we expected and to be leading the Independents’ is magnificent. Consistency is going to win the championship this year. We need to keep those points ticking over and we’ll be near the front come the end of the season. The car was extremely quick in the first race and I think we’re in for a good shout. We aim to be in overall title contention this year although the Independents’ is our main target.”

Rob Collard said: “I was so relieved that the second race was red-flagged early on, because [Rob] Austin had tipped me into a spin at Druids and I was nowhere – virtually last. A good re-start was crucial for me, and after that we picked them off one by one. Andrew [Jordan] worked well with me when it was clear that I was quicker, and to get Tom [Ingram] at the end was brilliant. The BMW felt amazing throughout.”

Colin Turkington said: “It’s so easy to let the head drop at the start of the day when you make 12 yards off the line and end up facing the traffic, but I’ve been around in this championship for so long that I know you’ve just got to look to the next race. Race two was where all the hard work was done really, carving through from the back and giving myself a chance with a good slot on the grid for race three. The guys gave me a great car in the BMW for the last one. We tweaked it for the soft tyre and I couldn’t believe the pace.”

Tom Chilton said: “It was perfect. It’s our first event of the year and we’re still learning the car. It shows what a great job Power Maxed Racing has done and to get a podium is brilliant. It’s put me right up there in the championship in a new car – it’s amazing. I didn’t expect it at all. The BTCC has 32 of the best drivers in Britain and some of the best teams in the world, so to get a result is very difficult – especially a podium, so I’m absolutely over the moon. It was quite special and for us, it felt like a win.”

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 1 – Brands Hatch (Indy):

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 27 laps
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +3.181s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +3.348s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +12.387s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +16.410s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +16.610s
7 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +16.760s
8 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +18.109s
9 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +18.326s
10 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +18.632s

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 2 – Brands Hatch (Indy):

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 3 – Brands Hatch (Indy):

Penalties
Race one:
Josh Cook received a verbal warning after gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Aiden Moffat

Chris Smiley received a verbal warning after gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Stephen Jelley

Ash Sutton received a verbal warning after gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Will Burns

Jack Goff received a verbal warning after gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Rob Austin

Rob Collard received a verbal warning after gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Mat Jackson

Michael Epps received a verbal warning after gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Matt Simpson

Race two:
Rob Austin was excluded from Round 2 and received four penalty points for driving in a manner incompatible with general safety or departing from the standard of a reasonably competent driver during an incident involving Andrew Jordan

Race three:
Jeff Smith received a verbal warning after gaining an unfair advantage during an incident involving Luke Davenport

Ash Sutton was officially reprimanded and received two penalty points for driving in a manner incompatible with general safety or departing from the standard of a reasonably competent driver during an incident involving Jeff Smith

The top three from round three at Brands

After a breathless round three from Brands Hatch, btcc.net caught up with race winner, BMW Pirtek Racing's, Andrew Jordan, his West Surrey Racing stablemate – Team BMW's Colin Turkington, as well as Power Maxed Racing's Tom Chilton.

Jordan heads BMW one-two at Brands Hatch

Andrew Jordan completed a dream debut for BMW by claiming a victory in the final Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at the opening Brands Hatch weekend.

Jordan – who switched from Ford to BMW machinery during the off-season – held off a late attack from fellow stablemate Colin Turkington. The pair touched briefly during the final lap, but Jordan held on to claim an historic win for the returning manufacturer.

Tom Chilton made it a memorable podium as Vauxhall marked its own BTCC comeback with a fine third place for Power Maxed Racing.

BMW Pirtek Racing's Jordan blasted from third on the grid to lead the pack into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, as Mat Jackson faced heartache while trying to follow suit. Jackson's Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo with Ford went around the outside of Chilton's Vauxhall Astra, but the former ran out of road and endured a trip across the gravel.

Chilton maintained second while fellow front-row starter Josh Cook was shuffled down the order in the Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport Ford Focus. Cook was sixth by the end of lap three but worse was to follow for the young driver as he would eventually finish 26th after running wide at Druids Hairpin.

Tom Ingram was another struggling to hold station with his ballast-laden Toyota Avensis slipping behind Matt Neal, before he was tag-teamed by the charging Team HARD-run duo of Michael Epps and Jake Hill.

Turkington had jumped from from tenth to third in the BMW 125i M Sport by a little over mid-distance and he busily reeled in Chilton ahead of him. The series returnee had no answer – deciding discretion is the better part of valour – and he allowed Turkington to nip by on lap 17.

Far from settling for second, Turkington reeled in fellow WSR driver Jordan at a rate of knots, and was on the blue Pirtek machine's tail for the final few laps. He tried everything he could to get by – including a friendly rub through Clearways – but 2013 champion held firm to lead home a fantastic one-two for BMW.

Neal took fourth from Adam Morgan, with both finishing ahead of the fading Rob Collard, whilst Gordon Shedden had to settle for seventh – cementing an extremely positive day for the reigning champion. Eurotech Racing's topsy turvy day ended with eighth for Jack Goff, whilst the impressive Epps and Hill rounded out the top ten.

Andrew Jordan said: "That was quite a start wasn’t it with rear-wheel drive and a new team? I was getting a bit twitchy with Colin (Turkington) looking really, really strong on the soft tyres behind – the rear-wheel drive expert! We had a little rub at the end there but it was a good way to end. I knew he wasn’t going to do anything silly. It wasn’t the calmest moment of my career when he did get past Tom (Chilton). I was hoping he’d be behind him a bit longer but I knew he was coming. I just kept driving to my markers, tried not to look in my mirrors any more than usual and tried to be kind on the left rear tyre. It’s special really, to get the win on my first event with BMW Pirtek Racing and West Surrey Racing. It’s down to the team – credit to the guys for all the work they’ve put in, especially with the addition of the new engine."

Colin Turkington said: "It’s so easy to let the head drop at the start of the day when you make 12 yards off the line and end up facing the traffic but I’ve been around in this championship for so long that I know you’ve just got to look to the next race. Race two was where all the hard work was done really, carving through from the back and giving myself a chance with a good slot on the grid for race three. The guys gave me a great car in the BMW for the last one. We tweaked it for the soft tyre and I couldn’t believe the pace. I got close to Andy (Jordan) but we had our instructions and I wasn’t going to do anything silly!"

Tom Chilton said: "It was perfect. It’s our first event of the year and we’re still learning the car. It shows what a great job Power Maxed Racing has done and to get a podium, even with a bit of luck with the reverse grid draw, it’s brilliant. It’s put me right up there in the championship in a new car – it’s amazing. I didn’t expect it at all. The BTCC has 32 of the best drivers in Britain and some of the best teams around, so to get a result is very difficult – especially a podium, so I’m absolutely over the moon. It was quite special and for us, it felt like a win."

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 3 – Brands Hatch (Indy):

1 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing 24 laps
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.315s
3 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +4.692s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +7.558s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +10.205s
6 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +10.812s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +11.719s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +12.141s
9 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +12.970s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +14.367s
11 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +18.859s
12 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +21.500s
13 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +21.648s
14 Dave NEWSHAM (IRL) BTC Norlin Racing +22.117s
15 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +22.587s
16 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +23.653s
17 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +25.070s
18 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +25.546s
19 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +25.942s
20 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +26.183s
21 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +26.540s
22 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +26.932s
23 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +29.636s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +30.335s
25 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +33.244s
26 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1 lap
27 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2 laps
28 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +3 laps
DNF Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +4 laps
DNF Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing
DNF James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing
DNS Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing

Podium Places

The top three from Round 1 and 2 of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship spoke to the official BTCC website...

Gordon Shedden grabs victory at Brands Hatch

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Gordon Shedden grabbed victory in a frenetic second BTCC encounter at Brands Hatch after a series of incidents interrupted proceedings.

An aborted start due to a problem for pole-sitter Tom Ingram was followed by an accident at the restart, as Jason Plato's Subaru Levorg was turned into the pitwall off the line. Heavy contact left the double champion's Japanese machine stricken on-track in a dangerous position, forcing officials to red flag the contest.

Eventually it was lights out for a reduced 20-lap race, as Ingram comfortably led the way from Shedden's Honda. The ballast-laden Toyota Avensis couldn't hang on however, as Shedden slipped by at Paddock Hill Bend on the second tour.

Battles behind involved Rob Austin, Andrew Jordan, Rob Collard and Adam Morgan as the quartet nudged eachother around 1.27-mile Indy circuit.

The young trio of Michael Epps, Ashley Sutton and Josh Cook were also scrapping in the lower half of the top ten, with contact eventually sending Sutton's Subaru skipping across the gravel at the exit of Clearways. Contact at the same corner between Dan Lloyd, Luke Davenport and Any Whorton-Eales left the latter's AmD Audi S3 beached.

A brief spell behind the safety car followed and it was all to play for once again for the final ten laps.

Shedden seemingly had things sewn up, and his place was further cemented as Collard hauled his BMW on to the rear of Ingram's Toyota. The experienced Collard nudged Ingram through Paddock Hill on lap 20 and eventually made the move stick on the run downhill. There was little time for him to make inroads into Shedden's advantage, however, and that's how the lead trio remained until the chequered flag fell.

"That was a very bizarre race, with the re-start and everything," said race-winner Shedden. "To win with 66kg in the car is really special. Weirdly, the car probably felt better there than it did in the first race without any weight, so we’re clearly going in the right direction. Rob [Collard] was coming on strong at the end, with a fair chunk less weight than I had – I’m glad it was over when it was over really. That was long enough!"

"I was so relieved that the race was red-flagged early on, because [Rob] Austin had tipped me into a spin at Druids and I was nowhere – virtually last," responded Collard. "A good re-start was crucial for me, and after that we picked them off one by one. Andrew [Jordan] worked well with me when it was clear that I was quicker, and to get Tom [Ingram] at the end was brilliant. The BMW felt amazing throughout."

Fourth wasn't so straight forward as Austin's Handy Motorsport Toyota got into the back of Jordan's BMW at Clearways. This allowed Morgan's Mercedes to also follow through, as the Pirtek Racing BMW re-found its footing. Jordan was able to close the door on Mat Jackson's Ford Focus, initially, but he would also lose sixth place across the finish line by just 0.015s.

There was a change to the order post-race, however, as Austin was excluded from the result. This was due to his part in the Jordan incident taking place under yellow flag conditions, which bumped everyone else up the order.

Josh Cook, Tom Chilton and Colin Turkington rounded were next up in the final classification, with the latter completing a stellar comeback drive with a last gasp move by Michael Epps' VW. It was Chilton celebrating after the reverse grid draw and Austin's penalty, however, as the Power Maxed Racing car was chosen at random to take pole position in this afternoon's final race.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 2 – Brands Hatch (Indy):

1 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 23 laps
2 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.870s
3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2.657s
4 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +4.565s
5 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +5.125s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +5.140s
7 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +8.013s
8 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +8.197s
9 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +9.441s
10 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +9.492s
11 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +9.672s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +10.260s
13 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +10.488s
14 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +11.265s
15 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +12.741s
16 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +13.002s
17 Dave NEWSHAM (IRL) BTC Norlin Racing +14.025s
18 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +14.916s
19 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +17.857s
20 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +18.084s
21 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +18.450s
22 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +20.479s
23 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1 lap
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +3 laps
DNF Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +5 laps
DNF Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +5 laps
DNF Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +6 laps
DNF Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +14 laps
DNF Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +14 laps
DNF Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +23 laps
DNF Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +23 laps
EXC Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport

Every second counts

The fight for second spot in the opening race of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship went down to the wire, as Gordon Shedden held off Adam Morgan by just 0.167s.

Shedden and Morgan nipped by pole-sitter Jeff Smith on the same lap, with the Halfords Yuasa Racing car initially pulling away from the Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes. The Scotsman set the fastest lap of the race, and gained the extra bonus point, before Morgan started reeling him back in.

A series of quick laps left Morgan on Shedden's tail towards the end of the race, but the latter held on to take the place, although both were happy with the result.

"It’s a good start for us, pretty much exactly mirroring what happened last year," said Shedden. "It's a nice podium to start with and some good points in the bag. Tom (Ingram) got a cracking start and he’d made his escape and gone 100 metres or so up the road by the time I’d passed Jeff (Smith).

"Adam (Morgan) was coming on strong towards the end and we had a few dramas with some warning lights coming on all over the dash so I was trying to deal with them a bit, but it was alright in the end. It was a little bit like a Christmas tree with lights all over the dashboard. Something obviously went amiss but the guys will look at the data and try to stop it. It’s a work in progress but we’re moving forward. We’ll come out in race two and try to do a little bit more."

"That’s an amazing way to start the year," responded Morgan. "I was catching Gordon (Shedden) at the end, thinking to myself ‘is it worth it?’ but I just thought it best to bring the car home and get some good points on the board. It was a similar situation to last year really. Do you risk something and go for it, or do you take the points? I think we made the right decision."

Tom Ingram wins season opener

Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram has won the opening race of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, after getting the better of pole-sitter Jeff Smith at Brands Hatch.

Ingram secured his move before the cars had roared into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, gliding his Toyota Avensis around the outside of Smith's Eurotech Honda, whilst contact behind forced two of the championship's big guns into retirement.

Matt Neal tried to defend against the charging rear-wheel drive BMW of Colin Turkington off the line, but unfortunate contact was made as the Honda moved across track. Both cars stuttered into retirement with damage due to the incident, whilst the Safety Car was called to retrieve the stricken machines of the two former champions.

BMW Pirtek Racing's Andrew Jordan had already stormed from 11th on the grid up to sixth, but there would be more action as soon as the race resumed. Smith was forced immediately in full defensive mode but he couldn't keep Gordon Shedden's Honda behind, as the reigning champion made a superb move into Graham Hill Bend on lap six, whilst Adam Morgan eyed his opportunity to follow suit.

This left a top three of Ingram, Shedden and Morgan with a gaggle of cars now backed up behind Smith's Honda Civic Type R.

Rob Austin and Jack Goff eventually made their moves into fourth and fifth respectively on lap 15, shortly before Smith was cruelly forced into retirement with a mechanical issue.

Michael Epps and Rob Collard were having a ding-dong battle in the latter half of the top ten, with the young VW driver initially getting the better of his more experienced rival. The BMW 125i M Sport of Collard kept pace throughout, however, as did his stablemate Jordan – impressing on his rear-wheel drive debut.

Collard sneaked by Epps on lap 23 and repeated the trick on Mat Jackson's Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo machine. The Team BMW racer would eventually finish seventh, immediately behind 2013 champion Jordan. Jackson, Epps and series returnee Tom Chilton completed the top ten, with the latter hustling the new Vauxhall Astra throughout the 27-lap contest. A solid finish for new boy Senna Proctor in the sister car ensured Vauxhall sit atop the Manufacturers' standings after the opening round.

Matt Simpson scored his best ever BTCC result with 11th, as he fended off the Subaru Levorg of double champion Jason Plato.

Back at the front and it was Ingram cruising to a commanding win as Shedden valiantly defended the attack from the Mac Tools-backed Mercedes of Morgan, the pair eventually crossing the line separated by just 0.167s.

All credit goes to race-winner Ingram, however, with the 23-year-old repeating his 2016 result by winning the opening race of the season.

"That was absolutely fantastic, how do you put it into words?," beamed Ingram. "Two years on the bounce – it’s the best way to repay all that hard work over the winter. The start we had was our plan all along. We had to try and get the jump on Jeff (Smith) off the line and it was just about as perfect as it could have been. From there, I just tried to build as big a gap as I could. It’s a heck of a result but now we’ve just got to ensure we don’t do what we did last year. We were pace-setters but we lost a lot of points over the races. If we can make amends there, we will be in contention."

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 1 – Brands Hatch (Indy):

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 27 laps
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +3.181s
3 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +3.348s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +12.387s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +16.410s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +16.610s
7 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +16.760s
8 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +18.109s
9 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +18.326s
10 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +18.632s
11 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +20.347s
12 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +20.705s
13 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +22.792s
14 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +23.589s
15 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +25.015s
16 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +25.517s
17 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +26.153s
18 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +27.137s
19 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +27.917s
20 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +28.169s
21 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +28.226s
22 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +28.721s
23 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +32.441s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +36.234s
25 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1 lap
26 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +2 laps
DNF James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +4 laps
NC Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +6 laps
DNF Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +13 laps
DNF Dave NEWSHAM (IRL) BTC Norlin Racing +16 laps
DNF Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +27 laps
DNF Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +27 laps

Jeff Smith secures maiden pole position

Eurotech Racing’s Jeff Smith has scored a sensational maiden Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship pole position, as the experienced driver mastered tricky, damp conditions at Brands Hatch.

A disjointed opening qualifying session of the 2017 BTCC season was interrupted by incidents and inclement weather, as drivers and teams strived to be on track at the perfect time.

It was Smith and Eurotech that played the right hand as the Honda Civic Type R crossed the line shortly before a deluge of rain fell at the Kent venue. This had followed two earlier stoppages for separate incidents at Paddock Hill Bend, which saw the Chevrolet of Dave Newsham and Subaru of Ashley Sutton beached in the gravel.

Rain came and went throughout much of the running, but it was the shower following Smith’s lap that would scupper any chance of further improvement. The Midlander’s performance should not be underestimated, however, as his 48.367s lap time was just two tenths shy of Tom Ingram’s practice benchmark, despite the afternoon’s less-than-ideal conditions.

Speedworks Motorsport’s Ingram backed up his own pace-setting performance in practice by taking an impressive second in qualifying, whilst the Halfords Yuasa Racing duo of Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal will line up on the second row for tomorrow’s season-opener.

Reigning champion Shedden and team-mate Neal both had to recover from wild rides across the grass on the exit of Surtees, as did the likes of Rob Collard and Ollie Jackson, with the entire 32-car field trying to manage the ever-changing atmospherics.

BMW returnee Colin Turkington claimed fifth ahead of Adam Morgan’s Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes, whilst Jack Goff cemented Eurotech’s joy with seventh. Rob Austin (Handy Motorsport), Jake Hill (TAG Racing) and Matt Simpson (Simpson Racing) completed the exciting top ten order, which meant all five Hondas in the field took prime positions.

Former champions Andrew Jordan and Jason Plato had to settle for 11th and 18th respectively for BMW Pirtek Racing and Adrian Flux Subaru Racing, whilst Vauxhall’s BTCC race return will commence from 12th and 16th on the grid with Tom Chilton and Senna Proctor.

Jeff Smith said: “Matt Neal was in front of me and I just managed to tuck in behind him for a couple of laps. One of them was quick enough for pole as it turned out. I’ve been on pole before from a reverse grid but I head into every qualifying session believing we can do it, it’s just about executing it. FP1 was a bit of a disaster for us but since then, the car came into its own and it’s been stunning this afternoon. I must admit, I’ve left it to the guys over the winter to sort things out behind the scenes and they have just done a fantastic job. A lot of work has gone in and on my side, I’ve been focussing out on track and getting the laps in over the winter.”

Tom Ingram said: “We were more than happy with that in those conditions, it can go one of two ways. I’d have loved pole but I’m more than happy with second. We can do something from here. Gordon (Shedden) is third, Jeff (Smith) will be pushing for the win so we’ll have to try and get him off the line and try and get clear but we’ll see. I’ve had a cold this week, so I’m not feeling 100 per cent, but I’ll be fine for the morning!”

Gordon Shedden said: “That was a bit of a random one! It was never totally dry. I think a few tried to get on it a little too quickly for the tyre. I had a little moment, well a huge moment, but I don’t think I was the only one! I’ll put that down to an experience and get on with it. It’s the same for everybody but it’s a shame with these conditions. That said, you want to be somewhere rather than nowhere so it’s OK, I’m happy.”

Matt Neal said: “The car’s perfect but the the track was changing corner-by-corner, lap-by-lap. With all three of our cars in the top ten, we’re really chuffed and with Jeff (Smith) on pole it’s three Hondas in the top four – pretty special.”

Colin Turkington said: “We were just hampered by the weather at the start of the session when it was spotting with rain, but then it cleared and we got a go at it. Really quickly the weather turned on us after that. I think everybody feels frustrated at not being able to get a clear run and see what the cars are capable of, but the end result is good for me. I’ve been running in and around there all day so it’s probably representative. We’ve been nudging the car in the right direction. In FP1 we had a bit of a balance issue but we’re improving it.”

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Brands Hatch (Indy):

1 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing 48.367s (89.90mph)
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.062s
3 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.160s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.176s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.185s
6 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.229s
7 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.299s
8 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.452s
9 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.494s
10 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.532s
11 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.552s
12 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.570s
13 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.575s
14 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.581s
15 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.659s
16 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.673s
17 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.744s
18 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.751s
19 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.762s
20 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.811s
21 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.813s
22 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.826s
23 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.884s
24 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.962s
25 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.022s
26 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.065s
27 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.175s
28 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.192s
29 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.214s
30 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.427s
31 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.480s
32 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing NO TIME

Tom Ingram tops the times in FP2

Tom Ingram has doubled up by topping both Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship Free Practice sessions at Brands Hatch.

The Toyota star set the pace earlier this morning, but the 23-year-old improved his time by 0.006s in the second 40-minute run. Ingram waited until the closing minutes to complete the lap in this particular session, firing out a warning to his rivals in the process.

“I’m piling the pressure on myself here, aren’t I!" said Ingram. "We spent a lot of that session playing around with the balance of the car and we are still a couple of tenths away from our pole-setting pace last year, so there is a fairly big chunk to come – we’ve by no means given everything we’ve got. I’m sure some people will have been running with a fair bit of weight on-board in FP2, so it will be interesting to see where everybody else is in qualifying in terms of out-and-out pace.”

Eurotech's Jack Goff led the way for much of the running before Adam Morgan's Ciceley Mercedes took over at the top. The Mac Tools-backed A-Class looked to have clinched bragging rights until Ingram's late lap, but Morgan was still pretty happy with second place.

"We’ve brought in a new engineer team during the off-season and they have done a magnificent job with the car," commented Morgan. "It just feels so nice to drive and it’s always good to be up at the sharp end. A few people probably haven’t done a qualifying sim yet, but we’re working on our own strategy and we’re happy where we are.

"It’s busy out there and getting a clean lap will be critical – fingers crossed we’ll be in the right place at the right time come qualifying."

Goff held on to third from triple-champion Matt Neal, with Halfords Yuasa Racing maintaining its usual steady progress throughout both practice sessions.

Rob Austin and Colin Turkington backed up their top ten pace from the first session by taking fifth and sixth respectively in the second run. The Handy Motorsport Toyota of Austin enjoyed good form in the latter half of the 2o16 season, as well as a promising pre-season this time around, whilst Colin Turkington's return to BMW is ominously building momentum.

Jeff Smith produced a stellar lap to claim seventh – making it two Eurotech Hondas in the top ten – whilst Aron Taylor-Smith has settled into his new MG surroundings well with eighth. Young Senna Proctor starred in ninth for Vauxhall, ahead of 2013 Champion Andrew Jordan.

A number of the big guns failed to show their hand, with Adrian Flux Subaru Racing in particular enduring a tough session. With the top 28-cars being covered by less than 0.9s the quartet of Subarus could only manage 28th, 29th, 31st and 32nd in the order.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice Two – Brands Hatch (Indy):

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 48.158s (90.29 mph)
2 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.086s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.091s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.165s
5 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.260s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.301s
7 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.341s
8 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.354s
9 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.366s
10 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.373s
11 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.382s
12 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.401s
13 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.411s
14 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.434s
15 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +0.436s
16 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.508s
17 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat with Duo +0.529s
18 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.564s
19 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.592s
20 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.594s
21 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.690s
22 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.718s
23 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.724s
24 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +0.739s
25 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.819s
26 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +0.847s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.868s
28 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.888s
29 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.072s
30 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.097s
31 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.290s
32 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +2.277s