It's Matt Simpson's debut season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, driving the Speedworks Motorsport-backed Honda Civic Type R, and the Middlesex racer is enjoying the challenge, and the buzz, of what has been an educational first five events.

Simpson's elbows-out racing experience is derived from a schooling in the Quaife Intermarque championship, where the 34-year-old racked up a host of high-level honours and achieved great success. Back-to-back Quaife Intermarque titles came in a Vauxhall Tigra in 2013 and 2014. Prior to that, he was a leading protagonist on the Hot-Rod scene, clinching the European laurels in 2009 and 2011 and finishing runner-up in the World Championship in 2008 and 2009, and third in 2012.

The BTCC has proved to be a different kettle of fish for Simpson, who has spent the vast majority of his career driving rear-wheel drive 'silhouettes' and hot-rods. He spoke to btcc.net to discuss the aftermath of what was a fruitful Snetterton test back in June.

"It was great to be able to clock a bit more mileage and get a bit of track knowledge together as well as I’d only raced at Snetterton two or three times before in the past," said Simpson. "The front-wheel drive is also a massive learning curve for me from what I’ve raced in the past – I’ve been rear-wheel drive for a big part of my racing career.

"We’ve been trying to make some steady progress with the car and trying a couple of things here and there. Tom’s (Ingram) been the best team-mate in the world really to be honest because he’s always at the top of the timesheets. It’s good having someone so quick to work with even though my car’s obviously a slightly different prospect to his with a different wheelbase and aero."

Two 13th-placed finishes and points at Thruxton were a particular highlight of Simpson's 2016 campaign on a circuit that undoubtedly played to both his and his car's strengths. The former Hot-Rod champion prefers to be in the heat of battle, slicing and dicing for position and the high-speed Hampshire circuit is one that rewards the duelling driver with many an opportunity to overtake.

Simpson is hoping that the second half of 2016 will yield further progress as he aims to further familiarise himself with the demands of the championship ahead of a second bite at the cherry next season.

"It’s been a massive learning curve to be fair but we’re making steps forward and we’re hopefully going to keep improving to come back bigger, better and stronger for next year. There’s a massive fan base and the popularity of the series makes it such a great series to be part of – it’s such a buzz.

"I’m looking forward to Snett. I enjoy being in a scrap and in a gaggle of cars rather than being out putting times in. I prefer a bit of something to chase so I’m looking forward to being in the traffic when the racing gets back underway – it should be good."

Motorbase Performance man Mat Jackson became the fourth winner of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign with victory in round four at Donington Park, adding a second win at Hampshire's Thruxton circuit.

Jackson won an exciting opener at Donington Park after muscling his way past MG’s front row starters. Pole-sitter Ashley Sutton bogged down off the line and dropped back to fourth while Josh Cook banged wheels with Jackson’s Ford Focus, but the latter was able to squeeze through on the run down to Redgate for the first time.

The Ford Focus then pulled away from the MG duo and was more than a second up the road at the midway stage and he maintained that advantage to take the chequered flag of a shortened race brought about by James Cole's fire and an altercation involving Dan Welch and Matt Simpson.

Jackson scored a second win in Hampshire, following up Andrew Jordan’s race two success with an impressive display in the Thruxton finale.

The victory was his second of the 2016 campaign as he joined WIX Racing’s Adam Morgan as the only double winner up to that point in the 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.

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Following the two-day Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship tyre test at Snetterton, RCIB Insurance Racing man Michael Epps left Norfolk encouraged by what was a positive exercise for the Team HARD-backed squad.

Driver and outfit each learnt a great deal about both car and setup with the luxury of an extended period of time to work through, approve or dismiss a whole host of ideas heading into the second half of the campaign.

"For me it’s been a case of learning really and actually getting back to basics," Epps said. "You forget I haven’t actually done a test session since the start of the season so this is the first time I’ve been able to in the car and not have anything to do other than look at video and focus."

"To be able to actually make a change in pit lane that takes ten minutes, then go out and you’ve still got another hour of testing to do – it's just great. We’ve been able to throw lots of things into the bowl, leave some things in there and take out what didn’t work for us in the end."

"We’re looking positive and the car seems strong. These two test days we’re getting more running than we have for the whole half season so far, because of the intense running you can do all the time.

"We've had five weekends of practice and qualifying setup then you're busy deciding when you’re using your other tyre and the like so you never really get a chance to try things. For me, it’s been heaven really just being out there and figuring out exactly how the car is. You also improve yourself because I’ve put in twice the hours in the car today than I’ve probably done over the rest of the season as well. Six hours of pure testing over two days – you can’t really beat it."

On his season so far, the Hertfordshire driver hopes there is a little more to come having seen signs of improvement with a season-best triple points haul with 10th, 11th and 14th at Thruxton only to have been knocked back by a couple of minor issues in recent rounds.

"I’d say I wanted a little more from the season so far," he continued. "We went in a good direction with Thruxton, it was a nice result there and we wanted to keep going.

"We had some hiccups that have held us back at the last couple with the alternator failure and the puncture at Oulton Park.

"It’s just about making sure we get back on that incline again because we’ve dipped a little bit. Now we hope to come back here to Snetterton and have a good showing. The next few are tracks we’re more confident at and I think we’ve got every chance to shine."

Despite a lack of real success at Snetterton, by his own admission besting in the VW Cup with a third, it is a circuit Epps does enjoy racing at. Thursday afternoon's wet conditions served as further encouragement of what could be, given the efforts of his good friend Ash Sutton last time out, with a win in the wet at Croft.

"I’ve been to Snetterton a lot. I’ve never had amazing results there. It’s actually got quite a nice flow to it. Lots of people say ‘it’s just flat’ but there are a lot of very slight inclines and dips around the circuit that make it a nice place.

"There are a lot of cool corners – Coram and Bombhole is a really cool part of the track, and it was particularly in the wet. I found a new way around Coram and it’s one of those circuits that really gives back to the driver.

"We generally know what will work in terms of a wet setup and we sort of tried that and we were missing a couple of things that we improved on. We went out and found the lines and put it all together.

"We know there’s a bit more in the bag and I think if it were a wet race at Snetterton I’d be looking for a first podium or a decent result. a bit of an Ash Sutton, just throw it in and get it done. I know Ash well and to be up there against him would be nice."

The plan for the second half of the campaign for Epps is to achieve some immediate goals in terms of race results for himself and his hard-working team but also to start thinking about tackling a potential second season in the BTCC.

"I’d like to get a few more of those ‘firsts’ out of the way in the second half of the season. So, a first podium would be cool. It’d be amazing for the Team HARD boys, they’d be so happy with it, because really we’re punching above our weight. To get that would be fantastic.

"The other aim would be to beat the other guys (Chris Smiley and Jake Hill) in the championship standings so that’s another plan. Generally, I’m wanting to just keep enjoying it, keep doing what I’m doing and working towards a plan for next season.

"I’ve really got to work hard in this second half of the campaign on the future, while still maintaining what I’m doing on track. So, there’s lots to do but I’m really looking forward to it."

Next up in our winners wallpaper gallery is WIX Racing's Adam Morgan, who round three of of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch and round seven at Thruxton.

Morgan celebrated victory in the final encounter at the season opener after holding off a near race-long threat from the West Surrey Racing duo of Sam Tordoff and Jack Goff, and kicked off an incredible hat-trick of podiums with a win at Hampshire's Thruxton circuit on the best weekend in WIX Racing's BTCC history.

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Next up in our winners wallpaper giveaway is reigning champion Gordon Shedden, who won the second round of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch.

Shedden made the most of a tangle between race one winner Tom Ingram and WSR's Rob Collard on the run up to Druids early on, which left the latter spinning to the back of the pack while the Toyota man retired with damage.

The Scotsman needed no second invitation as he went on to lead home a one-two finish for Halfords Yuasa Racing with Matt Neal finishing behind him in second. You can view the race here and you can click below to download your Shedden poster or wallpaper.

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We’re looking back at an exciting first half of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, which has witnessed an unprecedented number of race winners.

Ashley Sutton’s recent success at Croft made it ten different winners from just 15 races, an astounding figure for the UK’s premier motor sport series.

The BTCC has always been renowned for its competitiveness but the current campaign seems to be raising the bar even further. The series is enjoying a glorious period under the NGTC regulations, with the race winning record being broken back in 2014. A total of 11 drivers won that year – an incredible statistic – but only six drivers had reached the top step of the rostrum at this stage of the season.

Over the next two weeks we will be looking back at this year’s ten winners so far and offering a poster download of each driver.

Today we cast our minds back to the Brands Hatch opener, where Tom Ingram took a hugely popular maiden BTCC victory. The Speedworks young gun took his first pole position the previous day around the 1.2-mile Indy Circuit, and he duly converted that result into a lights-to-flag victory on Sunday. You can view the race here and you can click below to download your Ingram poster or wallpaper.

 

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Our latest competition comes in conjunction with IHG® Rewards Club and we’re giving you the chance to win a weekend away in Norfolk (30/31 July) to see the BTCC at the Snetterton circuit plus an overnight stay at Holiday Inn Norwich City.

The headline prize also includes a chance to meet Team IHG® Rewards Club’s star driver Jack Goff and the opportunity to take a walk down the BTCC grid right before the lights go out for one of the three rounds at the circuit.

The top prize includes:

• A pair of entry tickets to Snetterton on Saturday/Sunday 30/31 July.
• Meet driver Jack Goff
• Grid walk before a BTCC race
• Saturday night at Holiday Inn Norwich City

In addition, four runners-up will win a pair of tickets to enjoy the full weekend’s racing.

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

The competition closes at 4pm on Thursday 21 July. For full terms and conditions see below!

Good luck!

Terms and conditions:

1x Like + Comment on Facebook = 1 entry or 1x RT + tag @ihgrewardsclub/#IHGRacing on Twitter = 1 entry. 1 entry per person. A winner picked at random. The competition will close 4pm on Thursday 21 July. The winner will be announced on Facebook and Twitter the following morning. The winner will have 24 hours from the announcement to come forward. If this does not happen another winner will be selected. The winner must be available over the Snetterton race weekend, transport to and from the circuit is not included. The prize is non-transferrable. Children under 16 will not be able to take part in the grid walk.

Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin came away from last week's Dunlop tyre test at Snetterton pleased with the progress he and the team had made given two days to work on the car, leaving him hopeful of a more fruitful second half of the campaign.

Austin's pace was encouraging, setting the sixth quickest time of the test overall having worked hard to make a shift in setup that better suits his driving style, having struggled to dial in the Toyota Avensis; this season being the first experience for the Evesham racer of a front-wheel drive machine in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

"I think since pre-season we've sort of lost ourselves a little bit," said Austin. "This test has given us the chance to gradually get back to where we were. It's the opportunity to jump a few steps and I think we've done that.

"The time we set on Wednesday was on old tyres so we knew there was a lot more to come out of that. I don't think we went at the most opportune moment on Thursday but we're happy we've taken a step and I'm looking forward to come back here and race now."

"We had a bit of an over-panic at Brands Hatch and aborted to Tom's (Ingram) setup and he drives completely differently to me. There's been a couple of communication errors and so on so it's taken us until now to work that out and work towards a setup that I can drive."

The Handy Motorsport man sits 15th in the BTCC Drivers' standings at the half way stage, with a best single result of 7th over the Thruxton weekend. An 11th and two P12's last time round at Croft signal improvement and following testing, Austin is optimistic that the best is yet to come from a season that has so far failed to live up to his ambitions.

"We're pretty close now," he said. "We've still got a little bit to find. It's a long track and a few of those that were ahead of us at Snetterton would have possibly been a chunk lighter than us as well so we're quite happy with that – there's a bit more in the bag as well.

"We've just got to work on taking a step forward. We've still not achieved what we thought we should have in the first half of the year, not anywhere close. We've got to start getting towards that and keep making little steps. We made a little step on Wednesday which transformed the car and we've got to go from there."

Last week's Dunlop tyre test at Snetterton gave teams the opportunity to tinker with the car outside of the time pressures of a race weekend and several took the chance to give some hot prospects a first run in a Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship machine around the Nofolk circuit.

Firstly, Power Maxed Racing handed a drive in one if its Chevrolets to Volkswagen Racing Cup leader Bobby Thompson. PMR hope that its Young Driver Program, introduced earlier this year, will act as a pathway for future BTCC stars.

"It was my first time in the car so the morning up until lunch was more or less just to get a feel of the car," said Thompson. "I’ve never driven something quite like this.

"I’ve been in something vaguely similar, in the VW Cup, with it being front-wheel drive but the BTCC car has a lot more power and a lot more grip through the corners.

"The car’s a lot softer than what I’m used to and it carries so much more corner speed which is immediately obvious. It’s very quick in a straight line too and it’s a lot better using a sequential gearbox rather than have to fight for a gear all the time.

"We weren’t exactly putting times in, as I was still learning the track and the car.

"We’re leading the championship in the VW Cup. I was giving good feedback in that championship and they wanted to see if I could do it in the touring car. More eyes are better than none so it’s another driver to give more feedback in the touring car and see how I get on."

Power Maxed Racing Team Principal, Adam Weaver said: “Bobby has shone this year for us in the VW Cup, and I believe in rewarding his hard work and talent with the chance to test a BTCC car. Bobby’s attitude, skill and personality are exactly what we are looking for in a driver, and we believe he will go a long way.”

The next young gun to test was Renault UK Clio Cup UK leader Ant Whorton-Eales, who Team HARD has given the opportunity of a drive in one of its Toyota Avensis’ in testing at Snetterton on Thursday.

The 22-year-old's link up with Tony Gilham’s outfit was part of a tie-in with JamSport Racing aimed at nurturing young talent in British motor sport.

"It’s been mega," Whorton-Eales. "We had one new set of tyres in the morning which was the first time I’d been on new tyres all the way round a car because in Clios we only concentrate on the fronts.

"We seemed to be really strong in the speed traps and coming off the corners and I think I’ve developed that technique racing in Clios for so long – our corner exits are very important.

"I was a bit of time here and there through the fast corners because we’re not quite carrying the speed yet. You underestimate just how much grip there is in these cars. When it does break traction though it breaks fast and you soon run out of tarmac.

"It’s something I had always wanted to do – I've always wanted to have a go in a touring car and Tony (Gilham) has given me the chance. I’m here again in Clios in a couple of weeks so it’s a bit of track time as well. Whether it will lead anywhere who knows, great if it does."

Lastly, Maximum Motorsport handed a drive to Dennis Strandberg. Most recently, the young Swede had driven for Academy Motorsport in an Aston Martin GT4 yielding third overall in British GT.

“I did a race with Maximum Motorsport in the VAG Trophy which was my first ever experience in a front-wheel drive car, so this is my second time in a front-wheel drive car,” said Strandberg.

“It felt pretty good. They gave me the opportunity to come and test here and I’m pretty pleased about it. I’m hoping to do a bit better than I’ve done so far but I’m just having thirty more minutes this afternoon.

“It’s completely different to anything I’ve ever driven before. I’ve driven a few cars but nothing like this. It’s a good car. It feels like a proper race car. I’m used to rear-wheel drive cars so my driving style is very much rear wheel drive. I’m getting there and I know there is time in the car and in me.

“This year I’m doing races here and there. I did British GT last year and I’m looking to a possible BTCC drive next year as well as GTs or maybe a drive back in Sweden. I have taken today to test everything out to see if I’m good enough so we’ll see and time will tell.”

As far as times go, it's always difficult to draw comparisons in testing but it was Whorton-Eales that set the best with a 1:58.012 edging Thompson's best effort by 0.015s. Strandberg's time in the car was limited, leaving early in the afternoon to make further racing commitments in Belgium.

RCIB Insurance Racing's Michael Epps raced to the latest Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship #ForeverForward honours, gaining a total of 20 positions over the Croft weekend.

Yet another three rounds of unpredictability in BTCC 2016 yielded overtake after overtake at the North Yorkshire circuit. The action left Team JCT600 with GardX's Rob Collard top of the overall Dunlop #ForeverForward pile, while post-Oulton Park leader Rob Austin slipped to third.

Martin Depper's eye for a pass in the increasingly racy-looking Eurotech Racing Honda Civic Type R sees him stay in the overall top three having gained 17 positions at Croft. Team-mate Dan Lloyd recovered from a first corner coming-together with Colin Turkington in the opener to jump eight and ten places respectively in the latter two rounds. WIX Racing's Adam Morgan made the biggest single gain of the weekend in race three as he scythed through the field from 31st to 14th.

Epps's race three was the one that swung it for the Hertfordshire racer. A DNF in the second round was a shame for the Team HARD man, given the pace he and the Kent outfit had displayed over the early throes of the weekend, which went some way to being rewarded with his 14th, and points, in race one. Epps made the best of that non-finish in the second round, gaining 15 places in the final encounter of the weekend – no mean feat in a single round in the BTCC.

At the half-way stage of the campaign the results and standings are as follows:

Dunlop #ForeverForward drivers of the weekend

1 Michael Epps 20
2 Dan Lloyd 18
3 Adam Morgan/Martin Depper 17

Dunlop #ForeverForward overall standings

1 Rob Collard 77
2 Martin Depper 69
3 Rob Austin/Michael Epps 67