Colin Turkington topped an extremely close qualifying session at Oulton Park earlier today (4 June), bringing home the first pole position for the Subaru-backed squad.
If that was a relative surprise then many will have been startled by the man in second place – young rookie Daniel Lloyd in only his second event for Eurotech Racing. Sam Tordoff was third after his own impressive lap, and shortly after the dust had settled we caught up with the top three drivers...
Colin Turkington has scored Silverline Subaru BMR Racing’s first pole position in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after the Ulsterman set a stunning pace at Oulton Park.
An exciting session at the 2.26-mile Cheshire track commenced with Turkington and team-mate Jason Plato initially holding a one-two for the Japanese marque.
The fightback came from a whole host of challengers, however, which saw Plato demoted down the order by the likes of Gordon Shedden's Honda and Ashley Sutton's MG.
Most of the field pitted shortly after the midway stage of the 30 minute session – as is relatively normal procedure in the BTCC – in preparation for a final flying run on fresh Dunlop rubber.
Sam Tordoff was up to second as the session neared its end in his Team JCT600 with GardX BMW, before rookie Daniel Lloyd amazingly pipped him in the Eurotech Honda.
Challengers came and went, and despite the incredibly close gaps throughout the top ten, nobody could dislodge double BTCC champion Turkington from top spot.
The result represents a huge upturn in fortunes for the manufacturer-backed Subaru squad – impressively bouncing back from a disappointing weekend at Thruxton last time out. Recurring fuel system issues – first experienced at Donington Park – forced the team to make the difficult decision to withdraw from action on safety grounds from last month’s meeting in Hampshire, but new components, engine modifications and a two-day test have seemingly had the desired effect on the all-new Levorg model here at Oulton Park.
Lloyd took a brilliant second in qualifying, just 0.019 seconds shy of pole-sitter Turkington, providing Eurotech Racing with its first front row spot since Thruxton in 2014. Tordoff took third ahead of the earlier pace-setting Toyota of Tom Ingram, while reigning champion Shedden had to settle for fifth - though just 0.001 seconds behind Ingram's Speedworks machine. The extraordinarily close session saw the top five separated by less than a tenth, with less than a second covering the top 22 cars.
Plato's Subaru had nipped back past Sutton's MG on the final run with the two coming home in sixth and seventh respectively, whilst the ballast-laden Honda Civic Type R of Matt Neal was a credible eighth. Aron Smith and Josh Cook rounded out the top ten.
A number of usual front-runners endured challenging sessions, including the two BMWs of Jack Goff and joint series leader Rob Collard that had to make do with 15th and 16th respectively. Motorbase Performance also had a tough time with Andrew Jordan taking 12th and Mat Jackson down in 25th.
Arguably the most surprising performance in qualifying came from WIX Racing's Adam Morgan, who ended up way down in 28th position. Morgan claimed a podium hat-rick at Thruxton last month – scoring more points than any other driver – but he'll be looking to forget a dismal day here, citing balance issues in his Mercedes A-Class.
Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship are being screened live and exclusively on ITV4 from 11:15am tomorrow.
Colin Turkington:
“We had to work really hard for that! This is the jump we had hoped for. Admittedly, Oulton Park favours rear-wheel drive a little bit more, but even at Thruxton I could feel we had made a step forward with the chassis. We then had a productive test at Pembrey where we made further progress, and I’m delighted to have come here and secured Subaru’s first BTCC pole. I’m thrilled for all the BMR guys who have put in a tremendous amount of hard work.”
Daniel Lloyd:
“That was mega! I’m still getting used to these tyres and learning how to extract the most from them. My first two runs weren’t ideal, and then on my third run, I messed up the first turn and missed the apex completely. I was tempted to abandon the lap, but then from Cascades on, I nailed every single corner. It wasn’t a knife-edge lap by any means – it was all fairly neat and tidy and accurate. I’m a bit gutted about the mistake in the first corner because it almost certainly cost me pole, but to be on the front row only second time out with Eurotech Racing is unbelievable. I’m over the moon with that.”
Tom Ingram:
“I can’t deny I’m disappointed, because the car definitely had the pace for pole but we just didn’t link it all together. We had an issue with the brakes at the start of the session which the boys worked frantically to rectify, and then none of our laps fell into place, some of which was due to traffic and some me not getting it right. We knew it was going to be extremely close because it always is here. The speed was there and we should have done it, but hopefully we can turn it around tomorrow...”
Gordon Shedden:
“I think the ballast affected the car a little bit everywhere around the lap; if you look at the cars in front of me on the grid, they either had no ballast on-board or are rear-wheel drive. We possibly didn’t hook it up quite perfectly, but I think we’re in a good place. It’s difficult to overtake round here, but that’s never been for a lack of trying in the past and it won’t be tomorrow either!”
2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Oulton Park:
1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing 1m26.264s (92.89mph)
2 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.019s
3 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.051s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.078s
5 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.079s
6 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.102s
7 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.175s
8 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.226s
9 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.229s
10 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.379s
11 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.462s
12 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.485s
13 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.487s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.545s
15 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.575s
16 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.624s
17 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.639s
18 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.690s
19 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.712s
20 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.721s
21 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.875s
22 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.947s
23 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.025s
24 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +1.105s
25 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.115s
26 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+1.205s
27 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +1.390s
28 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.485s
29 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +1.607s
30 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.098s
31 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +2.332s
32 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +2.876s
Tom Ingram and Speedworks Motorsport are fast becoming the one lap specialists of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, as the young gun topped both free practice sessions at Oulton Park.
As per his performance earlier this morning, Ingram waited until the closing minutes to produce a qualifying simulation run. Positions changed almost by the second late on and it was Ingram's Toyota that eventually led the way.
"We're where we want to be," says Ingram. "There's a long way to go though. It's very competitive so we'll just have to see what we can do for qualifying."
Halfords Yuasa Racing's Gordon Shedden was the first driver to dip into the 1:25s lap times, before he was nudged down to P2 by Ingram by just 0.065s. The gaps among the top six were similarly close with Shedden edging out Aron Smith's VW by 0.090s, whilst Josh Cook and Jack Goff ensured that five different marques were represented in the front five order. BMW were the only manufacturer to have two cars inside the top six as Sam Tordoff followed his West Surrey Racing team-mate Goff.
Silverline Subaru BMR Racing enjoyed an encouraging session as Jason Plato and Colin Turkington finished seventh and eighth respectively. A series of car upgrades and an important pre-event test suggests the manufacturer-backed team is looking competitive this weekend.
Rookie Ash Sutton was ninth for MG while Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin made a welcome return to the top ten. All 32 cars clocked timed laps although problems for Dan Welch and James Cole slightly curtailed their running.
Qualifying for Round 10 of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship takes place at 15:20 and will be streamed live and exclusively via www.itv.com/btcc. Please make sure you're following the BTCC's official social media feeds for up to the minute news and information.
2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Oulton Park:
1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 1m25.858s
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.065s
3 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.155s
4 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.232s
5 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.283s
6 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.383s
7 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.627s
8 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.662s
9 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.666s
10 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.672s
11 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.681s
12 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.801s
13 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.935s
14 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.971s
15 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.993s
16 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.997s
17 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.062s
18 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.307s
19 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.354s
20 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.425s
21 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+1.475s
22 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.645s
23 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +1.667s
24 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.716s
25 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.855s
26 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.015s
27 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +2.086s
28 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.190s
29 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +2.303s
30 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.385s
31 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +2.969s
32 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +3.102s
Tom Ingram left it late to show his hand in the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Oulton Park, but the Speedworks driver eventually hit the top with an impressive run.
Ingram has taken two pole positions from the opening three events of the 2016 season so far and he shows little sign of letting up in Cheshire. It's also the local circuit for his Speedworks squad, as the Toyota Avensis continues to prove its qualities at circuits with varying characteristics.
The tight and twisty nature of the Oulton Park layout intially saw three drivers from three different teams vying for pace-setting bragging rights.
Aron Smith's BKR VW was the first to fire into the 1:26s lap times and he was soon joined by Andrew Jordan's Ford and latterly by Gordon Shedden's Honda. In fact, the Halfords Yuasa Racing duo of Shedden and Matt Neal took more than half the session before completing a timed lap, but the Scotsman's immediate rise up the timesheets showed that the Civic Type R is again set to challenge.
When the chequered flag eventually fell it was Ingram ahead of Smith, Shedden and Jordan, whilst Jack Goff's BMW and Hunter Abbott's Chevrolet made it six different marques in the top six order. Abbott produced an extremely good lap to take sixth, as did young rookie Dan Lloyd who slotted into seventh for Eurotech Racing.
Sam Tordoff, Josh Cook and Colin Turkington completed the top ten, with the latter being the best performing Silverline Subaru Team BMR car.
The manufacturer-backed Subaru squad is returning to action this weekend, after being forced to miss race day at Thruxton last time out due to recurring fuel system issues. New components and engine modifications have since been tested during an intensive two day run at the Pembrey circuit in Wales, however, and the team is back with all four of its cars at Oulton Park.
Free practice two takes place at 12:45 before qualifying commences at 15:20, which will also be streamed live and exclusively via www.itv.com/btcc.
2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Oulton Park:
1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 1m26.049s
2 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.245s
3 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.398s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.443s
5 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.658s
6 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.700s
7 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.794s
8 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.891s
9 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.912s
10 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.973s
11 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.981s
12 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.020s
13 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.045s
14 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.061s
15 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.124s
16 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.165s
17 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +1.203s
18 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.229s
19 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.267s
20 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.315s
21 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.358s
22 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.434s
23 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.458s
24 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.654s
25 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.678s
26 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.685s
27 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+2.008s
28 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +2.024s
29 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +2.613s
30 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +2.675s
31 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +3.069s
32 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +3.897s
Catch up with Jeff Smith, Gordon Shedden and Jake Hill following four weeks away from the circuit as they prepare themselves ahead of Saturday at Oulton Park, and qualifying. There's also a chat with Team IHG Rewards Club's Jack Goff as he introduces the superb Team IHG® Rewards Club BMW BTCC Virtual Reality Race Experience.
Team IHG Rewards Club and BMW have launched a groundbreaking project that puts fans in the hot seat and as close to the experience of racing on the limit in a Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship round as you can get without being one of the drivers, and fans are invited to try it out this weekend at Oulton Park.
Fans will be able to ride shotgun in the Team IHG® Rewards Club BMW BTCC Virtual Reality Race Experience alongside Jack Goff in his BMW 125i M Sport as he fires off the line to attack the first lap from this year's season-opening race at Brands Hatch Indy.
The simulator is the ultimate way to take a lap. Its Oculus Rift headset gives a full 360 degree view from the passenger seat where you can see Jack at work as he weaves his way around a frenetic first lap at the famous Kent circuit. The bucket seat itself adds an extra dimension, pushing and pulling to mimic the G-forces as the car speeds through Paddock Hill Bend as well as the bumps and rumbles as Goff fends off overtaking manoeuvres and rides the curbs.
Team IHG® Rewards Club BMW BTCC driver, Jack Goff, explains more...
"Like all projects of this nature, there’s always a lot more that goes on behind-the- scenes than you’d expect.
It’s a ground breaking project, and the first time a professional motorsport race has been filmed in 360 degree Virtual Reality.
The experience itself is fantastic. To be able to view a full 360 degrees, and see things that during a race I’ve never even seen before, was very cool.
When I watch people taking the experience and having so much fun it really does make me happy. It’s nice to see all the hard work I’ve done on the track bring enjoyment to people.
And the seat simulator is the ultimate way to take the lap. The chair adds that extra dimension so you get a real sense of the G-forces we go through on the race track. So for example, you can feel the rumble strips as I go over them, and even feel the tapping I get from my own team-mate, Sam Tordoff.
Unless you’re a racing driver, this is a close as you’ll get to understanding what it’s like to be on the limit in a BTCC race."
If you want to have the full experience, you can do this at the BMW stand at BTCC rounds, and also at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The manufacturer-backed Subaru squad will return to BTCC action at Oulton Park this weekend (4/5 June) looking to bounce back from a difficult weekend at Thruxton last time out.
Recurring fuel system issues – first experienced at Donington Park – forced Silverline Subaru BMR Racing to make the difficult decision to withdraw from action at last month’s meeting in Hampshire.
New components and engine modifications have since been tested during an intensive two day run at the Pembrey circuit in Wales, however, which has left the team’s star drivers in confident mood.
“We had a really productive two days in Wales,” said double BTCC champion Colin Turkington. “It was the first opportunity we’ve had to put in some proper test miles and I'm pleased that we made some good gains with the chassis and engine. The issues we had at Thruxton all appear to be sorted and the team has left no stone unturned to ensure that we take a good step forward.
“I can’t wait to get back in the car now and see where we fall into the pack. I've been working as hard as I can in my own preparation and have managed to get some extra racing miles in various other cars just to make sure I’m as sharp as possible.
“Throughout this development period the spirit of the team has been unwavering, and they deserve a top result. I hope I can be the one to do that for them.
“I've also been blown away by the support of fans and I want to thank them for the loyalty and passion they have shown.”
Jason Plato is also buoyed by recent developments and believes the four Subaru Levorgs will suit the 2.26-mile Oulton Park Island Circuit this weekend.
“All of our cars have engine upgrades for this weekend that will give us a bit more performance, and I think our chassis will go very well round there,” he said.
“It’s an amazing circuit, a beautiful fast, flowing track with funny cambers – a real drivers track, my kind of circuit, and if we manage to get the car working well we can do great things.
“We know on the dyno (rolling testing track), but on track we don’t yet know. But I’m hopeful of a podium for sure.”
To find out if Silverline Subaru Team BMR can clinch its first podium then make sure you attend the Cheshire track this weekend, or catch the action live and exclusively on ITV4 from 11:15am on Sunday.
Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden are Cheshire-bound as they continue their quest for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship laurels – with Oulton Park next on the calendar for the country’s premier motor sport series.
With three meetings of the campaign completed, Halfords Yuasa Racing tops the Teams’ standings, Neal leads the way, tied with Team JCT600 with GardX's Rob Collard in the Drivers’ classification and fellow multiple title-holder Shedden is in close contention in fifth. Both men have tasted victory champagne already this year and between them, have tallied more than ten triumphs at Oulton Park in seasons past.
Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal starred at both Brands Hatch and Donington Park, with the latter then leading the championship from his team-mate, but the multiple champion squad have not had it all their own way since.
At Thruxton, a double non-finish for champion Shedden put a hole in his points tally. He heads back to the scene of his breakthrough BTCC success ten years ago fired-up to rediscover the rostrum.
“I’m feeling good," said Sheddon. "I think I was ready to go again at about 6:30pm on the Sunday at Thruxton, because I wanted to immediately erase the memories of that weekend!
"Oulton is a fun track to drive and usually produces good racing – although overtaking isn’t easy – and the large and enthusiastic crowds generate a good atmosphere.
"Ballast is quite a penalty there, due to the stop-start nature of the circuit, its undulating layout and heavy-braking zones. That will put even more emphasis than usual on qualifying – particularly with a full grid of 32 cars.
"The flipside to Thruxton in that respect is having dropped a few spots in the standings, I’ll be the lightest I’ve been going into qualifying for well over a year, with the obvious exception of the first round of the season when everybody is on zero ballast – so I’ll need to make sure I get my finger out to really take advantage of that.
"We’re still trying to maximise the potential of the Honda Civic Type R – I don’t think we’ve completely aced it yet – so to be as competitive as we have been everywhere so far is really encouraging, and we’ve got some good ideas to improve it further. Hopefully we can come away from Oulton with three good finishes and a strong points haul to put us firmly back on the championship trail.”
Neal fared slightly better at Thruxton, with a race three podium making up for earlier disappointment. Twelve months ago he claimed a brace of podium finishes around the picturesque and challenging Cheshire circuit and returns with his sights firmly set on defending his championship advantage in the chase for the coveted crown.
“When things were going wrong at Thruxton, I remember thinking, ‘at least on the positive side, I’ll be nice and light going to Oulton’ – and obviously now that isn’t the case," said Neal.
"That said, I’ve always stressed that I’d rather carry the weight than not because it means the points are in the bag. Oulton Park was one of the first tracks I ever raced at and I used to test there a lot. It’s an enjoyable circuit to drive – very fast and not very forgiving, with not much run-off if you make a mistake and overtaking is notoriously tricky. It’s got a little bit of everything, which means you need a car with good balance and high-speed stability – a strong all-round package – and that’s where the Honda Civic Type R really comes into its own.
"Qualifying will be tough, especially as Oulton is probably one of the worst circuits we go to for ballast, with a lot of slow corners followed by long uphill straights. That certainly won’t make it easy for us, but everybody towards the top of the table is in the same boat. It’s so incredibly tight in this championship right now that you have to be absolutely on peak form and I need to remain realistic and focus on the long game, but if we can keep on racking up the points, we’ll be doing just fine.”
The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship heads north with a capacity 32-car field due to battle for honours at Cheshire's Oulton Park (4/5 June), for rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the season. The UK’s premier motor sport series will blast around the picturesque circuit in front of what is expected to be one of the biggest crowds of the campaign, with in excess of 40,000 fans flocking to the track in recent years.
The 2016 BTCC season is in full swing with the first three weekends of the year providing typically unpredictable action – seven different drivers have stood on the top step of the podium from the nine breathless rounds raced. On top of that, five different marques have reigned supreme. The championship race is really hotting up as we move into the summer months, with the Honda of Matt Neal and BMW of Rob Collard currently sharing the standings lead, while just 21 points separate the top eight drivers in the table.
A record 33,000-strong crowd descended on Thruxton in Hampshire last time out and next weekend's encounter at the renowned Oulton Park circuit will be no different as spectators clamour for a slice of the BTCC action in the flesh, whilst many more will watch the unmissable drama unfold live on ITV4.
Oulton Park always generates a festival atmosphere when the BTCC rolls in, and 2016 looks set to be bigger and better than ever. A favourite for family campers, the fields around the circuit will be packed with fans of all ages ready to cheer on their favourite drivers and local heroes.
Talking point: Who will take the initiative?
With just three weekends of the year completed, there has already been no fewer than eleven drivers that have made the BTCC podium. No driver has yet been able to stamp any real authority on the season as seven have shared top honours over the opening nine rounds of 2016 – only WIX Racing's Adam Morgan and Motorbase Performance man Mat Jackson have doubled up. The only thing that is certain ahead of Oulton Park is that there is more uncertainty to come.
The no-holds-barred and unpredictable racing provided by the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is not only what the fans love, but also serves to cement its position as the country’s top motor sport series.
Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal starred at both Brands Hatch and Donington Park, with the latter then leading the championship from his team-mate, but the multiple champion squad have not had it all their own way since. At Thruxton, a double non-finish for champion Shedden put a hole in his points tally.
Neal fared slightly better, with a race three podium making up for earlier disappointment. An uncharacteristically 'off' weekend for Honda, perhaps more through bad luck than a lack of competitiveness, left the door open in the Manufacturers' standings. West Surrey Racing duly obliged with Rob Collard, Sam Tordoff and Jack Goff providing the points to propel them to top spot, also closing the gap to Honda at the summit of the Teams' running to just a point.
Tom Ingram has been just one of an ever-growing number of young talents in the series to impress this year as the Speedworks Motorsport driver blasted his Toyota to a first ever pole position and race victory in the Brands Hatch season opener. He scored another pole at Thruxton, which led to a second place finish in the first contest, but two disappointing results followed. He'll be hoping for better consistency at Oulton on Speedworks' patch. Morgan’s Mercedes has been in fine fettle and his incredibly strong weekend last time around, where he completed a podium hat-trick, has left him optimistic ahead of the fourth weekend of the year.
Motorbase Performance enjoyed another strong outing in Hampshire, underlining its Independents' standings lead with a second win of the campaign for Jackson and a maiden win in the Pirtek Racing Ford Focus for 2013 champion Andrew Jordan – his first BTCC victory since Croft 2014.
MG have featured at the front throughout the 2016 season so far and its two young drivers – Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton – will again be keen to impress.
Jason Plato and Colin Turkington – both double BTCC champions – would arguably settle for a trouble-free event in Cheshire next weekend. Not a desire you would normally associate with two drivers renowned for winning races, but the duo are part of the four-car Subaru squad that is currently developing the all-new Levorg model. The programme is in its infancy and there's still some way to go before the Japanese marque can be considered genuine contenders, but its legions of fans will watch their progress with great interest at one of the toughest and tightest tracks in the country.
Despite the aforementioned BTCC legends still finding their feet in 2016 there'll be no shortage of challengers next weekend, with experts predicting anyone from a list of 12 to 16 drivers to be in with a chance of victory!
Local Heroes: Race winners, fast cars and acting stars!
A number of teams and drivers call Oulton their home circuit. Speedworks Motorsport which runs Tom Ingram, while Ciceley Motorsport – the team behind the Mercedes A-Class machines of WIX Racing’s Adam Morgan – himself a local driver, placed third in the Drivers' standings – and Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat, is located near Preston in Lancashire. Power Maxed Racing's star racer, Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher is also a Lancastrian. He'll be looking to make good on a positive start to his season in the Chevrolet.
Following an extraordinary weekend at Thruxton, which included a hat-trick of podiums for Morgan, the WIX Racing man is looking to capitalise at his home circuit – something he's struggled to do in the past.
"It’s my local track, unfortunately it’s not been kind for me in terms of results but hopefully I can turn that around," he said. "Consistency is key in this championship and the points we’ve taken from Thruxton have been massive for us. If we can match that up with three top tens at Oulton it would be fantastic – it would keep the championship fight going.
"The Hondas are going to be quick and so will the MGs but it also suits the rear wheel drive guys as well. It’s a pick of more than ten for the win really – it could be anyone. We’ve proven our car works really well at places like Thruxton – I don’t see why it can’t work at Oulton and we’ll be having a go.
"It’s always incredibly close racing at Oulton. The track is tight and narrow with lots of opportunities for overtaking. It always brings a spectacle and plenty of rubbing and racing – proper good fun. It seems to attract the biggest crowd of up to 40-odd thousand and more. You come out on the green flag lap and you just see waves and waves of people. It’s great to be a part of it and be involved."
Timetable and tickets
All three BTCC races on Sunday, 5 June – and many of the day’s other races – will be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV4. Those in attendance at the circuit can stay in touch with the commentary and live timing from every session, available on the btcc.net Live Zone throughout the weekend.
The support series on the TOCA package are also guaranteed to thrill with a double digit total of races set to entertain the crowds. Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Renault UK Clio Cup, MSA Formula Championship and the Ginetta championships will all be in attendance in Cheshire, making for a jam-packed weekend of truly unmissable racing.
Discounted advance tickets are on sale online from just £27 for Sunday, 5 June and they are available on the gate at £15 for Saturday, 4 June, with weekend tickets including Paddock Pass available for just £35.
They can be purchased online at www.oultonpark.co.uk, by calling 0843 453 9000 or from the ticket office. Accompanied children aged 13 and under are admitted free.