Halfords Yuasa Racing is bidding to bounce back from Donington Park disappointment this weekend (6/7 May) with a return to winning ways in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship around the fastest circuit in the country – Thruxton. 

Gordon Shedden looked to have consolidated his championship lead with a race three triumph last time out, only for a technical infringement to scupper those plans. Consequently slipping to fourth in the standings, the Scot is fired-up to fight back around a track that has always played to Honda’s strengths – with an impressive 50 per cent strike rate over the past seven years.

"Thruxton is incredibly fast; theoretically you only brake twice around the course of the lap, which is crazy to think," said the reigning champion. "Slipstreaming plays a big part, and looking after the tyres over a race distance is key. It may look like a relatively straightforward circuit layout on paper, but I can assure you that an awful lot goes on around there from a driving point-of-view!

"We focussed on race runs during the test last week, because we know we can bolt a good qualifying set-up onto the car, and Thruxton has been a reasonably happy hunting ground for us in recent years with the Civic Type R. Hopefully that trend will continue this season and we can have a really strong weekend."

Halfords Yuasa Racing team-mate Matt Neal, for his part, has his sights set on drawing level with touring car legend Andy Rouse on 60 BTCC wins – and the three-time champion feels there could be no better place to mark that momentous milestone than on Honda’s home turf, with the Civic Type R being assembled just up the road in Swindon.

Shedden and Neal laid down a marker during last week’s pre-event test at Thruxton, when they served signal of intent by lapping second and fourth-quickest respectively as Hondas swept the top four positions on the timing screens. Both men are confident of maintaining that positive momentum over the course of the race weekend.

"I always enjoy going to Thruxton. It’s something of a ‘home’ event for Halfords Yuasa Racing, so we invariably receive a lot of support and whilst we suffered a bit of a rough ride there last year, we’ve traditionally gone well and I’ll be relatively light on ballast too, which will help.

"It’s the quickest circuit in the country and you really need to hang on – not to mention hang it out – around some sections of the lap. It’s like a fast-paced game of chess, and considering the speeds reached it tends to generate extremely close racing with plenty of slipstreaming and overtaking opportunities. The aim, as ever, is to come away from the weekend with a big points haul – and I quite fancy taking my 60th BTCC win, too..."
 

A capacity grid of 32 cars, and some of the closest competition the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship has seen in its history, is set for the throwback speed test offered up by Hampshire's Thruxton Circuit – the fastest circuit in Britain – over the weekend of the 6/7 May. 

The opening six rounds of the 2017 campaign have each thrown up thrilling encounters, producing five different winners. With six different marques also represented on the rostrum from those six races, the depth of quality and competition is plain to see, though Thruxton offers a completely different proposition to what has come before – high speeds of up to 160mph and sweeping curves over the course of a near flat-out lap.

Last year, the circuit was bathed in sun with thousands descending on the banks and grandstands of the famous Hampshire venue. It's a favourite on the calendar for many a driver and for hoards of the championship's most ardent fans. Huge crowds are a given and the spectacle is unlike any other on the BTCC's ten-race tour. Once again, as per every BTCC event, ITV4 will be covering all of the unmissable action live.

Testing the form book
What is usually a pre-season test at Thruxton, where teams put their plans into place ahead of the forthcoming campaign, took place just two weeks prior to the race meeting itself this year, giving an indicator as to what might happen when the BTCC returns in anger next weekend. Two-thirds of the grid were out in force to gather data on, new-for-2017 upgraded components as well as new Dunlop rubber around a circuit that throws up challenges unseen elsewhere over the course of the campaign. 

Eurotech Racing's Jeff Smith, already a pole-sitter in 2017 after his Brands Hatch heroics, steered his Honda to the benchmark time on the day with an average speed over more than 111mph and a lap under that of the qualifying lap record set last year by Tom Ingram in the Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis.

"The car felt good and to be honest with you, there’s still some more in it," said Smith. "We’re fairly close to where we want to be."

The Midlander was joined at the top of the time-sheet in the first session by Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan – a couple of tenths shy in the Mercedes-Benz A-Class – and Jake Hill rounded out in third spot as he continues his impressive vein of form in the TAG Racing Volkswagen CC. The former currently lies third in the overall standings and is also duelling for top spot in the Independents' standings. With a stunning win and two podiums to go with it last season at Thruxton, Morgan will surely be eying the top of the charts once again.

Session two was something of a boon for the Honda runners, who already rest in the knowledge that the marque has enjoyed a strong recent history in Hampshire – victorious in some 50 per cent of the rounds at Thruxton over the past six years. Each of the top four were driving the Japanese marque's potent Civic Type R, with reigning champion Gordon Shedden joining Smith inside Ingram's lap record time.

Experienced racer Matt Neal brought his Type R around in fourth spot and it is safe to say the Halfords Yuasa Racing duo will be looking for better in Hampshire this year after race one contact put paid to both their weekend's efforts. Jack Goff holds sixth in the overall standings and will be encouraged by third in testing as he looks to push on from what has been a solid starting point this year in new surroundings at Eurotech.

Fifth spot in the afternoon session went the way of Aiden Moffat. The young Scot steered his Laser Tools Racing Mercedes-Benz A-Class to a maiden BTCC win at Donington Park and the chassis is one that traditionally suits the high speed test offered up by Thruxton, as evidenced last year by Morgan in the sister Mercedes.

Raw pace, however is not always the priority on days like these as teams search for setup solutions and gather information that may help their cause come qualifying and race day. How the front-runners carried their success ballast can also be an indicator – ninth spot in the second session for the championship-leading Toyota of Tom Ingram, for example, could well be a positive sign for him.

Similarly, Team BMW's Colin Turkington, currently second in the overall standings, rounded out each session at the test inside the top ten. The BMW 125i M Sport has proven a capable machine over the years in the BTCC and in the hands of Turkington, it has already been led to a title. 2017 is shaping up to be another strong campaign for the rear-wheel drive specialist.

Winners here last year, Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson will be looking for more as they look to right the wrongs of mixed Donington Park weekends last time around.

Local heroes
Josh Cook has strung together a positive start to the championship, notching two best-yet finishes for his new outfit's colours. The Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport man scored seventh at the season-opening Brands Hatch weekend, followed by fourth at Donington Park – a real source of encouragement for the green half of the upwardly-mobile Independent outfit.

Bath's Cook, a podium finisher in the BTCC, has settled into new surroundings in double-quick time and is encouraged by what he has seen so far after some hard work behind the scenes.

“We’re well on our way from where we were before the start of the season,” said Cook. “We had a few pre-season test days just trying to develop the car and get it a bit further towards where we knew it needed to be – that took a bit of time.

“Brands was quite a tricky one to settle into qualifying. That didn’t go to plan because of the rain and we lost out. At Donington Park though, we put everything we could into qualifying and that was a truer representation of where we could be. It put us just ahead of the Motorbase cars, which was our benchmark. We had three top ten finishes and if there was any opportunity we certainly tried to capitalise on it.”

Eversley racer Rob Collard once again lines up for West Surrey Racing in 2017 as the outfit welcomes full BMW manufacturer backing this year. Collard enjoyed perhaps his strongest season to date in 2016, sealing two race wins and stepping onto the podium on four further occasions as he battled for Drivers' championship honours right down to the wire. Once again, he is within touching distance of the standings leaders, fifth in the running following a podium at each of the first two meetings.

Timetable and tickets 
Rounds 7, 8 and 9 on Sunday, 7 May as well as the rest of the day's action from the TOCA support package – the F4 British Championship, Ginetta GT5 Challenge, Ginetta Juniors and the Renault UK Clio Cup – will be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV4. Those in attendance can keep abreast of everything with circuit commentary and live timing from every session over at btcc.net/live throughout the weekend.

Tickets are on sale from just £16 for Saturday, 6 May and £33 for Sunday, 7 May, with weekend tickets including Paddock Pass for both days available for £39. With 12 races over the two days, value for money cannot be questioned.
 
They can be purchased online at http://www.thruxtonracing.co.uk/racing/btcc or by calling 01264 882200 (Option 1). Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free.
 
For more information on Thruxton’s race meetings and driving experiences, visit: http://www.thruxtonracing.co.uk/.

Ash Sutton produced a strong Sunday comeback at Donington Park with a trio of stand-out performances to take Dunlop's #ForeverForward award after starting 31st on the grid in race one.

The Adrian Flux Subaru Racing man was excluded from qualifying as a result of a technical infringement. Come race day however, Sutton wasted no time in scything his way through the field.

Starting from the back row on the grid for the opening encounter, the Subaru was shuttled and shimmied through the pack to an impressive 13th. Come race two, he was on the podium – ten more positions gained on the way to third spot. More silverware followed in race three with another rostrum finish. 

Ollie Jackson in the AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts Audi S3 Saloon was the best of the Independent drivers over the course of three rounds, and best of the rest, after Sutton, with 22 places gained. Jake Hill made up 20 positions to make the #ForeverForward top three.

Young Scot Aiden Moffat sealed a popular first victory in the BTCC in Round 4, passing Tom Ingram's Speedworks Toyota, Jack Goff and Rob Austin early on along the way. His stunning pass for the lead on Ingram on the run down through the Craner Curves was voted by fans as move of the race.

Following all the action from Leicestershire, Sutton leads the way:

#ForeverForward – Donington Park:

1) Ash Sutton 31
2) Ollie Jackson 22
3) Jake Hill 21

#ForeverForward – Overall Standings:

1) Ash Sutton 42
2) Colin Turkington 39
3) Jake Hill 38

In what has been a positive start to the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, Josh Cook has tallied two best-yet finishes for Maximum Motorsport colours.

Seventh at Brands Hatch Indy was followed by fourth at Donington Park – a real source of encouragement for the upwardly-mobile Independent outfit.

Cook, a podium finisher in the BTCC, has settled into new surroundings in double-quick time and is encouraged by what he has seen so far after some hard work behind the scenes.

"We're well on our way from where we were before the start of the season," said Cook. "We had a few pre-season test days just trying to develop the car and get it a bit further towards where we knew it needed to be – that took a bit of time.

"Brands was quite a tricky one to settle into qualifying. That didn’t go to plan because of the rain and we lost out. At Donington Park though, we put everything we could into qualifying and that was a truer representation of where we could be. It put us just ahead of the Motorbase cars, which was our benchmark. We had three top ten finishes and if there was any opportunity we certainly tried to capitalise on it."

The man at the helm on the green side of the Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport garage, Stewart Lines, has been equally buoyed by the steps taken so far this season and was full of praise for the outfit's new charge.

"Everything’s good – we’ve had such a good year so far," Lines said. "It seems to be that everything we’re doing is going well. Everyone’s happy and it seems a little too good to be true at the minute! Touch wood it’ll keep going as well as it is.

"Josh hasn’t put a foot wrong at all in the last two meetings. He’s driven the car to its full potential and we’ve spent a lot of money to make sure the car would be up to standard with the new components for this season. It’s lighter, it’s faster and he’s driven the wheels off it. It’s not only driving it fast, it’s keeping out of trouble and he’s done a great job.

"We feel he’s 100% happy with the car now aside from the usual tweaks that need to be done here and there. Hopefully we’ll get a little stronger in a straight line and if a few other small things fall into place he may well have a chance of winning a race or two. The car has it in it and Josh can definitely do it – he’s got the confidence to do it and he’s not the type of driver that goes out there looking to finish behind anybody.

"I genuinely think that if we did the race given the size of our team we’d have excelled ourselves. Our performances so far illustrate that the regulations give scope for anybody to be competitive if you choose wisely in terms of what you’re going to do with the car and if you choose the right drivers.

"It isn’t just about throwing money at the job – it’s about being a bit clever about it as well. We’ve got good engineers, a good number one mechanic and a good team in there. We’ve spent where we feel we’re going to see the improvements on track. It’s working for us."

Cook lapped at last weeks Thruxton test session to gather data and track time ahead of the championship's return to Hampshire in just under a fortnight's time, reinforcing that balance and poise at speed is key to performing at Britain's fastest race circuit.

"It was definitely an FP1 type session for us during the first session here in testing – just trying to find out what the balance of the car is," continued Cook. "The test should have given us a head start for the return here.

"Thruxton's very fast. They’ve done a bit of work here again and obviously, they did a bit last year. There’s more been done at Church so it’s just about finding the differences that has made to the lap and the car. It’s a track where you’re flat out for the most part so a lot of it comes down to your straight-line speed and you need to make sure you’re comfortable with the car through the fast corners because if you ever lose any momentum it’s very difficult to get it back.

"Tyre degradation is quite a key factor here given it’s a high-speed high-load circuit. We’re going to try and find something in qualifying, working together with Stephen (Jelley) who’s fast and has been going well. It’ll be a case of trying to get a tow and losing as little as we can on any of the other cars down there."

 

Eurotech Racing's Jeff Smith lapped fastest in this afternoon's Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship test session from Thruxton, completing a double on the day after his timesheet topper set during this morning's running.

Smith was joined by three more Honda Civic Type Rs in the top four in Gordon Shedden, Jack Goff and Matt Neal, respectively. The lead three of that quartet also lapped well inside Tom Ingram's qualifying lap record set last year around the Hampshire circuit.

"The car felt good and to be honest with you, there's still some more in it," said Smith.

"It's quite a hard thing to get around Thruxton. There's obviously a lot of high speed areas where you need stability in the car and then there's the technical areas where you need good rotation so it's hard to find that compromise between the two.

"We're fairly close. The big chunks are easy to find it's the little ones that aren't. We made quite a big change prior to session two with the intention of that being a subtle change to the car – trying to find a different way of achieving the same thing through the high speed stuff. 

"I normally go pretty well around here and you have to say after that, that if I can put in a lap like that on Quali day then that'd suit us!"

Laser Tools Racing's Aiden Moffat was the first of the non-Honda runners in his Mercedes-Benz A-Class, followed by the sister Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes of Adam Morgan in sixth.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – TOCA Test, Afternoon – Thruxton

1 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing 1m15.941s (111.68 mph)
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.095s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.151s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.273s
5 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.662s
6 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.772s
7 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.850s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.913s
9 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.017s
10 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.088s
11 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.221s
12 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.342s
13 Mat Jackson (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.344s
14 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.388s
15 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.407s
16 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.476s
17 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.520s
18 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.549s
19 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.825s
20 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.837s
21 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.968s

The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will show its support for British F4 driver Billy Monger with prominent #BillyWhizz signage set to adorn all 32 cars at Hampshire’s Thruxton Circuit on 6-7 May.

Title sponsor and official tyre supplier to the championship, Dunlop, has generously agreed that the message of support will take over its prime area on each BTCC car’s front number plate position, as the motor sport community continues to back Billy following his saddening accident at Donington Park.

Series Director Alan Gow said: "In reality there is very little we can all do to help Billy, other than to show our great support for him. So, this message of support on our cars will be seen by literally millions of viewers around the world and hopefully may even bring a little smile to his face. Everyone is right behind you Billy!"

A crowdfunding site has been set up to raise funds for Billy and his family, to contribute towards the specialist treatments that will be needed for his recovery. To donate to this fund please visit: http://bit.ly/2pggxoJ.

Two-thirds of the grid were out on track for the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship session of the TOCA Test from Thruxton, with Jeff Smith's Eurotech Honda Civic Type R setting the early pace.

Smith held the mantle for much of the session and extended his advantage at the top of the times with a strong late run, averaging more than 110mph around the Hampshire speed bowl.

"It's not necessarily an expectation to be top of the times but it's a belief there that you can go and do it," said Smith. "Sometimes you deliver it and sometimes you don't.

"The guys have done a lot of work over the winter on chassis setup and we've learned a few more things over winter testing too. You want to just make one change to make things come right but you have to go and do three or four things to make it all work at the same time. We're really getting our heads around it I think.

"It's up there among the quickest circuits in Europe so any time you go around Thruxton prior to the race weekend here is very valuable time."

Ciceley Motorsport's Adam Morgan rounded out the session in second spot while Jake Hill continued his recent vein of positive form to place third. Drivers' standings leader – Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram – found himself 14th with reigning champion Gordon Shedden 11th in the Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda.

Pace, however, is not the only priority straight out of the blocks here as teams and drivers look to learn as much as is possible about 2017's full complement of new RML components and Dunlop rubber ahead of the return to Hampshire for Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the BTCC, 6-7 May.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – TOCA Test, Morning – Thruxton

1 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing 1m16.887s (110.31 mph)
2 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.319s
3 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.480s
4 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.521s
5 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.546s
6 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.554s
7 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.556s
8 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.567s
9 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.729s
10 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.834s
11 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.837s
12 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.972s
13 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.979s
14 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.154s
15 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.205s
16 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1.331s
17 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +1.556s
18 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.790s
19 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.883s
20 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +1.901s
21 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.190s

Courtesy of British F4:

The incident that happened during the British F4 race at Donington Park on 16 April, 2017, is deeply saddening for all those involved.

Billy Monger is in a critical, but stable condition at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham where he is receiving the best medical attention possible. The medical team there are pleased that all Billy’s vital signs are showing progress and going in the right direction.

Due to the injuries sustained and despite every effort, Billy has sadly had both lower legs amputated. 

Billy’s family would like to express their gratitude for the first-class medical attention given by Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham and take this opportunity to thank the medical teams, marshals, extrication crews and air ambulance staff for their skilled response and hard work. 

Furthermore, they would like to thank Billy’s colleagues, friends, fans and everyone who has demonstrated their affection for him over the past few days. These messages help give the great strength needed for the recovery process that lies ahead.

A crowdfunding site has been set up to raise funds for Billy and his family, to contribute towards the specialist treatments that will be needed for his recovery. To donate to this fund please visit: http://bit.ly/2pggxoJ.

The F4 community and wider motorsport world will no doubt be saddened by this news, but are asked to respect the family’s wish for privacy during this difficult time.