Statement from Silverline Subaru BMR Racing:

It is with great disappointment that Silverline Subaru BMR Racing are withdrawing from rounds 7, 8 and 9 today at Thruxton on safety grounds.

Following an incident with James Cole at Donington where there was a failure of the high pressure fuel rail there was a re-designed and re-manufactured component fitted to all cars for the Thruxton event. Following a review of the new design post qualifying, the new part has shown signs of fatigue that could lead to a similar failure.

We have investigated all avenues available to us overnight and this morning, however the engineering team have taken the decision to withdraw the cars as none of the solutions available are able to be durability tested prior to competing on circuit.

We are obviously disappointed with the outcome, however in this situation the risk to the drivers, other competitors and circuit officials is not acceptable, so the correct decision is to retire the cars for the remainder of the event.

The top three from Saturday's Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship qualifying session at Thruxton took time out following a breathless half-hour to speak to btcc.net. 

Tom Ingram took a second pole of the season and his career in the Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Avensis after trading times with Matt Neal in the opening throes of the session.

Aiden Moffat sealed a stunning second place on the grid for Laser Tools Racing, especially considering his previous best in the BTCC was 8th.

That stormer from the young Scot left Neal's third, though the Honda man was rightly pleased with a spellbindingly quick lap set with copious ballast on board.

Tom Ingram has taken his second pole position of the season after the young gun broke the Thruxton lap record during qualifying for Round 10 of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The Speedworks Motorsport driver experienced a stressful opening to the session as he had his first two flying lap times removed by officials for not respecting track limits. Ingram wasn’t alone in being pegged back, however, as a host of drivers were penalised for cutting the final chicane in the early stages.

Championship leader Matt Neal was among those to be demoted, but the multiple champ responded brilliantly with a staggering lap time in his ballast-laden Honda Civic Type R. The Halfords Yuasa Racing driver held provisional pole until Ingram’s effort, and he would eventually have to settle for third due to a Flying Scotsman.

Ordinarily you would expect that term to be reserved for reigning champion Gordon Shedden, but on this occasion it was impressive teenager Aiden Moffat who wowed the crowds. The young Laser Tools Racing driver starred during practice earlier today and he duly backed that up by making the front row in qualifying – his best ever result.

Neal had parked his Honda long before the finish, believing that he’d dragged every last ounce of performance from his car. Although dropping to third late on, the experienced racer will be pleased to have fended off another eye-catching attack from MG’s young duo.

Ashley Sutton and Josh Cook produced a front row lock-out at Donington Park last time out, and will start tomorrow’s opener from fourth and fifth on the grid, with the latter getting the better of his rookie team-mate on this occasion. Both drivers worked together for much of the session, benefitting from a tow through Thruxton’s high-speed sections for each of their best-timed tours.

Adam Morgan confirmed the performance of the Mercedes A-Class by planting his WIX Racing machine inside the top six – a result that had seemed some way off earlier today after a high-speed shunt forced the squad to produce some substantial repairs.

Jeff Smith made the top ten for the first time since Rockingham in 2013 as the Eurotech racer ended up just 0.015s behind Morgan. Andrew Jordan couldn’t match his practice pace and ended up eighth in his Pirtek Racing Ford Focus, whilst BKR’s Aron Smith and WSR’s Sam Tordoff completed the top ten order.

Tom Ingram said: “Awesome! Two poles out of three – that’s not a bad start to the season, is it? It was pretty sketchy early on, because I kept getting calls over the team radio saying ‘you’re quickest’, swiftly followed by ‘your lap time’s been removed’, so I knew I needed to calm down a bit. We had no ballast, which obviously played to our advantage and everything just hooked up perfectly. You’re never really sure where everybody is during practice and who’s sandbagging, but we knew we had some good pace in the car. The Speedworks boys are a great bunch of lads and having taken pole once at Brands Hatch, it instilled in us the belief that we could do it again – and now we have! I could definitely get used to this feeling. Pole position is one thing, however, and it’s vital that we now go on to score some good points tomorrow.”

Aiden Moffat said: “It’s a great feeling obviously. We came in a bit early and you’re sitting in the pits and it’s the most nerve-wracking thing in the world when you’re expecting a few names to creep up there. Before this, my best was eighth so to get right up there is brilliant. This year has been our best start since we’ve been involved in the BTCC. The guys in the team have given us a great set-up and a great car and it was all down to me then, and thankfully it all clicked. We’ll certainly be pushing hard. If Tom gets away well, he’s a fast, fast driver and it’d be silly to get caught up battling him. He’ll be a great person to try and latch onto. Matt Neal is always charging hard to try to get to the front, so my mirrors will be full if I can keep him behind off the start. You never know what will happen, but we’ll definitely give it a good go.”

Matt Neal said: “After making some changes between free practice and qualifying, I was hoping for the top six but thinking top ten was more realistic, so I’m over the moon to end up inside the top three. The Honda Civic Type R was just hooked-up, and I was certainly pretty committed round the back of the lap. The race might be a different affair for us – I’m not sure we will be quite so strong over a long run – but we’ll try to stay out of trouble and see what happens. Thruxton is notorious for tyre wear, so we’ll need to remain mindful of that.”

Josh Cook said: “It was a hell of a lap, I’m not going to lie! What we managed to get out of that car was awesome. Ash and I were really working well together, which is how we got the time – he towed me and I towed him, and we got that extra time out of it. The guys have done a great job with the car. There is a little more to find just to extract that final bit – the top few are really on it. We can certainly race from here, so we’ll just try and convert it into some solid points and go from there.”

Ashley Sutton said: “I’m very pleased. We suffered a few issues in practice. Between the two sessions combined, I only put ten laps together leading into qualifying – to have had so little track time around here in a touring car before going and putting the car fifth on the grid, I’m over the moon. I really want to focus on looking after the tyres, but we’ve got to push forward. I want to start getting some podiums and that’s my aim – although to stay in the top five and score solid points would be just as good, to be honest.”

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Thruxton:

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 1m16.161s
2 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.033s
3 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.086s
4 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.416s
5 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.566s
6 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.650s
7 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.665s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.684s
9 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.703s
10 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.726s
11 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.772s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.828s
13 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.928s
14 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.951s
15 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.076s
16 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.091s
17 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.092ss
18 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.300s
19 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.355s
20 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +1.368s
21 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.483s
22 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.515s
23 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.536s
24 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.719s
25 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+2.492s
26 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +2.544s
27 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.667s
28 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.718s
29 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.984s
30 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +3.949s
31 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +4.455s
32 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing NO TIME

Andrew Jordan and Tom Ingram have topped a practice session apiece so far today at Thruxton, and btcc.net caught up with the pair ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session...

Andrew Jordan said:

“I think the ultimate pace is there; we did a long run in FP2, and the drop-off in terms of tyre performance felt really good so I’m very happy in that respect looking to the races. If we can string it all together and I keep driving the way I am, I think pole position is definitely on the cards. I’m feeling the most comfortable yet in the Focus and the most encouraging aspect is that we rolled off the truck here and were in the ballpark straightaway.”

Tom Ingram said:

“The car feels good, although I think it’s fair to say nobody has shown their true hand yet. We did a little bit of qualifying prep at the beginning of FP2, and then focused on a race run for the remainder of the session. Our qualifying simulation was by no means perfect and I would like to think there’s at least another half-a-second in the car and that we can be in the fight for pole – we will certainly give it our best shot!

"We’ve come into this weekend with a different mindset; instead of going all-out for wins, we need to be targeting consistent points finishes across all three races, because we are far lower down the championship standings than we should be.”

 

 

Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram set the fastest time of the weekend in FP2 at Thruxton, ending the session more than half a second quicker than his nearest rival.

Ingram, who took a maiden pole position at the Brands Hatch season opener, arrives in Hampshire without success ballast and his form so far suggests he'll be a main contender in qualifying this afternoon.

The Toyota driver's lap time of 1:16.542 is within four tenths of the qualifying lap record and more than half a second faster than the rest of the pack. Andrew Jordan followed up his own pace-setting performance in FP1 with second place here, whilst Aiden Moffat starred with a late flying run to take third for Laser Tools Racing.

Jack Goff continues to impress, having switched to rear-wheel drive machinery for 2016, and the Team IHG Rewards Club driver was again the highest placed BMW in fourth.

MG have experienced a mixed morning so far with the pace of the MG6 not in doubt. Rookie Ashley Sutton ended up fifth, but could only complete nine laps after what he called 'returning gremlins' thwarted his attack. Team-mate Josh Cook could only manage 19th.

WIX Racing produced a stunning effort to ready Adam Morgan's Mercedes A-Class in time for the second session, following a high speed shunt earlier today, and the Lancastrian repaid his squad with a top six finish.

Aron Smith continues to fly the flag for the new BKR team with the VW CC always performing well at Thruxton. The Irishman was seventh ahead of an impressive run for Rob Austin, who was eighth for Handy Motorsport. Fans' favourite Austin is himself acclimatising to the FWD Toyota, having previously spent his entire BTCC career in a RWD Audi prior to this campaign.

Jeff Smith and Mat Jackson rounded out the top ten for Eurotech and Motorbase respectively, whilst Hunter Abbott enjoyed an encouraging run in 11th.

A trio of multiple champions were left stranded well down the order in 18th, 20th and 21st, with Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal getting to grips with the ballast-laden Honda Civic Type R around the UK's fastest track while Jason Plato continues to develop the new Subaru Levorg.

The all-important qualifying session for Round 10 of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will take place at 16:10, with all the action being screened live and exclusively via www.itv.com/btcc.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 2 – Thruxton:

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 1m16.542s
2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.503s
3 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.600s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.625s
5 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.643s
6 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.987s
7 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +1.084s
8 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.256s
9 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.292s
10 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.315s
11 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.347s
12 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.414s
13 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.520s
14 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.579s
15 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +1.622s
16 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.625s
17 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.687s
18 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.690s
19 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1.732s
20 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.810s
21 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.059s
22 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +2.113s
23 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.209s
24 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2.322s
25 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.405s
26 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +2.610s
27 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+2.912s
28 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +3.176s
29 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +3.212s
30 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +3.906s
31 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +4.271s
32 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +5.703s

Andrew Jordan, in his Pirtek Racing Ford Focus, topped the time-sheets in opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship free practice session at Thruxton.

Big things are expected of Jordan this weekend as he arrives at the Hampshire venue ballast-free and with an impressive history at the UK's fastest circuit. The 2013 champion has taken pole position in three of the last four seasons here, although his return of only one victory will be something he'll be looking to improve upon.

The Motorbase Performance driver was quickly into his stride during FP1 and moved to the summit of the timesheets relatively early on, whilst MG's Josh Cook slotted in behind - just 0.024s off the pace.

Although there were improvements for some late on, few made inroads at the top of the order, whilst others faced far bigger problems.

Sam Tordoff's session ended prematurely with a fuel pressure problem in his BMW 125i M Sports while Colin Turkington's Subaru came to a halt at the final chicane. There was some joy for the Ulsterman, however, as he set the third fastest time in the session.

A red flag was thrown in the final ten minutes when Adam Morgan suffered a high speed crash on the exit of Allard. Morgan was fine, but the same unfortunately couldn't be said for his WIX Racing Mercedes, which is need of some repair. The Lancastrian ended the session inside the top ten.

Mat Jackson backed up the pace of the Ford Focus by finishing fourth, ahead of local man Rob Collard in his Team JCT600 with GardX BMW.

Tom Ingram endured a puncture punctuated session, with a number of teams adjusting camber settings in search of the ultimate set-up at the high-speed circuit, but the young race winner still brought his Speedworks Toyota home in sixth.

Jack Goff and Sam Tordoff made in three BMWs in the top eight, whilst Eurotech's Jeff Smith followed in ninth.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice 1 – Thruxton:

1 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance 1m16.814
2 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.024s
3 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.408s
4 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.420s
5 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.557s
6 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.583s
7 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.729s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.767s
9 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.773s
10 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.822s
11 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.835s
12 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.860s
13 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.919s
14 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +1.053s
15 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1.069s
16 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +1.088s
17 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.191s
18 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +1.377s
19 Daniel WELCH (GBR) Goodstone Racing +1.482s
20 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com+1.541s
21 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.547s
22 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.659s
23 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.743s
24 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +1.894s
25 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.904s
26 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +2.085s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +2.190s
28 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.192s
29 Kelvin FLETCHER (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +2.519s
30 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +2.800s
31 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +3.298s
32 Chris SMILEY (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing No Time

Dunlop, the Official Tyre Partner to the MSA British Touring Car Championship, has announced new tyre choices for the Croft and Rockingham races.

At these two circuits, all teams will still have to use the Dunlop Sport Maxx ‘Medium’ tyre in two of the three races, but will have to nominate the ‘Hard’ tyre for one of the races.  For the last two years, the teams have had to nominate the ‘Soft’ for one of the three races at these circuits.

Michael Butler, Dunlop Motorsport UK Events Manager, explained the change: “After extensively testing the latest Sport Maxx Hard version last year, the feedback and data showed that this tyre, which was designed for the extreme demands of Thruxton, could be the optimum choice at other circuits with high-speed corners. Therefore, we have decided to widen its use to other circuits this year.’

The ‘Sport Maxx Soft’ will continue to be the option tyre at Oulton Park, Knockhill, Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

“The BTCC season involves a varied mix of circuits, cars and temperatures and our goal is always to pick two tyres from the menu that can perform strongly over a race distance. This change will also provide us with more feedback that will help us decide on tyre selection for 2017 and beyond,” added Butler.

BKR's Aron Smith, last year's pole-sitter, talks us through Church and Club – the two key sections of the seat-of-the-pants Thruxton Circuit.

Listen to Aron's full circuit guide below:

Ahead of the third event of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship over what promises to be a gorgeous, sunny and warm weekend at Thruxton; Ashley Sutton, Aiden Moffat and Adam Morgan all spoke to btcc.net with their thoughts on where they are at and where they are hoping to be come the end of the weekend…

The return of the high-octane Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship to Thruxton is now just a matter of days away (7/8 May), and we have ten tip-top reasons not to miss the flame-spitting tin-tops speeding around the UK’s fastest circuit.

Unrivalled Top Speeds
The BTCC battlers will hit almost 160mph as they duel it out around Thruxton, with the popular Hampshire track laying claim to the highest top speeds in British motor sport.

Fortune Favours the Brave
Complete commitment is required to tame Thruxton’s intimidating flat-out sweepers, leading to plenty of edge-of-the-seat entertainment as the touring cars teeter on the absolute brink of adhesion at eye-watering speeds...

Wave the Chequered Flag
In a unique promotion, anybody that buys (or has already bought) an advance race day or race weekend ticket will be entered into a competition to wave the chequered flag at the end of the first race. The winner must be over 17 years of age.

Meet the Pros
Accessibility has long been one of the BTCC’s key selling-points, and a Pit-Lane Walkabout and Autograph Session at 09.50 on Sunday morning encourages fans to meet the BTCC drivers and grab a cheeky selfie or two.

Soap Star Spotting
Emmerdale actor Kelvin Fletcher is in his maiden campaign in the BTCC, driving a Chevrolet Cruze for Power Maxed Racing. Come along and see how he is getting to grips with the cut-and-thrust nature of Britain’s premier motor sport series.

Expect the Unexpected
With six different winners from the six races so far, the 2016 BTCC season is proving to be anything but predictable, making for some thrilling doorhandle-to-doorhandle racing in which the form book is repeatedly thrown out of the window. What chance a seventh winner this weekend..?

The Big Picture
Giant screens at both the Complex and Chicane – Thruxton’s two key overtaking hotspots – mean spectators won’t miss a second of the flat-out, wheel-to-wheel action.

Local Aces
Four of the 32-strong BTCC grid hail from the south-west, making Thruxton a home circuit for them. Come and cheer on Rob Collard (Team JCT600 with GardX), Josh Cook (MG Racing RCIB Insurance), Dan Welch (Goodestone Racing) and Alex Martin (Dextra Racing).

Carry on Camping
For the full BTCC experience – and to take advantage of the return of spring after the long, cold winter – why not stay overnight at Thruxton’s campsite, which is open and manned from 15.00 on Friday, 6 May. At just £5 per adult per night, it’s a steal!

Support Series Stars
Keep an eye out for the Formula 1, touring car and sportscar standouts of the future as a packed support bill featuring the Renault UK Clio Cup, Ginetta Junior Championship, MSA Formula and Ginetta GT5 Challenge ensures there will never be a dull moment.

Discounted advance tickets are on sale from just £11 for Saturday, 7 May and £26 for Sunday, 8 May, with weekend tickets including Paddock Pass available for £38. They can be purchased online at www.thruxtonracing.co.uk/racing/btcc or by calling 01264 882200 (Option 1). Accompanied children aged 15 and under are admitted free.

Advance tickets will remain on sale online and over the phone until 3pm on Wednesday, 4 May, after which they will be available from the BARC Ticket Office at Thruxton until 3pm on Friday, 6 May. Any tickets ordered from Friday, 29 April onwards will incur a special delivery charge of £5.95 per order. Full price day tickets can be purchased on the gate; weekend tickets are only available in advance.

For more information on Thruxton’s race meetings and driving experiences, visit: www.thruxtonracing.co.uk