Silverline Subaru BMR Racing star Jason Plato will start his 500th Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race from pole position, after the tin top legend set a sensational last gasp lap record during qualifying at Knockhill.

Plato has scored at least one race win in each of the BTCC seasons he has contested, and tomorrow he will be searching for his maiden success with Subaru during his milestone contest.

The double champion had been fighting at the front throughout the day – setting the pace in the opening practice session – but was forced into waiting until the final seconds of qualifying to snatch his 49th career pole position.

Tom Ingram was close to claiming his third pole of the season, but the Speedworks Motorsport driver had to settle for second after Plato’s performance. Ingram’s Toyota Avensis has shown stellar form on Saturdays during the 2016 campaign so far, and the young charger will now start alongside the BTCC’s most decorated racer in tomorrow’s opener in Fife – evoking memories of their epic battle at Rockingham last season.

Sam Tordoff grabbed third for Team JCT600 with GardX, representing an extremely good result for the ballast-laden BMW. The Yorkshireman – currently lying second in the overall standings – edged out West Surrey Racing stablemate Jack Goff, who produced his best qualifying result of the season in fourth.

The third WSR car of Rob Collard didn’t fare so well, however, as he could only manage 18th. Incredibly the championship leader has only qualified inside the top ten on one occasion this season.

Colin Turkington made it two Subarus in the top five as he fended off two fellow former champions in the shape of Andrew Jordan and Matt Neal. Jordan was a real spectacle throughout both practice and qualifying as he wrestled his Motorbase Performance Ford Focus over and around the contours of the 1.27-mile Knockhill circuit.

Adam Morgan sat out the final five minutes of the session, watching his WIX Racing Mercedes A-Class slip down the order to eighth as the chequered flag fell, whilst Rob Austin claimed ninth – a first top ten in qualifying for Handy Motorsport, building on his podium last time out at Snetterton.

Series returnee Dave Newsham – standing in this weekend for Power Maxed Racing’s Kelvin Fletcher – claimed an impressive tenth at his home circuit.

Neal’s Honda team-mate – reigning champion Gordon Shedden – endured a difficult session in front of his passionate and partisan home crowd. He had been languishing way down the order until late on, but the Scotsman eventually clocked a lap good enough for 11th.

The top 26 cars from the 31-strong field were separated by less than a second, making this the closest qualifying session of the season so far.

Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship take place at Knockhill tomorrow, with all the action being screened live and exclusively on ITV4 from 11am.

Jason Plato said: “Going into the last lap I knew I had the pace in the car, we just had to get a clean lap in around here with the traffic. Every one I did was getting spoiled in one way or another. I’m chuffed with that and I think I’ll get a strong start tomorrow. Everything has to be perfect around here. I was relieved to get the lap in and had I not got pole I’d have been frustrated. We’ve got a good balance and we’re in good shape.”

Tom Ingram said: “It could have been even better as we set that lap on old tyres, but it was my mistake with losing the new set out there. We know I’m going to get mugged off the line by some of the rear-wheel drive cars, but if we’re inside the top five at the end of the first lap then we’ll be lucky. We’re in a decent place though and the car feels good – we’ll give it our best shot.”

Sam Tordoff said: “That was more than a tenth quicker than last year’s pole, which we actually thought would be good enough. We can be really pleased with that considering we have 66kgs on board, and particularly as those around us are carrying far less weight. The BMW is fantastic around here – it always is – but in truth that adds a little bit of pressure. We’re expected to deliver this weekend and we need to hammer home that advantage. We need to score some strong points tomorrow and we’ve given ourselves a good chance of doing so.”

Jack Goff said: “We’re up where we should be finally. I’m happy but I’m also frustrated as I was a tenth and a half up on the lap, but the traffic meant I lost a bit of concentration in the final sector. We can race from there and we have quite a light car too. We’ve been at the sharp end all day and the race pace looks good. We need three solid results here to get ourselves back up the table.”

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

1 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing 51.521s
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.021s
3 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.030s
4 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.046s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.098s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.297s
7 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.359s
8 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.378s
9 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.391s
10 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.437s
11 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.462s
12 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.463s
13 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.494s
14 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.541s
15 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.584s
16 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.585s
17 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.606s
18 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.644s
19 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.669s
20 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.748s
21 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.768s
22 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.829s
23 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.845s
24 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.886s
25 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.936s
26 Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +0.996s
27 Michael CAINE (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.095s
28 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +1.411s
29 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +1.421s
30 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +1.947s
31 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +2.402s

Officials have handed out a number of penalties today (13 August) following further investigation into events that took place at Snetterton in July:

• Alex Martin has been officially reprimanded and handed two penalty points for an incident that took place involving Mark Howard in race three
• Mark Howard has been verbally warned for his part in the same incident
• Gordon Shedden was also verbally warned for a separate incident in race three involving Jason Plato

Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram set the pace during practice at Knockhill, a position he has taken up on a number of occasions at other circuits during the 2016 BTCC season so far.

Ingram's was positive, yet cautious, when we caught up with the Speedworks man after the session. "I'm really happy," he said. "The car is strong and we've made a few positive changes. The pace is some way off last year's though so we expect it to be quicker still this afternoon. We need to find a chunk of time – we know where we need to – as we still believe the rear-wheel drive cars will be very fast in qualifying.

"We've been saying all year that it's about the weekend as whole. It's no good setting the pace in practice if you don't follow it up in the races, so it's important we keep improving."

Adam Morgan backed-up his FP1 pace by hauling his WIX Racing Mercedes into second place, narrowly edging out Jack Goff's Team IHG Rewards Club BMW.

Such was the competitveness during a fast and frantic final session that the top 24 drivers were covered by less than a second, suggesting we could be heading for the closest qualifying session of the season at the 1.27-mile circuit later this afternoon.

There was a brief stoppage mid-session to retrieve the stricken Proton on Daniel Welch, leaving the Goodestone Racing team hard at work again following the superb job to rebuild the car after a major accident at Snetterton last time out.

The same can be said of Power Maxed Racing, which had the mammoth task of preparing Hunter Abbott's Chevrolet after the race three startline incident last month. The team has clearly done a magnificent job, with Abbott also showing no lasting effects as he blasted to fourth in the closing seconds of practice at Knockhill.

Jeff Smith's Eurotech Honda sneaked into fifth ahead of Jason Plato's FP1 pace-setting Subaru, whilst West Surrey Racing's Sam Tordoff pipped reigning champion Gordon Shedden into seventh. Andrew Jordan was ninth while Rob Collard made it three BMWs in the top ten.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – FP2 – Knockhill:

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 51.955s
2 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.228s
3 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.275s
4 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.599s
5 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.305s
6 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.344s
7 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.339s
8 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 0.345s
9 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.357s
10 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.360s
11 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.362s
12 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.368s
13 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.376s
14 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.381s
15 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.413s
16 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.518s
17 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.571s
18 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.617s
19 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +0.653s
20 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.663s
21 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.772s
22 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.778s
23 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.801s
24 Michael CAINE (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +0.963s
25 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +1.036s
26 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.037s
27 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.134s
28 Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +1.555s
29 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +1.556s
30 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +1.716s
31 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +1.777s

Silverline Subaru BMR Racing's Jason Plato topped the times in the opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship practice session at Knockhill, edging out the Speedworks Toyota of Tom Ingram by just 0.007s.

The session proved extremely close around the tight and twisty 1.27-mile circuit, with the top 22 drivers separated by less than a second.

Plato's mid-session lap bodes well for the tin-top legend as he looks to score his maiden pole position for Subaru, in what will be his 500th BTCC race tomorrow. It is the first time the double champion has set the pace in any practice or qualifying session so far this season, with the rear-wheel drive Levorg seemingly suiting the contours of Knockhill.

Ashley Sutton's MG and Adam Morgan's Mercedes were covered by 0.005s in third and fourth respectively, whilst Sam Tordoff and Andrew Jordan made it six different marques in the top six. Jordan suffered some disappointment, however, as his Pirtek Racing Ford Focus came to halt out on track with a tyre issue.

There was a second stoppage late on, which scuppered several drivers' chances of improving, leaving the young gun trio of Aiden Moffat, Josh Cook and Jack Goff next on the timesheets.

Honda's home hero Gordon Shedden rounded out the top ten as Halfords Yuasa Racing carried out its usual steady start to the opening practice session.

Final practice commences at 12:10, before the all-important qualifying session takes place at 15:50, which will be streamed live via www.itv.com/btcc.

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – FP1 – Knockhill:

1 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing 52.545s
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.007s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.189s
4 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.194s
5 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.306s
6 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.315s
7 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.318s
8 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.367s
9 Jack GOFF (GBR) Team IHG Rewards Club +0.371s
10 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 0.393s
11 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.446s
12 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +0.479s
13 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +0.486s
14 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.487s
15 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.599s
16 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.633s
17 James COLE (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.637s
18 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +0.638s
19 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.639s
20 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.839s
21 Warren SCOTT (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +0.973s
22 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Eurotech Racing +0.996s
23 Stewart LINES (GBR) Maximum Motorsport +1.124s
24 Michael CAINE (GBR) TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing +1.203s
25 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +1.241s
26 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmD Tuning.com +1.275s
27 Michael EPPS (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +1.314s
28 Alex MARTIN (GBR) Dextra Racing +1.383s
29 Mark HOWARD (GBR) BKR +2.131s
30 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2.255s
31 Dan WELCH (GBR) Goodestone Racing +3.168s

West Surrey Racing's Rob Collard holds his lead in the Dunlop #ForeverForward standings heading into the Knockhill weekend after Andrew Jordan made his mark on the running at Snetterton, fighting through the field after starting race one from the back of the pack.

A steering issue halted any chance of Jordan making an appearance in qualifying, and he was charged with lining up for the weekend's opener 31st, and last, on the grid.

This didn't deter the Pirtek Racing man, however, as he set off on a charge from lights-out. Despite a further setback on the opening lap as he endured an off-track excursion, he clambered up into the points with a creditable P14 – 26 positions gained in all three rounds.

Jordan earmarked the weekend as an opportunity missed given team-mate Mat Jackson's podium and victory in Norfolk on a landmark weekend for Motorbase Performance as they hit their 300th race milestone in the championship.

Rob Austin is showing a consistent eye for a pass on race-day as he once more placed in the top three Dunlop #ForeverForward drivers of the weekend as he gained 20 positions at Snetterton.

It was a similar story for the Handy Motorsport man. After turning a corner in the two-day tyre test, Austin found himself contending with a suspension setup discrepancy come qualifying that left him down in a disappointing 24th spot.

The Evesham racer then battled his way back through the pack over the opening two rounds, making the top ten by the end of race two.

Starting ninth in the final bout, he stole a march on those around him on the opening lap of race three to place fourth by the time the field came around to complete the first tour. Fourth became third as Mat Jackson in the Motorbase Performance Ford was forced into retirement, and there Austin stayed – keeping Plato and the chasing pack at bay until the chequered flag.

With six events down, the results and standings are as follows – Drivers' Championship leader Rob Collard heads the pack:

Dunlop #ForeverForward drivers of the weekend

1 Andrew Jordan 26
2 Rob Austin 20
3 Jack Goff 19

Dunlop #ForeverForward overall standings

1 Rob Collard 94
2 Rob Austin 87
3 Martin Depper 81

AlcoSense will be giving away a Single Use Breathalyser to the first 7,500 spectators* through the gate at Knockhill Racing Circuit this weekend (13/14 August) - a total of £22,500 worth of breathalysers.

One in five drink drive convictions happen the morning after and AlcoSense Breathalysers is working with the BTCC to raise awareness of how easy it can be to unintentionally drink driving the morning after a few drinks by giving spectators the tools to test themselves the morning after the night before. Due to the lower limit of 0.50‰BAC (0.22mg/L in breath) in Scotland, which came into force in December 2014, these risks are even greater for Scottish drivers now than where at the old limit of 0.80‰BAC (0.35mg/L in breath). Studies show the human body processes 0.10-0.15 ‰BAC from the blood stream per hour. As a result it now takes someone 2-3 hours longer to get below the lower Scottish than it would have done at the old limit, therefore increasing the risk of unintentionally drink driving the morning after a few drinks.**

Hunter Abbott, Managing Director of AlcoSense said: “We’re proud to be giving away so many breathalysers to the public, it gives people the tools to be able to make an informed decision instead of relying of potentially fatal guesswork. If they find it useful each breathalyser comes with a 20% off voucher (expires 31^st August 2016) which can be used against the purchase of one of our re-useable breathalysers. With 52% of drivers underestimating how long it takes for alcohol to clear their system, I hope we might prevent a few people from driving the next day when they might have assumed they were clear.”

AlcoSense Breathalysers are available from Halfords and Boots nationwide and direct from alcosense.co.uk. AlcoSense single use breathalysers have an RRP of £2.99 and reusable breathalysers start at £39.99.

*Over 18’s only

**Source: Forensic Consulting Services

Independents' Championship leaders Motorbase Performance celebrated a victorious landmark Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship weekend at Snetterton two weeks ago.

Mat Jackson notched his third, and the outfit's fourth win of the season, as well as an opening race podium at the Norfolk track, commemorating its 300^th race in the BTCC in fine style. The results left Jackson, the current lead Motorbase man,  just over 30 points off the Drivers' summit.

“After a strong showing at Snetterton we're keen to keep the momentum going at Knockhill,” said Team Manager Oly Collins. “Both cars showed strong pace last time out with a brace of trophies and a win but also a chunk of bad luck which prevented both cars being on the podium. Hopefully that’s behind us now."

The team hold a 74 point lead at the top of the Independent Teams' standings, all focus is now on closing the gap to the overall leaders and a strong qualifying performance will be pivotal to squad’s success this weekend.

With space at a premium on the short and twisty circuit, Ford Focus wielding duo Mat Jackson and Andrew Jordan have a tough task ahead of them with a packed grid to contend with.

“Knockhill always throws up some unique challenges as a circuit so we expect another close weekend with strong competition,” added Collins.

“The BTCC has so far delivered another nail biting season for us all and the championship is still wide open.

"We’re in a really strong position heading to Scotland but we also know a lot can happen over the course of a race weekend!”

“We’re in a good place heading into this weekend at Knockhill," said Jackson.

"We enjoyed some good results there last year and on the back of a strong performance at Snetterton we’ve shown that the car is in the window. It’s great to have such a gap leading the Teams' Championship but our eyes are still on the main prize!”

Jordan said: “We’ve shed some weight off the car heading into this weekend which should help us in qualifying.

"I really like Knockhill. I’ve always gone well there, it’s a maximum attack circuit and the Focus has performed well there in the past so I think we should be strong.

"Wins and podiums are on the agenda and I’m looking forward to bouncing back from a tough weekend at Snetterton.”

Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2016 BTCC season take place at Knockhill circuit on 13/14 August.  Live coverage of Sunday's action will be shown on ITV4, itv.com and also in HD from 11:00 – 1815; with itv.com featuring live streaming online of Saturday's qualifying session between 15:40 – 16:10.

Aiden Moffat harbours hopes of the podium once again on home turf with the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship's visit to Knockhill this weekend (13/14 August).

Last year, the Laser Tools Racing man did make his first visit to the BTCC rostrum but that wasn't decided until a move by Andy Prialux was reversed post-race.

The Scot's keen to taste the champagne first hand this time around, and with the performance of the Mercedes A Class around the undulating circuit last season there's reason to be optimistic even after an up-and-down Snetterton weekend.

"I’ve got mixed emotions really coming out of Snetterton," said Moffat. "We had a pretty poor qualifying – 14^th. Race one, we had a penalty which was a 30 second stop/go. So, to transform starting 23^rd in race two into a P8 finish is a pretty good achievement for us. It’s good to be back in the points but it’s another case of what could have been.

"Knockhill’s where I’ve done most of my racing throughout my career and it’s always a track I love going back to. It’s a great place to be, it’s a great track to drive and it’s always action packed racing there.

"I missed out on the champagne last year but it got reversed afterwards giving me my podium so hopefully this year we can be in a similar position but get to lift a trophy on one of the steps up there.

"It’s a short track and it’s a tight track so you need to be a bit rough to make moves. It’s not brilliant for us but it is for the people watching. It’s always good racing around there and it’s somewhere I used to go and love watching there but it’s now a bit more special watching from behind the wheel.

"I think the Subarus will be strong. It’s a great car and the track will be well suited to their car. There’s no reason the Mercedes’ of myself and Adam Morgan can’t be up their either though.

"Gordon always flies around there. It’s kind of a given now that he’s going to get a podium or two up there and he’s one of those drivers who can always fight his way back so he’ll be another name who you’d expect to be up there."

Tickets are still available for Knockhill circuit (13/14 August), the BTCC’s only venture north of the border. Prices start at just £37 for adult weekend tickets with discounts available for family bookings with children under 12 able to enter free of charge. For more information and to order tickets head to knockhill.co.uk or call 01383 723337.

Testing promise was fulfilled as Handy Motorsport scored its best-ever result in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with Rob Austin finishing on the podium, an impressive P3 in the final encounter of the weekend last time out at Snetterton.

During the two-day Dunlop tyre test back in June at the Norfolk circuit, the Handy squad worked hard to fight their way back having taken the wrong direction on car setup earlier in the season.

Progress had seemingly been quashed come the race weekend as the team struggled to put a finger on a suspension setup discrepancy that left Austin in the Handy Motorsport Toyota Avensis languishing down in a disappointing 24th spot on the grid after qualifying.

"We were wrestling with a suspension problem all through qualifying," said Austin. "It left us wondering just what we had to do to get a break and when it was all going to come together.

"Originally where we went wrong was after qualifying for the opening round," Austin continued. "Having struggled with a cold right rear tyre on short runs we panicked and aborted our setup direction.

"At Oulton Park we finally got on top of it. From there, we didn’t have a chance to go testing and doing all your work over race weekends is slow going as you can’t make big sweeping changes and risk losing yourself again.

"The tyre test allowed us to take the bigger steps that we had been wanting to take and after a morning of trying a few things we put them all together and were right up the time sheets on old tyres.

"We really turned a corner there. The car had been mega and we came here genuinely expecting to qualify well into the top ten with the pace we’d shown."

With Saturday's issue rectified, a fightback ensued. The Evesham racer battled his way back through the pack over the opening two rounds, making the top ten by the end of race two. This left him in contention for the reverse grid draw, which he once more missed out on in another stroke of bad luck – the fourth time this season he has been in the pot and has seen his number remain there.

Starting ninth, he wasted no time as he stole a march on those around him on the opening lap of race three to place fourth by the time the field came around to complete the first tour. Fourth became third as Mat Jackson in the Motorbase Performance Ford was forced into retirement, and there Austin stayed – keeping Plato and the chasing pack at bay until the chequered flag.

It was a strong showing well earned, and a long time coming by Austin's own admission. By its nature though, the move from running his own outfit to entering the fold at Handy was one with more long-term outlook with time required for all parties to settle and learn.

"In race three everything came together. I missed the reverse grid pole for the fourth time this year so I was a bit gutted with that but in hindsight I’m glad we didn’t get it, we earned every position we gained. It’s been a big gap since my last podium and it feels longer than it actually has been.

"We knew we were struggling with the Audi. When I started talking to Simon (Belcher) last year, it was the long-term plan that I bought into.

"This team has got great potential and the Toyota is quick, which Tom (Ingram) has been proving. It’s just taken a while for Handy Motorsport to gel together.

"I’m coming from rear-wheel drive to front-wheel drive and from doing literally everything as a team boss to now just driving. My engineer Matt Taylor has also made the transition from rear to front so it’s a big learning curve and finally Simon has come from driving into management. It just takes a while to gel and to find the sweet spot and to know how to get there.

"Snetterton was great – the best result for Handy Motorsport, so it’s fantastic. Thanks to the fans and everyone at the team. Simon too, he kept a lot of faith in me.

"I think we’ve got a handle on things now and we always go well at Knockhill, so I’m looking forward to it."

Tickets are still available for Knockhill circuit (13/14 August), the BTCC’s only venture north of the border. Prices start at just £37 for adult weekend tickets with discounts available for family bookings with children under 12 able to enter free of charge. For more information and to order tickets head to knockhill.co.uk or call 01383 723337.