Donington Park National Circuit hosts the second race meeting of the already spectacular 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship this weekend, 15th/16th April, where Rob Austin has his sights squarely set on a podium bid after a very competitive start to the season one week ago.

Handy Motorsport racer Austin, who bagged a best finish of fifth at the wheel of his Toyota Avensis during the Brands Hatch season-opener at the beginning of the month, heads to Donington feeling confident of more still, especially as the squad was so strong at the Leicestershire circuit pre-season.

The team feels that the fast and flowing 1.96-mile National Circuit is more suited to the strengths of the Toyota than the season-opening venue, considering the competitiveness Handy displayed at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit the mood in the squad is one of unsurprising positivity.

Having earlier raced from eighth to fifth in the opener, Austin was then excluded from the next encounter following an overtaking incident under yellow flag conditions, preventing a similar result and ultimately leading to a back-of-the-grid start for round three. 

Despite that, the Evesham driver again confirmed his pace and that of the Avensis by carving through the order from 32nd position into the top 18. 

“Brands was a strong weekend, so it’s such a shame the thing everyone remembers is the incident in race two”, said Austin, “We were on for three top five finishes which would’ve been a fantastic start to the season for us. Obviously we couldn’t predict what would’ve happened in race three if I hadn’t started at the back but we know we had the pace.

“We showed a lot of promise and proved we’ve got a good package. Having said that, though, it wasn’t a perfect weekend and there are things we learned which should make us stronger still for Donington. All along we’ve looked at Donington as a better track for us than Brands was, so I’m looking forward to it. We need a strong weekend with a lot of points to recover the lost ground.”

During the official pre-season test at Donington, Austin steered the Handy Motorsport entry to the second fastest time overall and while reluctant to use that as a clear guide of potential performance for this coming weekend’s return to the East Midlands, confidence is certainly high.

“I think we can definitely challenge for the top five or six on the grid next weekend, we’ve got no weight [ballast] in the car so that’ll help”, he added, “We have the car to be up there in qualifying, but our race pace is our strength so if we start well up the order we’ve got a great chance of some good results at Donington.”

Team principal Simon Belcher, who himself was back in competitive action this past weekend in the British Jet Sport Championship at Wyboston Lakes in Bedfordshire, says Handy Motorsport is in a very good place as rounds four, five and six of the BTCC approach.

“We’re all really looking forward to Donington and feel we have a great chance of three consistently strong results”, commented Belcher, “While Media Day can never be a true guide of what everyone is doing, our test programme went well and proved we have a strong package at Donington. 

“The track is definitely suited to the car and Rob enjoys the challenge the circuit provides, so we are heading there aiming high. Brands was a good start for us, our competitiveness was clear to see, so the target now is to improve further and take some big points away at the weekend.”

Opening practice at Donington Park will take place at 09.30 on Saturday, with the second session following at 12.25 ahead of qualifying at 15.40 – which will be streamed live online at the www.itv.com/btcc website.

On Easter Sunday, 16th April, round four will start at 11.35, round five will follow at 14.35 and round six will begin at around 17.20 with each contest screened live on ITV4.

Competition in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship is as fierce as ever as the teams and drivers head to Leicestershire's Donington Park next weekend (15-16 April) following an all-action season-opener.

A full 32-car grid lined up at the Brands Hatch curtain-raiser, with 28 of those incredibly separated by less than 0.9 seconds during practice. From the outset, it was truly anybody's game with an unprecedented depth of quality in the field. Discounting the rookie entrants that could not yet have tallied a BTCC win, some 60 per cent of the championship's drivers had previously taken to the top step of the podium, while only two of the teams in the paddock had yet to make the rostrum. This was borne out in the on-track action in Kent last week with three different winners, representing three different marques.

With the evolution of new chassis components for 2017 now in place across the board, a new TOCA power unit, updated tyre specifications and compounds from Dunlop and teams still learning their 2017 machinery, the form book has been thrown out of the window – ensuring fans are once again in for a feast of close-run, unpredictable racing.

All of the action will be broadcast live and free-to-air by the championship's long-standing partner ITV on ITV4, ITV Hub and streamed online at itv.com/btcc. This means that whether you're in the grandstands, on the spectator banks or relaxing in your front room, you won't miss a second of the drama – and, if anything is guaranteed in the BTCC, it is drama.

Decorated manufacturers enjoy successful return
BMW and Vauxhall made their mark on the Brands Hatch weekend, with both taking to the podium on their return to the series. Andrew Jordan completed a dream debut for BMW Pirtek Racing by claiming victory in the closing race of the weekend. The Midlander switched from front-wheel drive Ford machinery to the rear-driven 125i M Sport over the winter and looked at home right away – holding off a late attack from West Surrey Racing stablemate Colin Turkington, as the Bavarian marque notched a one-two finish to lead the overall Manufacturers' standings.

Tom Chilton's own comeback after a six-year absence featured a taste of champagne on the rostrum for Vauxhall. Chilton's team-mate, Senna Proctor, was the best of the fresh faces on his way to the opening weekend's Jack Sears Trophy for highest-placed rookie and the pair's combined efforts were enough to yield Manufacturers' honours in race one for the Luton firm.

Reigning champion Gordon Shedden made his presence felt with a race two victory with a ballast-laden Honda Civic Type R, backed up by a race one runners-up berth – a signal to all that it will likely take something special to dethrone him. He's currently the man to chase atop the Drivers' championship and Halfords Yuasa Racing are leading the Teams' table.

“The championship lead obviously comes with its own challenge in the form of a 75kg handicap going into qualifying," said Shedden. "It is clear that the advantage is going to ebb-and-flow throughout the season – and as I’ve always said, I’ll take points in the bag every day of the week and then deal with the rest of it later.

"The goal is to leave still leading the championship – although quite how I do that, I haven’t figured out yet!”

Tom Ingram follows just behind the Scot in the running at this very early stage, starting as he did last season – with a win to open his account. A race two podium bolstered his credentials and he will be encouraged by his pace in the official pre-season test at Donington Park, where he topped the timesheets.

Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan made an excellent start to his campaign with a trio of top five finishes and an Independents’ win at Brands Hatch. The Mac Tools-sponsored Mercedes-Benz A-Class showed its promise early on and Morgan made good on that potential, ensuring he and his outfit topped the Independents' charts after a string of strong results.

Twenty up
The most successful driver in the BTCC in terms of race wins is Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Jason Plato. He made his debut in the championship at Donington Park some 20 years ago, and since then, the legendary racer has tallied an unprecedented 95 victories – 35 more than the next driver on what is an esteemed roster of touring car greats, Andy Rouse.

Another experienced head, in Matt Neal, will travel to Donington chasing Rouse's total, with the Halfords Yuasa Racing man just one victory shy as it stands. Neal will arrive in Leicestershire the more optimistic of the pair after a strong weekend for the works Hondas last time out. He also scored a victory in the final race at the corresponding event last year. Plato, on the other hand, endured a tough start to 2017 with race two contact putting paid to his hopes at Brands. 

Home advantage
Neal, from Stourbridge, counts Donington Park as his home circuit and it's a venue that holds very happy memories for him. In 1999, his maiden BTCC victory also made him the first Independent driver in the modern era to win a BTCC race outright – receiving a £250,000 cheque from Series Director Alan Gow. In his 27th campaign in the series, the 50-year-old remains on top of his game and he will undoubtedly be one to watch in Leicestershire.

"It’s always great to race at my local track and I have a lot of special memories there, going right back to my very first BTCC win in 1999," said Neal. "They’ve resurfaced some of the circuit this year and it will be the first time we will have run on the harder-compound Dunlop tyres in 2017, so that will be a new challenge."
 
Fellow champion Andrew Jordan (Lichfield) will similarly view the venue as his backyard, and he comes into the weekend off the back of a storming win last time out – besting rear-wheel drive specialist and WSR team-mate Colin Turkington on his first weekend giving rear-driven machinery the full beans.
 
Longbridge-based marque MG will also consider Donington as home soil. New pairing Aron Taylor-Smith and Dan Lloyd had a mixed weekend at Brands Hatch and will be looking for better next time out.
 
Eurotech Racing is a Midlands-based outfit, fielding a pair of potent Honda Civic Type Rs with Coventry's Jeff Smith and Jack Goff at the helm. The former scored a standout pole position – his first in the BTCC – at the season-opener and the duo will hope to build on the pace they showed in Kent.

Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport also hails from the area, as does its two-time race-winning driver Stephen Jelley.

Kings Norton's Martin Depper and Lichfield's Ant Whorton-Eales are similarly locals – driving Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo's Ford Focus and Amdtuning.com with Cobra Exhaust's Audi S3 Saloon respectively.
 
Timetable and tickets 
The second race day of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship takes place on Sunday 16 April, with all three BTCC encounters – and many of the day’s other races – 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 at btcc.net/live throughout the weekend.
 
In addition to the BTCC, the support series on the TOCA package are set to bring even more action to Donington Park. Sportscar racing fans will get their fix with races from the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Michelin Ginetta GT4 SuperCup and Simpson Race Products Ginetta Junior Championship. The Renault UK Clio Cup – often seen as a stepping-stone to reaching the BTCC – will also feature on the huge bill of British racing, as will the F4 British Championship, the single-seater launchpad for the next generation of aspiring Formula One world champions.
 
Tickets for the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s annual visit to Donington Park on 15/16 April are available in advance from just £12, with free entry for children aged 13 and under. For more information, visit www.donington-park.co.uk. All admission includes access to Sunday morning’s Pit Lane Walkabout and autograph session with the BTCC's stars (limited spaces) and the racing paddocks, as well as free parking and giant TV screens on Sunday. Racing starts at 09:25 on Sunday with the final BTCC showdown scheduled for 17:22. 

Colin Turkington tops the Dunlop #ForeverForward standings after an action-packed season-opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship weekend at Brands Hatch Indy.

#ForeverForward rewards drivers who show their determination to fight back from adversity to gain the most places over the course of the season. Turkington picked up a staggering 29 places with his back-of-the-pack to top ten fightback in race two mirrored by Neal's equally impressive efforts in the same encounter – netting the latter a 26 place gain. Rob Austin, meanwhile made up 18 spots on his battle back in race three.

Fans across Dunlop’s social media pages had the opportunity to vote for their pick of the passes, with Jack Goff’s double manoeuvre on Rob Austin and Jeff Smith in race one, and Collard’s overtake on Ingram in race two tied as fans' choice.

Tony Ward, Brand Manager for Dunlop, said: “We decided to open up a vote across Dunlop's social media to see what the fans thought was the weekend's best pass. As ever, there were some fantastic edge-of-the-seat moments to choose from.

“It was clear that Turkington and Neal would be at the forefront thanks to their recoveries in race two. Colin's drive to an eventual second in the final race of the day, even challenging for the win, jumping 29 places across the second and third races was something to behold. Matt was close behind, managing fourth in the final race, and we saw 2016’s #ForeverForward runner-up Rob Austin also prove his eye for a move. He completed a strong recovery drive in the final race, jumping 14 positions and 18 in total for the weekend.

“We love the interactivity with our fans on our social channels and voting to decide the best overtake of the weekend really creates a debate along with some passionate, opinionated comment – which is great to see.

"We are very much looking forward to the next round at Donington Park to see how the results of the #ForeverForward award will evolve.”

#ForeverForward Standings: 

DRIVER	Total Places Gained at Brands Hatch
Colin Turkington	29
Matt Neal	26
Rob Austin	18
Dave Newsham	17
Jake Hill	17
Martin Depper	17
Chris Smiley	16
Rob Collard	14
Ollie Jackson	14
Josh Cook	13
Jeff Smith	12
Ash Sutton	11
Dan Lloyd	10
Mat Jackson	8
Aron Taylor-Smith	8
Luke Davenport	8
Ant Whorton Eales	7
Josh Price	7
Jack Goff	7
Will Burns	7
Andrew Jordan	7
Jason Plato	6
Michael Epps	5
Aiden Moffat	5
James Cole	5
Tom Chilton	3
Senna Proctor	3
Adam Morgan	3
Gordon Shedden	3
Stephen Jelley	1
Tom Ingram	1
Matt Simpson	0

 

Power Maxed Racing's Vauxhall Astra made an impressive competitive debut in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, with Tom Chilton taking to the rostrum and Senna Proctor clinching the Jack Sears Trophy, while the team itself was awarded Manufacturers' honours.

After a tricky qualifying session around Brands Hatch Indy for all concerned, given a smattering of stoppages and on-off rainfall, Chilton and Proctor would line up 12th and 16th for the opener.

Round one yielded a top ten finish for the more senior of the outfit's driver pairing, and Proctor's maiden outing saw him net 17th and Jack Sears honours as the best-placed rookie. It was Vauxhall and PMR's return to silverware, gaining Manufacturers' honours for race one.

Both drivers worked their way up through the field in the second bout of the day and straight into the thick of the action. Proctor's choice of the Option tyre proved prudent as he gained ground early on and a timely Safety Car further bolstered Proctor's selection, allowing the softer rubber brief respite.

Chilton wasted no time in passing Jack Goff's Honda moments after the restart and the pair both continued to charge hard until the final tour – ninth and 13th their eventual finishing berths and another JST went the way of Proctor.

A favourable reverse grid draw saw Chilton on pole position for the final race of the day. The fast-starting rear-wheel drive BMW of Andrew Jordan beat him to the first corner, though, and he would stay second as long as lap eighteen before Colin Turkington in the sister BMW found a way to break Chilton's defences – not that the end result would in any way prove to be a disappointment to the BTCC returnee, who proclaimed the podium finish felt 'as good as a win,' all things considered.

Proctor rounded things off by bringing the car home once again, this time 19th – enough to clinch overall JST honours on a debut weekend to remember.

"It was a good start to my first BTCC race. The car felt good and went well, plus we landed top rookie and top manufacturer, " said Proctor. 

"I got a good start on the restart in race two and held my position as the soft tyres came in. The car felt excellent, and the Safety Car halfway through gave the tyres time to cool. To get points in my second race was a great feeling.

"The final race was a bit of a hectic one! I just focused on finishing and bringing home the Jack Sears Trophy. I received an almighty whack from behind that flat spotted my tyres, compromising my pace but I achieved my goal of finishing all three races and getting my first trophy."

Tom Chilton said: "I'm happy with the car, and I'll take a top ten for the first outing. I'll make no outlandish claims but watch this space."

"I got a poor start in relation to the rear-wheel drives but I got a better restart after the red flag. The car felt awesome as we'd set it up for a strong second half of the race. We got the balance just right as the fronts went off; we finished with a great little car.

"I got a good start in race three but the BMW's starts are renowned, and (Andrew) Jordan beat me to the first corner. I pressured for the first four laps but wanted to look after the Option tyres as well as get away from the pack behind. All was going to plan until (Colin) Turkington caught me on lap 18, I wanted to finish with a podium for the guys at PMR, so I let him past and hung on to his tail to finish third. A great race for the team at PMR and it's awesome to be back on the podium with Vauxhall again in the BTCC."

Adam Weaver, PMR Team Principal, commented: "I am thrilled with this weekend, the team have worked so hard over the winter and for them to be rewarded with a great bunch of results is fantastic. Tom drove brilliantly, we know he is a class act, and he showed his pace and maturity today, and Senna is one to watch. We have a proud tradition of spotting young talent, and Senna has not disappointed, we are thrilled to have two strong drivers in our brand new Vauxhall Astras."

Eurotech Racing made an encouraging start to the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch Indy last weekend, with the maiden pole position of the year going the way of Jeff Smith and a trio of strong points finishes collected by new boy Jack Goff.

A strong pre-season programme was cause for confidence at the Midlands outfit and practice at Brands evidenced that the pace is there in the Honda Civic Type R with Goff third fastest by Free Practice 2's end and Smith seventh.

With red flags and changeable conditions thrown into the mix for the opening qualifying session of the season, the pressure was on to find a clear run and to set a 'banker' time.

Smith was the man that timed it best – combining a tidy lap with a tow from Matt Neal's Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda to pocket pole.

Goff went well on the way to seventh given the circumstances but both he and the team felt the pace was there to go better still.

In Sunday's opening round, pole-sitter Smith started well, though lost out to the fast-starting Speedworks Motorsport Toyota of Tom Ingram. With an eye on preserving the 'Option' Dunlop rubber, the Eurotech man was caught by the hard-charging pair of Gordon Shedden and Adam Morgan. Smith then held his own in fourth, defending valiantly until a mechanical issue saw him shuffled down the pack and forced into the pit-lane and retirement. Goff, meanwhile, drove an effective race – finishing an encouraging fourth, yielding a good haul of points on his debut.

Contact on race two's initial start looked to have spun Goff out of the running from what was a strong starting berth. Fortunately, a restart enabled him to go again from fourth on the grid. Suspension damage sustained in that earlier contact, however, saw the Honda shuffled back to 12th by race's end. A brilliant drive from team-mate Smith saw him climb from the back of the pack to the cusp of the points-paying positions and 16th.

Goff solidified a weekend of positivity on the way to a battling eighth in race three. Smith survived a coming-together with Ash Sutton to work back to finish in 17th. 

Eurotech Manager Marvin Humphries said: "What a fantastic promising start to the season, to get the first pole was a massive boost to the team. We are happy that the pace is there, Jack and Jeff have shown they are confident and capable of putting the cars at the sharp end and looking like a formidable combination. This is the start of a great season."

Michael Epps notched his best performance to date in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, as he spearheaded the return of Team HARD's potent Volkswagen CCs with a trio of top ten finishes around Brands Hatch Indy this past weekend.

The Autoaid/RCIB Insurance man left the Kent venue fourth in the Independent Drivers' standings, twelve months on from his debut in the championship.

Epps secured a personal best 13th in qualifying, despite being one of those caught out by rain showers and red flag stoppages. Come race day, the Hemel Hempstead racer went toe-to-toe with some of the front-runners – outmanoeuvring Tom Ingram with an audacious pass in race three was a contender for pass of the weekend.

Ninth in the opener was his highest-placed finish in Britain's premier motor racing championship. A net 10th in race two – narrowly missing out in a drag to the line with Colin Turkington's Team BMW 125i M Sport – bolstered that. Race three's ninth was the icing on the cake.

“I’m incredibly happy with how this weekend has gone, but I’m focused now. We’re climbing the mountain of the BTCC and I want to keep going," said Epps.

"We’ve got things to work on with the handling of the car and our soft tyre performance especially but this is a fantastic foundation for the season.

“We made lots of changes to the car set-up across the weekend, but the car was strong every time we went out on track. We didn’t get to show our true potential in qualifying, but we were able to really battle hard in the races and take the results we deserved.

“We’ve got a hat-trick of top ten finishes under our belt, but now we want to push for more next time out. I don’t feel like this track suited our car that much, so we’re confident that we could be even stronger at Donington Park in two weeks time."

Epps' stablemate, TAG Racing's Jake Hill, enjoyed a similarly positive start to the season given the context of his weekend.

Ninth in a tricky qualifying session tempered by rain and stoppages was an inkling as to Hill's promise. Were it not for contact in race one, the Kent racer was looking at a top ten finish and strong points. A lengthy pit-stop for repairs ensued and put pay to those chances.

Starting 28th for race two, on Option rubber, Hill and his crew enacted major set-up changes, yielding a nine-place gain and 19th.

Opportunist driving on an aggressive opening lap of the third encounter saw Hill on the edge of the points-paying positions by the start of the second tour.

Up as far as 11th place, Hill closed on team-mate Epps, the pair moving in on race-one winner Ingram. In a spectacular move that started at Druids Hairpin, Epps and Hill passed either side on back straight, taking them up to 9th and 10th places respectively.

“The car was much, much nicer in race three," said Hill. "The tyres worked well until the last few laps, and the move Mike and me pulled off on Ingram was mega!

"I can’t thank my team enough for all their efforts, and to the team’s and my fantastic partners for their support. 

“We had a great qualifying and a great final race - it is important to get points on the board at every opportunity.”

The new-boy in the Team HARD triumvirate, Will Burns, endured a testing introduction to Britain's premier motor sport championship, with a best result of 22nd position in race two.

“My first weekend in the BTCC was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before," said Burns. "It was immensely challenging, coming up against some of the best touring car drivers in the world, but we always knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

“I definitely have the pace within both me and the car to be higher up the grid. We showed that in practice, but I was unlucky in qualifying and that ultimately put me in a difficult position for race day. I finished all three races though and that was our only objective heading into the meeting.

“I’ve learnt an awful lot this weekend, about how to approach the whole meeting, how to maximise practice and qualifying, and how to make my mark in the races. I’m going to take everything I’ve learnt and continue to improve next time out at Donington Park.” 

Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan made a strong start to his 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign with a trio of top six finishes and an Independents' win at Brands Hatch last weekend.
 
Morgan’s Mac Tools-sponsored Mercedes-Benz A-Class showed its promise early on in the weekend and duly qualified a creditable sixth fastest in a session punctuated by two red flags and changeable weather conditions.

“The car worked really well all day on Saturday,” said Morgan. “I was the first person to hit the rain when it came and I was on slicks so that was tricky but I was more than confident for Sunday.”
 
That confidence proved to be well placed as the Lancashire-based driver fired off the line to take fifth at Paddock before grabbing fourth on lap six with an incisive move at Graham Hill Bend. As early pace-setter Jeff Smith ran wide in his Honda Civic Type R, reigning champion Gordon Shedden pounced with Morgan following through behind the Halfords Yuasa Racing man to secure a potential place on the podium.
 
The Accrington flyer wasn’t finished there, however, wasting no time in charging up to Shedden's rear bumper, looking to steal second. He missed out by just over 0.150s in the end as the cars took the chequered flag, but with an opening weekend podium in the bag.

“I was catching Gordon (Shedden) but I wasn’t convinced it was worth risking everything with two more races to go. I decided it was better to bank the points," said Morgan.

That result meant Morgan would be placed third on the grid for race two with the regulation success ballast in his A-Class. With weight on board, a ding-dong between Rob Austin's Handy Motorsport Toyota ensued, before a late-race clash between Andrew Jordan's BMW and Austin's Avensis, just ahead of Morgan – allowing the Ciceley racer to nip through past the 125i M Sport. With Austin's post-race exclusion, this would yield a net fourth for Morgan, who added: “Carrying all that weight made it hard, but I had a go at Austin and there was a bit of a rub. He got his own back so I tried to stay with him and we then caught Jordan, so fourth became another good haul of points.”

Race three brought more reason for cheer for a packed garage full of the team's Mac Tools, WIX Filters and Fuchs Lubricants guests as Morgan hustled the Mercedes to fifth overall and the Independents' Trophy as well as the Independent Drivers' Championship lead heading to Leicestershire's Donington Park in just under a fortnight's time.

“It was a brilliant opening weekend,” said Adam. “I should have let Colin Turkington past earlier in race three because defending him hurt my tyres, but to come home fifth and win the Independents’ Trophy is fantastic. We've never had as good a start to the season as this and it is a great way of saying thanks to all of our partners for the support. We go to Donington at Easter looking for overall wins.”
 
Ciceley Motorsport’s Commercial Manager Norman Burgess said: “Adam has been fantastic this weekend and our sponsors couldn’t be happier. To come away with an Independents race win is great but Adam is leading the Independents Trophy for drivers and Ciceley Motorsport is leading the Independents’ Team Trophy. It has been the ideal way to welcome Mac Tools on board and to thank our many guests who cheered Adam all weekend.  Now, we need to put the silverware away and look forward to Donington and maintain the great pace we have shown at Brands Hatch.”

Success for Ingram, Shedden and Jordan in BTCC curtain raiser

After a breathless round three from Brands Hatch, btcc.net caught up with race winner, BMW Pirtek Racing's, Andrew Jordan, his West Surrey Racing stablemate – Team BMW's Colin Turkington, as well as Power Maxed Racing's Tom Chilton.

 

Andrew Jordan completed a dream debut for BMW by claiming a victory in the final Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at the opening Brands Hatch weekend.

Jordan – who switched from Ford to BMW machinery during the off-season – held off a late attack from fellow stablemate Colin Turkington. The pair touched briefly during the final lap, but Jordan held on to claim an historic win for the returning manufacturer.

Tom Chilton made it a memorable podium as Vauxhall marked its own BTCC comeback with a fine third place for Power Maxed Racing.

BMW Pirtek Racing's Jordan blasted from third on the grid to lead the pack into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, as Mat Jackson faced heartache while trying to follow suit. Jackson's Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo with Ford went around the outside of Chilton's Vauxhall Astra, but the former ran out of road and endured a trip across the gravel.

Chilton maintained second while fellow front-row starter Josh Cook was shuffled down the order in the Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport Ford Focus. Cook was sixth by the end of lap three but worse was to follow for the young driver as he would eventually finish 26th after running wide at Druids Hairpin.

Tom Ingram was another struggling to hold station with his ballast-laden Toyota Avensis slipping behind Matt Neal, before he was tag-teamed by the charging Team HARD-run duo of Michael Epps and Jake Hill.

Turkington had jumped from from tenth to third in the BMW 125i M Sport by a little over mid-distance and he busily reeled in Chilton ahead of him. The series returnee had no answer – deciding discretion is the better part of valour – and he allowed Turkington to nip by on lap 17.

Far from settling for second, Turkington reeled in fellow WSR driver Jordan at a rate of knots, and was on the blue Pirtek machine's tail for the final few laps. He tried everything he could to get by – including a friendly rub through Clearways – but 2013 champion held firm to lead home a fantastic one-two for BMW.

Neal took fourth from Adam Morgan, with both finishing ahead of the fading Rob Collard, whilst Gordon Shedden had to settle for seventh – cementing an extremely positive day for the reigning champion. Eurotech Racing's topsy turvy day ended with eighth for Jack Goff, whilst the impressive Epps and Hill rounded out the top ten.

Andrew Jordan said: "That was quite a start wasn’t it with rear-wheel drive and a new team? I was getting a bit twitchy with Colin (Turkington) looking really, really strong on the soft tyres behind – the rear-wheel drive expert! We had a little rub at the end there but it was a good way to end. I knew he wasn’t going to do anything silly. It wasn’t the calmest moment of my career when he did get past Tom (Chilton). I was hoping he’d be behind him a bit longer but I knew he was coming. I just kept driving to my markers, tried not to look in my mirrors any more than usual and tried to be kind on the left rear tyre. It’s special really, to get the win on my first event with BMW Pirtek Racing and West Surrey Racing. It’s down to the team – credit to the guys for all the work they’ve put in, especially with the addition of the new engine."

Colin Turkington said: "It’s so easy to let the head drop at the start of the day when you make 12 yards off the line and end up facing the traffic but I’ve been around in this championship for so long that I know you’ve just got to look to the next race. Race two was where all the hard work was done really, carving through from the back and giving myself a chance with a good slot on the grid for race three. The guys gave me a great car in the BMW for the last one. We tweaked it for the soft tyre and I couldn’t believe the pace. I got close to Andy (Jordan) but we had our instructions and I wasn’t going to do anything silly!"

Tom Chilton said: "It was perfect. It’s our first event of the year and we’re still learning the car. It shows what a great job Power Maxed Racing has done and to get a podium, even with a bit of luck with the reverse grid draw, it’s brilliant. It’s put me right up there in the championship in a new car – it’s amazing. I didn’t expect it at all. The BTCC has 32 of the best drivers in Britain and some of the best teams around, so to get a result is very difficult – especially a podium, so I’m absolutely over the moon. It was quite special and for us, it felt like a win."

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 3 – Brands Hatch (Indy):

1 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing 24 laps
2 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.315s
3 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +4.692s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +7.558s
5 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +10.205s
6 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Team BMW +10.812s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +11.719s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +12.141s
9 Michael EPPS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +12.970s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +14.367s
11 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +18.859s
12 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +21.500s
13 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +21.648s
14 Dave NEWSHAM (IRL) BTC Norlin Racing +22.117s
15 Daniel LLOYD (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +22.587s
16 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +23.653s
17 Jeff SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +25.070s
18 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +25.546s
19 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +25.942s
20 Luke DAVENPORT (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +26.183s
21 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +26.540s
22 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +26.932s
23 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +29.636s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +30.335s
25 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +33.244s
26 Josh COOK (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1 lap
27 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2 laps
28 Will BURNS (GBR) Autoaid/RCIB Insurance Racing +3 laps
DNF Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +4 laps
DNF Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing
DNF James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing
DNS Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing