Inside BTCC - Issue 7

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THIS MONTH… • A LOOK BACK AT SNETTERTON & BRANDS HATCH • BRAKING RULES WITH JACK GOFF AND TINGRAM • DAN ROWBOTTOM RE-EVALUATES HIS GOALS • THE LATEST BTCC NEWS • STATS FROM THREE ROUNDS IN

ISSUE 7 - ROUNDS TWO AND THREE

WELCOME TO INSIDE BTCC rounds of the T hree season have now been completed as the BTCC prepares to resume battle at Oulton Park to kick off the next phase of the 2021 campaign.

The title battle is certainly hotting up after two weekends packed with drama at Snetterton and Brands Hatch.

In front of a limited number of fans at both circuits, Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram were able to open up a slender lead over the chasing pack - but with 21 races still to run before the championships are decided in October at Brands Hatch, there remains

everything still to play for over the coming seven rounds.

In this edition of Inside BTCC, you can look back across the last two race meetings with our extensive reviews to serve as a reminder as to how the standings have ended up as they are.

One of the stars of the season so far has been Dan Rowbottom so we caught up with the Team Dynamics driver to look at how he is reevaluating his aims for the season, and spoke to Jack Goff and Ingram on the merits of left foot and right foot braking.

Nine race in, we also delve into the stats to see what they show thus far in 2021…

We’d love to see you check out future (or past) editions of the eMagazine and if there is something you would like to see us feature, please drop us a line through our social channels or email us on contact@insidebtcc.com and let us know.

You can also get in touch if you would be interested in sponsoring an edition of Inside BTCC in future, or would like to get involved in some other way.

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NEWS IN BRIEF THE LATEST UPDATES FROM THE BTCC PADDOCK… season is well T heunderway with three rounds now in the bag, but there has been plenty going on away from the race weekends…

MB MOTORSPORT NAMES DEVELOPMENT DRIVER MB Motorsport has brought Andrew Watson onboard in the new role of Hybrid Development Driver.

Although a touring car rookie, Watson brings extensive technical knowledge to the team from his time competing in sportscars in recent years, having secured race wins in GT

World Challenge Europe and a podium finish in the Bathurst 12 Hours.

great step forward that the British Touring Car Championship is taking.

The Scot, who works as a sustainability advisor away from racing, will take part in ontrack testing later in the year as part of the role.

"I’ve been eager to get behind the wheel of a BTCC car for a while now, so this is a great opportunity and I owe my thanks to my partners at Howdens who were hugely supportive given the environmental steps forward that the series is taking.”

“I’m thrilled to be joining MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square as their Hybrid Development Driver,” said Watson.

“This is a really important time for the series as we start to make the progression towards a more sustainable future, and it is a

2022 CALENDAR CONFIRMED The calendar for the 2022 season has been officially revealed by TOCA, featuring a later start that usual in order to

2022 BTCC CALENDAR ROUNDS

DATE

CIRCUIT

1, 2, 3

23/24 April

Donington Park National

4, 5, 6

14/15 May

Brands Hatch Indy

7, 8, 9

28/29 May

Thruxton

10, 11, 12

11/12 June

Oulton Park Island

13, 14, 15

25/26 June

Croft

16, 17, 18

30/31 July

Knockhill

19, 20, 21

13/14 August

Snetterton 300

22, 23, 24

27/28 August

Thruxton

25, 26, 27

24/25 September

Silverstone National

28, 29, 30

8/9 October

Brands Hatch GP

provide teams with more time to test ahead of the first race of the hybrid era.

Rather than early April, the season will instead begin at the end of the month with the opening event at Donington Park, which is then followed by trips to Brands Hath and Thruxton in May. Oulton Park and Croft then lead into the summer break, with the racing action resuming in late July with the annual trip north of the border to Knockhill.

Snetterton and the second event at Thruxton follow in August before another month long break prior to the penultimate meeting of the campaign at Silverstone.

Brands Hatch then takes its regular slot at the season finale in early October, with the final

three races of the campaign on the Grand Prix circuit.

“I’m pleased to confirm our calendar for the 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship,” BTCC Chief Executive Alan Gow said.

“As the biggest series in the UK, it is vital that our schedule is issued so early, to allow the rest of British motorsport to plan their respective calendars.”

GLYNN GEDDIE LEAVES TEAM HARD AS JACK MITCHELL READIES FOR DEBUT Glynn Geddie will not compete again in the 2021 BTCC season after standing down from his role with Team HARD. The Scottish driver made the decision after three rounds of the campaign citing personal

reasons, having launched a new business and having become a father for the first time.

“It is with regret that I am leaving the BTCC and Team HARD Racing," he said.

"Everyone has been amazing so far in our journey and we part company on good terms.

"My personal situation has drastically changed since I signed to drive for this year with Tony and Team HARD. Racing. I’ve started a new business and my lovely partner has just given birth to our first child, Jenson.

"My priorities, at least temporarily, have changed and my new commitments away from racing have meant that I can no longer fully focus on my racing which is affecting my

ability to meet the targets that I set myself for this year.

team that currently competes in both Britcar and TCR UK.

“The team have been absolutely wonderful during my time here and I’ve met many people who I now value as my friends, they really are one big family and I hope to return one day and finish off what we started."

However, in the end, Jack Mitchell was the man chosen to fill the seat after agreeing a deal that would see him make the move up into touring cars for the first time.

Mike Bushell was one driver to have been linked with the seat in the immediate aftermath of the news, whilst James Gornall and Will Powell both took the chance to test the car during the break between events.

Gornall would complete both days of the Goodyear tyre test at Oulton Park, whilst Powell enjoyed day on track at Snetterton - albeit with more of an eye on the future racing plans for his own Motus One

some of the support packages, so to call myself a British Touring Car Championship driver from next weekend is something I am very proud of.

Mitchell, a winner of the British GT4 title, is no stranger to the TOCA package having previously won the Ginetta Junior Championship.

“I’ve been following the team for the last couple of seasons, and they have been making great progress, especially with the new car this year which makes me very excited. I’m really keen and looking forward to getting into the car to drive it at Oulton Park.

He returned to the package at Brands Hatch after inking a deal to compete with EXCELR8 in the MINI CHALLENGE, taking a best finish of second.

“The goal is to help the team get some really strong points finishes and just learn as much as I can. I’m ready, hungry and ready for the fight!”

“I’m really looking forward to joining Team HARD in the BTCC,” he said. “It’s a series I have grown up watching and racing on the same weekend in

SENNA PROCTOR PACES OULTON PARK TEST Senna Proctor set the pace as the BTCC field headed for

OULTON PARK - TEST TIMES Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

1:25.656

2

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+0.071

3

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+0.513

4

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+0.677

5

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+0.691

6

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+0.695

7

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.709

8

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.763

9

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+0.780

10

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+0.841

11

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.869

12

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+0.885

13

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.930

14

James Gornall

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+0.931

15

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.973

16

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+1.003

17

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+1.005

18

Andrew Jordan

Cosworth / TOCA

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+1.075

19

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+1.095

20

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+1.101

21

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+1.113

22

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+1.130

23

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+1.144

24

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+1.176

25

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+1.429

26

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+1.598

27

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+3.176

28

Andy Neate

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+10.328

Lap times in red set on the second day of testing All other lap times posted on day one Andrew Jordan was running in the TOCA Hybrid test car being operated by Speedworks and Cosworth

Oulton Park for the two-day Goodyear tyre test.

The test was moved to the Cheshire circuit as Snetterton has already hosted its race weekend, with the Oulton Park scheduled to host round four of the campaign.

Both days of the test were affected by mixed weather conditions with only limited running available on dry tyres.

Proctor’s benchmark time would be set on slick rubber on the opening afternoon, with the BTC Racing driver heading a Honda 1-2-3 ahead of Team Dynamics pair Gordon Shedden and Dan Rowbottom.

“To have the fastest time over the whole test is great,” he said.

“Throughout the two days we were very productive. We managed to achieve the things that we wanted to get done and we got enough driving in to really validate what we thought we could do and what we thought could make a difference.

"It’s great to get a handle on that.

Jack Goff was fourth quickest in the leading Team HARD Cupra, with Jason Plato and Jake Hill rounding out the top six.

Plato was the only driver inside the top ten on the combined timesheets to set his fastest lap on day two, where the majority of the field would lap slower.

The mixed weather conditions and vastly different

programmes meant a number of drivers were lower down the order than expected, including WSR pair Colin Turkington and Tom Oliphant in 22nd and 26th.

Jack Butel and Nic Hamilton were the only full season entrants not to take part in the test.

HYBRID TESTING CONTINUES APACE Alongside the class of 2021, the BTCC Hybrid car was present for the Oulton Park test, with former champion Andrew Jordan completing well over 100 laps as development work continues in preparation for 2022.

The Toyota Corolla was running the new-for-2022 TOCA engine developed by M-

Sport and ended up 18th on the times, although the focus of the test wasn’t on chasing an outright time.

Prior to being fitted into the test car, the new engine developed at M Sport’s facility in Cumbria - had undertaken extensive running on a dyno, whilst the hybrid components have now done well in excess of the mileage they would be expected to do in actual competition.

“These two days have been part of the final stages of our validation process and it’s also the first time we’ve properly run in the public eye," Cosworth Electric’s head of support Neal Bateman said.

"We’ve been able to complete a great number of laps,

weather permitting – which has presented its own challenges!

“We’ve completed lots of deployment of the hybrid electronics utilising different strategies - including the pit lane strategy of running electric to the end and then the engine starting and driving out, which has been excellent.

"We’re very happy with the miles we’ve got from the test.

It’s all building towards the excitement of running it next year.”

CAPACITY CROWDS SET FOR OULTON PARK ONWARDS Capacity crowds will be welcomed back from Oulton Park onwards after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

A limited number of fans were permitted at Snetterton and Brands Hatch but the move to Stage 4 of the government roadmap means the lifting of restrictions on spectator numbers.

Whereas tickets for the previous two events were only available in advance, there will be a number made available for purchase on the gate, whilst grandstand tickets are available to full capacity.

Although paddock access will be available, there will be no pit lane walkabout - with the decision taken not to restart those at any event this season.

Face masks will no longer be mandatory in indoor settings, but circuit operators MSV 'encourage their use, particularly in busy areas'.

RACE REPORT

TRIO STAR AT SNETTERTON THREE DRIVERS SECURED VICTORY IN ROUND TWO AT SNETTERTON AS THE TITLE FIGHT WARMED UP… an opening weekend A fter that was affected throughout by poor weather conditions, the sun shone brightly when the BTCC headed for Snetterton for the second meeting of the 2021 campaign.

It would prove to be a big weekend for the series as fans were welcomed back trackside for the first time since the 2019 season finale, with a limited number of spectators permitted to attend on both days of the event.

Whilst those fans were still unable to get close to the

teams in the paddock, the wide open nature of the Snetterton circuit meant there was plenty of opportunity for them to see their heroes in action as the championship battling intensified.

Heading to Norfolk, it was MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill who held a surprise early lead in the standings on the back of a strong performance in the opening rounds, with three podiums from three starts giving him a slender advantage over BTC Racing’s Josh Cook and Jason Plato - who celebrated his return to the series with Power Maxed

Racing after a year away with a strong first weekend.

There were however a number of drivers who hadn’t quite hit the heights that they had expected in Hampshire, with the result that they would head for the longest circuit on the calendar carrying less weight than perhaps would have been predicted.

Despite only being the second round of the season, the grid saw a number of changes; one of which would be expected, but one which would prove to be more of a surprise.

With Snetterton marking the return to the support package of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, Dan Cammish was unable to continue in his role with BTC Racing having been drafted in to replace Michael Crees at Thruxton, with Senna Proctor getting the nod to fill the seat for the remainder of the season.

two female racers having been involved in the battle for overall points since the 1980s…

Over at Motorbase, Andy Neate’s decision to sit out the weekend following the backlash to the incident he was involved in at Thruxton meant a call-up for Jessica Hawkins as she came in for a second BTCC meeting.

That in itself would prove to have an impact in how teams approached the two practice sessions, with no 'carry over' tyres from the first round available for anyone to use.

That meant there were two female racers on the grid for the first time since 2001, when Annie Templeton and Joanna Clarke were part of the Production Class entry, with no

The action kicked off on Saturday morning with the opening practice session of the weekend, which marked the first time that the field had done battle on the medium compound Goodyear tyre.

As a result, some teams would limit their track time in order to keep fresher tyres for qualifying later in the day, aware that getting into the second phase of the two-part session could be crucial to then getting three strong

results when it came to race day itself.

With teams having been able to do a brief shakedown run on Friday evening, it didn’t take long for quick times to start appearing on the board.

Dan Lloyd and Stephen Jelley traded the fastest lap initially before Colin Turkington put his BMW onto the top of the pile with a little over 15 minutes of the session left to run.

However, it was Tom Ingram who would end up leading the way as he became the first driver of the weekend to dip under the 1:56s second mark around the longest circuit on the calendar.

Ingram would then improve again on the very next lap to set a time of 1:55.785s, which

was noticeably slower than his own qualifying lap record, but still good enough to give early bragging rights to EXCELR8 at the home circuit for the Hyundai team.

"The car felt good out of the box which is what you want to see, but we can’t get carried away because it’s only the first session of the weekend," he admitted.

"This is a circuit that I enjoy and where I have gone well in the past, so hopefully we can push for some strong results again this time around, particularly when we have fans back trackside again.

"I’m sure there is more time in the car, but this is a good start."

Ingram would end the session with a relatively comfortable

advantage at the front, with the Infiniti of Ash Sutton slotting into second place but threetenths of a second off the pace.

A deeper look at the data however showed the way in which the drivers were saving tyres however, with Ingram completing five laps that saw him return straight to the pits before going out to set an actual time.

In fact, he would only set three full lap times during the session - two of which were better than anyone else.

Sutton saved his best lap until the final tour of a five lap run late in the session, which saw him move ahead of Turkington’s BMW, which worked through a more traditional programme

featuring two noticeable stints on track.

Gordon Shedden was another late improver in his Honda Civic to sit fourth, with the Scot only completing two timed laps in the latter stages, having spent much of the session either scrubbing tyres or sitting in the pits.

Stephen Jelley in the second of the WSR-run BMWs was fifth ahead of Lloyd’s Astra, with Ollie Jackson and Rory Butcher rounding out the top eight as the final drivers within a second of the fastest time.

Just missing out was Hill’s Ford Focus, which would end up in ninth despite the fact he was carrying full ballast in his position as championship leader.

Hill would only manage five laps as a result of a sticking wheel which left him consigned to the garage, with Adam Morgan completing the top ten.

Elsewhere, Thruxton double winner Cook was eleventh just ahead of Plato, with returnees Proctor and Hawkins managing 17th and 20th.

Conditions would cool somewhat for session two, where Shedden emerged with the quickest time.

As had been the case earlier in the day, the Scot would limit his running in order to save tyres and was the only driver not to get into double figures as he completed just nine laps.

The quickest of those would come just after the half-way

stage and would remain unbeaten through to the end, although a time of 1:56.149 was slower than both Ingram and Sutton had managed in FP1.

"We made a few changes to the car and it felt more like I wanted it and the lap time was good," he said.

"It’s interesting that we have the different format for qualifying with the shootout to come and I haven’t experienced that yet in the BTCC so I’m looking forward to it.

"It would be nice to start near the front, and we could do with a clean weekend after Thruxton."

Ingram would once again wind up towards the front in the Hyundai as he posted the

second fastest time to maintain his strong start to the weekend, with Jack Goff impressing for Team HARD in the new Cupra Leon as he went third fastest.

Sutton held fourth in the lead Infiniti and was best of the rear wheel drive cars, with Proctor slotting into fifth.

That was particularly impressive given his lack of time behind the wheel of the FK8, and the fact he was also carrying additional weight thanks to the results scored by Cammish in the season opener.

Hill, Chris Smiley and Dan Rowbottom then rounded out the top eight heading into qualifying.

As in 2020, the session would feature a top ten shootout to

determine who would start the opening race of the weekend from pole position, meaning the first job for drivers was to try and secure a safe passage through Q1.

Times were immediately quicker than they had been in the practice sessions, with Turkington’s BMW leading the way in the opening 25 minutes of running on a 1:55.294, which put him nearly three-tenths of a second clear of Ingram’s Hyundai with Shedden in third.

Tom Oliphant made it through with the fourth best time ahead of Butcher’s Toyota, although the Scot didn’t make it easy for himself having had two laps disallowed for exceeding track limits.

Hill’s strong weekend continued despite the

additional weight on the Focus, and saw him make it through with the sixth best time, with Jelley, Jackson, Lloyd and Morgan completing the shootout runners.

That meant there were some notable absentees from the top ten, including Sutton in the Infiniti.

The defending champion was never seriously in contention and would manage only the 16th best time, with the team then working to change the engine on his car overnight to cure a mystery issue.

Sutton however was still ahead of Cook and Plato, who continued to struggle to match Hill in their ballast heavy cars, with the pair ending the session 17th and 19th quickest.

Splitting them was Hawkins

after she produced a strong lap to break into the top 20, and she could have gone quicker without traffic on her fastest lap.

With only ten minutes in which to then try and secure pole, it looked like Turkington was all set to lead the way for the second successive season in the BMW, but a storming lap from Shedden saw him vault to the top in the Honda.

The Scot took pole by little more than a tenth of a second but it was then found that the rear wing on the Civic was slightly out of position.

Whilst the error was so small that it wouldn’t impact on performance, it was enough to result in the Scot being excluded from the results and sent to the back of the grid,

meaning that Turkington instead inherited stop spot on the grid.

"The pace was a bit unknown going into the session but we made some changes and the car was on the money," the Northern Irishman said.

"The window of opportunity was quite short because of the warm conditions and we only had a lap or two but we did a good job.

"We’ll take nothing for granted tomorrow but we’re in a good position."

Shedden’s exclusion would bump up the drivers behind, meaning Ingram joined Turkington on the front row of the grid, with Butcher and Jelley sharing row two.

Morgan was an encouraging fifth, with Jackson in sixth being the final driver to lap within a second of the new pole time.

Hill took seventh with his final lap of the session, ensuring that he managed to outpace both Lloyd and Oliphant.

Ahead of the opening race on Sunday there was the small question of tyre choices, with Snetterton being the first meeting of the campaign where the option tyre would return - having been shelved in 2020 to help teams.

All of the top five on the grid would go with the soft tyre at the first available opportunity, with Jackson in sixth being the first driver to stick with the medium.

It was Turkington who held the lead when the lights went out at the start of race one, but the multiple champion wasn’t able to blast away from the pack behind, with Ingram’s Hyundai latching onto the rear of the BMW. Aware that he had to try and get ahead whilst Turkington got heat into his front tyres, Ingram made a bid for the lead at Palmer and then tried again around the outside into the hairpin at Agostini, where the pair traded paint as Turkington managed to stay ahead.

The Northern Irishman gradually started to edge away and by the fifth lap, had moved just over a second clear of Ingram who in turn, had managed to get a gap over Butcher’s Toyota - which had managed to avoid any dramas

to retain third place over the course of the opening lap.

Ingram then responded with some quick laps as he looked to try and close in on the BMW ahead but Turkington responded and extended his advantage as Ingram elected to focus on managing the soft tyre through to the finish.

Turkington therefore secured his eighth victory at the Norfolk circuit as he took to the top step of the podium for the first time this season, with Ingram just under three seconds behind at the chequered flag.

harder from this point on now we have to carry more ballast in the car…"

Butcher would be a further six seconds down the road in third place as he secured his first podium of the year in the Toyota; the points scored going some way towards getting his campaign back on track after the disappointment of Thruxton.

"That’s what I needed after Thruxton," Turkington said.

It was a result that was all the more impressive considering that the Scot was managing an issue with the gearbox from the green flag lap that ultimately prevented him from keeping pace with the leading pair.

"Snetterton is a circuit where we have gone well before and it’s good for the confidence to get a win - but it will only get

Butcher did however have the legs to keep the pack behind as a huge fight developed for fourth place.

Jackson held that spot in the early stages after a fine opening lap in the Focus saw him get ahead of Jelley and Morgan, but the BMW pair soon started to put the medium-shod Focus under pressure.

Jelley had a go at the MB Motorsport man on lap three but was unable to get ahead, and actually ended up losing a place as Morgan sneaked ahead and took up the chase.

He too was unable to find a way through, and then dropped back down to seventh on lap five as both Morgan and Lloyd managed to get back ahead.

Jelley then had a second go at getting ahead of Jackson and managed to make a move stick

at Hamilton on the eighth lap to move into fourth, although by this stage, the gap to Butcher ahead was too great.

Lloyd was the next person in the queue to try and clear Jackson but a small error at Oggies with two laps to go allowed Morgan to get back ahead. However, he ran out of laps to try and pressure Jackson into a mistake, meaning the Focus crossed the line in an impressive fifth on the 'wrong' tyre, with Morgan and Lloyd chasing him home in sixth and seventh.

Eighth would go to Oliphanrt’s BMW after he managed to battle ahead of Hill’s ballast heavy Focus mid-way through the race, with Hill holding on to take ninth despite plenty of pressure from behind.

That included a side-by-side moment with Sutton as the defending champion tried to come through the field with a new engine fitted to the Infiniti, with Sutton losing out in the battle as he dropped back behind Chris Smiley and Jack Goff.

Smiley would cross the line in tenth, with Sutton getting back ahead of Goff before the finish to take eleventh place.

Further back, Shedden was able to come through the field from the back of the grid after his exclusion from qualifying to take 15th and the final championship point, finishing ahead of both Cook and Plato as they struggled to make an impression.

Turkington would again lead the field away when race two

kicked off and held his position into turn one but there were changes behind as Jackson rocketed away in the Focus now running the soft tyre - to climb from fifth up into second.

Ominously, Sutton was also running the soft tyre and on lap one alone, made up four places to quickly find himself running in seventh.

As Turkington quickly built an advantage over Jackson at the front, all eyes were on Sutton as he got ahead of Morgan on lap two and then cleared both Butcher and Jelley on lap four to leave himself just outside the podium places.

Ingram’s Hyundai was the next target and on lap six, Sutton got ahead on the exit of Wilson before repeating the move a lap later on Jackson to put the

Infiniti up into second place, with Turkington just over two seconds ahead in the lead.

more if I needed to. To win with fans trackside after so long is also a great feeling."

it took only two laps for Sutton to close onto the rear of the BMW and he slid up the inside into Agostini with relative ease on lap nine to take the lead; managing the soft tyre through the remaining laps as he secured an impressive victory.

Turkington was left to cross the line in second spot with a comfortable buffer over the battle for third place behind, which would be decided in favour of Jackson.

"The first race didn’t go quite as planned as I wanted to get into the top ten, but the goal was to try and win race two," he said.

"It’s very hot in the car so it certainly wasn’t easy but I gave it my all and it’s great to get the win.

"Once I was ahead, I pulled it all back to save the tyres but I knew I could push that bit

The Focus would come under huge pressure from Ingram’s Hyundai as the race wore on but he held firm throughout with an impressive defensive drive to take a well-earned podium place; the pair split at the finish by little more than a tenth of a second.

Butcher added more solid points to his weekend tally with fifth, despite coming under plenty of pressure from Jelley and Oliphant.

Jelley was initially the man chasing the Toyota as he ran ahead of Hill and Oliphant on the road, with the trio joined by Aiden Moffat in a four-way fight for the place after the early skirmishes.

Oliphant and Moffat would both get ahead of Hill when his soft tyres suddenly lost pace in spectacular fashion and dropped him down the order, with Oliphant getting ahead of Jelley on lap nine into sixth.

He would be unable to make a move on Butcher however and had to settle for the position with Moffat following him home after clearing Jelley on the final lap.

The Scot however would see all of his hard work undone thanks to a five second time penalty for being out of

position at the start of the race, meaning he dropped back down to tenth place in the results.

Jelley therefore took seventh spot and was drawn on pole for the second meeting in succession for race three, with Morgan and Goff behind.

Shedden was unable to make as much progress as he had done in race one but still got up into eleventh spot, with Cook also putting some points on the board in 14th - being boosted up from his original finishing position thanks to a time penalty for team-mate Proctor.

Plato’s tough weekend continued however as he found himself going backwards in the race, dropping from 18th at the start down to 20th place

by the time the chequered flag fell.

With Jelley and Oliphant sharing the front row, it was a case of which BMW would lead the field into turn one when race three kicked off and it was Jelley who got the best start from pole to retain his advantage ahead of Oliphant and Ingram - the latter having got ahead of Butcher at the start having lined up in fourth spot.

Another demon start from Jackson saw him also clear Butcher’s Toyota to get into fourth spot and the leading four cars would then find themselves running together when Jelley locked up going into Wilson on the second lap.

Oliphant saw his chance to try and make a move for the lead

as the pair headed through Palmer and down to Agostini but when Jelley hit the brakes for the left-hander, Oliphant tagged the rear of his car.

That delayed Oliphant enough to let drive round the outside into second place, with the BMW then being tagged into a spin by Jackson’s Focus.

That dropped Oliphant well down the order, whilst Jackson would continue for another lap before being forced to bring his car back into the pits to retire.

The lap two dramas left Jelley out front from Ingram, with race two winner Sutton finding himself running in third spot, having inherited places from both Oliphant and Jackson when they clashed and having managed to make a move on

Butcher’s Toyota despite the additional weight he was now carrying on the car.

The leading trio were lapping at similar pace but on lap five, Ingram seized his chance at Wilson to get ahead and put the hammer down immediately to quickly build an advantage of nearly two seconds over Jelley as he kept Sutton at bay.

Sutton eventually made the pressure tell on lap eight as he too got ahead of Jelley and he was followed through by Shedden, who had charged up the order in the opening laps having elected to hold off using the soft compound tyre until the last available opportunity.

By now however, Ingram had enough of an advantage out front that he was able to

control the race from the front and although Sutton and Shedden would bring the gap to the leader down, it was Ingram who took the flag to secure his first win of the season.

It marked a first win for the EXCELR8 team at its home circuit, and was also the first time the Hyundai brand had been victorious in the series.

we hit the track for the first free practice session.

"We have taken a really good car and turned it into a race winner - and to do it in front of the fans and at the team’s home circuit makes it even more special."

"I’m almost lost for words as it is such an amazing feeling to put it all together and I think this silences any of those people over the winter who doubted what I was doing," he said.

Sutton would cross the line in second spot just over a second behind Ingram, with Shedden completing the podium to secure his first silverware since returning to the series from his WTCR adventure - that result also marking the first podium finish for Team Dynamics since the end of its relationship with Honda.

"There are so many positives this weekend, and the team has done a phenomenal job to give me a car that has been been insane from the moment

Shedden wasn’t the only driver in a Civic to run the soft tyre late on either, with Cook also running the option rubber to good effect as he produce his

strong run of the weekend to come through the pack to secure fourth place, with Jelley and Butcher rounding out the top six.

Turkington had moved up as high as fifth in the early stages of the race but would be shuffled back down the order to finish in seventh spot ahead of Morgan, Goff and Dan Rowbottom.

Having failed to score in race two as a result of his tyre troubles, Hill produced a storming drive through from 24th on the grid to cross the line in twelfth spot, whilst just behind there was reason to cheer for Jade Edwards as she took the flag in 15th spot .

That finish meant Edwards was able to celebrate her first points finish in the series, as

she became the first female driver since Fiona Leggate to score.

Whilst Hill extended his lead in the standings after the opening race, Turkington’s win and second place had ensured that the WSR driver hit the front after race two.

However, the result of the final race meant that the title lead would change hands again before the weekend was done as the championship battle took another early twist.

Heading away from Snetterton, it was defending champion Sutton who moved into the championship lead, a position he admitted was unexpected after the issues he had faced on Saturday.

With 80 points on the board, Sutton would sit two points clear of Ingram and five ahead of Turkington.

However, with only six races done and 24 more still to go, Sutton wasn’t prepared to get too carried away over the fact he would go to Brands Hatch as the man to beat…

"If we’d been offered this after Saturday then I’d have taken it," he said.

"We managed the 75kg well in race three and the aim was to beat Colin, but the car was great considering the change from no weight and soft tyre, to full weight and medium tyre.

"To lead the championship is unexpected, but there is still a long way to go…"

SNETTERTON - QUALIFYING TIMES Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

1:55.371

2

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.329

3

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+0.641

4

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.659

5

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.785

6

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+0.891

7

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+1.032

8

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+1.121

9

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+1.455

10

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+1.061

11

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+1.166

12

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+1.249

13

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+1.298

14

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+1.417

15

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+1.425

16

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+1.515

17

Jessica Hawkins

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+1.566

18

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+1.654

19

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+1.692

20

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+1.739

21

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+1.784

22

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+1.804

23

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+2.207

24

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+2.553

25

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+2.926

26

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+3.025

27

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+3.164

28

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

DSQ

29

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

No Time

Time differences for tenth onwards based on Q1 times

SNETTERTON - RACE ONE RESULT Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

12 laps

2

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+2.932

3

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+9.451

4

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+13.960

5

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+16.921

6

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+17.572

7

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+18.049

8

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+18.373

9

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+21.951

10

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+22.583

11

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+22.852

12

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+23.759

13

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+24.993

14

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+25.415

15

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+26.015

16

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+27.736

17

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+28.663

18

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+29.382

19

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+29.942

20

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+32.857

21

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+34.464

22

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+35.358

23

Jessica Hawkins

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+38.361

24

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+40.530

25

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+41.030

26

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+41.774

27

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+42.730

28

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+43.230

29

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+58.734

FL: Colin Turkington - 1:56.559

SNETTERTON - RACE TWO RESULT Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

12 laps

2

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.451

3

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+8.603

4

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+8.769

5

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+10.524

6

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+10.859

7

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+12.065

8

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+13.364

9

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+13.662

10

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+16.204

11

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+16.577

12

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+16.925

13

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+17.228

14

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+18.605

15

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+21.190

16

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+22.295

17

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+22.534

18

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+26.536

19

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+26.720

20

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+39.770

21

Jessica Hawkins

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+42.017

22

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+42.534

23

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+42.734

24

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+44.681

25

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+47.417

26

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+48.429

27

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+56.019

DNF

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

0 laps

DNF

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

0 laps

FL: Ash Sutton - 1:56.795

SNETTERTON - RACE THREE RESULT Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

12 laps

2

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+1.144

3

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+1.617

4

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+3.217

5

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+6.756

6

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+7.469

7

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+7.768

8

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+8.744

9

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+9.916

10

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+10.355

11

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+11.293

12

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+11.718

13

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+12.403

14

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+14.118

15

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+14.575

16

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+15.262

17

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+16.002

18

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+17.120

19

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+18.655

20

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+19.993

21

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+23.054

22

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+27.350

23

Jessica Hawkins

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+27.739

24

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+38.849

25

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+48.741

26

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+1:57.596

DNF

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

8 laps

DNF

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

2 laps

DNF

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

0 laps

FL: Gordon Shedden - 1:57.910

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS After Round 6 of 30 DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP 1

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

80

2

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

78

3

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

75

4

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

60

5

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

57

6

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

47

7

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

46

8

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

38

INDEPENDENT DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP 1

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

86

2

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

86

3

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

69

4

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

60

5

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

58

6

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

55

7

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

53

8

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

52

JACK SEARS TROPHY 1

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

110

2

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

99

3

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

68

4

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

64

5

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

53

6

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

51

7

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

50

8

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

49

FEATURE

ALL ABOUT THE BRAKES LEFT FOOT BRAKING OR RIGHT FOOT BRAKING? WE ASK TWO OF THE LEADING STARS THEIR PREFERENCE… who drives a F orcaranyone with a manual gearbox, the way in which you operate the car will be pretty much standard when it comes to the pedals.

The right foot is used to operate the accelerator and the brake, with the left foot being used for the clutch when changing gear or coming to a halt.

It’s a different story altogether when it comes to a race car however, including those used by the drivers competing in the BTCC…

Although all of the cars are fitted with a high performance carbon clutch provided by AP Racing, drivers only need to use the clutch during the initial launch phase.

That could include when they are leaving the pits at the start of a session, or the moment that the lights go out to start a race.

After that, the Xtrac six speed sequential-shift gearbox does away with the need to use the clutch during the racing action itself, opening up the opportunity for drivers to brake

using either their left foot, or their right.

Which route a driver elects to take is largely down to personal choice, with some people believing that going down the route of left foot braking offers a small advantage.

That could be particularly true when it comes to the balance of the car, and during the braking phase when you can jump from throttle to brake without the split second it takes to move your right foot from one pedal to another.

Other drivers however prefer the more 'standard' method of operating the car, feeling that the time going from one pedal to the other actually provides more control behind the wheel.

And then some drivers even try a bit of both….

"I’m probably known as more a right foot braker, but it isn’t something that I do all of the time," Team HARD’s Jack Goff explains.

"There are certain situations where I will use my left foot to brake to help get heat into the tyres, such as on the warm-up lap and during a safety car period, and there are even certain corners where I prefer to left foot brake.

"Coming under the bridge at Snetterton is one example of a

corner where I prefer to left foot brake as I just feel that works better, but on others, I will stick to the right foot.

"Jumping from left foot braking to right foot braking is something that I can do now without really thinking about.

Once I’ve done a couple of laps, it just comes naturally."

As with many drivers who right foot brake behind the wheel of a race car, Goff’s decision is down in part to the cars he raced as he worked his way up the motorsport ladder, even if his time in karting meant he was already familiar with left foot braking.

Going down the saloon car route meant he raced plenty of cars that featured H pattern boxes similar to those people are familiar with on the road,

and which required drivers to make use of the clutch in order to change gear.

For obvious reasons, running with a clutch - and needing to actually use it to change gear during a race - meant there was no option but to go with the conventional method of right foot braking.

"I came up through saloons where I had to use the clutch, so there was no option but to right foot brake," Goff continues.

"For me driving a front-wheel drive touring car, I feel that braking with my right foot actually helps on the exit of a corner when you have that delay between the braking phase and the throttle phase there is that small moment as you move from one pedal to

the other that actually proves to be really useful in how you control the car.

"It all comes down to personal preference, and what feels natural."

"If you are a left foot braker, then you tend to jump straight onto the throttle and that can bring on understeer in the car if you aren’t careful.

On the other side of the coin, EXCELR8’s title contender Tom Ingram is one of the drivers who swaps his left foot from clutch to brake once the red lights go out, electing to use the 'wrong' foot when he is competing on track.

"For me, the split second it takes to go from brake to throttle is an automatic phase where nothing happens, and it allows me to get back on the power without the wheels spinning up.

"To be fair, the fact that I also spent a lot of time karting where you have to left foot brake - means I could also do that in my touring car all the time if I wanted to, and I’d probably do similar lap times to the ones that I do now.

However, that hasn’t always been the case for the two-time Independent champion, who has adapted his driving style as he has worked his way up the motorsport ladder into touring cars.

In fact, like Goff, Ingram was a right foot braker when he first made the move into car racing having come through the ranks in karting.

"When I made he move up from karting, I started out racing in Ginetta Juniors when they still ran a H pattern box so I learned my craft with right foot braking and using heel and toe," he said, referencing the way in which drivers will use their right foot to brake, and also to blip the throttle at the same time in order to keep the revs up during braking and improve speed on the exit of a corner.

"I took that through into G50s and then into G55s as I came through the ranks in Ginettas.

The bigger cars have sequential gearboxes, but I felt comfortable right foot braking and using heel and toe, and it worked for me as I won the G55 title.

"However, things then changed when I made the move into the

BTCC and swapped the Ginetta for the Toyota.

"Even since then, when I switched to front wheel drive cars, I have used left foot braking as it feels more comfortable."

Despite making the decision to switch to left foot braking, Ingram admits that the change doesn’t necessarily make him any quicker over the course of a full lap.

It does however provide him with more control over the car underneath him on track; a factor he places great importance on.

"I’m not sure I’d say that left foot braking gives you a faster lap time and there are plenty of people who still right foot brake," he says.

"For me, left foot braking is more about the feeling that you get. When it comes to going fast, how the car feels underneath you and understanding where the weight is is important, and I feel that left foot braking gives me the best chance to control that.

"There are a lot of different techniques that you can use to drop the nose of the car and transfer the weight under braking. It’s also about refining things but you are dealing with huge braking forces and there is a skill and an art to it.

"Look at a corner like Coram at Snetterton, which is the long right hander leading into the final turn. Through there, I can be on the throttle but also using the brake to control how

the nose on the car is dropping, and I can control the pitch and feel the car moving underneath me - which I feel makes me go quicker."

That’s not to say however that Ingram wouldn’t revert back to right foot braking in the right car…

"If I’m out in a historic car then I would go back to right foot braking, and it would be the same in a GT car to control the ABS that they have," he said.

"It all depends on what you are driving as different cars require a different skill, and I might right foot brake if I was in a rear wheel drive touring car.

However, in a front wheel drive car like the Hyundai, left foot braking is the way to go for me."

FEATURE

ROWBOTTOM RE-EVALUATES HAVING IMPRESSED SO FAR FOR TEAM DYNAMICS, DAN ROWBOTTOM IS AIMING HIGH FOR THE REST OF 2021…

the back of a O nchallenging debut season in the BTCC, Dan Rowbottom headed into the 2020 campaign keen to show what he could do in a British Touring Car. His first season in the series at the wheel of Ciceley Motorsports’s Mercedes AClass had yielded just four points finishes, although there were a number of times when the former Clio Cup races had gone close to adding to his tally.

With a year of experience under his belt, Rowbottom was hopeful that 2020 would provide him with the chance to regularly fight for points, with his goal being to try and break into the top ten, and to challenge for the Jack Sears Trophy against the likes of

Michael Crees, Carl Boardley and Bobby Thompson.

The season launch test at Silverstone saw Rowbottom outpace team-mate Adam Morgan on the timing sheets, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic would see Rowbottom and commercial partner Cataclean take the decision to sit out the campaign.

As Jack Butel was drafted in to drive the Mercedes, Rowbottom turned his focus towards 2021 and making a return to the grid.

Rowbottom needed to find a deal that provided what he was looking for as a driver, but that would also work on a commercial footing for Cataclean - with a year on the sidelines giving him the chance

to take a long hard look at the various options that were available to him.

"There are some people who have one goal - and that is simply to be a BTCC driver," he told Inside BTCC. "That’s fine for those people, but for me, it is the competitive element that attracts me to racing. I would rather sit at home with my baby girl and my labrador than go to a race track and not be able to fight for a win, which is why 2019 was difficult.

"Without doubt, that was the worst year I have had in racing going right back to when I started at eight years old. It wasn’t down to a lack of effort from anyone involved and there were a lot of times that we came very close to scoring

more points than we did, but it just didn’t happen.

clear that there was a deal to be done.

"When we took the decision to stand down from the drive last year, it allowed me to take a hard look at where I wanted to be for 2021, and I knew that if I was to come back, it would need to be a deal that was viable for Cataclean, and one that also worked for me as I wanted to be in a winning car.

Contracts were signed and Rowbottom’s return to the grid was secured as part of a new look line-up for the Honda team, with Cataclean taking on a primary sponsor role of the revised two-car team.

"Although we remain friends, a return to Ciceley was never on the cards because of a sponsor clash, and looking around, there was option that really stood out."

That option would turn out to be multiple champions Team Dynamics, and after sitting down for talks with Steve and Matt Neal, it soon became

"When I came back to racing in the Clios in 2016 after a long time away, I remember talking to someone who asked me where I wanted to be," he says.

"I told them that my goal was to be in a Team Dynamics Honda within five years, and they laughed and told me that I wouldn’t happen.

"I had it in my head that that was my goal for a number of reasons. They are a team that has a fantastic history of

success through the years, which has a strong team of people and which is known for preparing a great car. They are also about eight miles down the road from my house, which helps!

"From a commercial perspective, I wouldn’t be racing if it wasn’t for the support of Cataclean and they make all of this happen for me, so there was also a massive flashing beacon over Dynamics on that side of things.

"Obviously, Dynamics has Halfords as a title sponsor and they are Cataclean’s biggest high steer retailer so it was the perfect partnership and something that I had to make happen.

"Matt and I spoke quite early on, and him and Steve came

along to a meeting with Cataclean and everything came together so the deal could be done.

"Not being on the grid last season allowed me to align what I really wanted, and this chance wouldn’t come along if I’d been on the grid last year.

"Looking at how the season panned out, there is a good chance that I wouldn’t have got the results that I promised partners if I had raced, and you probably wouldn’t have seen me racing in the BTCC again.

"My wife always says that things happen for a reason, and this time it rang true."

Rowbottom’s deal to partner returning champion Gordon Shedden was one that caught plenty of fans by surprise

following Dan Cammish's departure from the Dynamics line-up, and brought with it raised expectations about what he should achieve on track.

The man himself however insists - and always has done that the move to the former champions brings no additional pressure other than the pressure he has always out on himself.

possible for the team, and also the best job possible for Cataclean and my sponsors.

"I have one of, if not the, best cars on the grid run by one of the best teams and in Gordon, I have a team-mate who is one of the best front-wheel drive touring car drivers anywhere in the world.

"I’ve spoken about pressure to quite a few people, but I don’t see signing with Team Dynamics as giving me extra pressure," he says.

"The only pressure is the pressure that I put on myself to deliver the best results for those people who have supported me, because I want to make sure that they get a return on their investment.

"I see it more as a responsibility, because I know that there are plenty of people out there who would love to be in the seat and I have a responsibility to go out on track and do the best job

"I’m not someone who really tends to praise myself too much, and I never have been, as I don’t want to come across as being arrogant. However when you take everything into consideration, I’d like to think

I’m doing a good job so far this season."

It’s no exaggeration to say that Rowbottom has been one of the surprises of the season so far, having quickly got up to speed at the wheel of the FK8 Civic Type R. A seventh place finish in the first race of the season at Thruxton meant he immediately bettered his score for the entire 2019 season, and a best finish of fourth was amongst five points finishes from the opening six races.

Arriving at Brands Hatch for round three, Rowbottom then edged team-mate Shedden out of pole position and rebounded from an awful start to pick up his maiden podium finish in race one.

Nine races in, Rowbottom now sits seventh in the championship standings, ahead of the likes of Shedden, Jason Plato and Rory Butcher and just eleven points behind fourth-placed Colin Turkington.

Already clear at the top of the Jack Sears Trophy, Rowbottom now finds himself re-evaluating his plans for the season as whole - kicking off with round four at Oulton Park.

"I think I’d say that I’m ahead of schedule at the moment if I’m being honest," he said.

"Everyone, including me, wanted to aim for top ten finishes to start with, and the target was to try and be within a certain percentage of Flash.

"At Brands Hatch, I was quicker than him in qualifying and

whilst it was only by a whisker, ahead is ahead, regardless of how small the margins are.

"To have a pole already is fantastic and I should have turned that pole into a win particularly in the first race.

"There is no getting away from the fact that I fluffed the start, but we came back well to get that first podium and I could probably have got at least another top three in race two.

"In hindsight, the move I tried to make on Oliphant for the lead wasn’t the right one and I got run off the circuit, but I know we had the pace to win, and that was when I was carrying 57kg of ballast.

"It’s fair to say that I’m reevaluating what I wanted from this year as I didn’t expect to

be where I am in the standings at this point, although I appreciate there is still a long way to go.

"To only be 50 points behind Ash Sutton in the championship lead, and just over 20 away from the top three, is fantastic and it does make me wonder what we could achieve this season.

"The first thing is to make sure that we have a good run at Oulton Park, but I’m confident that the car will be strong.

"From the test, I think Flash has the legs on me a little bit but looking at the data, I can see where he has the edge and I’m confident that I can find the time."

Regardless of what happens in terms of results between now

and the end of the season at Brands Hatch in October, Rowbottom has already come good in terms of helping to promote his main backer.

In fact, the relationship with Cataclean already appears to be following in the footsteps of another successful partnership seen in the series in recent years.

"The relationship I have with Cataclean is much more than a business one," he said. "It’s become a personal relationship and Ross - the MD - is someone who I now regard as being a very dear friend.

"I’m well aware that without the support of Cataclean, I wouldn’t be on the grid and wouldn’t be racing; it's as simple as that.

"As a family, we tried every route to go racing when I was younger and we just didn’t have the means to do it, which is why I spent so long away from the track.

"To then find a partner like Cataclean is a very rare occurrence, and one you have to take with both hands particularly in the current climate.

"It brings responsibility, but I have shown them that I can provide the best automotive stage on which to promote their product and that is what I will strive to do.

"If you look at Andrew Jordan and Pirtek, they had a fantastic partnership that people remember. I’d be very proud if we could get somewhere near that in future."

RACE REPORT

SUTTON & INGRAM BREAK CLEAR STRONG RESULTS FOR THE LEADING PAIR AT BRANDS HATCH MEAN GAPS HAVE DEVELOPED IN THE POINTS… five points covered J ust the leading three drivers as the series headed from Snetterton to Brands Hatch for the third round of the campaign.

However, a dramatic weekend of racing around the short Indy layout prior to another brief early season break saw the leading two in the standings open up a slender lead in the championship race - with another of the fancied runners enduring one of the worst weekends of his BTCC career…

After limited attendance at round two, Brands Hatch

should have been the first weekend that the BTCC was able to welcome back a capacity crowd.

aside for an event following the furore over his involvement in the multi-car incident at Thruxton.

However, the decision to delay the move to Stage 4 of the government’s recovery plan from COVID-19 meant numbers were once again capped - with only 4,000 people permitted to attend on both Saturday and Sunday.

Jessica Hawkins therefore dropped off the grid, as she instead turned her focus back towards the W Series.

On track, the entry list showed a single change from the one that had taken to the track at Snetterton, with Andy Neate making his return with Motorbase having stepped

Things were tight at the top of the points between Ash Sutton, Tom Ingram and Colin Turkington on the back of a weekend at Snetterton where the trio had all taken to the top step of the podium.

The downside for all three however was that they then

arrived at Brands expecting to find the going tough thanks to the additional ballast they were forced to carry into the weekend.

Whereas the opening practice session at Snetterton had seen a number of drivers running limited laps in order to safe tyres, the opposite was very much true at Brands Hatch, with the 29 drivers completing in excess of 800 laps during the 40 minutes of running.

Come the finish, it was Gordon Shedden’s Honda that led the way, with the former champion benefitting from the fact that his tough start to the year meant he was running light in his Honda Civic Type R. The Scot would leave it late to put in his benchmark time, which came on his penultimate

lap of the session as he edged the BMW of Tom Oliphant out of top spot.

Oliphant had led from little over 15 minutes into the 40 minute session, with Shedden going just 0.019s quicker a matter of seconds before the chequered flag was thrown.

The times however were not as quick as many would have predicted, something that Shedden admitted was a bit of a surprise.

"We just did some housekeeping in the early stages of the session, but there is more still to come," he said.

"I don’t think the times at the moment are that quick and the circuit doesn’t seem to be quick so I think there’ll be some head scratching going

on and up and down the pit lane.

"It’s nice that we have started the weekend on top of the times, but we should be going quicker than we did then."

Oliphant was also running light in his BMW and ended up just holding on to second spot, with Dan Rowbottom in the second Dynamics Honda also waiting until the final moment to set his quickest time.

Rowbottom was only 0.004s down on Oliphant’s time, with Ingram slotting into fourth spot ahead of Sutton; the pair making light of the extra weight they were carrying to lap little more than a tenth of a second off the pace.

Aron Taylor-Smith took sixth in his strongest showing of the

campaign to date in the Team HARD Cupra, with Turkington and Josh Cook also running well with ballast as they rounded out the leading eight runners.

Only Neate down in 29th spot was unable to get within a second of the fastest time, providing an indication of how hotly contested the race weekend would be around the shortest circuit on the calendar.

Times would improve in FP2, where Shedden’s earlier benchmark of 48.850 would be bettered by the leading ten drivers.

This time around it was Sutton who led the way in the Infiniti, bringing the fastest time of the day down to a 48.525s - still slower than the race lap record and a full six tenths of a

second down on the qualifying record set by Ingram back in 2016.

With one eye on qualifying and one on preparing for Sunday’s three races, Sutton set his fastest time mid-way through the session and it would prove to be unbeatable, with few improvements across the field in the closing stages.

As had been the case in FP1, the light Team Dynamics cars would again impress, and behind Sutton it was Rowbottom and Shedden who were the closest challengers as they lapped within a tenth of the defending champion.

"It seems very promising but I think people have something in the bag going into qualifying," Sutton said.

"We normally come here when it is cooler but the sun is out and it’s lot warmer this weekend.

"If we could get into the top five in qualifying I’d be over the moon, but I think people are going to up their game in qualifying and we have to consider the weight we have in the car."

Ingram impressed once again in the Hyundai with the fourth best time, with Senna Proctor ensuring that there were three Hondas in the top five places as he lapped strongly for BTC Racing - now free of the additional weight he had been forced to carry into the Snetterton meeting.

Adam Morgan, Oliphant and Jason Plato then rounded out the top eight runners, with

Turkington this time finding himself down in 14th, albeit less than half a second away from the quickest time.

Three drivers would fail to lap with a second of the pace, including Nicolas Hamilton who was unable to set a time after a trip off track.

Given what had happened in practice, it was widely expected that qualifying would be a 'slow' session, but instead, times tumbled compared to those seen earlier in the day.

Within five minutes of the session starting, the provisional pole time was already under the practice best, with Turkington, Ingram and Jake Hill all taking turns at the front of the pack.

However, it was in the final ten minutes that the pole position would be secured, with Rowbottom posting a 48.074 lap that allowed him to go a tenth of a second quicker than Hill’s Focus.

think we could have asked for anymore from that session.

"I’m not going to get carried away - but now I want to get that win!"

There was still time for his rivals to deny Rowbottom a maiden BTCC pole and although Shedden went agonisingly close, it was the former Clio Cup racer who ended up earning his place at the head of the field.

The two Honda drivers would end up split by just 0.005s on the timesheets as Dynamics secured a 1-2 on the grid, with Hill having to settle for third spot; the MB Motorsport crew having worked hard after practice on the set-up of the Ford for the final sector.

"What a day this has been," he said. "Obviously Gordon got pole at Snetterton before losing it to the penalty so I really wanted to try and get that first official pole of the season here and we’ve done it.

Oliphant continued his solid form across the opening day of the weekend as he posted the fourth best time as the leading rear-wheel drive runner, with Aiden Moffat, Ingram and Sutton close behind.

"To lock out the front row of the grid is fantastic and I don’t

Chris Smiley was eighth in the second Hyundai but could well

have been higher had it not been for a penalty for exceeding track limits during the session.

Cook and Stephen Jelley rounded out the top ten, but Turkington in the third WSR-run car had to settle for 14th spot having been unable to carry the ballast on his car as well as Sutton or Ingram ahead.

The Northern Irishman wasn’t helped however by the close nature of the times, with his fastest lap less than a tenth of a second slower than seventh placed Sutton.

Also out of place on the grid were Rory Butcher, Plato and Morgan, with Butcher battling power steering trouble that left him in 16th, just ahead of Plato’s Vauxhall.

Morgan meanwhile was another driver to lose a time to track limits, which played a part in him finding himself down in 21st place for the opening race of the weekend.

Race day dawned with Rowbottom looking to convert his pole position into victory, but his hopes of doing so in the opening race were quashed within seconds of the lights going out.

A frankly awful start for the Honda saw Rowbottom plummet down the order but behind, Oliphant rocketed away from the line in the BMW and blasted into the lead going into Paddock Hill Bend.

Rowbottom’s sluggish start didn’t help Hill behind him, and a fast-starting Moffat from row three was able to take

advantage as he cleared the Focus and then both Hondas ahead to slot into second spot.

Oliphant therefore held the lead after the opening tour ahead of Moffat, with Shedden sitting third having seen off the early challenge of Ingram’s Hyundai, which slipped back behind Sutton and Hill after running slightly off line.

Rowbottom meanwhile had dropped all the way back to seventh, with his hopes of fighting for the podium seemingly in tatters.

Oliphant quickly started to pull away from the squabbling pack behind and by the end of the fourth lap, was nearly three seconds to the good out front as Moffat battled hard to keep Shedden and Sutton at bay.

Well aware that Sutton was waiting to pounce, Shedden made his move going into Druids on lap five to move second but the gap to the BMW ahead remained at more than three seconds until the closing stages, when a series of quick laps from the Scot saw the gap start to drop.

Towards the end, Oliphant’s advantage had come down to less than a second and the Hyundai of Rick Parfitt delayed after a spin - was running ahead on track going into the final lap.

The pair managed to clear Parfitt without trouble and although Oliphant had a small wobble coming through Clearways, he had enough to hand to secure his first victory of the campaign.

It capped a memorable week for the WSR driver, who had celebrated his engagement to long-time partner Gen just days earlier.

"I knew that I would probably have more grip than the cars ahead at the start, and I’m really proud of those opening laps as I pushed really hard to build the lead," he said.

"I had to just manage it after that and I allowed Gordon to close in a little as I was saving tyres just in case there was a safety car or anything and I needed them at the end.

was a different story in the fight to secure the final place on the podium.

Sutton had dropped behind Hill whilst trying to make a move on Shedden, with the pair joined by a recovering Rowbottom, who quickly cleared the Infiniti to go fifth.

The poleman then dispatched with Hill’s Focus and on lap ten, got ahead of Moffat at Druids to go third - a position he would hold to the flag for his maiden BTCC podium finish.

"The car was absolutely mega and I really enjoyed the race. I knew we had the pace to win and that’s what we did."

Moffat’s stranglehold on fourth would last until lap twelve when Hill got by on the exit of the final corner, with the Scot forced off line as a result.

Although the battle for the lead ultimately didn’t materialise, it

It allowed Hill to sweep through into the place, and

resulted in Moffat then losing further ground through Paddock Hill and Druids as he slipped down the order.

Once ahead of Moffat, Hill didn’t have the pace to chase down Rowbottom and had to settle for fourth spot ahead of Sutton, with Ingram rounding out the top six.

running in 14th when he was tipped into a spin by Sam Osborne at Clearways.

build an advantage of more than two seconds over the chasing pack.

It left the Northern Irishman with a 20th place finish once Osborne had been dropped behind him in the final results, with plenty of work to do in order to avoid losing more ground in the standings in race two.

That lead would soon be eradicated however when Shedden - who had dropped all the way down to 13th spot on the opening lap - tangled with Jelley going into Paddock Hill Bend on lap two.

A somewhat uneventful race for Smiley saw him take seventh from the unfortunate Moffat, with Josh Cook and Goff rounding out the top ten albeit only thanks to a five second penalty for Jelley who had crossed the line in ninth pot.

Team-mate Oliphant led the field away at the start despite the additional ballast on his car and he was able to build a sizeable lead through the opening lap when Shedden who was slow away - tangled with Hill at turn one.

Further down the order however, the opening race would prove to be a disaster for Turkington, who made little in the way of progress and was

A slide for the Honda saw Shedden drop down the order, with Rowbottom and Ingram both able to nip ahead of Hill’s Focus - with Oliphant able to

Although Shedden could rejoin at the back of the field, Jelley’s BMW was stuck fast in the gravel, with the safety car deployed to allow the stricken car to be moved.

On the restart on lap seven, Oliphant was able to retain the lead from Rowbottom but couldn’t now break free of the train of cars behind.

As Rowbottom tried to find a way to get ahead of the BMW

into the lead, Hill briefly managed to get ahead of Ingram into third spot but he then dropped out of the equation with a puncture potentially a legacy of the early contact with Shedden - and was forced to return to the pits.

That freed Ingram to join the fight for the lead ahead, and when Rowbottom tried to make a move on Oliphant at Druids on lap 18, Ingram saw his chance to nip ahead and cleared the Honda to move into second spot.

The Hyundai would then follow the BMW right through to the final lap, when Oliphant left the door open just enough going into Paddock Hill Bend for Ingram to send it up the inside.

Slight contact between the pair followed before Ingram

completed the move on the run up to Druids, staying out front for the remainder of the lap as he snared his second win in as many meetings.

"I knew I was quicker going into turn one and when Tom left a huge gap going into the final lap, I didn’t need to be given a second opportunity," he said.

"I felt race two provided us with a good chance of success this weekend with the ballast we were carrying from Snetterton, and it all went to plan.

"To now have two wins in two weekends with the car is fantastic, and credit goes to the team for their efforts."

Having led the race for 26 of the 27 laps, Oliphant would

ultimately find himself finishing back in third spot after losing out on second spot to Sutton.

The champion had run fifth after the early caution period before making up a spot after Hill’s tyre issues, and then took third from Rowbottom on the penultimate lap.

Coming through Clearways for the final time, Sutton saw a chance to stick his nose up the inside of Oliphant’s BMW and beat him in a drag race to the line by just 0.038s to secure second place.

Oliphant therefore had to settle for third spot ahead of Rowbottom and Cook, who came out on top of a race long battle with Dan Lloyd and Smiley for fifth place.

Plato, Moffat and Proctor rounded out the top ten, with the reverse grid draw putting Morgan on pole for race three.

That meant a BMW would be leading the field away in the final race for the third successive meeting.

Down the order, there were no points once again for Turkington as he could only manage 17th, leaving a real possibility of him failing to score in a weekend for the first time since Rockingham 2003 and for the first time since the series went to three races in a weekend back in 2004.

When the final race kicked off, Morgan made the best start to lead the field into turn one ahead of Jack Goff, who had started alongside him on the front row in the Cupra.

As Morgan looked to edge away at the front, Goff came under pressure from Moffat, with the Scot going up the inside at Paddock Hill on lap three, but proving to be unable to close in on the BMW ahead.

Instead, Moffat found himself under pressure from Goff as he looked to reclaim the position and on the exit of Clearways on lap ten, the Cupra driver managed to get back ahead.

Morgan’s place at the front was never at risk however, and he duly wrapped up his first victory with the BMW, even though sprinkles of rain late on threatened to throw a spanner into the works.

"I’m made up for the team as we’ve worked so hard, and our goal from where we qualified

was to try and get something from the final race of the weekend," he said.

"We got lucky with the reverse grid but I got it off the line and built the gap. To bring it home in our third meeting with the car and get a win is great."

Having got back ahead of Moffat, Goff would manage to drop the Infiniti but couldn’t bridge the gap to Morgan ahead as he secured his first podium finish in the Cupra, with Moffat forced to defend hard from Plato’s Vauxhall.

The former champion ran in fourth after getting ahead of Proctor in the early stages, and on the final lap, drew alongside Moffat on the run to the line.

The pair would take the chequered flag almost side-by-

side, with Moffat taking the place by just 0.012s.

Proctor and Cook would run just behind the fight for third, with Cook eventually winning the battle between the BTC Racing team-mates to cross the line in fifth, with Proctor, Butcher and Sutton rounding out the top eight.

Sutton had run as low as tenth for much of the race but in the closing laps he would manage to get ahead of both Smiley and Lloyd to secure valuable extra points that ensured that he left the Kent circuit back on top of the championship standings, having slipped behind Ingram following race two.

Ingram would end the final race of the weekend down in twelfth spot having struggled

more with the extra ballast on the Hyundai but that was still ahead of Turkington who completed a wretched weekend with 14th place ensuring that he at least managed to get some points on the board.

firmly down Turkington’s neck, with the three drivers covered by just five points.

With nine of the 30 races completed, Sutton’s advantage at the front would be extended - just - to three points over Ingram, with the leading pair establishing a slender advantage over the chasing pack behind.

"However, it’s been really close with Tom in the points all weekend and it’s the fact that we have been consistent across the three races that has kept us on top.

Turkington’s dire weekend however meant it was now Cook who headed that pack in third place, with the four-time champion dropping back to fourth spot.

Both Hill and Oliphant would end the weekend breathing

"Colin has had a bad weekend and we’ve been able to take some good points off him," Sutton reflected.

"We’ve had to push really hard to get the results we have done, and the podium in race three was a real bonus.

"We go to Oulton Park next, which is a circuit that should suit us, and whist it’s nice to have the points on the board, there is still a long way to go and a lot of racing to be done."

BRANDS HATCH INDY - QUALIFYING TIMES Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

48.074

2

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+0.005

3

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+0.105

4

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.110

5

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.244

6

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.258

7

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.296

8

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.298

9

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+0.333

10

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.354

11

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+0.354

12

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+0.357

13

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+0.359

14

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.383

15

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+0.419

16

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+0.432

17

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+0.448

18

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.506

19

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+0.543

20

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+0.603

21

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.606

22

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+0.653

23

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+0.682

24

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.811

25

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.829

26

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+0.835

27

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+0.908

28

Andy Neate

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+0.910

29

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+1.251

BRANDS HATCH INDY - RACE ONE RESULT Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

24 laps

2

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+0.188

3

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+4.603

4

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+9.811

5

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+10.007

6

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+11.289

7

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+11.633

8

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+11.938

9

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+15.398

10

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+15.720

11

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+15.982

12

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+16.339

13

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+17.510

14

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+18.771

15

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+19.025

16

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+19.257

17

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+22.713

18

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+23.051

19

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+23.443

20

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+24.816

21

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+24.883

22

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+25.081

23

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+27.159

24

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+28.500

25

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+28.720

26

Andy Neate

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+33.172

27

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+36.402

28

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+37.808

29

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+1 lap

FL: Gordon Shedden - 48.777

BRANDS HATCH INDY - RACE TWO RESULT Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

27 laps

2

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+0.489

3

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+0.527

4

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+0.972

5

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+1.213

6

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+1.630

7

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+1.957

8

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+2.194

9

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+8.394

10

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+8.794

11

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+9.232

12

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+10.066

13

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+10.468

14

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+11.212

15

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+11.599

16

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+13.169

17

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+13.590

18

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+14.034

19

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+14.909

20

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+15.251

21

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+19.035

22

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+20.337

23

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+22.885

24

Andy Neate

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+23.690

25

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+23.818

26

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+23.986

27

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+2 laps

DNF

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

12 laps

DNF

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

1 laps

FL: Josh Cook - 49.231

BRANDS HATCH INDY - RACE THREE RESULT Driver

Team

Car

Time

1

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

24 laps

2

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+1.541

3

Aiden Moffat

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+3.807

4

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+3.819

5

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+4.448

6

Senna Proctor

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+4.874

7

Rory Butcher

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+5.343

8

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+6.011

9

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

+6.375

10

Chris Smiley

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+6.890

11

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+7.204

12

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+7.446

13

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

+8.688

14

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+9.299

15

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+9.937

16

Gordon Shedden

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

+10.141

17

Aron Taylor-Smith

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+12.633

18

Tom Chilton

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

+14.169

19

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

+14.431

20

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+14.829

21

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+16.248

22

Stephen Jelley

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

+16.631

23

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

+21.528

24

Glynn Geddie

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+24.674

25

Andy Neate

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

+27.805

26

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

+28.456

27

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

+28.683

28

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

+2 laps

DNF

Ollie Jackson

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

10 laps

FL: Rory Butcher - 48.955

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS After Round 9 of 30 DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP 1

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

116

2

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

113

3

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

90

4

Colin Turkington

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

77

5

Jake Hill

MB Motorsport

Ford Focus ST

73

6

Tom Oliphant

West Surrey Racing

BMW 330i M Sport

72

7

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

66

8

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

62

INDEPENDENT DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP 1

Ash Sutton

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

127

2

Tom Ingram

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

124

3

Josh Cook

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

102

4

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

90

5

Jack Goff

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

89

6

Adam Morgan

Ciceley Motorsport

BMW 330i M Sport

88

7

Dan Lloyd

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

81

8

Jason Plato

Power Maxed Racing

Vauxhall Astra

80

JACK SEARS TROPHY 1

Dan Rowbottom

Team Dynamics

Honda Civic Type R

170

2

Sam Osborne

Motorbase Performance

Ford Focus ST

144

3

Carl Boardley

Laser Tools Racing

Infiniti Q50

111

4

Jack Butel

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

99

5

Sam Smelt

Speedworks

Toyota Corolla GR Sport

90

6

Jade Edwards

BTC Racing

Honda Civic Type R

81

7

Rick Parfitt

EXCELR8 Trade Price Cars

Hyundai i30 Fastback N

73

8

Nicolas Hamilton

Team HARD

Cupra Leon

73

STATISTICS

THREE ROUNDS IN: THE STATS WITH THREE OF THE TEN ROUNDS RUN SO FAR IN 2021, WE DELVE INTO THE DATA TO SEE WHAT THE STATS SHOW… lies ahead A forbusytheperiod BTCC as teams and drivers prepare for racing to resume following the early season break.

Nine races have been run so far this season with 21 still to run in what promises to be a hectic spell between now the

end of October, when the season comes to an end on the famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit With three rounds of the season done, we thought it was the ideal time at which to take a look at some of the key

statistics from the season so far.

These stats provide something on an insight in how the campaign has panned out so far - with a few things that might be seen as a surprise.

So lets start with qualifying….

Tom Ingram might not have made it onto pole position since his switch to EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com over the winter, but that doesn’t stop him being the best qualifier to date.

In the same session, Colin Turkington could only qualify down in 14th spot in his BMW and that saw him slip down the qualifying averages - with the former champion on 6.00 ahead of team-mate Tom Oliphant on 6.33.

Ingram has a best qualifying result of second at Snetterton and has yet to qualify outside the top six - with his average of 4.00 being comfortably clear of his nearest rival.

Turkington is one of three drivers to have scored a pole so far alongside Ash Sutton and Dan Rowbottom - both of whom sit inside the current top ten in the qualifying averages.

Discounting Gordon Shedden who has only logged two qualifying results after his exclusion from the session at Snetterton - Jake Hill lies in second spot with an average of 5.67 having logged his best of the year last time out at Brands Hatch, where he put his Ford Focus third on the grid.

Ingram, Hill and Oliphant are the only drivers who have qualified inside the top ten for every meeting so far.

Rory Butcher

8.00

Josh Cook

9.00

At the other end of the scale, the highest qualifying average so far is Team HARD’s Nic Hamilton on 28.33. His best qualifying result to date in the new Cupra was 27th at Snetterton.

Dan Rowbottom

9.00

Chris Smiley

9.67

Stephen Jelley

10.67

QUALIFYING:

Driver

Average

Tom Ingram

4.00

Jake Hill

5.67

Colin Turkington

6.00

Tom Oliphant

6.33

Ash Sutton

7.67

WINS / PODIUMS: It will perhaps come as little surprise that the two drivers currently leading the way in the standings are the two drivers who have scored the most podium finishes in the first nine rounds.

Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram have identical records so far, with both drivers having taken two race wins and both having finished as runner-up on two occasions.

That matching record could be important - given that it would be used to decide who was ahead in the standings should the two drivers be level on points.

Jake Hill sits behind the pair in third place by virtue of the three podium finishes he scored in the

opening meeting of the year at Thruxton, with Josh Cook, Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant and Gordon Shedden behind.

Both of Cook’s podium finishes this season are race wins that were scored at Thruxton, with Turkington having a win and a second place, and Oliphant a win and a third.

Shedden meanwhile has scored a second and a third in his comeback so far.

A further eight drivers have scored a single podium finish so far, led by Brands Hatch race winner Adam Morgan.

Thruxton guest driver Dan Cammish, Jason Plato and Jack Goff all have a second place finish, with the remaining drivers all having taken a third place.

Driver

Podiums

Ash Sutton

4

Tom Ingram

4

Jake Hill

3

Josh Cook

2

Colin Turkington

2

Tom Oliphant

2

Gordon Shedden

2

Adam Morgan Dan Cammish Jason Plato Jack Goff Dan Rowbottom Ollie Jackson Aiden Moffat Rory Butcher

1

FASTEST LAPS The nine fastest laps so far this season have been shared between five different drivers but only two of those have set the fastest lap multiple times.

Josh Cook has set the most fastest laps so far this season with four, and three of those came during the same weekend.

On home soil at Thruxton where he won twice - the BTC Racing man set the fastest lap in all three races at the wheel of his Honda Civic Type R, and then added another fastest lap in race two at Brands Hatch.

Cook also set the fastest race lap of the year in speed terms in race two at Thruxton.

Showing the way in which the Honda has been a quick

package so far in 2021, Gordon Shedden is the only other driver to have scored multiple fastest laps from the nine races that have now been run this season.

The Team Dynamics driver has two to his name, leading the way in race three at Snetterton and then setting the pace in race one at Brands Hatch.

Colin Turkington set the fastest lap in race one at Snetterton enroute to his first win of the year, whilst Ash Sutton’s fine drive through the field in race two which saw him battle past Turkington to score the win for Laser Tools Racing - included setting the fastest lap.

Rory Butcher is the only other driver to have set a fastest lap so far, having set the pace in the final race of the weekend at Brands Hatch.

Driver

Fastest Laps

Josh Cook

4

Gordon Shedden

2

Rory Butcher

1

Colin Turkington

1

Ash Sutton

1

LAPS LED So far this season, there have been 161 race laps with ten drivers still holding a 100 per cent record.

In total, eight drivers have led those 161 laps with Tom Oliphant currently heading the way with 50.

All of those laps led came at Brands Hatch, where the WSR driver led all 24 laps in race one and then 26 of the 27 laps in race two.

Oliphant had only previously led 24 laps before that weekend.

Josh Cook sits in second place having led 34 laps, with those laps led having come across the two races that he won at Thruxton during the opening meeting of the campaign. There

are two of four races that have been led from start-to-finish, with Adam Morgan in third having led all of his 24 laps in the final race at Brands Hatch.

Colin Turkington had led 20 laps, all of which came at Snetterton after a start-to-finish win in race one was followed by eight laps led in race two, with Ash Sutton having led 14 laps across two races at Thruxton and Snetterton.

Tom Ingram has led nine laps at Snetterton and Brands Hatch, with Jake Hill and Stephen Jelley both leading five laps apiece.

Hill’s laps out front all came in one race at Thruxton, with Jelley leading laps at both Thruxton and Snetterton.

Driver

Laps led

Tom Oliphant

50

Josh Cook

34

Adam Morgan

24

Colin Turkington

20

Ash Sutton

14

Tom Ingram

9

Jake Hill

5

Stephen Jelley

5

PLACES GAINED When it comes to places gained, Gordon Shedden is comfortably clear of the chasing pack, helped in no small part by the fact that he has endured his fair share of misfortune this season.

The Scot has been left to try and come through the pack on more than one occasion and made up the most places across the weekend at both Thruxton (24) and Snetterton (25) as a result.

The Scot has made up places in six of the nine races so far, with a best gain of 14 in race three at Snetterton.

Tom Chilton sits second in terms of places gained on 39, down in no small part to the fact that he has struggled in qualifying in his new BMW, with Jake Hull third on 36. Hill has only improved

four times on his starting position, with a personal best gain on 14 in the final race at Brands Hatch.

Laser Tools Racing pair Ash Sutton and Aiden Moffat follow behind, with Power Maxed Racing partner’s Dan Lloyd and Jason Plato both making up the same number of spots.

Plato has improved on his starting position on eight occasions - more than any other driver this season.

Stephen Jelley, Sam Smelt and Aron Taylor-Smith round out the top ten, despite Jelley only improving his starting position twice.

The 16 places gained in race two at Thruxton is the best seen so far this season.

Driver

Gained

Gordon Shedden

54

Tom Chilton

39

Jake Hill

36

Ash Sutton

29

Aiden Moffat

24

Dan Lloyd

24

Jason Plato

24

Stephen Jelley

23

Sam Smelt

23

Aron Taylor-Smith

21

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