The No.48 and No.77 Ford Focus ST cars of Ollie Jackson and Sam Osborne, run under the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan banner, are being given the full NASCAR treatment for the last three races of the BTCC season.

Mike McCabe, Valvoline Marketing Director:
“As Technical Partner to Motorbase Performance we wanted to do something special to recognise their amazing work this season, challenging for both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships with NAPA Racing UK.

“Using our iconic NASCAR livery is an exciting visual surprise for those attending Brands Hatch this weekend. Fans will also have the opportunity to win exclusive Valvoline merchandise by posting pictures of either car using the #ValvolineBTCC hashtag.”

Current NASCAR Champion Kyle Larson, racing for Hendricks Motorsport, used the Valvoline livery winning the 2021 title with a record 10 wins, equalling the legendary Jimmie Johnson from 2007. Valvoline returned to the BTCC this year after a period away from the championship, following many successes going back to the 1980s.

The post ICONIC VALVOLINE NASCAR LIVERY TO APPEAR WITH MOTORBASE AT BTCC FINALE appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Added to a double podium for Motorbase’s NAPA Racing UK driver Dan Cammish in the headline Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, in the supporting Ginetta Junior Championship points leader Reynolds further increased his advantage at the top of the table with two podiums.

After racing to fifth place, from ninth on the grid, in a dry round four on Saturday, Reynolds secured third place in round five later in the day. On Sunday, in slippery damp conditions, he bagged his third victory of the season with Assetto Motorsport and now leads the standings by 12 points.

Mitchell, driving for JWB Motorsport in the MINI CHALLENGE, stormed to pole position in qualifying for round four and converted it into a lights-to-flag win on Saturday – his first. Although slipping to fourth at the start of a damp round five on Sunday, Mitchell battled back to make it two consecutive victories. Unfortunately, round six delivered a non-finish after contact late-on from a rival.

Team-mates Jamie Osborne and Ru Clark didn’t enjoy such a fruitful weekend sadly, with the former taking a best finish of 14th position in the red-flagged wet sixth round – fifth in the Rookies. Race one brought an unfortunate non-finish, but Osborne battled through the order to 20th overall in race two.

Clark faced a monumental challenge after problems in qualifying meant he had to begin round four from the back of the grid in 30th position. Impressing with a great drive to 16th place, he followed Osborne home in round five in 21st spot but a tough finale ended with 23rd position.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB driver Hugo Ellis produced a sensational qualifying performance in his JTR run NAPA Racing UK car, claiming his maiden Pro-Am pole position in fifth overall – a mere 0.107 seconds shy of the outright pole.

Round three on Sunday started dry but when rain arrived, several drivers encountered difficulties and the race was red flagged. After the resumption, drivers having been able to change to treaded tyres in the meantime, Ellis eventually finished his first wet race 21st overall and seventh in Pro-Am. In round four, Ellis took his second Pro-Am podium after charging to third place in class, 14th overall.

At Warden Law Kart Club, teenager Alfie Garford prepared for this weekend’s second round of the Wera Tools British Karting Championship at the Sunderland venue by competing in the third round of the LGM series.

Having never visited Warden Law previously, Garford spent much of the weekend learning the track and the Heats produced a mixed bag of results – fourth in the opener, 21st place in the second Heat after a collision and then 14th place in the third Heat. Starting the Final 16th out of 42 competitors, after slipping back early on he fought through to 10th place with times a match for the top four.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“Harri and Jack go from strength to strength in Ginetta Junior and MINI, they both performed superbly at Brands Hatch. It was great to see Harri take his third win of the year, and enhance his championship lead, and brilliant to see Jack take his first two wins in the MINIs. Jamie and Ru had a mixed weekend unfortunately, in difficult conditions, but I know they’ll both bounce back.

“In the dry qualifying for the Porsches, Hugo’s pace was sensational – taking Pro-Am pole was great but to only be a tenth off the outright pole was fantastic. After an unlucky race one, it was good he got back on the podium in race two. Alfie made some good preparations up at Warden Law for the second round of the British Championship this weekend too, we’ll be watching with interest!”

The post ACADEMY DRIVERS REYNOLDS AND MITCHELL WIN AT BRANDS appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Taking his first podium result for the Motorbase Performance-run squad in a damp fourth round, Cammish – who had qualified eighth fastest and just 0.2 seconds shy of pole – finished in a terrific third place.

Going one better in a slippery round five, Cammish raced to second position and was tantalisingly just 0.2 seconds shy of the victory. He wrapped up the second weekend of the BTCC season with another top 10 in the finale.

Ash Sutton overturned a very tough qualifying to secure a great haul of points on raceday and maintain third in the championship, beginning by storming through from 18th on the grid to finish an impressive ninth in race one.

The reigning champion then moved through from ninth to fourth place in the second contest, another very strong drive, and then took sixth in round six to round-out a positive raceday. NAPA Racing UK was the top scoring entrant in round five and Motorbase and Ford were the winning manufacturer and constructor.

Ollie Jackson achieved a pair of points results with a season-best 14th for the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan entry in round five, having started 23rd on the grid as per his round four result, before bettering it with a very competitive top 12 finish in round six.

In the sister Ford Focus, Osborne took the flag in race one just behind Jackson in 24th spot and improved in race two with a top 20 finish. Racing well in the third encounter, Osborne was into 18th position by lap seven and after some mid-race position changing he reclaimed the place.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“What a weekend! After a difficult qualifying session, the team worked wonders to make the cars as competitive as we were all day on Sunday. I’m especially pleased for Dan, in tricky conditions, he had a fantastic day moving forward from his grid spot in every race and was so close to the win in race two.

“Those conditions are always hard for the drivers and engineers, we’re forced to make difficult, late decisions because of the unpredictable weather. Then the crew have to work super-fast to make the relevant changes, not to mention the drivers who then have to drive a strategic race to look after their tyres and predict whether or not the track is going to dry more or if it’s going to rain again. Throughout the team and throughout the day our whole team did this brilliantly and fully deserve the trophies we won including the Teams’ trophy – always a nice one to win.”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“I was really pleased with race one, it was a tough old race – seeing how it ebbed and flowed – and it’s about the third time I’ve been at Brands Indy where conditions are flipping on a coin. We had more dry bias in the car and it just got better and better. It was a similar story in race two, three quarters of the race we were hanging in there and suddenly my car switched on. It really was like a switch flicked, with one more lap I think that could’ve been my win. It’s fantastic to get two podiums and some points on the board for my championship, this is the start of my season.”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“Considering where we were after qualifying on Saturday I’m pretty happy to come away with three top 10 finishes and still sitting third in the championship. I’d say we were helped a little bit by the weather on Sunday, but the car certainly felt better and I was able to make progress in all three races. Next, we’re off to Thruxton and I’m looking forward to seeing how we get on there. I think the hybrid deployment and its impact will be quite interesting. The car should be strong there – it certainly was at the Season Launch – so I’m confident we can get amongst it.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“It’s good to get some points this weekend. To be fair, the biggest problem we had was we went the wrong way with the set-up in qualifying and for race one. I switched closer to Dan’s set-up for race two, as that obviously worked, and it was much better. The track conditions were pretty consistent lap to lap in each race really, the resurfaced area of track was a lot grippier but it didn’t seem like anybody’s car worked on both. Some were stronger on the newer bits, some on the older parts.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“The conditions were tough, it’s been a tough weekend overall to be honest. As the track gripped up we kind of started losing the front, that’s something we’ve been struggling with, and so we haven’t been able to get the power down. It’s been a tricky weekend so we’ll have to regroup now and have a think on how we can move forward, I know the guys in the team will put us in the right direction.”

Hampshire’s Thruxton Circuit will host the first of two visits by the BTCC this year a fortnight from now, over the weekend 28th/29th May, for rounds seven, eight and nine of the 2022 season.

2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
3rd Ash Sutton, 71pts; 11th Dan Cammish, 41pts; 19th Ollie Jackson, 6pts; No Score – Sam Osborne

2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
2nd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 151pts

2022 BTCC Teams Championship
2nd NAPA Racing UK, 113pts; 12th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 8pts

2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 69pts

The post MORE TROPHIES FOR MOTORBASE AND NAPA RACING UK AT RAIN-HIT BRANDS HATCH appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Achieving a podium finish with NAPA Racing UK driver Ash Sutton at Donington Park on the reigning champion’s maiden race weekend with the team, the target now for the Motorbase prepared squad is to mount a sustained challenge for trophies on home ground just a few days from now.

Based in Wrotham, less than four miles door-to-door from Brands Hatch, the team has already shown the potency of its quartet of hybrid powered Ford Focus ST cars with one-lap qualifying pace particularly noteworthy.

Since Donington, work has been ongoing to unlock more pace from race set-ups and to also prolong the performance from the Goodyear tyres and the team is quietly confident of a step forward at the 1.2-mile Indy Circuit.

Sutton goes into the second event of the season third in the overall championship after a very good start to the defence of his third BTCC title, his first season back in front-wheel drive since his BTCC debut back in 2016. Fourth in round one and then sixth in round two, he wrapped-up the Donington weekend with second place in the final contest.

Dan Cammish, of course, experienced wildly contrasting fortunes to those of team-mate Sutton during the curtain-raiser. Having shown strong pace in practice, a dramatic fire in qualifying – caused by a split fuel line – threatened to end his involvement there and then. Outstanding work overnight by the Motorbase mechanics got Cammish on track for raceday, where he took a best of 13th place.

Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan driver Sam Osborne will be hoping to replicate the terrific qualifying performance he delivered at Donington, where he lapped within 0.7 seconds of pole and only 0.2 seconds shy of the top 10. Racing to a best finish of 17th, his weekend impacted by throttle issues, Osborne is aiming higher this coming Sunday.

Team-mate Ollie Jackson is determined to bounce back as well as possible from a frustrating opening weekend where two non-finishes, the result of a software glitch impacting the throttle system, cost potential points results. In race three Jackson did post a finish in 19th but, let’s not forget, he is a former podium finisher at Brands.

Rounds four and six this coming Sunday will be broadcast live on ITV4 as usual, with online streaming at the www.itv.com/btcc website, while round five will be screened live on the flagship ITV channel.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“We love coming to Brands, it’ basically racing in our back yard! Being our home circuit, we know the track really well and it’s the first circuit we tested the 2022 car on this year so everything is familiar. Unfortunately, this won’t give us an advantage as much as we would like it to. Expectation is high in the camp this year, but so is the competition! As expected, Donington was a tightly fought weekend and it will continue to be all year as usual. Ash is sitting in a nice position in P3 in the championship but, let’s face it, that’s two spots away from where we want to be this year.

“All four drivers came away from round one with a bunch of positives but some weren’t transferred into results through no fault of their own. Now we aim to build on those positives this weekend and get some more silverware in the cabinet. Brands is a very different circuit to Donington, certainly with regard to Hybrid deployment, and we’ll also get to see the effects of the Hybrid restrictions in qualifying for the first time, it will be interesting to see how that plays out this weekend.”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“Donington Park was very much a weekend of learning and to come away with a podium at the end of it was a real reward for the team and a step in the right direction. Heading to Brands Hatch we’ve been able to dig into the data and hopefully we can unlock even more from the pace. I always enjoy driving Brands, it’s a mega circuit and always produces great racing. It’s going to be interesting to see how the hybrid deployment plays its part in qualifying – I’m looking forward to getting there!”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“Our season starts here really, after the dramas of Donington! I’ve got to say again what an incredible job everybody at NAPA Racing UK and Motorbase did to get me on the grid after the qualifying fire, it really was an amazing effort. I’ve enjoyed a lot of success at Brands in the past and I know the team has been working double-hard to extract as much as we can from the Ford Focus, so I’m really looking forward to being back there and, hopefully, challenging for our first podiums.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“I always love racing at Brands, it’s a great challenge and is obviously my home track and also the team’s home venue so I’m looking forward to a strong weekend. Donington was a tough start to the year for us with the software issue, just one of those things unfortunately, but all of the boys worked so hard. I’m hoping to reward them with some good results on Sunday, we’ll be pushing hard to get some good points in the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan car.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“Brands can’t come soon enough to be honest, I’m really excited for the weekend and taking a lot of positivity forward after we showed such good pace in qualifying and the races at Donington. In terms of the results there we didn’t come away with what we wanted, but the overall performance was strong and so we’ve got a lot to build on at the weekend. If we can qualify as well again, I’m sure we can put together three strong races.”

Free practice at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit will start at 09.30 on Saturday, 14th May, with session two following at 12.05 ahead of qualifying – which will be streamed live online at the www.itv.com/btcc website – at 15.50. On Sunday, 15th May, round four is set to commence at 11.30, round five will start at 14.10 and round six will begin at 16.15.

2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
3rd Ash Sutton, 40pts; 17th Dan Cammish, 3pts; Ollie Jackson/Sam Osborne, 0pts

2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
2nd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 69pts

2022 BTCC Teams Championship
4th NAPA Racing UK, 44pts; Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 0pts

2022 Jack Sears Trophy
5th Sam Osborne, 35pts

The post HOME SUCCESS IN SIGHTS FOR MOTORBASE AS BTCC HEADS TO BRANDS appeared first on Alliance Racing.

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher signs off in style with podium and double Indy win at Brands Hatch appeared first on Alliance Racing.

With the Pro category title already decided two weeks ago at Silverstone, the Wrotham-based squad heads into the double-header on 2.4mile circuit as closest contenders to the current Teams Championship leaders.

Sitting 35 points off JTR, Motorbase remains in mathematical reach of clinching the title. However, with a maximum of 44 points available from the two races, Lewis Plato and Dan Vaughan are at a disadvantage, even with local knowledge and support.

A challenging meeting at Silverstone saw Lewis Plato drop down to fourth in the standings, but with just six points separating him from third. Having banked an impressive seven podiums this season on top of his race win at Croft, the Essex-based racer is eager to add another to his tally and replicate his race one victory from last year.

Dan Vaughan’s maiden season in the Pro ranks has delivered mixed results. The Hampshire-man has shown flashes of race-winning pace all year but has sadly only reached the podium twice. After a tricky last meeting at Silverstone, the 22-year-old is eager to make up for lost ground this weekend and end his season on a high note.

#11 Lewis Plato:

“The first half of the season went really well, but then the second half has fallen away from us. We’ve been racking up podiums but really not getting enough wins to keep us in the title fight.

“We got caught out by the weather at Silverstone. It could have been a completely different story with the tyre call, but sadly we didn’t get it right on the day. We dropped down to fourth in the standings having been sat in 2nd all year. It is possible to get back to 2nd. We are relying on the other guys having a bad weekend, but then I had a bad weekend at Silverstone so it can happen. We just have to the best job that we can, and maybe we’ll get a little turn of luck come our way.”

#55 Dan Vaughan:

“I’m really excited for this weekend. It’s a circuit that I’ve always gone well at. I can’t quite believe that we’re at the end of the season. It’s been a great year again; the team have worked really hard. I don’t think that we’ve had the results that we’ve deserved, but it’s just been one of those years.

“It’s important that we put in a good showing for the Teams Championship this weekend. Both Lewis and I have a big job ahead of us to try and bag as many points as possible to try and make that happen.”

Qualifying for round 15 of the Porsche Carrera Cup GB takes place at 13.20 on Saturday (October 12). Sunday (October 13) plays host to both 17 lap races, with round 15 scheduled for 10.40 and round 16 at 16.05. Live timing and results for both events is available at: https://www.tsl-timing.com/event/194103

The post Motorbase Performance hopeful of homecoming success at Brands Hatch appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Although out of the running for the championship title, the Wrotham-based outfit is eager to sign off the season in fine style as it also reaches the end of its three-year partnership with Shredded Wheat.

With the Motorbase Performance workshop less than five minutes away in nearby Wrotham, Brands Hatch is a firm favourite of the squad. The team has celebrated more wins at its local circuit than at any other track over the years, and always attracts fantastic local support.

Reigate-racer Tom Chilton took his maiden win of the season on the Indy layout in the season opener back in April, and is looking to end a challenging year for the Motorbase-run squad on a high note on the iconic GP circuit.

Ollie Jackson is also hopeful of a happy ending to his Motorbase return after a successful season. Also racing at his home circuit, the Surrey-man took his maiden Independent win earlier this year, and is keen for a rostrum return in front of his home crowd.

“We’re looking forward to ending the season on a high at our home track;” commented Team Manager Oly Collins. “We always love coming to Brands Hatch. It’s a fantastic venue to open and close the BTCC.

“We started our campaign at Brands in April with Tom on the top step of the podium. Since then, 2019 hasn’t quite gone to plan as a season-long challenge, despite the pace we’ve shown at times.

“Once again we may see weather commanding the weekend which always makes things a little trickier for the team behind the scenes, but that’s the same for all of us. 

“It will be a shame to run in the Shredded Wheat colours for one last time, but we’ve been proud to represent such a huge brand in the BTCC.”

#3 Tom Chilton:

“I’m really excited to get back to our local track for the team and myself.

“Last year I had fantastic memories from having such an incredible team and teammates behind me to help us clinch 3rd place overall and 2nd in the Independents Championship. We went into Brands GP last year with a lot of success ballast and qualified what felt like near the back, but I was next to Turkington and Ingram. The ballast is a killer around the hilly GP circuit more than most. But with the help of my teammates, I carved through the field from the back to 9th. Then went on to take 6th and just missed out on the podium by tenths.

“We always go well at Brands and I’m hoping to end on a high for everybody. We are 3rd in the Indy standings and top 10 in the main championship, but I want better so will never give up.”

 #48 Ollie Jackson:

 “I can’t believe we’re already here at the last round. It’s been a challenging season with some big highs and lows. The aim is to end on another high and really go for it this weekend. It’s my favourite track of the season, not to mention my local and I’ve had some great weekends here in the past.

“We’re also trying something very different with the set-up. Hopefully, it will unlock some more pace from the car. We’re expecting to be competitive, but if we get it right, we can steal some last-minute glory.”

Rounds 28, 29 and 30 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take places on the Brands Hatch GP Circuit on October 12/13. Live coverage of Sunday’s (October 13) events will be shown on ITV4, ITV4HV and via the ITVhub from 10.30 – 18.15; with itv.com/btcc featuring live timing and streaming of Saturday’s (October 12) qualifying session from 15.00.

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher looks to sign off in style on home turf appeared first on Alliance Racing.

New signing Lewis Plato stated his intent on the championship challenge with a convincing performance on the 1.2mile Indy circuit layout, collecting two second-placed podium finishes for the Wrotham-based squad at its home circuit.

Plato topped the times in both free practice runs, with team-mate Dan Vaughan setting P2 and P5 lap times, and the duo looked set for a front-row start. Damp conditions, however, made for a tricky qualifying run, and after initially leading the way with a Motorbase 1-2, the grid switched to slicks as times tumbled, leaving Vaughan and Plato in fifth and sixth places respectively.

Severe fog delayed Sunday’s race proceedings. After a two-hour wait, the season opener got underway in wet conditions. Vaughan made an excellent start off the line, moving up into P2 on the opening lap, before settling into 3rd place position. Unfortunately, his hopes of a podium to kick-start his Pro campaign was dashed after contact dropped the 22-year-old down the order, and he eventually crossed the line in 7th.

Plato, meanwhile, had been making his way steadily up through the pack. Taking the third spot on lap 19, the Essex-man took advantage of a mistake by Perez at Druids to steal into 2nd, bringing the #11 Porsche home for a maiden Motorbase podium.  

A stellar drive from Plato in the second race of the day rewarded the Motorbase Performance team with a return to the rostrum. Starting from the second row, the 26-year-old charged off the line to take P2 from Perez, where he remained, holding off a challenge from Harper over the remaining laps, and picking up an additional point for setting the fastest lap. 

Vaughan’s end to the weekend sadly failed to live up to expectations once more. Struggling with a puncture in the early laps, his race came to abrupt end with 10 laps still to run when the #55 911 left the circuit at Paddock Hill bend, causing race-ending damage.

The weekend’s results leave Plato sitting 2nd in the Pro category Drivers’ championship, just two points of the leader. Motorbase currently lies third in the Teams’ standings heading into rounds 3 and 4 at Donington Park on April 27/28.

Quotes:

Team Principal David Bartrum:

“It was really nice to get the Carrera Cup season underway at our home circuit. It was a good start to the season for Lewis, getting two podiums under his belt. Dan has a bit of work to do. It feels great to be back to running two cars once again.

“A fantastic job by the team at the weekend, and we’re looking forward to banking some more points at Donington.”

#11 Lewis Plato:

“Really happy with the way the weekend went. For the past six seasons, I’ve had something happen on the first weekend that has massively impacted on my championship. To come away with two podiums and the fastest lap is great.

“Realistically, after being P1 in free practice, without the weather in qualifying, we would have been challenging for pole position. It’s still early days with the team. We’re still learning, but so far things are looking positive for the rest of the season.

“Donington is one of the tracks where I won last year. I’ve qualified on the front row the last couple of times I’ve raced there. Hopefully, we can do the same again.”

#55 Dan Vaughan:

“Not the start to the new season that I was hoping for, sadly. It started well in free practice and qualifying, but the weather just tipped the grid upside down. We were really unlucky not to start on the front row. Race 1 was going well until I got hit by a back-marker, and then it all went downhill from there.

“I’m just looking ahead to Donington Park now, and ready to get my season off the ground there. We took a Pro-Am class win there last year, and we’ve been testing there a few weeks ago. We know the pace is in the car. Hopefully, we’ll have a turn of luck and get our challenge back on track.”

Results:

#11 Lewis Plato:

Qualifying: P6

Round 1: P2

Round 2: P2

#55 Dan Vaughan:

Qualifying: P5

Round 1: P7

Round 2: DNF

The post Double delight for Motorbase Performance on Carrera Cup GB return appeared first on Alliance Racing.

13-times BTCC race winner Tom Chilton is back behind the wheel of the squad’s Ford Focus RS, and heads into the new season as one of leading title challengers after ending last year in third place overall, and as Independent runner-up.

Ollie Jackson’s popular return to the Motorbase-run squad as Chilton’s team-mate has shown early promise in pre-season testing. After completing his most comprehensive winter testing programme to date, the Reigate-racer is looking for a strong start to his 7^th BTCC campaign.

After travelling to Spain and clocking up over 4,000kms during an extensive pre-season testing programme, the Wrotham-based outfit has invested a huge amount of time and money in development and improvements over the winter period.   

“We’re just coming out of what was probably our busiest and most intensive pre-season test session;” explains Team Manager Oly Collins. “The guys have worked relentlessly on developing the Focus RS, and as a result we feel more ready than ever heading into the opening rounds.

“Our key staff behind the scenes remains unchanged. We’re also enjoying another year with Tom, which is so important to have that continuity off the back of a great season last year. It feels like Ollie never left. He’s settled into the team really well. They’ve both done a fantastic job in pre-season and we’re aiming to surprise everyone this year.

“Our pace in testing has been strong. But from the times we saw at last week’s official test, as usual the BTCC grid is so close it could go either way. New cars, drivers swapping teams, changes in engineering, it’s all a little unsettled on the grid this year. It all feels right at Motorbase at the moment. Hopefully that will show on track!”

Tom Chilton, #3, Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher:

“I’m so happy to be back for my second year with my favourite ever BTCC race team, and also my local team. After ending the official test day as second fastest last week, I’m felling very positive for the weekend ahead.

“The guys at have done a lot of work on the chassis over the winter. The car has moved on a lot from last season and so far that’s showing in the times.  I’ve also been training hard and have dropped some weight to try and help improve the car’s performance further.

“It’s been a big effort from everybody involved, and we’re ready to start the year ahead. I’m raring to go!”

Ollie Jackson, #48, Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher:

“I’m definitely excited and a little apprehensive in the build up to my first competitive weekend with Motorbase. I can’t wait to get out there in the Focus and prove what I can do with it. It’s a great car. The improvements made over the winter are proving their worth. Without a shadow of a doubt it’s going to be a strong season for the team. We just need to hit the ground running and get good results on the board straight away.

The testing programme has been productive. It’s allowed me plenty of time to get used to the car.  There are still a few finer points for me with the setup and the guys in getting used to what suits me, but I already feel like I’ve contributed to moving us forward. I’m sure that when we hit the sweet spot I’m going to be right at the sharp end.

“The whole team; David, Oly, drivers, mechanics, engineers; everyone has been hugely supportive. They have helped massively in getting the best out of me. I’m going to do my best to repay them with results this year.”

The 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season gets underway with rounds 1, 2 and 3 on the  Brands Hatch Indy circuit, Kent, on April 6/7. Live coverage of Sunday’s events will be shown on ITV4, ITV4HD and via the ITVhub from 10:15 – 18:15; with itv.com/btcc featuring live timing and streaming of Saturday’s qualifying session from 15.00.

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher eyes home advantage as 2019 BTCC campaign gets underway appeared first on Alliance Racing.

The 2012 British GT Champion and 2010 Carrera Cup GB runner-up will pilot the Kent-based outfit’s 2nd911 GT3 Cup Car for the final two races of the season. Running under the #300, Caine’s car will showcase a specially commissioned livery to celebrate the 300th Porsche Carrera Cup GB race, featuring the names and number of victories of every race winner since the series’ inception in 2003.

Motorbase and Caine have a long-standing relationship with the German marque. After initially joining the Carrera Cup GB grid in 2004, Motorbase competed at the very top of the Championship for seven seasons, notching up an impressive 26 race wins in that time – the third highest of any team in the championship’s history.

Having driven for David Bartrum’s squad from 2009-2014, 49-year-old Caine amassed a total of 14 Carrera Cup GB race wins, ending the 2010 season as Vice-Champion before going on to claim the 2012 British GT Championship title with Motorbase in the Porsche 911 GT3R.

“I remember the Carrera Cup GB from the beginning;” commented Team Principal David Bartrum. “Obviously we weren’t there from the very start. We joined in 2004 in the 2nd year as a team and had a great run through to 2011 with many successes along the way.

“It’s a fantastic series and to think it’s got to 300 races so quickly and we’ve been a part of quite a few of those is quite something. With it falling at our home circuit, we felt obliged to do something a little bit special to mark the occasion. It felt right to bring one of our old Carrera Cup drivers Michael Caine back for the occasion.

“It’s great to look at all of the race winner’s names on the roof of the car, and to see just how many past and present Motorbase drivers are on there. It’s been a big piece of our team’s history and it’ll be nice to be able to celebrate with them.”

Newmarket-based Caine added; “It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to be able to jump in the Motorbase car this weekend. We’ve always joked about me retiring in a pair of Motorbase overalls and this meeting is the last race of the season so who knows!

“I have a great affinity with the team and also the Carrera Cup. I love the racing in the TOCA paddock and it’s great to be able to stay a part of that. The #shredded livery really comes to life on the Porsche and it looks like the best car on the grid. It’s a great tribute to the history of the series and I’m very proud to be a part of the 300th race celebrations.”

The Wrotham-based team arrives at the iconic GP circuit in a fighting second place position in the Pro-Am Championship standings.  22-year-old rookie Dan Vaughan has made an impressive showing on his debut season, collecting 5 race wins and 8 podiums from 14 appearances and heads into the final two races of the year just 7 points adrift of current leader, Seb Perez.

“We’re in with a chance of the Pro-Am title with Dan Vaughan. He’s done a really good job this year;” added the Team Boss. “Despite what some have been saying, Michael is not there to interfere with the championship in any way. I’m wishing Dan a good weekend. If he keeps his head down and keeps doing what he’s been doing all year so should come out of it well. Dan’s done a sterling job this year to be in the title fight in his first year in the Porsche and in my mind it’s a job well done, whatever the result this weekend.”

The final two rounds of the 2018 Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship take place on the world-famous Brands Hatch GP Circuit on September 29/30. Qualifying for round 15 – the 300th Carrera Cup GB race – takes place at 13.05-13.35 on Saturday 29th September, with Sunday 30th September hosting the final title-deciding races of the season at 10.40 and 16.40.

Live timing for all sessions is available via: https://www.tsl-timing.com/event/183903 with live race-day coverage on ITV4, ITV4HD and via itv.com/hub/itv4 from 10.30 – 18.30.

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