Impressing in qualifying on Saturday, 25th June, by securing a front row start for round nine and pole position for round 10, thanks to his second best time, the Welsh driver was firmly in the mix for the win throughout the opening contest with positions changing lap after lap. In the end, he secured his seventh podium of the campaign in third place.

In race two another titanic battle raged at the front of the competitive field and while determined to challenge for victory, Reynolds took a sensible mindset into the encounter knowing consistency and big points would be enough to deliver the championship lead once again. Not taking any undue risks, he claimed third again and was a mere 0.7 seconds shy of the win at the flag on lap nine.

In the world of karting, Motorbase Driver Academy star Alfie Garford produced a very consistent showing at Little Rissington in The Cotswolds during the ‘O’ Plate Open Championship event – a great way to prepare for the fourth round of the Wera Tools British Karting Championship at the same venue this coming weekend.

Having never visited the track previously, TKM racer Garford hit the ground running in testing and proceeded to finish fifth in Heat One, fourth in Heat Two and then third in Heat Three, securing third on the grid for the all-important Final.

Rising to second during the early running, a late lunge from the third placed driver dropped both down the order and, more importantly, meant they lost touch with the lead group. Determined to recover the lost ground, Garford impressively charged back up to the leaders and into the final lap a five-way battle for the win ensued. In the end, Garford claimed a very strong top three finish.

Although not in race action last weekend, due to a break in the MINI CHALLENGE season, Motorbase Driver Academy duo Jamie Osborne and Jack Mitchell both represented the team and sponsor Wera Tools at the huge Goodwood Festival of Speed event in West Sussex.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“It was absolutely fantastic to see Harri return to the top of the championship in Ginetta Junior at Croft on Sunday, he banked some big points and two more podiums is the sort of consistency you need to deliver to be in the reckoning come the end of the season. It’s been a great season so far and we’re looking forward to seeing what Harri can achieve at Knockhill in a few weeks.

“I can’t say I’m surprised Alfie was so competitive at Little Rissington even though it was his first time racing there, he’s a terrific young talent and that showed with how competitive he was all weekend in the ‘O’ Plate. Finishing third in the Final was a great result and obviously sets him up very nicely for the next round of the British Championship this weekend.”

The post ACADEMY ACE REYNOLDS REGAINS GINETTA POINTS LEAD AS GARFORD TAKES ‘O’ PLATE PODIUM appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Ash Sutton qualified his NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus ST seventh for race one, having only been able to deliver one flying lap in Saturday afternoon’s session due to three red flag stoppages. Launching brilliantly at the start of round 13 on Sunday, he moved into sixth but overtaking thereafter proved to be at a premium and he stayed sixth to the chequered flag.

Round 14 wasn’t dissimilar in terms of the unusually staid nature of the action at the front, Sutton started in sixth and ended the uneventful encounter sixth again. Lining-up seventh for round 15 on the partially reversed grid, he aimed to secure more vital championship points.

Launching well, he challenged for sixth at the end of lap one around the outside of the hairpin and was ahead over the start/finish line into lap two but contact to the rear of the No.1 Focus into turn one, Clervaux, led to damage and a limp back to the pits. Great work by the team got him back out, some four laps down, and he finished 26th – at least able to gather important data.

Dan Cammish, in action at Croft after two days representing NAPA Racing UK and the BTCC at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, saw no reversal in his luck on Saturday. First, an unfortunate issue with his car led to a trip into the gravel at Clervaux in second practice and his quickest lap in his immaculately repaired Ford Focus ST in qualifying was baulked – costing him half a dozen places.

Starting round 13 on Sunday from a frustrating 14th on the grid, without taking major risks any passing opportunities were nigh-on impossible. Gaining one position late on, Cammish ended the race – which featured two Safety Car periods – in 13th place. In round 14 he moved up one spot into the top 12 on a strong first lap and after losing and regaining 12th, he eventually finished 13th.

Round 15 was the weekend highlight, Cammish delivering an excellent drive from 13th on the grid to finish in eighth position. Gaining a place on lap one, by the fourth tour he was into the top 10 and took ninth on lap six. Then, with two laps to go, he grabbed eighth at Sunny In with a good pass.

There was nothing to separate Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan’s Jackson and Osborne in qualifying, just 0.058 seconds splitting them, but the miniscule gap still meant a difference of three grid slots with Jackson beginning round 13 from 19th and Osborne from 22nd – only 0.8 seconds shy of pole.

Once again misfortune befell Jackson on only the second lap of race one when, while running strongly in the pack, contact put him off the track heavily into the barriers at Sunny Out. Osborne, meanwhile, wasn’t able to make the progress he’d hoped for and finished the 18 lap contest 21st.

With a lot to do from 27th on the grid in race two in his gleaming repaired Ford Focus ST, Jackson produced a sensational start and opening lap to gain no fewer than six places. Racing hard throughout, dicing with team-mate Osborne in a tightly packed group, both took turns ahead of the other with Osborne eventually finishing in 19th spot just ahead of Jackson.

In round 15, Jackson put together another great first lap to climb into 17th spot from 20th and after Sutton’s incident he gained another place. Although edged back soon after, he regained 16th and took 15th on the last lap and the final point. Osborne slipped outside the top 20 on lap one, but hit back to move back into 19th after a few laps. In the end, he had to settle for 20th position.

Motorbase/Ford go into the five week summer break third in the Manufacturer/Constructor standings, while NAPA Racing UK remains second in the Teams Championship and Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan holds 13th place.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“All in all, a frustrating raceday at Croft. Ash was on for a solid weekend of three top six results until being hit in race three, so that didn’t help, but we were generally a little off the pace of the Hyundai cars in particular and we need to work on that. Clearly, overtaking in the BTCC has become a lot more difficult this season so we need to do some work. We now head in to the half term ‘break’ with a little bit of time, we have a two-day test coming up which we have some good things on the agenda to try and Knockhill will be back upon us in no time.”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“It’s been a similar weekend to Oulton Park where we’ve had two solid points finishes and then seen that hard work become undone in race three. We only had one lap in qualifying so I was happy to start off seventh and then in races one and two we just kept out of trouble to pick up solid points. To come away with nothing in race three is frustrating but we’ve just got to dust ourselves down and go again.”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“I’m glad we could end the weekend with a decent finish in race three, it felt good to make some solid progress and especially after how the weekend started with the issue in FP2 and then losing out in qualifying. Overtaking was almost impossible in the first two races, we just couldn’t get on terms as we needed to, but everyone at Motorbase and NAPA Racing UK kept pushing to try and improve things. There’s more work to do before Knockhill, but I know we’ll get there.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“Race three was a good way to finish what was, again, another mixed weekend for us. It’s good to have been able to gain a few places and finish in the points, but it was tough as overtaking was pretty difficult. Our day started off badly in the barriers after contact in race one, but the guys in the team worked as hard as ever and did a great job to get the car repaired for race two. Hopefully we can make some progress during the summer break and come back stronger at Knockhill.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“It’s been a tough weekend, we’ve been suffering with the front end so it’s been hard work just to keep up. We keep trying different things with the set-up but we’re not quite there, so the five week break before Knockhill is well needed so we can scratch our heads and see if we can come up with a solution. The races were relatively clean for us this weekend, but just not the results we wanted.”

Knockhill Circuit in Fife, Scotland, will host the resumption of the BTCC season five weeks from now, over the weekend 30th/31st July.

2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
4th Ash Sutton, 171pts; 11th Dan Cammish, 86pts; 22nd Ollie Jackson, 9pts; 25th Sam Osborne, 1pt

2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
3rd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 346pts

2022 BTCC Teams Championship
2nd NAPA Racing UK, 259pts; 13th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 14pts

2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 164pts

The post MOTORBASE STAYS IN TITLE HUNT AT HALFWAY POINT OF BTCC SEASON DESPITE CROFT CHALLENGES appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Moving to the summit of the title battle 10 days ago at Oulton Park following another successful outing in the UK’s biggest and best motor racing championship, Motorbase Performance/Ford will arrive at Croft a couple of days from now with sights also fixed on much more besides.

The team’s NAPA Racing UK entry goes into the fifth event of the campaign second in the Teams Championship, while reigning BTCC Champion Ash Sutton is second in the Drivers Championship after chalking-up his fifth and sixth podiums of the campaign last time out in Cheshire.

Sutton is getting up a real head of steam as he and the team make continued improvements and steps forward with the Ford Focus ST, powered by a Hybrid Mountune engine, and is going into rounds 13, 14 and 15 with the goal of some big results for NAPA Racing UK.

Croft is, of course, the home track for Dan Cammish and the Leeds racer is hoping he can finally put the bad luck which has impacted much of the first half of the season firmly behind him. Chalking up consistent top six finishes at Oulton, with a best of fifth, he is hungry to get back onto the podium as his pace deserves.

The next few days will be non-stop for Cammish, beginning tomorrow, Thursday, 23rd June, with the first of two days representing NAPA Racing UK, Kwik Fit and the BTCC at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex. After taking to the famous Hillclimb tomorrow and Friday, 24th June, he will make the trip up to Croft for the BTCC race weekend – in some style too, by helicopter!

Oulton Park showcased some very strong race performances from Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan drivers Ollie Jackson and Sam Osborne, but both were also impacted by misfortune and multiple incidences of contact which stymied hopes of serial points finishes.

Jackson’s highlight drive came in race three in Cheshire, gaining 10 positions to claim a 14th place finish, and with pleasing changes made to his Ford Focus ST he is confident they will also reap rewards at Croft. Last season, Jackson achieved a best finish of 14th overall at the 2.1-mile track.

Osborne’s weekend last time out at Oulton ended less positively, contact from a rival putting his car in the barriers and retirement. Earlier in the day, realistic hopes of strong points results – especially after a competitive qualifying run – were undone in the first two races by contact and questionable driving from rivals. Osborne is relishing Croft though, having taken a 13th place best last season.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“Headed to Croft we’re in a great position being leading Manufacturer and joint leading in the Teams Championship, now we need to stay there! Historically Croft has been a rear-wheel drive favoured circuit, now it’s our job to change that stat and go get some more silverware. The car this season has evolved and we’re still learning with the Hybrid system. Oulton Park gave us a big chunk of points and some great performances, this weekend we need to keep that momentum going into the summer break. It’s also nice to be representing NAPA and the BTCC at Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend as well with Dan and Lewis [Selby] taking to the Hill for the shootout. Needless to say, we’ve been busy in the workshop!”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“Croft is a circuit I’ve always loved, it’s fast, lairy and quite old school – I just seem to click with it. I’ve got fond memories there as well as it was where I scored my first BTCC win back in 2016. We’re continuing to unlock more and more from the car so I’m heading into this weekend feeling confident that we can have another solid three races. If we can end the first half of the season with a win that would be mega!”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“This week is definitely one of the busiest of my career so far, starting off with the trip to Goodwood to drive the NAPA Racing UK car up the hill. I’m really excited to be part of the Festival of Speed and representing NAPA, Motorbase and, of course, Kwik Fit and the BTCC. I’ll be heading up to Croft from there by helicopter, so that’s going to be fun as I’ve never been in one, and I can’t wait to be back at my home track. We did the best we could with what we had at Oulton, and moved up the championship, but I’m hungry to be back on the podium and determined to achieve that at Croft.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“We were competitive at Croft last year and I’m hopeful that will be the case again this weekend, especially after a strong conclusion to Oulton. We definitely hit on something with the car ahead of race three there which helped with the weight and the balance, and the impact was obvious as we could really fight hard with some quick guys. Three points finishes would be fantastic, if we can push into the top 10 even better for a positive end to the first half of the season.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“Croft’s a great track and I really am looking forward to being back there at the weekend. We’re moving forward with the car all the time, in qualifying we’ve got the pace it’s just translating that for the races. Oulton was another step forward for us with the set-up, just a shame we got a bit beaten up in the races. Last season at Croft was very positive, so I’m aiming to at least replicate that and hopefully string together our best raceday of the season so far ahead of the summer break.”

Free practice will begin at Croft at 09.30 on Saturday, 25th June, with session two following at 12.05 and qualifying at 15.20 – the latter streamed live online at the www.itv.com/btcc website.

Round 13 will get underway at 12.05 on Sunday, 26th June, with round 14 beginning at 14.35 and round 15 concluding the day’s BTCC action at 17.05. All three races will be streamed live online and screened live on ITV4.

2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
3rd Ash Sutton, 151pts; 10th Dan Cammish, 72pts; 22nd Ollie Jackson, 8pts; 24th Sam Osborne, 1pt

2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
1st Motorbase Performance/Ford, 301pts

2022 BTCC Teams Championship
2nd NAPA Racing UK, 223pts; 13th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 12pts

2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 131pts

The post CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGERS MOTORBASE EYEING TROPHIES AS BTCC TRAVELS TO CROFT appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Changeable weather conditions delivered high drama on-track throughout the third meeting of the year, with Motorbase-duo Lewis Plato and Dan Vaughan battling back from a less than ideal start to secure a double podium finish in the final contest of the weekend.

Plato, who currently occupies 2^nd in the Pro Driver standings, took his highest-placed qualifying position of the year in P2, securing a front-row grid start for round 5. Taking to the high-speed circuit for the first time on Friday, Vaughan acquired an 8^th place sport on the damp track.

Making a strong start off the line in the opening race, Plato held position in P2, keeping pace with the race leader over the first lap. Unfortunately, contact with Gamble as the pair charged through the complex resulted in suspension damage for the #11 Porsche. Plato managed to remain on track, but dropped down the order and eventually crossed the line in P9.

Avoiding the lead-pack melee, Vaughan had quietly made his way up into a Pro Class podium spot until lap 8 when he was passed by Perez. Narrowly missing out on a rostrum visit, the 22-year-old crossed the line 4^th in class, P5 overall.

Race two was a frenetic affair. Starting from 5^th and 10^th on the grid, Vaughan and Plato joined the group of 10 cars that pitted at the end of the formation lap to switch to wets as heavy rain descended. Taking to the sodden track after a lightning pit-stop by the Motorbase crew, Plato and Vaughan leapt up the order as drivers and teams battled with late tyre changes.

The safety car appearance on lap 7 allowed the field to close-up once more, and with just 4 laps remaining after the restart, Plato and Vaughan remained in strong podium contention. With two Pro-Am racers taking first and second for the first-time in Carrera Cup history, Plato crossed the line in 3^rd place overall, closely followed by Vaughan in P4 – with the team-mates securing the Pro Class win and runner-up position for a Motorbase 1-2 finish.

Despite Plato being handed a two-point penalty for his incident with Gamble in round 5, Motorbase Performance has moved into joint championship lead in the Team standings. Plato and Vaughan remain in 2^nd and 6^th place in the Pro Drivers’ championship ahead of rounds seven and eight at Oulton Park on June 29/30.

Quotes:

#11 Lewis Plato:

“It doesn’t really feel like a win, in the true sense but I’ll take it! Certainly, maximum points race 2 helps us out with the championship.  Race 1 was obviously disappointing. Personally, I think the two-point penalty was unjustified. When you look at the move, you can see me look in the mirror you can’t see the other car there. I turn in, he goes in very deep on the brakes and essentially we hit each other. No intention on either side, but because his car was written off it seemed like we were given the penalty. At the end of the day, when you go for an overtake you take the risk. The fact that different decisions were made on similar incidents doesn’t really make sense. It certainly cost us a podium, if not a race win.

“We got lucky in race 2 to be fair. Starting from the back of the grid, the crew did a great job on the pit-stop and we made up about 5 or 6 places. The track was so wet; no-one could really overtake.

“It’s our first Motorbase 1-2 however and all being well we can continue that at Oulton Park. I’ve been on the podium there pretty much every year, but never got the win. Hopefully, we can make it another strong weekend and make up the points’ distance.”

#55 Dan Vaughan:

“That was the hardest weekend. I went into qualifying only having done about 15 laps on the circuit and none in the dry before the first race. It was a bit of a baptism of fire, so to come away with a 4^th and 2^nd in class was a great result. My first lap in the dry was the first lap in the race so it was strange not knowing where to go, but it worked out pretty well.

“Race 2 was a very strange race. I was in the lead of the class and 4^th overall with about 10 laps to go. Then the safety car came out which gave everyone the chance to get up behind me. I had to fend off Webster and Harper for the last few laps. It was a really hard race, so felt great to get the class podium.

“It’s been frustrating for me this year. The results haven’t shown the pace before this weekend. The whole team will benefit from that result. Points-wise the weekend has brought us all closer together in the championship.”

Results:

#11 Lewis Plato:

Qualifying: P2

Round 5: P9

Round 6: P3

#55 Dan Vaughan:

Qualifying: P8

Round 5: P5

Round 6: P4

Pro Category

1             Dan Harper JTR 60 points

2             Lewis Plato Motorbase Performance 45 points

6             Dan Vaughan Motorbase Performance 26 points

Teams Championship

1             JTR 148 points

2             Motorbase Performance 148 points

3             Amigos Redline Racing 128 points

The post Motorbase Performance takes Pro Class 1-2 on dramatic Croft weekend appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher enjoyed its most successful weekend of the season so far during rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, securing a commanding race 3 win, double podium and top ten result at Croft (June 15/16).  

The fourth meeting of the year gave the Motorbase-run squad much cause for celebration. After a season-best qualifying result for Tom Chilton and Ollie Jackson, Chilton went on to claim his third podium of the year, second overall win and third independent win on the North Yorkshire circuit.

Saturday’s disjointed qualifying session saw no less than five red flags deployed during the 30 minute period. With numerous on-track incidents halting proceedings, Chilton pushed his #3 Focus RS to the limit to secure a second-row start with P3 on his first flying lap in the dying minutes. Just a lap later, stablemate Ollie Jackson took the P8 spot – recording the squad’s highest-placed position of the season, and his personal best-ever qualifying result.

Sunday’s opening race called for a defensive masterclass from Chilton as he held off a full-race length challenge from the domineering BMW’s. A strong start from the Reigate-racer saw him hold onto third from the fast-starting WSR machines. Shielding his podium position for the entire 18-lap challenge, the 34-year-old remained steadfast under unrelenting pressure to bring the Focus home in P3, claiming his 3rd rostrum visit of the year and 55th BTCC-career podium.

Jackson’s strong start to the weekend looked set to deliver a top 5 finish for the #48 Focus. An outstanding start saw the Motorbase-man running as high as 6th in the opening laps. Running wide as the pack raced through the complex on lap 5, however, Jackson clipped the curb sending his Ford into the marker, sustaining damage to the front-left wing. A daring effort saw him hold on for another 3 laps as the bodywork rubbed on the tyre before it finally gave way as the field was running under the safety car, pitching him into the barriers and ending his race.

Carrying 42kg of ballast into race 2, Chilton battled hard to stay in the points-scoring zone as he came under increasing pressure from the lighter, charging pack. Dropping down the order in the opening laps, he eventually took the flag in 9th collecting another much-welcome haul of points for the championship challenge.

Lining up at the back of the grid, Jackson made steady progress through the field. Seeking to make amends for his earlier error, the 35-year-old showed true grit to push forward an impressive 8 grid spots on the narrow circuit and crossed the line in P20.

Starting from pole by virtue of the reversed-grid draw, Chilton led a commanding lights-to-flag charge off the line in race 3. Choosing to stick with the Dunlop Blu-Response on the greasy, drying track, he expertly piloted the #3 Focus to the overall and Independent race win and rarely looked challenged for the race lead.

Jackson’s fight-back from a tricky start to his race day also continued. Making a strong start off the line, the Midlands-based driver had charged into the points by the end of the first tour. Scything his way to 11th by the mid-way point, he looked set to challenge for a top ten finish. Despite lapping faster than Cammish’s 10^th-placed Honda, the gap was just out of reach with the remaining laps available, and he eventually claimed P11 as the flag dropped, securing his highest-placed finish of the season.

The weekend’s results have helped to move the Kent-based squad up to third in the Independent Teams standings, with Tom Chilton sitting third in the Indy Drivers’ points. Both driver and team also remain 7th in the overall standings ahead of the next meeting at Oulton Park in Cheshire on June 29/30.

Quotes:
Team Manager Oly Collins;
“That was a brilliant end to a pretty tough weekend. A fantastic team effort from all involved, the crew have worked flat-out all day. Tom was mega all weekend and drove a very clever race 3 on the drying circuit.

“Unfortunately Ollie’s weekend was hampered by a small mistake in race one which had a disastrous result for him. Up to that point, he was on fire and proving his pace with his best qualifying to date and was looking on for a great race one finish. Sadly, it didn’t quite go to plan. Tom’s results keep him in the mix for the championship which is the aim at the end of the day.”

#3 Tom Chilton;
“It was a perfect weekend for and the team. We’ve managed not just a double podium, but we got the win as well. And we get to keep this one! We took three top ten’s for my car, and Ollie nearly got a top ten which was great starting from 20th. I’m very happy for him.

“I’m really pleased with our qualifying results this weekend. I feel like we’ve finally found our ideal set-up for the wet and dry. We had a bad weekend at Thruxton. Because we did it made us re-analyse where we were and it’s moved us forward.

“We’re in it to win it. Everyone in the team is working hard to put all of our knowledge together and make this old girl go faster this year and we’ve done a great job. I’m really looking forward to going to Oulton Park next. I’ll be looking for more of the same.”

#48 Ollie Jackson;
“Salvaged I think is the word I’d use to describe this weekend! Qualifying was a high-point. P8 is my best-ever BTCC result and I think we’ve cracked it with the car now. The pace is definitely there.

“I think we’ve got our heads around what we need and what our set-up tweaks are. The changes that we’ve made paid off in qualifying, and to be fair it was looking good in race 1 until I made a mistake. That kind of spoilt the weekend really. We certainly had top 5 pace, and it was a real shame that we didn’t get to capitalise on that.

“Thankfully we made our way through the pack in race 3 and picked up some nice points for the championship.”

Results:

#3 Tom Chilton:

Qualifying: P3
Round 10: P3
Round 11: P9
Round 12: P1

 # 48 Ollie Jackson:

Qualifying: P8
Round 10: DNF
Round 11: P20
Round 12: P11

Championship standings:

Driver Championship

1             Colin TURKINGTON -Team BMW – 143 points
2             Josh COOK – BTC Racing – 132 points          
3             Ashley SUTTON – Adrian Flux Subaru Racing -130 points
4             Andrew JORDAN – BMW Pirtek Racing -117 points
5             Matt NEAL – Halfords Yuasa Racing – 115 points
6             Rory BUTCHER – Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 113 points
7            Tom CHILTON – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 111 points
21           Ollie JACKSON – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher 10 points

Teams Championship

1             Halfords Yuasa Racing – 210 points
2             Team BMW – 188 points
3             BTC Racing  – 176 points
4             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 148 points
5             Adrian Flux Subaru Racing  – 146 points       
6             Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing – 142 points
7             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 119 points

Independent Driver Standings

1           Josh COOK – BTC Racing – 182 points
2           Rory BUTCHER Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 171 points
3           Tom CHILTON – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 160 points
11          Ollie Jackson – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 58 points

Independent Team Standings

1             BTC Racing –  210 points
2             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 178 points
3             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 169 points

The post Victory for Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher at Croft appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Fresh off the back of an extended six-week break, the Wrotham-based squad arrives in North Yorkshire in strong title contention. Currently 2^nd in the Teams’ championship points, Motorbase Performance is just five points adrift of the top of the table.

With three podiums from four races already under his belt, Plato has enjoyed a superb start to his 2019 campaign. The 26-year-old sits 2^nd in the driver standings and is eager to add a maiden race win to his championship tally on the North Yorkshire track.

After stepping up from his rookie Pro-Am season in 2018, Vaughan’s excellent progression in the Pro Class continues. The 22-year-old has scored points in all but one of this year’s contests and was unlucky to have missed out on a podium place from his strong showing last time out at Donington Park.

#11 Lewis Plato:

“It’s been a long break, so I’m looking forward to getting back out in the car this weekend.

“Croft has just been resurfaced, so it will be interesting to see how that affects the times. I’ve only raced there once before. I quite like the track though. It’s fast and bumpy and I’m sure that we’ll get back into the groove quickly come Friday.

“We’ve had a great start to the season so far. I’ve had three second places, so now I think it’s time to move up to the top step and get a win in the bag. We need a strong qualifying result, and then try to keep it clean and tidy in the races. We’re only 7 points off the lead. A good weekend could see us turn that into a points lead.”

#55 Dan Vaughan:

“We were unlucky to come away from Donington Park with the results we did. I think we’re looking good heading to Croft. The pace is there, for sure.

“It would be nice to get a podium or two this weekend but a really solid haul of points would be great for our championship. I’ve never raced at Croft before, so I just need to get out there on Friday and learn the track as quickly as possible.”

Both drivers will get to tackle the newly-resurfaced circuit for the first time during Friday’s test and free practice sessions, before Saturday’s (15 June) 30-minute qualifying session takes place at 15.45.

Sunday (16^th June) plays host to both 15 laps races, with round 5 scheduled for 12.45 and round 6 at 16.15. Both races will be broadcast live on itv4, itv4HD and online via the itv4Hub at itv.com/hub/itv4.

The post Motorbase Performance ready to take the North as Porsche Carrera Cup GB returns at Croft appeared first on Alliance Racing.

The Motorbase-run outfit is eager to recover from a challenging meeting at Thruxton last month. Tom Chilton and Ollie Jackson battled back from a less than perfect start on the Hampshire circuit, with BTCC stalwart Chilton collecting crucial championship points in the final contest of the weekend.

The Reigate-racer arrives in Yorkshire third in the Independent Standings, and 7^th overall, and is eyeing a strong haul of points to keep his championship hopes alive.

Team-mate Ollie Jackson is also hopeful of a more fruitful weekend. After falling foul of a number of on-track incidents in the opening three meetings, the 35-year-old is keen to add to his points-scoring tally and break into the top ten.

Historically a circuit which favours rear wheel drive machines, Croft has been a happy hunting ground for the Kent-based squad in recent years. Chilton celebrated his third podium of the year here last season in the Focus RS. The #3 Ford is also lighter this time around, carrying only 18kg of success ballast into qualifying and race 1, so hopes of a return to winning ways on the newly-refurbished track are high.

“Croft will be really interesting this year;” commented Team Manager Oly Collins. “The circuit has been completely resurfaced since we were last there and none of the BTCC guys have been on the new track yet. So we’ll all be learning that together.

“Tom is still in a good position in the championship, but with a little less weight than we’ve been carrying into the last two events. Hopefully, we can capitalise on that and look for a solid points haul this weekend.

“Ollie needs a good weekend of results. The pace has been there but the luck, unfortunately, hasn’t. He’s due a good weekend. We had a strong meeting here last year with podiums and points. Traditionally it’s been a RWD favoured circuit but we competed with them last year so the aim is to achieve the same results again.”

#3 Tom Chilton:

“We ended on a high at Croft last year with P2. We all need to keep that momentum going now to remain in our top position in the championship. It’s all very close at the top as always.

“We can’t afford another bad round like Thruxton. Everybody has been working hard on the car and thinking ahead to Croft.

“We all have a new circuit to work with this year as the tarmac has been resurfaced. It’s a lot smoother now. This will be the same for everybody to learn as nobody has tested on it. We just need to be fast from the minute we start our engine especially now I’m not carrying as much championship ballast going into this weekend. It’s a good opportunity to qualify high and score lots of points.”

#48 Ollie Jackson:

“We’re definitely ready to put Thruxton behind us. One thing it did do was made us have a look at exactly the direction we were heading in. We’re going into Croft a lot stronger as a whole team.  The changes we have made will give us a much better chance of finding we need on Saturday to get a strong qualifying result.

“I think the resurfacing at Croft will make things interesting this weekend. The Focus was strong there last year and it’s always been one of my best circuits so hopefully the combination will be good.”

Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Croft Circuit, North Yorkshire on June 15/16. Live coverage of Sunday’s (June 16) events will be shown on ITV4, ITV4HD and via the ITVhub from 11:15 – 18:15; with itv.com/btcc featuring live timing and streaming of Saturday’s (June 15) qualifying session from 15.00.

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