Reigning BTCC Champion Sutton continued his terrific podium momentum from the previous event at Thruxton, racing to the runner-up spot in rounds 10 and 11 in Cheshire. He departed Oulton third in the driver standings with NAPA Racing UK second in the Teams Championship.

Qualifying fifth fastest for round 10, even with only 1.5 seconds of hybrid boost available due to his championship placing, the Ford Focus ST driver duly converted it into his fifth podium. Moving into fourth at Island Bend on lap one, an even more impressive pass there on lap nine sealed third place. On lap 15, a simply stunning move on the outside of Cascades and into Island ensured second.

From the front row in round 11, Sutton pushed hard over the opening laps to pressure pole-starter Tom Ingram. In the end settling for second, Sutton also took the bonus point for fastest lap with a time of 1m26.132s (93.03mph). Unfortunately, round 12 didn’t go to plan when he had to avoid a multi-car incident on the first lap. After an enforced pit-stop, he carved through to 16th position.

Cammish began race one, his landmark 100th BTCC start, seventh after having a top three time in qualifying disallowed for track limits – not that he could do anything about the clumps of mud which had been dragged onto the circuit by another car at Old Hall before he arrived for his final flying lap!

Moving into sixth at the end of lap four, he took fifth on lap 11 but was then edged back to sixth on lap 15. Post-race, though, a penalty for Gordon Shedden moved Cammish back up to fifth. Starting round 11 from the head of the third row, he maintained position until lap 10 when a forceful move and resultant contact from Shedden at Island Bend elbowed Cammish to sixth where he stayed.

Lining-up seventh on the partially reversed grid for round 12, the NAPA Racing UK driver started well and controlled his car impressively after taking a significant knock when competitors sought to avoid the lap one accident at Hill Top. Remaining seventh to the flag on lap 18, he was elevated into sixth due to a penalty for Ricky Collard.

Osborne started off his weekend strongly by only just missing his target top 15 in qualifying, and from 16th on the grid in round 10 he climbed into 14th – despite some robust action – before the early Safety Car period. Set for another outright points finish, contact on lap 13 led to a drop to 19th position where he concluded the race.

In round 11 Osborne made progress during the early exchanges, climbing into 18th position, but he ultimately finished in 21st place after more questionable driving from rivals – just pipping Ash Hand on the line after they traded paint out of Lodge for the final time. Round 12 had an even more vexing conclusion when his Ford was put into the barriers at the exit of Island on lap six, instant retirement.

Team-mate Jackson shared similar fortunes to Osborne across the first two races, starting well from 18th on the grid in round 10 – only 0.8 seconds shy of pole in qualifying – and moving into the top 15 ahead of the Safety Car period. With the two Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan cars running together in the thick of the action, Jackson was then bundled down the order on lap 10 and finished 20th.

Putting together a great opening lap in race two, Jackson gained four places to move into 16th spot but things unraveled and he ended a tough contest in 24th place. After making some changes to the set-up, the car was much improved for round 12 and he delivered a fantastic drive from 24th on the grid into 14th position – racing hard against the likes of title contenders Sutton and Jake Hill.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“Leading Manufacturer/Constructer, leading the Teams Championship, third overall and we came away with the Teams’ trophy for the weekend – I would say that’s a pretty good weekend! Dan took a great, solid trio of top sixes which was a nice reward after just missing out on his P3 pace in qualifying. It also shows how important qualifying results are, especially around Oulton.

“Mega for Ash getting two P2 finishes and pulling off some great moves in race one, only tarnished with a chunk of bad luck in race three avoiding the incident. That said, it could have been a lot worse, like everyone in the paddock we’re just glad to see all the drivers involved walk away relatively unscathed from a pretty big shunt.

“Once again, I just don’t know what both Ollie and Sam need to do to catch a break, they both had the pace for some great results this weekend but for various reasons the potential wasn’t reflected in the results. It was great to see Ollie in the thick of the action in race three, it looked like he enjoyed that one!”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“To score two podium finishes is mega but it’s a little bittersweet as the hard work of races one and two was slightly undone by the result in race three. That said, we’re still in the mix towards the top of the standings and that’s what it’s about at this stage. Huge credit has to go to the whole NAPA Racing UK team, that is the best the car felt in race trim this season – we’re really starting to find the sweet spot now with the Ford. I’m looking forward to heading up to Croft next as it’s a circuit I’ve always enjoyed and one that the car should go well around. I’m confident we should be strong and I’ll be gunning for that first win of the season.”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“The team has done a great, consistent job again this weekend and it’s great to get some points on the board with three strong results. We missed that last little bit of speed but we made the best of what we had all weekend and we’ve moved up the championship which is important after so much bad luck so far this season. Hopefully we can make a bigger step at Croft and be back in the fight for the podium there.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“We were fighting hard for the first two races, I made good starts and got some places, but the car wasn’t where we wanted it. We made a couple of changes to the car for race three and it was transformed, I could fight through and stay there. It was nice to be competing with a couple of quick people coming through as well and I think the changes we made will make a difference for Croft too, helping to improve the weight distribution in the car.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“We’re making progress, the results don’t reflect what we achieved. The way we keep developing the car is amazing, the team is doing some incredible work. The raw pace in the car over one lap is there, we just have a bit more to do with the race set-up. I’m in that curse around the top 15 at the minute, there’s some pure desperation from some drivers and we ended up with very unnecessary contact this weekend. I’m looking forward to Croft now, hopefully we can do well like last year.”

Croft Circuit, near Darlington in North Yorkshire, will host rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the BTCC season just two weeks from now over the weekend 25th/26th June. During the two days prior to the Croft meeting, NAPA Racing UK driver Dan Cammish will appear at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed as part of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship presence at the world-renowned event.

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 MOTORBASE/FORD MOVE TO TOP OF BTCC MANUFACTURER/CONSTRUCTOR STANDINGS AT OULTON appeared first on Alliance Racing.

In headline-grabbing news of gigantic proportions, the 27-year-old driver from Bishops Stortford will team-up with multiple race-winning touring car returnee Dan Cammish at NAPA Racing UK in, what will arguably be, the most exciting driver pairing on next year’s capacity BTCC grid.

Sutton, of course, needs no introduction to fans of the UK’s premier motor racing category – not simply due to his three sensational title triumphs, in 2017, 2020 and 2021, but also thanks to his incredible, all-attack driving style which has made him one of the most popular drivers in the UK.

Next season will certainly bring new challenges for Sutton with a switch to front-wheel drive in the NAPA Racing liveried Ford Focus ST. Having won all three of his titles in the BTCC in rear-wheel drive, he is hungry to show he can achieve similar success in FWD.

Aiming to make it four championship victories and three back-to-back, if he can achieve the latter Sutton will become the first BTCC driver since Andy Rouse in the mid-1980s to do so. Intriguingly, Rouse’s last BTCC crown in 1985 came at the wheel of a Ford…

Sutton debuted in the BTCC in 2016, as the reigning Renault UK Clio Cup Champion, and quickly proved he was a star in the making with a maiden race win. In his sophomore season, he claimed a famous championship victory and in doing so became the youngest BTCC title winner since 1966.

Winning races and claiming numerous podiums over the next two seasons, in 2020 he won his second championship crown – as well as the Independents Trophy Championship – and sealed his third outright BTCC title in style just a couple of months ago with victory in the final race of the 2021 season at Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit.

NAPA Racing has certainly set its stall out impressively ahead of its maiden year as an entrant in the BTCC, and with Sutton and Cammish set to push each other on throughout the 2022 season there is immense potential for the Motorbase-run squad. The Wrotham-based team’s four car line-up for next season is now complete, with Ollie Jackson and Sam Osborne piloting the other two Fords.

Founded almost 100 years ago, NAPA is one of the most prominent and successful automotive parts brands in North America and was introduced in the UK in 2019 by Alliance Automotive Group. NAPA arrives in the BTCC with a rich and glowing history as a sponsor within motorsport in the USA at the highest level, in categories such as NASCAR and Indycar.

Pete Osborne – Motorbase Performance Team Owner and Team Principal:
“Wow…isn’t this just the icing on the cake! Ash is the kind of driver who is on everyone’s radar. This will be a different challenge for him compared with recent years, swapping from RWD to FWD, it was quite a decision for him to make but I’m really glad he did! So, to have secured his signature to Motorbase alongside Dan, Ollie and Sam is a really big deal. Joining NAPA Racing at such an exciting time probably helped clinch the deal.

“I really couldn’t ask for a better driver line-up. I think we’ve got a few people’s attention, this is an indication of our intent to challenge for the BTCC title in 2022 and beyond. Let’s face it, we’re not aiming for anything but success with these guys in the driving seat. The team is as strong behind the scenes as it is at the forefront and it’s simply buzzing in the workshop. There’s a lot of hard work still to do, and we’re not underestimating that, but I’m pretty sure the right ingredients are in the pot!”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing Driver:
“I’m buzzing to have signed a multi-year deal with NAPA Racing and Motorbase Performance! This feels like the start of something very exciting and I am ready for the challenge that lies ahead, they are all a great group of people and just pure racers at heart. Having got to know Pete Osborne more over the last year, I saw the hunger he has to win and his ambition to drive Motorbase in that direction. This is something I love, a new challenge set out with the same goals I personally have.

“The deal was made a little sweeter by securing NAPA Racing as a sponsor, for such an iconic brand in motorsport to be hitting the BTCC grid in 2022 and becoming a part of that was a big draw to me. Motorbase haven’t just made me feel welcome they have also welcomed onboard the car crew I have worked with over the past three years. They are all now part of the Motorbase family which means we have all the key elements to go out and retain that title together.

“Jumping back into front-wheel drive is going to be interesting, but something I am looking forward to. I can’t wait to get stuck into the Ford Focus package with my engineer Antonio Carrozza. With a solid pre-season testing plan, and a team mate like Dan Cammish, allows us to fast track a lot of development required to hit the ground running in the new hybrid era. Lining up with someone who has a pedigree like Dan really is an exciting prospect. I am sure we will be pushing each other’s limits and unlocking more potential within ourselves.

“I’m incredibly proud to be representing NAPA Racing, to go out and secure not just my fourth title but also the Teams and Constructors Championship with this newly formed partnership would be fantastic. This brings me one step closer to my goal of becoming the most successful driver ever in the BTCC.”

Steve Richardson – Alliance Automotive Group UK Manager, NAPA Racing UK:
“This partnership is everything we have been building towards. With Ash in our team along with Dan [Cammish], NAPA Racing has made a significant statement of intent to help grow the NAPA brand in the UK. We cannot wait to see how Ash’s talents as the reigning BTCC Champion will contribute to what will no doubt be an action-packed season.”

For all the latest news regarding Motorbase Performance visit www.motorbaseperformance.co.uk

To find out more about NAPA visit https://napaautoparts.eu/en/

The post REIGNING AND THREE-TIME BTCC CHAMPION ASH SUTTON JOINS NAPA RACING FOR 2022 TITLE DEFENCE appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Shredded Wheat has been the joint-title sponsor of the Kent-based outfit since the unveiling of its standout yellow-branded cars in December 2016. Throughout its association with the Motorbase Performance team, Shredded Wheat has become a well-known and much-loved brand within the BTCC and enjoyed many successes on and off-track during its partnership.

Having joined the BTCC in 2006, Motorbase Performance has grown to one of the largest operations on the BTCC grid, competing in 401 races and notching up an impressive 21 wins, 89 podiums, and securing the Independent Teams and Drivers’ titles in 2016.

Motorbase Performance has been responsible for bringing many blue-chip companies and high-street brands to the BTCC grid over the past decade, with Shredded Wheat joining other household names such as Wrigley’s Airwaves, Crabbie’s, Leyland Paints, and Petronas.

David Bartrum, Motorbase Performance Team Principal said: “We have enjoyed a fantastic partnership with Shredded Wheat and I’m immensely proud to be able to look back on three years of shared success together.

“It’s a testament to the hard work of everyone in the team that we have managed to attract and retain such huge brands over the years. Although we are sad to see Shredded Wheat leave, we are incredibly grateful to them for their support over the past three seasons.”

“We’re 100% focused on ending the 2019 BTCC season on a high at our home circuit and to continue delivering the best possible results for our partners, and to give the Shredded Wheat brand a fitting farewell.”

The search for a new title sponsor has already begun, with Bartrum adding; “I believe that we have one of the strongest packages in the BTCC. Our success over the years is in large part as a result of the partners that we have managed to attract and work with. I feel confident that we have everything in place to carry that proven sponsorship model into the years ahead.”

Toby Baker, Marketing Director UK & Australia added; “We have really enjoyed the 3-year sponsorship by Shredded Wheat of the Motorbase BTCC team.

“The sponsorship has delivered great branding value for us both on and off the track and we have been really impressed with the great standout we have achieved for Shredded Wheat as a brand on the track.

“We wish David and the Motorbase team all the very best for the next year and beyond in the BTCC series.”

Motorbase Performance will sign off as Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher following the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season finale at Brands Hatch on October 12/13.

The post Motorbase Performance announces the end of Shredded Wheat partnership appeared first on Alliance Racing.

The 50-year-old’s late call-up to the Motorbase Performance squad for the penultimate BTCC meeting of the year was rewarded with a strong showing for the Pro-Alloy-backed Focus – with Caine securing P12 in Sunday’s second contest.

The Newmarket-based racer showed consistently strong pace in the #44 Focus RS. Despite only getting behind the wheel of the Ford for the first time during Saturday morning’s free practice sessions, and carrying 45kg of late entry ballast on-board, Caine went on to claim 16^th place in qualifying – an impressive mid-way spot on the capacity 30-car grid.

Up against the much lighter pack, Caine put up a sterling resistance in tricky racing conditions to take P20 at the flag in the opening race of the weekend.

Free of the weight, and running on the more favourable soft-compound tyre in race two, the former British GT champion was finally able to showcase his race-craft with a superb drive from 20^th to P12 – opening his points tally and securing the highest finish of the season for the third Motorbase-run Focus.

Just missing out on the reversed grid draw for race three, Caine made an excellent start off the line on the greasy track and quickly made his way into the top-ten before an early safety car appearance. As the rain descended once more, the grid was split evenly with the front-runners opting to stick with slicks, whilst most of the back half of the grid pitted to switch over to wets.

Following the restart on lap 7, slicks initially looked to be the right choice, with the #44 Focus running as high as 7^th before the threatened heavy downpour arrived. With the wet-tyre runners coming into play as the rain fell, Caine did well to stay on track in very tricky conditions and brought the Ford home unscathed in P18.

#44 Michael Caine

“It has certainly been a baptism of fire, but I loved every minute of it. I can’t thank David and everyone at Motorbase enough. Last year was emotional, but in the wrong way, so to just come back and have such a great weekend has re-ignited my desire to come back and do it again!

“The weekend felt like a homecoming. Motorbase is just where I want to be. The guys have done a brilliant job on the car. They had to do a lot of work to get it ready for me this weekend. I’m glad to have been able to pick up some points for them with all the hard work they’ve put in, not just his week, but all year. I’m really looking forward to Brands, and seeing if we can go even better.”

Caine returns to the BTCC grid in two weeks’ time when the Motorbase Performance squad heads to its home circuit, Brands Hatch, for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season finale on October 12/13.

The post Caine opens up his points tally on successful BTCC return at Silverstone appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Nicolas joined the Wrotham outfit this year with the plan of completing a full-season campaign in a specially adapted Ford Focus RS. Unfortunately, recent sponsorship issues have resulted in the 27-year-old being unable to take part in the final two race meetings at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

“It’s an unfortunate end to what has been a very positive season for Nic;” commented Team Principal David Bartrum. “We’ve been on a truly unique journey together this year, and I’m sad that we won’t have the opportunity to complete it.

“It has taken a huge amount of effort, hard work, and determination from Nic to reach the BTCC grid;” he added. “I think he’s shown that he’s a very capable driver, and surprised people along the way.

“Everyone at Motorbase Performance wishes him the very best with his journey and future motor racing career.”

The post Nicolas Hamilton to miss remainder of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season appeared first on Alliance Racing.

The post Positive weekend for Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher at Knockhill appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Heading the fastest circuit on the calendar full of promise, mechanical issues, on-track contact and qualifying woes sadly put paid to the Motorbase-run squad’s podium hopes during the seventh BTCC meeting of the year. A gritty fight back, however, managed to salvage three points finishes from the squad’s misfortunes.

Struggling to unlock the full potential of the Focus RS during Saturday’s free practice and qualifying sessions, Tom Chilton and Ollie Jackson found themselves in P16 and P14 spots respectively for the first of Sunday’s three races.

Chilton’s hopes of recovery in race one were quickly dashed when the #3 Focus RS was forced to return to the pits on the green flag lap with a turbo issue. The Reigate-racer was quickly despatched, however, the best result he could muster was P22 having raced from the back of the pack. Contact picked up on the opening lap curtailed Jackson’s efforts, and the #48 Focus took the flag in P15.

Aiming for the top 12 with the hopes of a reversed grid draw result in race 3, Chilton recovered well to scrap his way up the field and into 12^th.  Jackson regrettably dropped back to 18^th as a result of some door-to-door on-track battles.

Just missing out on the reverse grid benefit, Chilton made a strong opening charge from P12 in the final contest. With the imminent threat of rain looming, the 34-year-old had caught up to the pack battling for 6^th place with just 3 laps remaining. Biding his time as Plato, Sutton, Ingram and Cook all jostled for position as the heaven opened he made a brave lunge round the outside as they charged into the complex. Having almost completed the stunning move, the #3 Focus RS took a heavy hit from behind, resulting in a huge slide which forced Chilton to make a dramatic save. In spite of his heroic efforts, the incident dropped him down the order, and he eventually crossed the line in P22.

Although less dramatic, Jackson’s consistent points-scoring efforts continued in race 3, with the Alcon and Beavis Morgan-backed racer picking up his eighth points finish from the last nine rounds, taking 15^th at the final flag.

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher remains 3^rd in the Independent Teams’ standings and 8^th overall ahead of the next race meeting at Knockhill in four weeks’ time. Tom Chilton currently sits 12^th overall and 4^th in the Indy standings, with Ollie Jackson in 18^th and 9^th positions.  

Team Manager Oly Collins:

“That was a tough weekend. We came to Thruxton with optimism and promise after recent weeks of testing and development with the Focus but we didn’t get it right when it mattered. Our pace in FP2 suggested we had the car in a place where we could qualify well which is so important round here. But when you qualify that far down in the BTCC it’s always going to be a big ask.

“On race day any glimmer of hope sadly failed to come to anything. We need to learn from our failings this weekend in every area and make sure it doesn’t happen again. We have a great team and this weekend didn’t reflect that.”

#3 Tom Chilton:

“Thruxton is still one of my favourite circuits, just not in a Ford Focus. We’ve moved forwards from when we last came here. I was P4 in free practice two and we made up another 3 tenths in qualifying but it just wasn’t enough. Everyone else made up more. Sadly qualifying where we did, just put us on the back foot.

“To be honest I was having a great last two races. We had a quick car in race 3, were making up places and then it all bunched up at the chicane. I did a great move on Sutton as it started raining and then I just got a huge hit from behind that lifted my back wheel off the ground. That put me into a humongous backwards slide in 5^th gear and ruined my race. I think we could have made top six or seven from there.

“Knockhill is next though. I won there last year in the wet. We know that the Focus goes well there as well. I’m hoping for a little more luck.”

#48 Ollie Jackson:

“It’s been a challenging weekend again and we’ve not really been on top of it all weekend. We improved the car over the course of the day, but unfortunately so did the back half of the field. That’s what has hung us out to dry unfortunately. I think we’ve shown flashes of pace but we’ve not quite get a handle on it. Thruxton turned out to be a bogey track for us last time out and it’s been another one for us. At least we’ve come away with some more points.  

“We’ve got three rounds coming up next that suit the focus and we’ve got to make hay while the sun shines. As long we can keep our noses clean, I think we can have three really strong meetings.”

Results:

#3 Tom Chilton:

Qualifying: P16

Round 19: P22

Round 20: P12

Round 21: P22

 # 48 Ollie Jackson:

Qualifying: P14

Round 19: P15

Round 20: P18

Round 21: P15

Championship standings:

Driver Championship

1             Colin TURKINGTON          Team BMW         249 points

2             Andrew Jordan   BMW Pirtek Racing 219 points

3             Dan CAMMISH   Halfords Yuasa Racing     215 points

4             Josh COOK          BTC Racing          211 points

5             Rory BUTCHER   Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              188 points

12           Tom CHILTON    Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     127 points

18           Ollie Jackson      Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher 54 points

Team Championship

1             Halfords Yuasa Racing     378 points

2             Team BMW         367 points

3             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              325 points

8             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     179 points

Independent Driver Standings

1             Josh Cook – BTC Racing – 297 points

2           Rory Butcher – Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 286 points

3             Sam Tordoff – Cobra Sport AmD Auto/Aid RCIB Insurance – 256 points

4           Tom Chilton – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 216 points

9             Ollie Jackson – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 165 points

Independent Team Standings

1             BTC Racing          344 points

2             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              342 points

3             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     293 points

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher vows to fight back after rough ride at Thruxton appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Looking to get its championship challenge back on track as the BTCC tackles one of its most demanding circuits; the Wrotham-based outfit arrives at the fearsome Hampshire track buoyed by the recent performance of its Ford Focus RS machines. Competitive running on the hard-compound tyre, in particular, has helped to refocus the team’s resolve to bring the fight to the championship leaders.

Last time out at Snetterton proved to be a rollercoaster of a weekend for the Motorbase-run squad. Ollie Jackson celebrated his maiden independent win at the Norfolk track just over a week ago, on what was his most successful BTCC weekend ever, collecting points in all three races and picking-up three top-ten finishes.

Sadly, after qualifying on the second–row, Tom Chilton’s hopes of claiming an all-but-guaranteed podium were thwarted by a freak puncture in the opening race leaving the Reigate-racer to rue what might have been as he battled his way from the back of the grid to collect points in the weekend closer.

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher endured a challenging visit here earlier in the season, and both Chilton and Jackson are keen to right this wrong this time around, and hopefully recreate some of the team’s previous successes on the former wartime airfield.

Thruxton has been good to us in the past;” explained Team Manager Oly Collins. “We celebrated our first 1-2 as a team here as well as various podium trips and wins. It’s a fantastic circuit, one which the drivers love when the car is working well.

“Last time out was mixed emotions;” commented Team Manager Oly Collins. “Ollie had his best weekend ever in the BTCC with an Indy win. Sadly Tom, who was cruising to a podium in race 1, was cruelly denied by a freak puncture which ruined his whole weekend. As they say, that’s motorsport and it’s firmly behind us.

“Thruxton will be an interesting one, with all teams going back to the hard tyre all weekend. We’ve learned a lot since our last trip to Thruxton in May so we’re confident of getting some good results. The weather may play a part but we have no control over that. We feel as prepared as ever and will be looking to build Ollie’s good results and changing Tom’s fortune as his speed is definitely there. He’s just been lacking the luck in recent race weekends.”

#3 Tom Chilton:

“Because we were so competitive at Snetterton I didn’t come away as disappointed as you’d think. It was just down to pure bad-luck picking up the puncture when we did.

“Going into Thruxton where we really struggled on the hard tyre at the beginning of the year, I now think that we’re going to be top-six fastest on the grid for sure. I’m really confident about that.

“I’m excited about going back there. It’s one of my favourite circuits, but we didn’t have the optimum set-up last time out. We’ve cracked that now, so I’m feeling positive. We’re definitely going to be in the mix this weekend.”

#48 Ollie Jackson:

“Thruxton wasn’t that great for us last time but we’ve got a much better handle on the hard tyre now so I’m looking forward to picking up some strong results.  I think if we can keep our noses in the top ten and keep banking the points, then a reverse grid podium or win won’t be that far away.

“We’ve made big strides in understanding the hard tyre. The car is unrecognisable from when we last went there and we’re not going to struggle this time. The car will be strong, it just comes down to how much faster everyone else is as well.”

“It will be interesting to see how it plays out this weekend. The recent test really seemed to mix things up at Snetterton. I think that the grid will look very different from last time we were there.”

Rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place at Thruxton Race Circuit on August 17/18. Live coverage of Sunday’s (August 18) events will be shown on ITV4, ITV4HD and via the ITVhub from 11:30 – 18:15; with itv.com/btcc featuring live timing and streaming of Saturday’s (August 17) qualifying session from 15.20.

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher full of confidence ahead of Thruxton return appeared first on Alliance Racing.

It was a weekend of mixed emotions for the Motorbase-run squad, with Ollie Jackson collecting his maiden Independent race win, and best-ever BTCC points haul as the second half of the season got underway. Sadly, it was a case of what might have been for his team-mate Tom Chilton, whose early potential was derailed by a puncture in race 1.

Coming off the back of a successful two-day tyre test at on the Norfolk circuit, both Chilton and Jackson put their learnings to good use on Saturday, securing P4 and P12 spots respectively in the afternoon qualifying session.

Sunday’s opening race held much promise early on. Charging off the line, Chilton pulled off an outstanding switchback move on Tordoff as the race leaders headed through the first corner, storming past the Honda to steal into third. Sitting in strong podium contention, a devastating puncture fired Chilton off track at high speed as he raced through Coram, pitching him into the barriers and ending his race after just 5 tours of the circuit.

Running on the prime-tyre for the weekend opener, Ollie Jackson was on career-best form at the Norfolk track. Scything the #48 Focus RS through the field, he made his way up through the order, holding off robust challenges from Matt Neal and a fast-charging Simpson to eventually cross the line in 8th.

A lightning start in race 2 saw Jackson take 6th by the first corner. Duelling with Tordoff as they raced down the straight, a bold lunge was rewarded with a step-up P5. A challenge for the race lead on lap 7 delivered the perfect opportunity for the Motorbase-man to strike. As Ingram, Turkington, Cammish, and Jordan all jostled for position, Jackson kept a cool head before making his move to steal into 4th. Securing his best finish of the season so far, Jackson’s superb drive also netted him the Independent race win and his first podium of the year.

Chilton’s weekend looked to be on the up, with the 34-year-old making attacking straight off the start line. Working his way up into the mid-pack in the early laps, the #3 Focus looked set for a points finish and possible reversed grid draw spot before getting caught up in an on-track incident between Jelley and Cook which regrettably dropped him down the order. A commendable fight-back saw him eventually cross the line in P17, having made up an impressive 12 places.

The final race of the weekend delivered plenty of drama with tyre strategies all coming into play for the final 12 lap challenge. With the Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher duo both running the less-favourable hard-compound as track temperatures cooled, both racers faced a hard battle on track against the faster-charging machines running on softs.

Jackson led the way once more with an excellent defensive drive. Carrying 30kg of success ballast on-board the #48 Focus, his tenacity was repaid with a P7 finish, ending the day with a third top-ten finish and his best-ever BTCC weekend.

Racing in heavy traffic, Chilton did well to stay out of trouble as he raced wheel to wheel with Neal and Goff. Pushing hard in the closing laps, he showed his true class once more to break into the points-scoring zone, bringing the #3 Ford home unscathed in P12.

Although a mixed bag of results for the two drivers over the weekend, the Motorbase-run team has made huge strides forward with the Ford Focus RS machines and heads to Thruxton full of confidence ahead of the Kwik British Touring Car Championship’s return in two weeks.

Team Manager Oly Collins:

“I’m absolutely thrilled for Ollie and his side of the garage. He put in an outstanding performance all day today and got the results he has been promising all season. Unfortunately, Tom’s day was pretty much over from lap 5. He was so unlucky to get the puncture so early in the race. He was in such control and on for a guaranteed podium which would have set the tone for a great weekend and a decent haul of points. Unfortunately a result like that in race 1 spoils the whole weekend. There was absolutely nothing he could do.

“On the plus side we had pace all day today and Ollie got his first Independent win. Great teamwork from all involved and we go to Thruxton in a buoyant mood. And what an awesome race 3 it was too. A true, classic BTCC race! “

#3 Tom Chilton

“The weekend started off great by qualifying 4th and then race 1 looked set to be a great race after moving up to 3rd at turn one. I almost got Cammish for 2nd, too. I had preserving the tyres in my mind at that point, to try to potentially get a second and then we got a slow puncture. We just picked something up on track somewhere which caused the slow puncture. The tyre eventually pulled itself off the rim, and that was it. I went into the wall.

“So from looking at a nice easy podium and being one of the fastest here, to where we ended up was not what we wanted at all. A podium finish would have resulted in a totally different weekend for us. I would probably have been in the top 5 in the championship, but now we’ve dropped down to 10th and we have a big job ahead of us to close that gap now.

“Taking the positives away, our worst tyre was the hard and we were only 2 tenths off the fastest time on the hard tyre in race 3. I genuinely feel like we have one of the fastest cars on the grid, but definitely had the worst luck today. I’m gutted, but we’ve got 3 more rounds on the hard tyre, and our car is epic now so I’m excited about Thruxton.”

#48 Ollie Jackson

“Really successful weekend, the car has been fantastic, the team have done an awesome job and I’m delighted. It feels like a watershed weekend! There are still a few little bits of the puzzle that I still need to fill in, but I feel like now it’s rocking and rolling.

“I’ve finally managed to pull it all together to get us all the results that I’ve been threatening to get all year. All we need to do now is make that next step and to build from here and make that next step onto the podium. It’s definitely a huge confidence booster for me now heading to Thruxton in a couple of weeks.”

Results:

#3 Tom Chilton:

Qualifying: P4

Round 16: DNF

Round 17: P17

Round 18: P12* (amended post-race)

 # 48 Ollie Jackson:

Qualifying: P12

Round 16: P8

Round 17: P4

Round 18: P7* (amended post-race)

Championship standings:

Driver Championship

1             Colin TURKINGTON          Team BMW         236 points

2             Andrew Jordan   BMW Pirtek Racing 200 points

3             Rory BUTCHER   Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              177 points

4             Josh COOK          BTC Racing          166 points

5             Dan CAMMISH   Halfords Yuasa Racing     166 points

6             Ashley SUTTON  Adrian Flux Subaru Racing             160 points

7             Tom INGRAM     Team Toyota GB with Ginsters     144 points

8             Matt NEAL          Halfords Yuasa Racing     130 points

9             Jason Plato         Sterling Insurance Racing              128 points

10           Tom CHILTON    Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     123 points

18           Ollie Jackson      Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher 52 points

Team Championship

1             Team BMW         321 points

2             Halfords Yuasa Racing     292 points

3             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              283 points

4             BTC Racing          235 points

5             Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing         201 points

6             BMW Pirtek Racing          191 points

7             Adrian Flux Subaru Racing             176 points

8             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     173 points

Independent Driver Standings

1           Rory Butcher – Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 262 points

2             Josh Cook – BTC Racing – 245 points

3             Sam Tordoff – Cobra Sport AmD Auto/Aid RCIB Insurance – 206 points

3           Tom Chilton – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 196 points

9             Ollie Jackson – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 139 points

Independent Team Standings

1             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              292 points

2             BTC Racing          292 points

3             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     259 points

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher takes Independent win and Trio of Top Tens at Snetterton appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Saturday’s qualifying session delivered mixed results for the Kent-based squad. Ollie Jackson secured the team’s highest-placed grid spot in P12. Unfortunately, Tom Chilton struggled to hook up the perfect lap and was left frustrated in P14.

With a big task ahead of the Motorbase duo in the opening race, both Chilton and Jackson jumped up the order on the opening lap. Regrettably, Chilton’s charge was cut short as he challenged Jake Hill through Lodge corner. Forced into taking evasive action to save the #3 Focus, the impact resulted in suspension damage to the Ford, hampering his pace for the remaining laps and he eventually crossed the line in P12.

A superb drive for Jackson on the Cheshire circuit was finally rewarded with a representative race result for his efforts. Working his way up to 12th by the 5th lap, the Beavis Morgan-backed driver made the most of a safety car appearance to push his way further up the order, taking a top ten finish in the #48 Focus RS – his highest-placed finish of the season so far.

A strong start to race 2 sadly failed to deliver the results it promised for the Independent challengers. Contact once more with Hill’s Audi as the duo battled for position ended Chilton’s race early, with steering damage on the #3 Focus RS forcing him into early retirement after just 6 laps.

After running as high as 8th for much of the race, Jackson struggled to hold his position in the closing laps and dropped back the order to take P13 at the flag, adding more spoils to the squad’s championship campaign.

Starting from the back of the grid, Chilton made a storming charge off the line in the final contest of the day. Taking 5 places on the opening lap, the Reigate-racer strategically played the long-game preserving his tyres before launching his assault. Making up an incredible fifteen places on track, Chilton weaved his way up through the order to take P13 as the flag dropped.

Jackson’s consistency continued to pay-off with the 35-year-old taking his third haul of championship points from the weekend. Coming under consistent pressure for the entire 15-lap challenge, the Motorbase-man battled hard to remain in the mix, with the #48 Focus RS eventually taking 14^th.

A post-race penalty and subsequent result amendment saw both positions promoted to 12th and 13th respectively.

The weekend’s results leave Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher and Tom Chilton sitting third in the Independent standings, and eighth overall as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship enters its mid-season break. The Motorbase-run team is next on-track for the official Dunlop tyre test in just over two weeks’ time, before returning to Snetterton circuit for rounds 16, 17 and 18 on August 3/4.

Team Manager Oly Collins:

#3 Tom Chilton:

“It was nice to be able to race in race 3 and go forward and not pick up any contact that was going to hurt me. I got a good start and then I settled in and waited for my tyres to come to me. My plan was to do my overtaking in the second half of the race. But then I get it full beans at the end.

“I’m gutted that we didn’t manage a double podium like we did last year. I don’t like to go into rounds and drop down in the championship standings but the contact in the first two races ruined our weekend. I’m happy we turned it around, and we learned a lot with the car. We’ve got some good ideas for our two-day test at Snetterton.  We still need to figure out a little bit more on the car, but we’ve made a big jump forward.

“We’re leaving Oulton Park with a much stronger package than we arrived with.”

#48 Ollie Jackson:

“It’s been a funny day, to be honest. We’ve shown the potential, but unfortunately, I made a few choice decisions that were not conducive to success. I took a few risks in race 3 and none of them paid off. It was a shame as the car was really strong. I think we could have had three top ten’s today. Three points-finishes are great, but it should have been a lot better and I’m disappointed.

“I’m gradually pulling things together and it bodes well for the second half of the season. We’re developing the car and I’m gradually eliminating some of my mistakes. Hopefully it will all materialise into something excellent very soon.

“We know where we need to fill in the gaps to the competition, and that’s what we’ll focus on during the Snetterton test and summer break.”

#3 Tom Chilton:

Qualifying: P15

Round 13: P12

Round 14: DNF

Round 15: P13* amended to P12

 # 48 Ollie Jackson:

Qualifying: P13

Round 13: P10

Round 14: P13

Round 15: P14* amended to P13

Championship standings:

Drivers Championship

1             Colin TURKINGTON -Team BMW – 195 points

2             Andrew JORDAN – BMW Pirtek Racing -162 points

3             Josh COOK – BTC Racing – 148 points      

4             Rory BUTCHER – Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 147 points

5             Ashley SUTTON – Adrian Flux Subaru Racing -147 points

6             Dan CAMMISH – Halfords Yuasa Racing – 130 points

7             Matt Neal – Halfords Yuasa Racing – 125 points

8             Tom CHILTON – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 119 points

19           Ollie JACKSON – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher 22 points

Teams Championship

1             Team BMW – 276 points

2             Halfords Yuasa Racing – 252 points

3            Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 218 points

4            BTC Racing  – 192 points

5             Adrian Flux Subaru Racing – 163 points      

6             Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing – 157 points

7             BMW Pirtek Racing – 154 points

8             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 139 points

Independent Driver Standings

1           Rory BUTCHER Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 221 points

2           Josh COOK – BTC Racing – 215 points

3           Tom CHILTON – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 180 points

10          Ollie Jackson – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 91 points

Independent Team Standings

1             BTC Racing –  250 points

2             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 235 points

3             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 207 points

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher banks the points at Oulton Park appeared first on Alliance Racing.