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.

Ahead of rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the campaign, NAPA Racing UK driver Ash Sutton – the reigning BTCC Champion – is second in the title race after a successful outing at ultra-fast Thruxton little over a week ago where he delivered three superb race drives.

Charging to a clean sweep of third place podium finishes, adding to the podium he achieved during the opening event of the season at Donington Park National Circuit, Sutton is proving the old adage consistency is key, and especially so in a category as hotly contested as the BTCC.

Team-mate Dan Cammish has endured some shocking misfortune so far this season, but his pace and winning potential is clear and Oulton Park is the kind of circuit where a driver of his quality can make all the difference.

Following a major car-fire in qualifying at Donington back in April, Cammish’s season couldn’t have started in a more vexing fashion but he hit back at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit with a brace of podiums and was extremely close to claiming NAPA Racing UK’s first win. Last time out at Thruxton, though, misfortune returned when he was the victim of unnecessary contact in two of the three races.

In the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan camp, Ollie Jackson – much like Cammish – will be targeting a turnaround in fortunes after a troublesome Thruxton weekend. With an unusual power issue forcing race one retirement, an engine change was then required which ruled him out of most of race two as well. In the third contest, though, he gained 10 places from the back of the grid with a great drive.

Sam Osborne achieved his first outright points finish of 2022 during the last of the Thruxton races, a very pleasing drive into the top 15 from 23rd on the grid, and is aiming to add to that at Oulton Park a few days from now. Osborne is looking forward to the visit to Cheshire much more so than he did the trip to Thruxton, so that bodes well for the coming weekend’s action.

In the BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship, Motorbase Performance/Ford continue to hold second position in the standings on 222 points – just 25 points shy of the top. NAPA Racing UK is third in the BTCC Teams Championship, Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan is in 12th place.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“We’re back to it this weekend at Oulton with the same targets in place. With Ash sitting P2 in the championship fight it will be interesting to see just how much effect the Hybrid penalty will be for him and the other front runners. I think Hybrid used correctly could be strong at Oulton, so it will be about managing that early in the weekend and coming away with a strong points haul.

“Dan will be going into the weekend more aggressively as he needs to get back on the podium. He has a full complement of Hybrid in qualifying and has shown great pace everywhere so far, especially in qualifying. It’s the same for Ollie and Sam, they’ve both proved the pace is there and that it’s getting a consistent weekend strung together that rewards you. Both have run well at Oulton in the past as well, so let’s see what we can do.”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“I’m looking forward to Oulton Park, it’s a circuit you’ve got to really attack which certainly suits my style! We’re heading into the weekend with a bit of momentum after scoring a podium finish in each race at Thruxton so the aim has to be to continue that and score more big points. We’ve made a good step forward with the car, if we can get dialled-in and hit the ground running then hopefully we’re in for a good weekend.”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“Our season starts here really, we’ve got to hit the ground running at Oulton and take away three very strong and consistent results. It’s been a frustrating beginning to the championship for us, apart from the podiums at Brands of course, and I really was in disbelief after Thruxton. Through no fault of our own we got caught-up in other people’s incidents and the weekend became a write-off. I’m more determined than ever now to show what we’re made of and get back on that podium.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“More than anything I’m aiming for consistency this weekend at Oulton, especially after the difficulties we faced at Thruxton – although the team did a fantastic job to get the engine changed between races one and two. Oulton is a fantastic track, a great challenge for any driver and a circuit where you really have to be committed. I’m looking forward to it and aiming for some good points.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“It was obviously good to get my first overall point of the season at Thruxton, it was a tough weekend and we had to work really hard but we made some progress. I much prefer Oulton, it’s a great track and I hope we can make a strong start in practice and then build from there. Qualifying will be important, so I’m aiming for the top 15 and see what we can do from there.”

Opening free practice at Oulton Park on Saturday, 11th June, will get underway at 09.45 with the second session starting at 12.25 and qualifying – which will be streamed live online at the www.itv.com/btcc website – following at 15.30.

On Sunday, 12th June, round 10 will begin at 12.20, round 11 will follow at 14.25 and round 12 will start at 17.10. Races one and two will be screened live on the main ITV channel with race three live on ITV4. All three contests will also be streamed live online.

2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
2nd Ash Sutton, 116pts; 13th Dan Cammish, 41pts; 20th Ollie Jackson, 6pts; 23rd Sam Osborne, 1pt

2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
2nd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 222pts

2022 BTCC Teams Championship
3rd NAPA Racing UK, 158pts; 12th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 10pts

2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 105pts

The post FULL FOCUS ON OULTON PARK PODIUM FOR MOTORBASE AS BTCC HEADS TO CHESHIRE 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.

Vaughan set a blistering pace in qualifying with a 1:22.789 lap, dropping below the official qualifying lap record set on the 2.26mile island configuration in 2016. On course to take the Pro-Am class pole position right up until the final seconds of the session, championship rival Collingbourne snatched the number 1 spot as the flag dropped with Vaughan claiming 2nd in class, P9 overall.

A less than perfect start in race 1 with contact on the opening lap relegated the #55 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car down to 11th, but a determined fight back saw Vaughan scythe his way back up through the 22 car grid to move into P9 by the seventh tour of circuit. With less than 5 laps remaining, the A E Graphics-backed racer pushed up to take 7th, seizing 2nd in the Pro-Am class at the flag for his 3rd podium of the season.

Taking his 2nd Pro-Am class win of the year in race 2, Vaughan delivered a near faultless performance on the Cheshire circuit storming into 6th on lap 2, the 21-year-old held on to the category lead for the 15 lap sprint and was rewarded with a second weekend visit to the rostrum.

The weekend’s results have leap-frogged Vaughan into 2nd overall in the Pro-Am Championship standings – just six points behind current leader Jamie Orton – and up into 3rd place in the Rookie category. Having taken two class wins and three podiums from the last 6 rounds, the Motorbase-run apprentice is proving himself to be a real championship contender on his debut season.

“Dan did a really good job this weekend;” commented Team Principal David Bartrum. “He’s doing exactly what’s being asked of him, looking, learning and listening and it’s great to see that hard work paying off. He’s learning fast and that’s what you’ve got to do in the Porsche Carrera Cup. There’s no room for mistakes, it’s incredibly close racing, with everyone running on the same fraction of a second all the time.

The Team Boss added; “To finish with a win as we go into the mid-season break is exactly what you want. “I’m really hoping that we have a chance of winning the Pro-Am title.  If Dan does that in his first season then that would be an amazing result for the team. I think that he’s more than capable of doing it and if he keeps going the way he has been then there’s no reason why he shouldn’t get his hands on the target at the end of the year.”

Dan Vaughan said: “We picked up a bit of contact on the first lap in race 1 which dropped us back. The car was a bit of a handful after that so to get a 2nd out of such a poor start was a great result. It was a little frustrating as I think we could have done a bit better, but very happy to have pulled a podium back.

“Race two was a far more solid race, and we were really able to show our true pace to take the win. We’re learning all the time and it really feels like things are starting to click into place now. It’s been a great weekend. It’s all more points for the championship, and we’ve moved up to 2nd heading into the break which is what we wanted to do. We’ll just keep plugging away and banking the points, that’s how titles are won.”

The Porsche Carrera Cup GB now has an extended summer break before reconvening at Snetterton in Norfolk for rounds 9 and 10 on July 28/29.

The post Podium and Class win for Motorbase Performance at Oulton Park appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Tom Chilton led the charge for the Motorbase-run outfit, claiming the squad’s first two podiums and Independent win of the season, with team-mate James Cole delivering a trio of top nine finishes to help propel them up to 4th in the overall Teams’ Standings.

A strong qualifying performance from the duo on Saturday afternoon saw Chilton snatch P3 in the session’s closing minutes, just 0.332 seconds off pole, with Cole placing in a solid 8th.

After storming off the line to take P2 on the first corner in race 1, Chilton held off a robust challenge from Jordan’s fast charging BMW with an excellent defensive drive. Holding position to the flag whilst closing in on race leader Simpson, he eventually brought the #3 Focus RS home in P2 – claiming the team’s first podium of the season.

Cole also pulled off a text-book start launching the #20 Focus RS up into P6 on the opening lap. Chasing down Neal’s Honda, the Liverpool-based driver looked set to deliver a strong top six finish before losing out to a brave lunge from Turkington on the penultimate lap which dropped him back to 7th at the flag.

With Simpson unable to start race 2, Chilton was promoted to pole position. Running on the soft option tyre with 66kg on-board, the 33-year-old had a big ask against the lighter competition but another outstanding performance from the Reigate-based driver was rewarded with a P3 finish, Independent Race win and his 2nd rostrum visit of the day.

Also running on the soft compound tyre, Cole battled well with a great safe-guarding drive to hold off the charging pack and after trading places with his Motorbase stablemate Sam Tordoff on lap 7, managed to retain his P5 spot to the flag.

Following an initial red flag for race 3, the reversed grid result saw Cole and Chilton switch grid spots for the final contest of the weekend. Starting from P3 laden with 48kg of ballast, Cole was bested by Jordan’s fast-starting BMW off the line. A hard-fought race followed with the #20 coming under persistent challenges from the lighter pack before contact on the final lap forced Cole onto the grass. He recovered well but dropped back to claim 9th overall.

Chilton’s strong weekend was sealed with a 7th place finish in race 3. Despite picking up on a mechanical issue on the warm-up lap, he wrestled the #3 Focus RS throughout the shortened 12 lap race. Serving a first-rate defensive drive, whilst under relentless pressure, the WTCC Independent Champion managed to salvage another credible points haul to complete his best weekend of results so far this season.

As the highest scoring Independent Team of the weekend, Oulton Park’s results have launched Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher into 4th place in the Overall and 3rd in the Independent Teams’ Standings.

Tom Chilton has also moved up into 8th place Overall and 4th in the Indy drivers’ standings, with James Cole in 15th and 9th respectively as the team heads to Croft in North Yorkshire for rounds 13, 14 and 15 on June 23/24.

Quotes: 

David Bartum, Team Principal: 
“It’s been a great weekend for Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher. We’ve bagged a really good haul of points, which is exactly what we needed to turn our championship challenge around. We’ve moved forward in the standings as a team and also with Tom in P8 and James in P14 now. It gives us something solid to go to Croft with and get ourselves into a strong position at the half way point of the season.

“We’ve had the pace again this weekend. Oulton Park can be very difficult with the heat, but I’m very happy to say that we delivered a car that was very competitive. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the performance of the whole team this weekend.”

#3 Tom Chilton:
“This has been the best weekend of the year for me and the team. I’m really happy to get the first podium – not one but two – and an Indy race win as well. We came here 11th in the standings and leave in 8th so we’re getting a lot closer to where we should be.

“We had a very unusual mechanical issue in race 3 which caused a few problems and without that I think we could have finished around 4th but we managed to hang on in there and get a good result.

“The team have all worked really hard since Thruxton so it’s great to get some silverware! Roll on Croft.”

#20 James Cole: 
“It’s been a good weekend, all credit to the car #20 crew. I’d have liked to given them a podium but it wasn’t too be. Race 3 was a frustrating end to the day, going from 6th with a lap to go to 9th, but I can’t really complain with qualifying in the top ten and then following that up with three top ten finishes. We’ve come away with a great points haul from the weekend and moved up in the standings.

“We bounced back from our horror weekend at Thruxton which is what we planned and we can carry this into Croft now in two weeks’ time. If we can finish every weekend in the top five or six then eventually we’ll get our podiums and wins.”

The post Double delight for Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher at Oulton Park appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Three convincing points finishes for the Motorbase-run squad at Thruxton last month helped to bolster the squad’s championship position, with Tom Chilton leading the charge for the Kent-based outfit. The 33-year-old secured an excellent haul of points for the title campaign and is eager to carry that momentum forward on the demanding 2.26mile Island configuration.

Team-mate James Cole sadly had a weekend to forget last time out, nonetheless the Liverpool-based racer has reset after his ‘bogey’ circuit and is looking to reclaim his impressive early round form and put claim to some silverware on his home circuit.

Oly Collins, Team Manager commented; “Thruxton was another positive learning weekend for us with the RS, which resulted in some decent points finishes.

“It’s the first time that we had run the RS and our 2018 driver line up in the higher temperatures. With track temps nearing 40 degrees it was somewhat different to what we’ve been running in this year. So going into Oulton Park, we’re ready for whatever the English weather can throw at us.”

Both Chilton and Cole are ballast-free heading into Saturday’s qualifying session; so hopes are high of another strong starting position for the first of Sunday’s three contests. Chilton in particular has set competitive lap times in the Focus RS – securing top 8 qualifying spots during all three meetings so far this season.

“Oulton Park is definitely a circuit where qualifying is key. Qualifying has been one of our best attributes this season so hopefully that pays dividends;” added Collins. “If it’s dry all weekend it can be really difficult to overtake there. Oulton is also a killer on brakes so we’ll be keeping an eye on that area of the car.

“Historically Oulton Park has suited the rear wheel drive cars, but hopefully we can change that. We’re light so there is no reason why we shouldn’t be right up the front. James and Tom are both looking forward to it as it’s a circuit they’ve both gone well at in the past.

“With the pace that we’ve shown so far this season, the podium can’t be far away!”

Driver quotes: 

#3 Tom Chilton:
“The best thing about Oulton Park is the fans. We’re really on the limit there and it’s great for them to get so close to the action and really feel a part of it. It always has a great atmosphere there.

“We need to keep moving up in the championship. We were really happy to grab some strong points at Thruxton and I’m hoping to carry that form into this weekend.

“We should be confident that we had a great qualifying car at Donington Park and the tyre and track temperatures are going to be a lot more similar at Oulton. I think we’ll have a strong qualifying and the aim for me is get two podiums this weekend and give our championship campaign a real boost. I’d love to get back into the top 10 in the standings by the end of this weekend.”

#20 James Cole: 
“Oulton Park is a special circuit for me; it’s where I first started racing and also where I won the Formula ford championship back in 2007 which set me on the career path to BTCC. It’s a great circuit and I can’t wait to attack it again. It’s a special meeting that always has a great festival feel to it which makes the racing even more fun and enjoyable.

“It’s a challenging circuit and hopefully the weather will be in our favour. We’ve learnt a lot over the last couple of rounds and racing in the high temperatures at Thruxton means we can take that data into Oulton Park. I’m looking forward to picking up from where I left off at Donington Park, getting back into the top 6 and staying there.”

Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship take place at Oulton Park, Cheshire on June 9/10.

Race day coverage will be broadcast live and in high-definition on ITV4, ITV4HD and via the ITVhub on Sunday 10th June from 11:15 – 18:00.

Live streaming of Saturday’s (June 9th) qualifying session is available to watch online from 15.25 on http://www.itv.com/btcc/qualifying-live with live timing for all sessions also available at: http://www.tsl-timing.com/event/182303

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher heads North with silverware on the agenda appeared first on Alliance Racing.