Over the course of a fabulous couple of days in Hampshire for the Motorbase Performance-run team, Cammish finally achieved his long-awaited first win of the season, and in some style too, with a faultless lights-to-flag drive in round 22 at the wheel of the No.9 Ford Focus ST.

Converting his superb race one pole position, NAPA Racing UK’s first in the BTCC, into a textbook win, Cammish was on course to do the double in round 23 but played the perfect team game in allowing title contender Sutton – who also had fastest lap – to go through on the penultimate tour.

Sutton, who ensured a NAPA Racing UK podium double in race one with third place after an action packed first few corners where he was momentarily second having started fourth, duly took his third victory of the campaign in his landmark 200th BTCC race in the second contest. With team player Cammish following home in second, it marked the first one-two for NAPA Racing UK in the BTCC.

In round 24, Sutton charged through expertly from 11th on the grid to finish in fifth position and wasn’t all that far away from another podium. Cammish started in 10th place and did rise into ninth, but was edged back to 10th late on.

With just two race meetings remaining this season, at Silverstone National Circuit and Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit, reigning champion Sutton is second in the championship and just six points shy of leader Colin Turkington. Cammish’s best weekend of the season has elevated him into the top eight.

In the BTCC Teams Championship, NAPA Racing UK is back into second place after Thruxton and only four points shy of the top of the table. Motorbase Performance/Ford is also second in the BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship.

It was a mixed weekend for the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan drivers, although Ollie Jackson did chalk-up more points with a competitive drive to 14th place in an action-packed round 24. Raceday began with Jackson 24th on the grid for round 22, after his best lap time in qualifying was debatably disallowed, and he made good early progress before finishing in a strong 18th position.

In race two, Jackson was in the thick of the action again and especially during the latter stages where he was embroiled in a very close battle with Jason Plato. He looked on course for potential points but had to settle for 17th after some contact. Aiming for more in round 24, he delivered with a great drive to 14th position – including a quality move on Aiden Moffat into the fearsome Church corner.

Team-mate Sam Osborne started off with 23rd place in round 22, an improvement of two positions on his starting slot. Moving up the order early on and progressing towards the top 20, Osborne lost out in a multi-car melee on lap 10 and ultimately ended the race in 23rd position.

In round 23 the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan racer chalked-up a top 20 finish after steadily working his way up the order but round 24 came to an early conclusion on only the second tour, after he was the helpless victim of contact into the complex which ruled him out on the spot.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“What a weekend! It’s been coming and this weekend it all came together. Highest scoring two drivers, team and manufacturer of the weekend, it doesn’t get much better than that! Dan has been exceptional all weekend and was rewarded with pole and his first win, he was unbeatable. It was also a fantastic weekend for Ash, a win, podium and top five in the reverse grid race has him right up there in the championship as we get closer to the decider. For my role in the team it’s essential to have a team and, in particular, drivers who are the whole package – they’re rarer than you might think. This weekend proved to me more than ever, I have the best in the pitlane!”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“If you need a teammate Dan [Cammish] is the man for that. He’s shown that he’s supporting the campaign and what we’re trying to do as an outfit and hopefully soon I can repay the favour. We got the fastest lap in at the start, I let Dan get some air, and then I tried to focus on getting a mix going on behind me. When [Gordon] Shedden and [Jake] Hill started battling I thought ‘right, let’s crack on’ and then the call came to switch positions.”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“To finally take our first win of the season, and to do it in the manner we did from pole, is fantastic and especially after such a long time coming – it’s a great reward for everyone who has kept the faith. We took an amazing pole in qualifying, the first for NAPA Racing UK, and it was a great start to race one which I was really happy about. In race two, it was all about what was best for the team and for the championship. I did everything right, it would’ve been two wins from two, but at the end of the day it’s a team game and it was the right choice to make.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“We had a bit of a nightmare with qualifying, our best lap was disallowed – which really shouldn’t have been – and that altered the course of the weekend as we started further back than we should have. We struggled to find a balance, we only really got there for race three, but we still made some progress and then came away with a couple of points from a good final race. Thruxton isn’t my best track, so to still come away with some decent finishes is pretty pleasing.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“I didn’t qualify very well, unfortunately, and that set the tone for the weekend really. We didn’t race too badly in the first two, then in race three I got tangled up in someone else’s mess. Two cars a fair way behind me going into the complex tangled, there was nowhere I could go because of cars in front of me, and my right-rear got hit which caused a lot of damage and that was game over. It’s a shame it ended that way, onwards and upwards now for Silverstone.”

Rounds 25, 26 and 27 of the BTCC season, the penultimate race meeting of the campaign, will take place at Silverstone National Circuit in Northamptonshire over the weekend 24th/25th September.

2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
2nd Ash Sutton, 305pts; 8th Dan Cammish, 155pts; 22nd Ollie Jackson, 21pts; 25 Sam Osborne, 1pt

2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
2nd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 576pts

2022 BTCC Teams Championship
2nd NAPA Racing UK, 453pts; 13th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 27pts

2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 268pts

The post REMARKABLE WEEKEND AT THRUXTON FOR NAPA RACING UK WITH VICTORIES FOR CAMMISH AND SUTTON appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Travelling to the Hampshire speedbowl off the back of its second victory of 2022 with NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton just over a week ago at Snetterton, the Wrotham squad is also returning to a track where reigning champion Sutton chalked-up a hat-trick of podiums during the previous visit in May.

Fourth in the championship ahead of the eighth race meeting of the campaign, Sutton is just a single point shy of third position and only 10 points adrift of second place. In total, the Ford Focus ST racer has nine podiums to his credit this year.

Dan Cammish was the fastest of the Motorbase qualifiers at Snetterton a week ago, and was on course for a strong event until being caught-up in a luckless incident early in race two. He will be more determined than ever to get back to where his ability and pace deserve – the BTCC podium.

Likewise, the NAPA Racing UK driver – who has been stateside in recent days working with Australian single-seater racer Marcus Flack – was the top Motorbase performer in qualifying at Thruxton in May, third fastest and just 0.081 seconds shy of pole. Cammish is long overdue some good fortune.

Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan’s Ollie Jackson produced a superb season-best result of ninth place in the third of the scorching hot Snetterton races the weekend before last, capping an impressive event where he made great progress across the board and raced well.

Off the back of his strongest showing of the campaign to date, Jackson will clearly be hoping to harness that and move further forward at Thruxton where there is unfinished business from the May visit – power issues and an enforced engine change badly hampering the third meeting of the year.

Returning to the scene of his first points finish of the season, Sam Osborne is hungry to add more in the sister Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan Ford Focus ST and goes to Thruxton increasingly happy with the direction of travel in terms of set-up

Getting the second half of the season off to a solid start at Knockhill at the end of July, almost making it back into the points-paying top 15, at Snetterton the end results may not have been what he wanted but Osborne raced well and was only prevented from more after some robust contact.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“We’re getting to the business end of the season now! Another win for Ash last time out was great, now we look to the final three events of the championship. It’s all pretty close at the top between ourselves, BMW and the Hyundais and the Focus was pretty good last time we were at Thruxton earlier this year. We’ve made some clear improvements to the cars since then, so there is no reason why we shouldn’t be right up there. It’s a unique circuit which all drivers seem to love, probably because it needs 100% commitment which, in turn, requires the drivers to have 100% confidence in the car being underneath them. We’re looking forward to it!”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“I’m looking forward to heading to Thruxton this weekend! We’re coming off the back of two wins in as many race weekends so confidence is high and everyone at NAPA Racing UK is pushing so hard. We were strong at Thruxton earlier in the year and came away with a hat-trick of podium finishes so I’m feeling confident, especially as we have really moved the car on since then. We’re at a critical point in the season now and we’ve got a little ground to make up so it’ll be maximum attack!”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“I’m really looking forward to heading back to Thruxton this weekend, we were fast there earlier in the season and it is a track I’ve always gone well at and really enjoy. We had some good speed at Snetterton and should’ve come away with much more than we did, but as has been the story this year it didn’t work out for us due to factors out of our control. We need a big, consistent weekend and that’s the absolute focus. I’m determined to be back on the podium and get some momentum.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“Hopefully we’ll be able to start where we left off at Snetterton with a good balance and competitive pace, although Thruxton is a very different track. Our last visit there earlier in the season was pretty challenging with some mechanical issues that set us back but, in reality, we had enough pace to stage a fight from the back of the grid almost into the points, so I’m optimistic. Our understanding of the Hybrid car is growing round by round and I’m now getting to grips with the driving style needed, so I’m positive about turning out some points finishes and stay in the running for the reverse grid.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“We’ve been making good steps recently, I’ve been racing well and we’ve had good pace in the car so hopefully that can continue at Thruxton. We obviously got into the points when we were there in the Spring, and had a good run into the top 12 at Thruxton last year, so we have put in some good performances there. There’s no other track on the calendar like Thruxton, you need the car working well to provide the confidence to take it to the limit – hopefully we’ll have that.”

Free practice at Thruxton will start at 09.30 on Saturday, 27th August, with the second session following at 12.05 and qualifying – which will be streamed live online at the www.itv.com/btcc website – getting underway at 15.25.

Round 22 of the season will begin at 11.45 on Sunday, 28th August, round 23 will commence at 14.35 and round 24 is set to start at 17.20. All three races will be streamed live online and screened live on ITV4.

2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
4th Ash Sutton, 257pts; 12th Dan Cammish, 109pts; 22nd Ollie Jackson, 19pts; 25th Sam Osborne, 1pt

2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
3rd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 480pts

2022 BTCC Teams Championship
3rd NAPA Racing UK, 364pts; 13th Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, 24pts

2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 240pts

The post MOTORBASE CHARGING BACK TO THRUXTON WITH CONTINUED SUCCESS IN SIGHTS appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Fifth fastest in qualifying at the Hampshire speedbowl on Saturday, 28th May, just 0.055 seconds shy of the second row, Sutton started round seven well and moved up into third by the time the field exited the complex. Soaking up pressure well race-long, he sealed his second podium of the season.

From third on the grid in round eight, the reigning BTCC Champion challenged for second into Allard before settling into third where he remained. Beginning round nine from fifth, Sutton moved up into fourth on lap one and then third on the second tour. Repelling big pressure mid-race, he pulled away to seal third again – thinking better of a late bid for second at the chicane on the final lap.

Conversely, team-mate Dan Cammish endured a nightmarish raceday after things had begun very well in qualifying with the third fastest time – a mere 0.081 seconds shy of pole. His hopes in round seven were ended midway around the opening lap when his Ford Focus ST was barged off the track. After making it back to the pits, he rejoined and finished in 25th and only just missed the fastest lap.

Facing a tough challenge in round eight from the 13th row of the grid, Cammish worked his way through into an 18th place finish. In the final encounter, though, more contact – this time at the chicane on lap 10 – meant a finish of 20th position. Truly a weekend of what might have been.

Sam Osborne raced to his first outright championship point of the season for Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan in round nine, a very hard-fought and competitive drive from 23rd on the grid into the top 15.

Frustratingly missing out on a potential starting slot inside the top 15 for race one, after being baulked in qualifying by a car slowly exiting the chicane, Osborne began round seven in 22nd position and finished in 19th place. In round eight, an unfortunate drive-through penalty limited Osborne to 24th position.

Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan team-mate Ollie Jackson encountered a vexing weekend, starting with retirement from round seven due to power issues. Meaning a required engine change for round eight, the Motorbase mechanics worked impressively and got Jackson’s Ford Focus ST into the second race with a handful of laps remaining – enabling him to bed the car in for round nine.

Starting the last race at the back of the grid in 28th place, Jackson produced a solid performance to gain no fewer than 10 positions and conclude the last encounter in 18th place – bringing a positive conclusion to the Thruxton event.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“What a weekend of highs and lows! It was an absolutely fantastic weekend for Ash with a podium in all three races, and especially to get the result in race three with a great drive. That keeps him in a great position in the championship. Unfortunately, after a mega effort in qualifying, Dan’s weekend was blown apart on lap one in the first race – it’s really difficult to come back through at Thruxton, even more so with some questionable driving by some others on the grid! But Dan had the front runners’ pace all weekend which is rewarding, but also even more frustrating at the same time.

“Much like Dan, Ollie and Sam both had a case of could have been this weekend. Sam ended up being out of position on the grid because his qualifying efforts were ruined through no fault of his own and Ollie suffered a bizarre issue in race one which cost him a weekend of results. They will all bounce back at Oulton I’m sure, the car was another step forward as we continue to develop and learn with the new Hybrid era.”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“I enjoyed that one [race three], I felt at one with the car – the car was really good, another podium! I didn’t know what to expect, we made a couple of changes and it was the right way for sure. If we can roll over what we’ve been learning this weekend, and coming into this weekend, and maybe do a bit more of that then we are going in the right direction. So, I’m looking forward to Oulton Park. It’s attacking, it’s my style, so hopefully we can get the car dialled in.”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“What can you say about a weekend like that? If it could go wrong it did, but that’s racing sometimes and no matter what you do you get caught-up in other people’s incidents. It’s frustrating as we were quick in qualifying, so close to pole for race one, but the races were obviously a disaster. It makes us more determined than ever though to hit back stronger at Oulton Park in a couple of weeks, I hope we can have better luck there.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“It’s been another tough one for us, we made some progress in practice but as soon as I had to retire from race one it was game over for the weekend really. I have to say a huge thank you to the team for getting the engine changed between races one and two, it was a fantastic effort and we were able to run the car ahead of race three where, to be fair, we had a decent run. Hopefully at Oulton we can finally put the bad luck behind us.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“We had a bit of a mission on our hands, we should’ve been P13 in qualifying if I hadn’t been blocked on my best lap coming out of the chicane – so we ended up starting race one in the danger zone! We were ringing everything out of the car we could, it was hard work out there, and although we went the wrong way for race three I worked with the tools I had and it was good to finish in the points. It’s been a tough day in the office, but we are making steps in the right direction.”

There is only a fortnight to wait until the BTCC arrives at Oulton Park Island Circuit in Cheshire for the fourth event of the season, over the weekend 11th/12th June.

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 PODIUM HAT-TRICK FOR NAPA RACING UK’S SUTTON AT ULTRA-FAST THRUXTON appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Hot on the heels of his first trophy haul of the season at a wet Brands Hatch just over a week ago, where he achieved excellent third and second place finishes in rounds four and five, NAPA Racing UK’s Dan Cammish is focused on maintaining the impetus and rising further up the points table.

Last year, of course, Cammish was a podium finisher at Thruxton during a one-off BTCC outing prior to beginning his, ultimately successful, Porsche Carrera Cup GB title bid. Back in April, he ended the official pre-season ‘Media Day’ test at the ultra-fast Hampshire track inside the top six.

NAPA Racing UK team-mate Ash Sutton, who was quickest of all during the pre-season visit to Thruxton, goes into the third event of the season holding third position in the driver standings and determined to be back on the podium, as he was at Donington Park during the season curtain-raiser.

Qualifying maladies led to a very challenging raceday at Brands Hatch last time out, but the reigning champion showed his class and quality with three superb drives. Charging from 18th on the grid to a terrific ninth in race one, he climbed from ninth to fourth in race two and added sixth in race three.

Ollie Jackson and Sam Osborne go into rounds seven, eight and nine of the BTCC season aiming to put together a consistently strong weekend in their Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan hybrid powered Ford Focus ST cars.

Last season Thruxton was the venue for the championship opener and it proved a successful event for the team-mates, Jackson claiming a best of ninth position and Osborne taking his best result yet in touring cars with a strong top 12. More of the same, or indeed even better, will be the target just a few days from now.

Going into this weekend’s action in Hampshire, Motorbase/Ford holds second place in the BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship while the squad’s NAPA Racing UK entry is second in the BTCC Teams Championship.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“After a strong weekend at Brands last time out we’re confident of some more strong results at Thruxton. We had a good test there earlier in the year at the season launch, so hopefully we can build on that. There’s another interesting weekend in store as we all continue to learn how to maximise the Hybrid for this year and we’re all learning it together throughout the grid.

“Thruxton is a circuit which requires us to manage tyre wear probably more than any other circuit we visit, so it’s always a challenge for the teams as well as the drivers. The weather could also throw a spanner in the works like Brands, but we’ll have to wait and see what the wonderful British weather delivers on the day!”

Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“I’m looking forward to going to Thruxton this weekend, it’s always a mega track to race around. Since Brands Hatch we’ve been working hard to see if we can progress the car forward and address the balance issues we’ve had – I’m confident we’ll get on top of it. We had good pace at the season launch and the Focus seemed pretty hooked-up there, so I’d like to think we’ll be in the mix. Making in-roads on the top two and picking up some more silverware is the aim.”

Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“I’m really excited to get going at Britain’s fastest race track, I always love racing at Thruxton and the challenge it provides. You need to be as one with the car to find the lap time there, the balance must be right and you’ve got to have confidence to push the limits through the fast stuff like at no other track we visit with the BTCC. Brands was obviously good for us, a strong response from the first round at Donington, so I’m hoping to continue that momentum and further climb the points table.”

Ollie Jackson – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.48:
“Challenges on the BTCC calendar don’t come much bigger than Thruxton and I’m really looking forward to being back there. It’s a fantastic track, the racing is as exciting as it gets, and it’s the kind of circuit which really does reward bravery and commitment. Brands was a mixed weekend for us after we went the wrong way with the set-up initially, so I’m hoping we can start off on the front foot this weekend and build from there to battle for some great results.”

Sam Osborne – Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan, No.77:
“Thruxton is always a big challenge and a unique one as well, you really do need a good car under you to give you the confidence to push – especially with so much of the lap flat out. It’s been a mixed start to the season for us but we’re working hard on moving forward with the set-up and I’m really hoping to push towards the top 10. Last season at Thruxton we had a good run to 12th place so I’m focused on trying to repeat that and really push on.”

Following the free practice sessions at Thruxton on Saturday, 28th May, qualifying – which will be streamed live online at the www.itv.com/btcc website – will begin at 15.20. On Sunday, 29th May, round seven will start at 11.40, round eight at 14.40 and round nine at 17.20. All three races will be screened live on ITV4.

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

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

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

2022 Jack Sears Trophy
4th Sam Osborne, 69pts

The post MOTORBASE AIMING TO MOUNT STRONG THRUXTON CHALLENGE appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Reigning BTCC Champion Sutton produced his fastest time of the ‘Media Day’ outing during the afternoon session, with a lap of 1m15.607 seconds (112.18mph), to conclude the day 0.137 seconds clear. His No.1 Ford Focus ST also sported gold Kwik Fit plates for the first time, a new introduction for the current champion from this season forward.

Team-mate Cammish, in the No.9 blue and yellow NAPA Racing UK entered Focus, wrapped-up the day sixth on the combined timesheets with a time of 1m16.128 seconds (111.41mph) which also came in the two hour 45 minute second session. Cammish had been the quickest of the Motorbase run drivers in the morning outing, third fastest, while Sutton was sixth at that point.

Ollie Jackson concluded an impressive day just a tenth of a second shy of the top 10 for the Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan entry, his best lap of 1m16.436 seconds (110.96mph) delivered in the day’s second session. Jackson was only 0.3 seconds away from Cammish with a very productive run and completed the most laps of any driver, 96 in total.

In the sister red, black and white Apec Racing car, Sam Osborne’s afternoon quickest of 1m.16.815 seconds (110.41mph) was 17th on the combined times – four tenths away from Jackson. He was also second fastest of the drivers eligible to challenge in the Jack Sears Trophy class this season, chalking up just shy of 80 laps for the day as a whole.

Following on from the official BTCC season launch at Thruxton the day prior, competitors conducted additional media work on Wednesday morning before taking to the track for the two test sessions which were attended by crowds of BTCC fans. Bringing the curtain down on the pre-season, there is now just over a week to go until the first race meeting of the BTCC campaign at Donington Park.

Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“That’s the way you want to finish a strong pre-season test programme isn’t it, at the top of the times! With pre-season testing you’re never quite sure what your competition are up to so we’ll only really know when we finish qualifying next weekend. But its always reassuring to be quickest, lets face it that’s what we all aim for. All four drivers and crews put in a day’s graft, another extremely reliable showing across the whole team.

“I think Ollie completed more laps than any other driver today and Sam wasn’t far behind, it’s so important to get that kind of mileage under our belts at this stage. All four drivers concentrated on different test programmes with long and short runs as well as more valuable Hybrid running, so to have that much data from all four cars is great.

“We now have a good week’s work of prep back at base before we head to Donington where, hopefully, we can put all these miles to good use when it counts. I’m really pleased with how our pre-season has gone and that’s full credit to the whole team behind the scenes! We now head to the season opener with high hopes.”

Rounds one, two and three of the 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will take place at Donington’s National Circuit on Sunday, 24th April. Live coverage of all of the action will be screened on ITV4 and also streamed online at www.itv.com/btcc

The post SUTTON QUICKEST FOR NAPA RACING UK AND MOTORBASE AT THRUXTON ‘MEDIA DAY’ TEST appeared first on Alliance Racing.

Taking to the UK’s fastest circuit for the first time during Friday’s wet practice sessions, the Motorbase duo set an impressive pace in the 911 (Type 991) GT3 Cup Cars, with Plato and Vaughan going on to secure second and third-row starts in qualifying in P4 and P5 respectively.

A heavy downpour on Sunday morning left the track drying but still wet with standing water in places. Taking to the grid on slicks for the formation laps with the threat of more rain, Plato and Vaughan made the call to pit and change to wets.

Starting from the pit-lane alongside Roche, the trio made great gains in the early laps and quickly moved up through the field and into the race lead. However, with the rain failing to materialise the rapidly drying track started to reward the slick-tyre runners and Plato and Vaughan battled hard to curtail their plummet down the order, eventually crossing the line in P8 and P10.

A sensational fightback from Plato during a dry second race was rewarded with a return to the rostrum for the Motorbase-man. A clean start by the 26-year-old allowed him to pick his way up through the pack avoiding an opening lap melee, before making his move on Perez on lap 8 to steal into podium contention. Taking the final flag in P3, Plato secured his sixth podium of the season so far.

Vaughan made steady progress over the 20 lap challenge, making up an impressive 4 places to cross the line in P6, collecting his second points score of the weekend.

Plato and Motorbase remain in the hunt for the Championship titles as the season charges into the second half, with the Silverstone GP circuit next on the agenda for rounds 11 and 12 on August 31/September 1.

#11 Lewis Plato:

“We had a few issues with the data beacon in qualifying. Nothing to do with the team, but with some components, which affected our data reading, unfortunately. I think without those we would have been a bit further up the grid.

“We took a risk in race 1 to run on wets and it sadly didn’t pay off. I was a hero for 5 laps and then a zero for 15. We just had to hang on. We had good pace in race 2 and thankfully managed to work our way back up to get onto the podium. We’ve had a podium at every meeting so far this season, and holding 2^nd in the championship quite well.

“It was nice to be able to let the car stretch its legs a little bit. This weekend was the best that the car has been all year.”

#55 Dan Vaughan:

“We had a good day in qualifying. We’re quick in the wet here and I think in the first race if it had stayed wet we’d have been in with a very good chance of winning. Going into today I expected some good results and we’ve come away with a couple of average results. So it’s a bit disappointing.”

“I just couldn’t quite understand the car in the second race. I was struggling with the balance of it, in the high speed and slow speed areas. That’s all there is here, it’s either flat chat or first gear. It’s just a learning experience I guess.

“I enjoyed racing here. It’s not as intimidating as a place as I first thought.”

Results:

#11 Lewis Plato:

Qualifying: P4

Round 9: P8

Round 10: P3

#55 Dan Vaughan:

Qualifying: P5

Round 9: P10

Round 10: P6

Pro Category

1             Dan Harper JTR 102 points

2             Lewis Plato Motorbase Performance 67 points

6             Dan Vaughan Motorbase Performance 36 points

Teams Championship

1             JTR 265 points

2             Motorbase Performance 241 points

3             Amigos Redline Racing 222 points

The post Motorbase Performance digs deep for podium finish at Thruxton 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.

Returning to the high-speed circuit for the first time since 2014, the battle for the Carrera Cup GB title honours is set to alight once more with Plato in hot contention to close the gap to the current championship leader.

Both drivers will take on the formidable circuit for the first time this weekend, with the Porsche ‘Type 991’ 911 GT3 machines set to hit speeds of around 170mph. Plato, who currently lies second in the standings, will be looking to add to his Pro Class victory from Croft to close the 20-point gap to Harper.

Vaughan’s Pro-Category journey continues after making the step-up from his rookie Pro-Am season in 2018. After taking a second-place podium at Croft, the New-Forest-based racer is confident of putting his recent learnings to good use at his home circuit this weekend.

#11 Lewis Plato:

“We need to go there and win there are no two ways about it. I’ve never been on the track in a race car so it’s a bit of an unknown quantity, but I’m looking forward to it. We’re a fair chunk off leader Harper, but it’s definitely still doable.

“The car has been good this year, but I don’t think we’ve hit that optimal point yet. We recently tested at Silverstone and made some progress there, so hopefully, that will pay off this weekend. We need a good, solid weekend to stay in the hunt”

#55 Dan Vaughan:

“I’m looking forward to getting cracking with the second-half of the season. I think the first-half results were inevitable with the step up to the Pro-Class. We could have had a few better results without doing a lot more, but we’ve got some good learning behind us now. We had a recent test day at Silverstone where I went back to basics rather than chasing data. I think that will help me at Thruxton. I need to just relax a bit more in the car and not overthink things as much.

“I feel pretty confident about the weekend. We usually do well at the high-speed circuits. We’ve just got to make sure that we’re dialled into the car on Friday.”

Both drivers will get to tackle the Hampshire circuit for the first time during Friday’s test and free practice sessions, before Saturday’s (17 August) 30-minute qualifying session at 14.15.

Sunday (18 August) plays host to both 20-lap races, with round 9 scheduled for 10.40 and round 10 at 15.50. Live coverage of the final race will be broadcast live on itv4, itv4HD and online via the itv4Hub at itv.com/hub/itv4.

The post Motorbase Performance eyes championship lead as the Porsche Carrera Cup GB roars into 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.

After struggling to find the critical ‘sweet spot’ on the Ford Focus RS during Saturday’s practice sessions, the Motorbase-run outfit made dramatic set-up changes to its two title challengers heading in the afternoon qualifying run.

Unfortunately, any hopes of a strong result were thwarted in the final moments of the session, when Mark Blundell ran Tom Chilton into the barriers on the final chicane with just over 4 minutes remaining on the clock. The #3 Focus sustained heavy damage, requiring an overnight rebuild for Sunday’s race day.

Starting from P22 with 36kg of championship ballast on-board, Chilton made steady progress in an uncharacteristically processional opening BTCC race to eventually cross the line in P18. Ollie Jackson fared better in the #48 Focus, making up 3 places to take 16^th at the flag, finishing just outside of the points-scoring zone.

Free of the success ballast for race 2, Chilton battled hard over the 16 laps to eventually take P13 at the final flag. Unfortunately, having been deemed as exceeding track limits by the race officials, an amended race result for the Reigate-racer saw the #3 Focus RS relegated back to P25 for the final grid of the day.

Jackson’s promising start to the day went sadly unrewarded in race 2. After moving up into the top 15 on the opening lap, the #48 Focus RS took a heavy hit from Smiley’s Honda as the pair charged through the final chicane on lap 3, resulting in a puncture for Jackson and leaving the Ford stricken for the remainder of the race.

The final race of the day finally delivered some small reward for the team. The Motorbase duo made an outstanding start from the back of the grid, making up numerous places on the opening lap before the safety car was called into action. Both drivers continued their run in the interrupted contest, with Chilton ultimately breaking into the points to finish in P13, and Jackson in P16 as the final flag dropped.

Although a challenging weekend, the squad leaves the Hampshire circuit with a mass of data under its belt ahead of the return visit to Thruxton in August. The BTCC has a four week break in the calendar before reconvening at Croft circuit in North Yorkshire on June 15/16.

Quotes:

Team Manager Oly Collins:

“Unfortunately, Thruxton just wasn’t our weekend. Saturday didn’t go to plan and when you start back where we were it’s difficult. We improved the car performance for each of the races and both drivers were looking good for a much better race 2 result which can salvage a weekend like this, with a reverse grid, but it wasn’t to be.

“We have to learn from the mistakes from this weekend and we’ll come back stronger at Croft.”

#3 Tom Chilton:

“It’s nice to end a tough weekend with a much faster car than we started with, and to have scored some points. Actually for me personally, race 3 was a little bit of a high as I went from the back of the grid to 13^th.

“We made more set-up changes to the car which worked, and we made a big leap forwards in pace. We’ve still got a fraction more to find, but what we have unlocked will put us in good stead for the next round and also for when we come back here in a few months’ time. We have completely transformed the car this weekend, and all credit to the team and especially to Pete, my number, who has worked incredibly hard.”

#48 Ollie Jackson:

“It’s been a pretty disappointing weekend. Being honest we’ve struggle for pace all weekend. We’ve started to get a glimpse of hope on how to fix as we’ve reached the end of the weekend but unfortunately it was too late to salvage it. We’ve learnt a lot about the car and the hard tyre and I that’s the positive to take forwards. I’ve found I need to push on myself as well and we just need to find the magic that we’re missing on the hard tyre at the moment.”

Results:

#3 Tom Chilton:

Qualifying: P22

Round 7: P18

Round 8: P25

Round 9: P13

 # 48 Ollie Jackson:

Qualifying: P19

Round 7: 16

Round 8: DNF

Round 9: P16

Championship standings:

Driver Championship

1             Colin TURKINGTON          Team BMW         102 points

2             Rory BUTCHER   Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              102 points

3             Josh COOK          BTC Racing          100 points

4             Ashley SUTTON  Adrian Flux Subaru Racing             97 points

5             Matt NEAL          Halfords Yuasa Racing     85 points

6             Tom INGRAM     Team Toyota GB with Ginsters     81 points

7             Tom CHILTON    Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     68 points

22           Ollie Jackson      Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher 5 points

Team Championship

1             Halfords Yuasa Racing     149 points

2             Team BMW         137 points

3             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              133 points

4             BTC Racing          127 points

5             Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing         109 points

6             Adrian Flux Subaru Racing             105 points

7             Team Toyota GB with Ginsters     80 points

8             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     72 points

Independent Driver Standings

1           Rory Butcher – Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance – 139 points

2             Josh Cook – BTC Racing – 130 points

3           Tom Chilton – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 106 points

12           Ollie Jackson – Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher – 41 points

Independent Team Standings

1             BTC Racing          153 points

2             Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance              145 points

3             TradePriceCars.com        116 points

4             Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher     115 points

The post Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher battles back into the points at Thruxton appeared first on Alliance Racing.