BTCC once again visits the fastest circuit in the UK, the fearsome Thruxton. The weekend would see a returning BTCC stalwart, Tom Onslow-Cole racing for Team HARD & in the following round at Silverstone. Onslow-Cole more recently has plied his trade in GT3 cars, competing with plenty of success with Ram Racing in recent times.
The big driver news was fan favourite Jade Edwards. Jade has worked tirelessly for many years with plenty of success in junior formulas, but finally Jade realises her dream of becoming a BTCC driver. Jade will compete at Thruxton in the PMR Vauxhall Astra and becomes the first female driver in the BTCC since 2007.
Another fan favourite returns this weekend as well. Rob Austin returning in the second PMR Vauxhall Astra after a long hiatus from the BTCC grid.
Dan Cammish paced the field in Saturday’s qualifying for race 1, snatching pole position in the FK8 Honda Civic Type R, a car which has suited the Civic for the past two years. The Team Dynamics running a tribute livery to one of their prime sponsors, Yuasa Batteries.
Race 1 saw Tom Ingram jump Dan Cammish at the start of the race into turn 1, where Ingram was able to hold Cammish off for the duration of the race and was able to take his first victory of the year. Ingram opened up a small lead on the chasing Cammish, but the Toyota Corolla, which is harder on its tyres than the Honda Civic was rapidly being reeled in by Cammish’s Honda in the latter stages of the race.
Jake Hill, once again running a strong pace in the aging FK2 Honda Civic suffered rotten luck, picking up a puncture and going a lap down as a result. Championship leader Colin Turkington came to grief with electrical issues, his BMW 330 coming into the pits and losing four laps.
Tom Ingram broke his 2020 victory duck at long last, while Dan Cammish finished in second with Matt Neal rounding out the podium in third. Adam Morgan took a strong fourth placed finish in his Mercedes A class with Ash Sutton rounding out the top five in his ballast laden Infiniti.
Race 2 would see Ingram repeat the success he enjoyed in race 1, taking another victory in the Toyota. Ingram was able to make another strong start, but this time had the advantage of not having to jump Cammish for the lead. It was almost a carbon copy of race 1 with Ingram leading the way with Cammish turning the screw on Ingram as the race wore on and the Toyota’s tyres started to go off.
Cammish finished second once again with Matt Neal taking another third place finish. Ash Sutton, still heavy with ballast, didn’t quite have the pace of his previous races but was able to take fourth to keep his championship challenge alive. Rory Butcher finished in fifth, one position higher than race 1.
Race 3 saw another victory duck broken as Josh Cook, after a difficult 2020 season took victory with teammate Tom Chilton finishing in second. It was a memorable 1-2 finish, with a strong result long overdue for the BTC Racing squad. Cook & Chilton were unstoppable in race 3, keeping their 1-2 positions through the duration of the race. Rory Butcher was able to capture a third place finish, Ash Sutton took another fourth place finish and Tom Ingram took a fifth place finish to round out the top five.
Colin Turkington meanwhile had a disastrous weekend, playing catch up after the electrical issues from Race 1. A lower scoring Ash Sutton & strong results for Tom Ingram & Dan Cammish has blown the championship wide open.
The next round of the BTCC takes place at Silverstone on the weekend of 26th-27th September. Until next time, stay safe.
BTCC Championship Standings:
- Ash Sutton – 209 points.
- Colin Turkington – 193 points.
- Tom Ingram – 177 points.
- Rory Butcher – 175 points.
- Dan Cammish – 167 points.
