BMW 3 Series driver Colin Turkington secured the 2019 British Touring Car Championship crown in dramatic fashion at Brands Hatch, as the title fortunes between him and his rivals see-sawed throughout the three-race meeting. Although Turkington went into Sunday’s events as clear favourite, having secured pole position for race one and holding a substantial championship points lead, his hopes were hit by an inspired victory for Honda Civic Type R racing Dan Cammish in race one, followed by a non-score in race two when he was punted into a spin by Cammish’s team-mate Matt Neal. All that drama left Turkington 25th on the grid for the final event of the season and trailing Cammish – who was leading the championship for the first time this year and eight points clear in the title standings, with Turkington’s West Surrey Racing BMW team-mate Andrew Jordan 13 points off the title leader. Even has Turkington scythed through the field it looked likely he would be frustrated in his bid for a fourth championship title, as Cammish held his cool in the pack. As the race neared its conclusion both Jordan and Turkington were ahead of Cammish, but not by far enough to deny him the title. Then, on lap 13, the title fortunes swung dramatically as Cammish suffered brake failure and was pitched off the track, backwards into the tyre wall. That left Turkington to reel off the remaining laps and sneak the title by two points, sparking huge celebrations at BMW, in stark contrast to the heartbreak at Honda. Meanwhile, the race was won commandingly by series stalwart Jason Plato (Vauxhall Astra). It was his 97th win in the championship. Race two had earlier been won by Ash Sutton (Subaru Levorg), while Cammish had ignited his title hopes with a brilliant drive on slicks in the wet to go from 12th on the grid to win race one. That, combined with an assured drive to third in race two after Turkington’s misfortunes, had looked to be enough to earn him his first title in the series until disaster struck just two laps from the end of the final race of the season. It marked his first non-finish in
Origin: BTCC 2019: BMW’s Turkington crowned champion in thrilling finale
BTCC
BTCC 2019: Silverstone double for Toyota star Ingram
Toyota Corolla driver Tom Ingram took a pair of Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship victories in the penultimate race weekend at Silverstone, while BMW ace Colin Turkington’s charge through the field to second place in race two helped him extend his points lead. Jack Goff also left the Northamptonshire circuit a winner, securing Team Hard’s first BTCC victory in the reverse grid final race in his Volkswagen CC. Double BTCC champion Jason Plato had claimed pole position in his Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra, and led the first race early on in difficult conditions. But Team Toyota GB driver Ingram soon closed in, and claimed the lead at Luffield with a paint-trading move on lap four He pulled away to take a clear win from Plato and BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R pair Chris Smiley and Josh Cook. Andrew Jordan finished tenth in his WSR-run BMW 3 Series, while his team-mare and title rival Turkington could only manage 14th. Works Civic Type-R driver Dan Cammish, also in with a shot at the title, was 11th. Ingram won again in race two, despite dropping back to second behind Tom Oliphant (BMW 330i M Sport) after further contact with Plato at the start. A safety car bunched the field, and it began to rain shortly before racing resumed. Oliphant was the first man to reach the wet track at Copse on the restart, sliding wide and falling down the order, and gifting Ingram a lead he held until the race was stopped early as the rain worsened. Turkingon thrived in the rain, charging from 14th on the grid to second to build his points lead. Cammish was third ahead of Plato and Cook. The final race was also affected by the rain, with the field starting on dry Dunlop tyres only to find conditions worsening. Cook and Cammish led the way early on, but a mid-race safety car provided a golden opportunity for some runners to gamble on wet tyres. Goff and Aiden Moffatt (Infiniti Q50) both gambled early, and stormed through the pack. Their battle for victory was decided when Moffatt spun, although he still finished second. Matt Neal (Civic Type R) took third, ahead of Oliphant. Turkington was seventh, while Cammish could only muster 12th. That means Turkington leads Cammish by 16 points heading to the Brands Hatch season finale on 13 October, with Jordan a further point
Origin: BTCC 2019: Silverstone double for Toyota star Ingram
BTCC 2019: BMW drivers hit trouble in title battle
The battle for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship took several dramatic twists at Knockhill, with title contenders Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan both involved in dramatic incidents. Jordan had entered the weekend trailing his fellow BMW 3 Series driver by 30 points, but a race two win – combined with an incident for Turkington – moved him to within four points of the lead. But Jordan’s luck changed when he was taken out of the final race, with Turkington salvaging tenth to restore his lead in the standings to ten points. The title contenders didn’t take all the attention. Local star Rory Butcher took pole position at the circuit his father owns, and followed up with victory in the first race. The Honda Civic Type R driver led Jordan throughout, and survived a side-by-side battle with the BMW man on the final lap. Dan Cammish finished third in his works Civic, with Turkington fourth. The BMW’s rear-wheel-drive helped Jordan grab the lead at the start of race two, with Butcher soon coming under pressure and losing second to Cammish. Butcher then found himself under pressure from Turkington, with the championship leader eventually battling past at the first turn. Butcher tried to regain the spot with a late move at a tight right-hander, but made contact with Turkington, pitching the BMW into the gravel. Butcher held on to finish third behind Jordan and Cammish, but was later penalised five places on the grid for the final race. Having finished tenth in the second race, Audi S3 driver Jake Hill drew pole position for the reverse grid finale, and duly controlled the race throughout, surviving a safety car restart to take his first BTCC win ahead of Josh Cook (Civic Type R). There was more drama behind, with Adam Morgan battling up to third in his Mercedes A-Class ahead of Chris Smiley (Civic). Jordan was involved in some early contact, but his race ended in disaster when Senna Procter spun his Subaru Levorg ahead of him. Jordan was unable to avoid the spinning car, and was pitched into the gravel and out of the race. From the back of the grid Turkington was able to battle up to tenth, scoring some valuable points to rebuild his title lead with six races remaining. The next event is at Silverstone on 29
Origin: BTCC 2019: BMW drivers hit trouble in title battle
BTCC 2019: Ingram, Turkington and Butcher split Snetterton wins
Tom Ingram, Colin Turkington and Rory Butcher split the race wins in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship’s visit to Snetterton, with a one-off tyre rule helping to spice up the racing. For the first time, drivers were required to run all three of the BTCC’s Dunlop tyre compounds in the three races at the Norfolk track. The difference in pace between the three compounds led to plenty of overtaking, particularly in the final race. Ingram started the opening race from pole position after topping qualifying in his works-backed Speedworks Toyota Corolla by 0.002s from works Honda Civic Type-R driver Dan Cammish. Despite an early push from Cammish, Ingram pulled clear for a comfortable victory, his second of the year. Sam Tordoff finished third in his Civic Type-R, completing a podium lock-out for drivers running the soft tyre. Works BMW UK driver Colin Turkington was the top driver on the medium tyre in fourth, extending his championship lead over his fifth-place WSR team-mate Andrew Jordan. The BMW 3 Series of Turkington and Jordan both ran the soft tyre for the second race. They quickly moved into second and third, putting intense pressure on leader Ingram, who was hampered by success ballast. Turkington finally made his move on lap seven, pushing Ingram wide – blocking Jordan’s path in the progress. That allowed Cammish to jump up to second, with Ingram sliding down the order. His day worsened when he picked up a technical problem, dropping out of the points. Turkington’s win was the tenth for the new 3 Series this season, with Jordan recovering to third ahead of Ollie Jackson (Ford Focus RS). The third race was full of drama. Chris Smiley (Civic Type R) started from pole, but was soon overhauled by former champions Jason Plato (Vauxhall Astra) and Ash Sutton (Subaru Levorg). They staged an intense battle, while further back the Civic Type-Rs of Butcher and Josh Cook used their soft tyres to charge up the order from 12th and 15th on the grid. The battle for the lead culminated with Sutton, Plato and Butcher heading down the back straight side-by-side, with the inevitable contact at the next corner dropping the first two down the order and leaving Butcher clear for his second win of 2019. Cook finished second ahead of Smiley, Rob Collard (Vauxhall Astra) and Plato. Turkington finished tenth, and now leads Jordan by 36 points in the title race. Butcher is third, 22 points further back. The next round is the second visit of the year to Thruxton on August
Origin: BTCC 2019: Ingram, Turkington and Butcher split Snetterton wins
Cosworth will provide hybrid technology for BTCC in 2022
British Touring Car Championship organiser TOCA has announced that Cosworth Electronics will supply hybrid powertrains for the race series from 2022. The new technology will be integrated into the competing cars’ existing 2.0-litre turbocharged powertrains, to keep costs down, and will be used primarily for passing and defending manoeuvres on track. But cars will also operate in full-electric mode in the pitlane. The system will allow the BTCC to forego its current ‘success ballast’ system from 2022. Instead of race winners carrying more weight in their next outing, their hybrid usage will be more tightly restricted. Cosworth Electronics, a subsidiary of renowned engineering firm Cosworth, won the tender having demonstrated it could meet the packaging, performance and cost requirements outlined by TOCA. The compact 60-volt system comprises a gearbox-mounted electric motor and separate cooling unit. A bespoke battery and its associated hardware, alongside modifications to the gearbox and ancillaries, entails an estimated 64kg weight gain for each car. Early tests have shown that the most significant performance boost comes at the bottom of the rev range. The BTCC claims “the hybrid power burst will bring the engine up into the turbo ‘window’ more quickly”. Activating hybrid mode will temporarily add approximately 40bhp to a car’s power output, claims the BTCC. A simulation based on Silverstone revealed that a hybrid-equipped racer would accelerate faster out of Copse Corner than a conventionally-fuelled current model. Drivers can control how much energy they recuperate and deploy throughout the race, with a steering wheel-mounted button that engages and disengages the hybrid motor. The system will also deactivate under braking, when the pre-determined time limit has been reached or when throttle input changes suddenly. The BTCC is conducting tests to determine the exact rules of hybrid technology usage in races, but has confirmed that it cannot be deployed for more than a total of 15 seconds per lap. Cosworth’s hybrid powertrain will cost teams £20,500 per season (£2050 per race). The competition’s shift to electrification was first announced in 2018, with testing scheduled to get underway as early as next year. The BTCC says hybridisation “could have been introduced from 2021” but “it was decided to stay with the original 2022 introduction date in order to allow ample
Origin: Cosworth will provide hybrid technology for BTCC in 2022
Jordan takes another BTCC double at Croft
Andrew Jordan claimed his fourth and fifth race wins of 2019 in the latest MSA British Touring Car Championship round at Croft, as the new BMW 3 Series continued its stunning start to the season. Tom Chilton took the honours in the final race of the day in his Motorbase-run Ford Focus RS for his first win of the season. Team BMW driver Colin Turkington took three solid finishes at the Yorkshire circuit, including a second place in the second race, to strengthen his championship lead. BMW Pirtek Racing driver Jordan claimed his first pole position since 2014 in a qualifying session hit by five red flags, and delivered a faultless performance to dominate the opening race. Honda Civic Type R racer Chris Smiley kept the pressure on throughout. Chilton ran third, spending the final stages of the race holding off the BMWs of Turkington and Tom Oliphant. BTCC EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: Round 10 in 120 seconds #BTCC Watch Live now on ITV4 pic.twitter.com/iNKKxmYZQT — BTCC (@BTCC) June 16, 2019 Jordan continued his hot streak in the second race of the day, once again leading from start to finish. Things didn’t go quite so smoothly for Smiley: struggling with success ballast he was eventually overhauled by Turkington for second, and was then passed by the works Civic Type Rs of Dan Cammish and Matt Neal. On the final lap, Smiley was attempting to defend his place from Ash Sutton (Subaru Levorg) when the two made contact, putting Smiley out of the race – and earning Sutton a grid penalty for the day’s final race. BTCC EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: Round 11 in 90 secs #BTCC Watch Live now ITV4 pic.twitter.com/DMbuUBffD9 — BTCC (@BTCC) June 16, 2019 Chilton slipped back to ninth in the second race, but was then drawn on the pole for the day’s final event. With rain at Croft easing just before the start, the drivers faced a dilemma over tyre choice. Wets proved the right choice, and Chilton led all the way to take the win. But he didn’t have it easy, with Josh Cook (Civic Type R) and Jason Plato (Vauxhall Astra) pushing him throughout. BTCC EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: Round 12 in 90 seconds #BTCC pic.twitter.com/lVAlPfdjcr — BTCC (@BTCC) June 16, 2019 Jordan claimed a solid eighth finish to build on his strong form in the first two races. While Jordan now has three more wins than any other driver, a heavy crash that prevented him from scoring in any of the races at Donington Park means he is fourth in the points, 26 behind Turkington, who leads the way with 143. Cook is second in the standings, 11 points off the lead, with Sutton third. The next round is at Oulton Park in Cheshire on June
Origin: Jordan takes another BTCC double at Croft
BTCC 2019: Jordan continues BMW’s strong form
Andrew Jordan continued the strong start to the season for the new BMW 3 Series with a double victory in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton, staging a remarkable comeback after being hospitalised in a heavy accident in the previous round. The WSR BMW Pirtek Racing driver was involved in a heavy crash in the opening race at Donington Park that ruled him out for the remainder of the day, but was right back on form in Hampshire. But despite a pair of wins, it wasn’t a perfect weekend for Jordan, as a clash dropped him well down the order in the final race of the day. BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R driver Josh Cook took a commanding win in that event to strengthen his championship bid. The ultra-fast Thruxton circuit has not traditionally suited rear-wheel-drive cars such as the BMW, but Jordan qualified third in his 330i M Sport, and vaulted into second at the start of the opening race. He then battled past pole-sitter Sam Tordoff’s Civic Type-R midway through the race, taking a clear victory. Dan Cammish finished third in his works Civic Type R, ahead of WSR Team BMW driver Colin Turkington. BTCC EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: Round 7 in 60 seconds #BTCC pic.twitter.com/am5jzDQ9jH — BTCC (@BTCC) May 19, 2019 Turkington, who had taken a double victory at Donington, made a great start of his own in race two to jump into second. He pressured Jordan for much of the race, but eventually settled for second.Cammish moved past Tordoff into third and briefly closed in on the two BMWs, but fell back near the end as light rain began to fall. Jason Plato took fourth in his Vauxhall Astra, ahead of Matt Neal (Civic Type R) and Tordoff. BTCC EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: Round 8 in 60 seconds #BTCC pic.twitter.com/kl29Tscbzm — BTCC (@BTCC) May 19, 2019 Ash Sutton finished 11th in his Subaru Levorg, and was then drawn on pole for the reverse-grid final race. But in damp conditions Cook made a strong start, and squeezed past the Subaru at the first chicane to take the lead. He then survived two safety car periods to take his second race win of the year. Rory Butcher fought his way past Sutton with a bold move at the daunting Church corner to take second in his Civic Type R, a result that put him into a tie for the championship lead with Turkington, who claimed ninth. Jordan’s day didn’t end so well, as he was pitched into a spin mid-race, finishing 17th. BTCC EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: Round 9 in 60 seconds #BTCC pic.twitter.com/swXtHtrZ4a — BTCC (@BTCC) May 19, 2019 Turkington and Butcher both have 102 points, with Cook just two points behind them, and Sutton three further back. The next BTCC round is at Croft in Yorkshire in June
Origin: BTCC 2019: Jordan continues BMW’s strong form
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