Kwik Fit BTCC Thruxton Preview
Kwik Fit | Thursday 9th May 2019 10:00am
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race weekend at Donington Park saw reigning champion Colin Turkington start to make his mark in the 2019 Kwik Fit BTCC season. Tom Ingram was the final race winner as he recorded the first race win for Toyota’s return as a manufacturer team.
Team Shredded Wheat Racing enjoyed a strong race weekend at Donington Park. Tom Chilton taking the first Independent race win of the 2019 Kwik Fit BTCC season left him third in the Drivers’ standings at the end of the weekend. Team mate Ollie Jackson picked up his first points of the season in the second race which topped off a strong weekend for the team.
Race One
At a packed Donington Park, Turkington was on pole for race four of the Championship. He managed to maintain his lead throughout the race to give him the first race win of the day. The race began in frantic fashion. Lap one saw Andrew Jordan forced to retire as his car received too much contact to continue. In spite of the dram further down the field, Turkington kept calm for a comfortable win. He was followed by Ash Sutton of Adrian Flux Subaru Racing who took second place just over 2 seconds behind Turkington. Team BMW scored another podium finish as Tom Oliphant finished the race in third place; his first podium finish.
Race Two
It was two out of two for Colin Turkington as he finished on the top step of the podium again in the second race of the day at Donington Park. Turkington got off to a good start with Ash Sutton and Tom Oliphant engaging in an early battle for second. Sutton managed to overtake Oliphant early in the race at the Old Hairpin to regain second place. However, a strong performance from Matt Neal saw him finish in second place ahead of Ash Sutton who he passed on the outside in lap 17. Ash Sutton finished the race in third place.
Race Three
Tom Ingram recorded the first race win in Toyota’s return to the BTCC in the new Toyota Corolla. His number was picked to start on pole in the reverse grid draw and he fended off challenges from Rob Collard and Josh Cook who took the remaining two spots on the podium. Ingram didn’t show any signs of cracking under the pressure of having over 4,000 Toyota members watching on and held onto pole position securely. Rob collard was also pleased with his performance in race three as he took his first podium finish for Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing. Team mate Jason Plato also enjoyed success at Donington finishing in the top ten in all three races.
Drivers' Standings
After the drama at Donington Park, Ash Sutton’s two podium finishes put him at the top of the table. However, he will need to maintain this form in order to remain at the top of the pack. Only six points separate the top five drivers which will add to the excitement at Thruxton.
Looking ahead to Thruxton
On the 17th April, the teams had the opportunity to undertake a day of testing to ensure that they are prepared for the circuit. With the highest speeds across the fastest sections of the track reaching 160mph, it can be tricky for the drivers especially when the drivers are racing close together. Dan Cammish set the pace throughout the day recording the quickest time in the morning session which no other driver could match in the afternoon. During testing at Thruxton in April, the Honda Civic performed strongly achieving 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions on the time sheets. The unique challenges of Thruxton call for maximum commitment from the drivers particularly on challenging corners like Church Corner.
In
the 2019 season, Thruxton will be visited twice. As Thruxton has the highest average
speed of any BTCC circuit, it consistently produces exciting races. Many of the
most celebrated drivers have climbed the podium at Thruxton but Matt Neal is
one of the most successful drivers at this circuit so will be looking forward
to taking the circuit on twice this year. Josh Cook counts Thruxton as his
local circuit and will be looking to achieve success at the race weekends at
Thruxton at his local track. Honda have achieved great success as a team,
winning 10 out of 15 races between 2011 and 2015. The challenging nature of the circuit makes it difficult to predict which teams and drivers will come out on top. However, whatever the result, we are set for an exciting weekend of racing!
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