Matt Neal draws level with Andy Rouse to take his 60th BTCC Win at Thruxton.

• Matt Neal claims 60th BTCC victory at Thruxton
• Gordon Shedden is weekend’s highest scorer
• Halfords Yuasa Racing sets pace in Hampshire

Halfords Yuasa Racing enjoyed a successful weekend on ‘home’ soil as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship sped into ultra-fast Thruxton, with Gordon Shedden outscoring all of his rivals on the same weekend that Matt Neal reached a major milestone.

In front of a host of Honda employees – with the brand’s UK manufacturing headquarters just up the road in Swindon – Neal and Shedden locked out the top two spots on the starting grid in qualifying, as the former snared his 16thBTCC pole position and the latter belied maximum ballast to join him at the sharp end of the field. 

Neal converted that into his 60th career triumph in race one – in so doing drawing level with tin-top legend Andy Rouse in equal-second place on the all-time BTCC winners’ list. Shedden followed his Halfords Yuasa Racing team-mate home for the runner-up laurels, as Honda cars secured all three spots on the podium.

A similar result looked to be on the cards in race two as Neal led away again, until a power steering issue sent him darting for the pits at the end of lap two. Upon rejoining the fray, the three-time BTCC Champion posted what was comfortably the fastest lap to underline what might have been.

An early ‘moment’ on cold tyres saw Shedden shuffled back to fourth, but the Scot immediately fought back and was sizing up Rob Collard for the lead when the red flags flew once more – this time for good – on lap seven.

In the day’s finale, from fifth on the reversed grid, Shedden had to dig deep to unseat Rob Austin’s lighter Toyota from fourth position and complete his weekend with another very strong finish, while Neal took no prisoners as he scythed his way through from 29th to tenth at the chequered flag – although he was subsequently demoted to 11th after being adjudged to have gained an unfair advantage in overtaking a rival.

Shedden’s excellent haul saw him vault from fourth up to second in the Drivers’ standings – just 17 points adrift of the lead – with Neal similarly in contention in seventh. Honda has gained ground in the Manufacturers’ classification, as Halfords Yuasa Racing maintains second spot in the Teams’ Table.

Gordon Shedden:

“To qualify on the front row with 75kg in the car definitely exceeded my expectations; every lap was an adventure as I tried to keep my foot in for as long as possible through the faster corners around the back of the circuit – there wasn’t much left in the tank! I got a slightly better start than Matt in race one, but he was a lot lighter than me so I didn’t force the issue too much. It was fantastic for him to take his 60th BTCC win, and a tremendous effort from the boys to get a one-two. 

It was disappointing that we didn’t have another five or six laps in race two because we were clearly quicker than Rob, and then race three was another good finish. You always want more of course, but we left with three very solid results and a strong points haul – and that gives us a lot of confidence going to Oulton Park.”

Matt Neal:

“After the disappointment of Donington, we needed to bounce back and I’m really going to cherish this 60th win. The Civic Type R has always been amazing at Thruxton – we work hard on the aero, and this circuit is primarily high-speed corners. 

‘Flash’ certainly made me work for pole, and to come away with a Halfords Yuasa Racing one-two and a Honda podium lockout on home soil in the first race was a dream – a fabulous result to reward all the guys and girls from the factory who came down to support us. 

I felt a bit wounded after race two, because that was another win in the bag – ‘Flash’ and I could really have made hay out there – but the car was magnificent in race three. The team said to me, ‘why don’t you drop back and see if you can go for fastest lap’, but I thought ‘stuff that’ and had a lot of fun. I just wanted to keep going at the end...”

Drivers’ Standings

1. Tom Ingram 131 points

2. Gordon Shedden 114 points

3. Colin Turkington 112 points

4. Rob Collard 103 points

5. Adam Morgan 96 points

6. Jack Goff 89 points

7. Matt Neal 73 points

Manufacturers’ Standings

1. BMW 259 points

2. Honda 225 points

3. Vauxhall 188 points

4. Subaru 159 points

5. MG 127 points

Teams’ Standings

1. Team BMW 209 points

2. Halfords Yuasa Racing 181 points

3. Speedworks Motorsport 127 points

4. Eurotech Racing 110 points

5. Ciceley Motorsport 96 points

6. Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 65 points

Team BMR can today confirm that the team has parted company with Colin Turkington

Team BMR can today confirm that the team has parted company with Colin Turkington after mutually agreeing to end the contract.

Colin has had two successful seasons with Team BMR in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship and in 2015, his maiden year with the team, he played a huge part in putting BMR on the map with his massive contribution in assisting us in claiming our first ever Team's Championship title along with his fifth Independents Championship crown.

2016 saw BMR bringing Subaru to the championship as a new manufacturer outfit and Colin’s commitment along with his input to the team was a huge asset in aiding us to develop our newly built Subaru Levorg’s.  Colin also made history by bringing the first Subaru BTCC Pole Position backed up by a maiden win for the Subaru Levorg.  His success continued throughout the season claiming further pole positions, race wins and podiums establishing himself in the final three for the overall championship title at Brands Hatch back in October.  He ended the season 4^th overall in a battle that nearly saw the Ulsterman claiming his third BTCC title.

Speaking of Colin’s time at Team  BMR owner/driver Warren Scott commented; “Colin has been an absolute pleasure to work with over the past two seasons and has brought a tremendous amount of knowledge to the team which has aided BMR in it’s growth and development as a front running BTCC team.

"I wish Colin good luck for the forth coming season and would like to thank him for all his efforts and great achievements that he has brought to BMR.”

Speaking of his time with us here at BMR Colin Turkington stated; “I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Team BMR and will savour the success we shared together over the past two seasons; however, the time has come to part company and apply the focus to each of our own individual goals and needs.

I sincerely value the journey we have shared together securing the Teams Championship in 2015, winning my fifth Indy title and of course the thrilling year we have just had with the Subaru Levorg.  I have been fortunate to work with some of the best in the business at BMR and it has been a valuable experience and certainly helped me grow and improve.

The BTCC is surely one of the toughest Championships in the world to win and to finish last season with a realistic shot at winning the title in a new car was a tremendous achievement.

I wish Team BMR every success going forward and I hope they are just as proud of our two seasons together as I am.”

All of us at BMR Racing would like to thank Colin for his tremendous input to the team and we wish him continued success in his future career.

Team BMR will announce their confirmed 2017 plans in the coming weeks and we look forward to seeing everyone at Autosport International over the next few days.

Gordon Shedden takes the BTCC Crown for the third time amongst a trio of races that saw Turkington win race 1 & 2.

• Gordon Shedden joins elite group of drivers with three BTCC titles
• ‘Flash’ turns the tables to triumph in scintillating BTCC season finale
• Matt Neal’s championship bid undone by ill-fortune at Brands Hatch

Gordon Shedden became the first driver in eight years to win back-to-back Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) titles with a superb performance at Brands Hatch GP this weekend (1-2 October) behind the wheel of his Halfords Yuasa Racing Honda Civic Type R.

Shedden entered the weekend trailing championship leader Sam Tordoff by 11 points in the chase for the most coveted trophy in British motor sport. By out-qualifying his chief rival and finishing ahead of the Yorkshireman in all three races, however, the defending champion dramatically turned the tables for a popular success.

From seventh on the starting grid, Shedden carved his way through to finish fifth in race one before pulling off some opportunistic passes as he battled to his ninth podium of the season in race two.

Beginning the finale from fifth – and needing to beat Tordoff, two places ahead of him on the grid, in order to lift the laurels – the Scot produced one of the drives of his career. 

With the championship poised finely on a knife-edge, he grabbed his flame-spitting Civic Type R by the scruff of its neck and secured the spoils in style, overhauling his BMW adversary en route to third place at the chequered flag to snare the title by two points.

Team-mate Matt Neal should similarly have been in with a shout going into race three having converted 11th on the grid into seventh in the opener, but just after posting the fastest lap in race two, the three-time champion’s engine temporarily cut out and as he attempted to rejoin, contact with another car sent him into a dizzying spin and into the barriers. 

Suffering from mild concussion, he was unfortunately ruled out of the all-important finale.

That relegated Neal to sixth spot in the Drivers’ standings – albeit just 33 points adrift of newly-crowned champion Shedden – with Honda and Halfords Yuasa Racing placing second in the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ tables respectively.

Gordon Shedden:

“It’s unbelievable – an incredible feeling. I’ve actually been really relaxed all weekend, but even going into race three, I thought it was going to be very difficult – and it was! It was a shame Matt couldn’t join in – it would have been good to have him up there pushing for the title too, because we’ve both had really strong pace today. 

The Civic Type R was mint throughout – as it has been all season – and once again, I really stuck my neck on the line and made some bold, heart-in-the-mouth moves that were on the edge more often than not. 

After Croft in June, it looked like we were down-and-out in the title battle, but we stuck to our guns, kept plugging away and gave it absolutely everything to claw our way back. It just goes to show that every single point really does count in this championship. 

Winning the BTCC title for the first time felt phenomenal, last year was a real rollercoaster ride and this year it was just a huge release of emotion. I might allow myself a few cups of tea and a Tunnock’s Teacake tonight to celebrate...”

Matt Neal:

“First of all, huge congratulations to ‘Flash’ on his third BTCC crown. He’s driven fantastically all season and it’s a pleasure to welcome him to the ‘three titles’ club – I guess now it’ll be a straight fight to see who can get to four first! Seriously, though, I’m chuffed for him and he thoroughly deserves it – if I couldn’t win it, there’s nobody else I’d rather see lift the trophy. 

It was obviously a shame about the way my season ended. We did a solid job in qualifying and closed in on the championship lead in race one, but then in race two, I suddenly lost power and as I was attempting to recover, I was pitched into a spin that ended up in the barriers. 

I got knocked around pretty badly and because I had mild concussion, the decision was taken not to start race three, which clearly wasn’t the way I wanted to end my championship challenge. Still, I’ll just have to come back next year and try to win it again myself!”

Final Drivers’ Standings

1. Gordon Shedden 308 points

2. Sam Tordoff 306 points

3. Mat Jackson 292 points

4. Colin Turkington 289 points

5. Rob Collard 278 points

6. Matt Neal 275 points

Final Manufacturers’ Standings

1. West Surrey Racing 790 points

2. Honda / Team Dynamics 737 points

3. Subaru / Team BMR 722 points

4. MG / Triple Eight 571 points

Final Teams’ Standings

1. Team JCT600 with GardX 574 points

2. Halfords Yuasa Racing 557 points

3. Motorbase Performance 538 points

4. Silverline Subaru BMR Racing 531 points

5. MG Racing RCIB Insurance 332 points

6. WIX Racing 234 points

Halfords Yuasa Racing Civic Type R drivers Shedden and Neal are both in line to take the title in the final 3 rounds at Brands hatch.

• Honda chasing three BTCC crowns as season finale speeds into view
• Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal firmly in the hunt for Drivers’ honours
• Halfords Yuasa Racing Civic Type R tipped to shine at Brands Hatch

Halfords Yuasa Racing duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal are ready to ‘throw caution to the wind’ in the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season finale at Brands Hatch next weekend (1/2 October), as an unprecedented eight drivers get set to go wheel-to-wheel for the most coveted crown in UK motor sport.

Unpredictability has always been one of the BTCC’s hallmarks, and that has never been more the case than this year, with a record number of different race-winners and eight competitors still in contention to lift the laurels heading into the last three outings.

Shedden and Neal sit respectively second and third in the Drivers’ standings, 11 and 13 points adrift of championship leader Sam Tordoff, with the initiative having ebbed-and-flowed throughout an enthralling campaign.

Brands Hatch’s legendary GP circuit – home to Formula 1’s British Grand Prix on 12 occasions between 1964 and 1986 – has been a happy hunting ground for Honda in seasons past, with Shedden clinching his second BTCC title there in dramatic style last year.

Both the Scot and evergreen team-mate Neal – who passed the 600 start mark in Britain’s premier motor sport series at Silverstone last weekend – are palpably fired-up for the fight, with Honda and Halfords Yuasa Racing similarly in the thick of the battle for Manufacturers’ and Teams’ honours.

Gordon Shedden:

“Brands Hatch GP is an awesome venue for a title showdown. I’ve had some great results there in the past, and hopefully the positive memories of last year will spur me on. It’s going to be an interesting weekend, that’s for sure. Usually when you get to this stage of proceedings, you’d realistically say there are two or three drivers who could be champion but this year there are twice as many – at least! 

That means nobody can afford to sit back and just collect points – everybody has to be pushing flat-out, and it’s going to require an absolutely stellar weekend to get the job done. It could even come down to the luck of the reversed grid draw for race three... 

What seems certain is that it will go all the way to the last race – and perhaps even the last lap of the last race! I remember back in 2012 when I first went into a BTCC title-decider, no matter how much you say you’re feeling chilled and relaxed and have it all under control, the pressure of the situation still has an effect and you instinctively tighten up a bit so hopefully the experience Matt and I have will play in our favour and we also know we will support each other should the need arise. 

Ultimately – and regardless of personal aspirations – the goal is to get a Civic Type R over the finish line first.”

Matt Neal:

“It would have been crazy to think back at the start of the year that eight drivers would be going to Brands Hatch still in with a shout of the title. That proves how ultra-competitive and incredibly close the BTCC is at the moment – you simply can’t afford to have a bad weekend, especially now we’ve got to the business end of the season. 

We’ve had a bit of ill-fortune befall us at certain key stages that has cost us ground, but both of us go to Brands well in the hunt and prepared to throw caution to the wind and as a team, I don’t think anybody in the paddock works together better than ‘Flash’ and I do. 

Sam [Tordoff] seems to have been looking over his shoulder a bit lately, but in truth the pressure will be on all of us. Anything can happen from unpredictable weather to end-of-term madness, and just one slip-up could spell the end of your championship bid. 

The GP layout should suit the Civic Type R with its excellent high-speed corner stability – it’s old-school, unspoilt by health and safety warriors and calls for a lot of commitment – but then equally, it will probably suit the other cars too, so it’ll definitely be game on. May the best man win!”

Drivers’ Standings

1. Sam Tordoff 278 points

2. Gordon Shedden 267 points

3. Matt Neal 265 points

4. Rob Collard 261 points

5. Mat Jackson 257 points

6. Andrew Jordan 247 points

Manufacturers’ Standings

1. West Surrey Racing 722 points

2. Honda / Team Dynamics 688 points

3. Subaru / Team BMR 629 points

4. MG / Triple Eight 507 points

Teams’ Standings

1. Team JCT600 with GardX 529 points

2. Halfords Yuasa Racing 517 points

3. Motorbase Performance 496 points

4. Silverline Subaru BMR Racing 451 points

5. MG Racing RCIB Insurance 288 points

6. Speedworks Motorsport 203 points

With the BTCC heading to the last three races it is all for the taking with EIGHT drivers in contention to take the title.

Sam Tordoff holds standings advantage after Silverstone action

A thrilling win for reigning champion Gordon Shedden rounded out the action at Silverstone on Sunday (18 September), setting up an incredible eight-driver showdown for the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

An unprecedented number of drivers will challenge for the title on finals day at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time, with Team JCT600 with GardX’s Sam Tordoff currently holding the advantage by 11 points.

The drama at Silverstone commenced in typically frenetic fashion with Tom Ingram claiming the opener, following a post-race exclusion for Ash Sutton and Josh Cook due to a technical infringement.

Both MG Racing RCIB Insurance drivers had to fight back from minor setbacks off the line, with Sutton losing P1 to Ingram and Cook being demoted down to fourth by Andrew Jordan’s Pirtek Racing Ford Focus.

Slight contact between Cook and Jordan followed on lap four and the MG6 was back through into third.

Sutton was by Ingram for the lead at the start of lap eight and Cook was soon joining them in the scrap. Cook got into Ingram’s Toyota at Maggotts four tours later and despite a valiant effort from the Speedworks man, it was the MG pairing that assumed control for the remainder of the race.

Post-race, however, both MGs were excluded from the result due to their rear wings being outside of the permitted tolerance. This handed victory to Ingram, although MG Racing RCIB Insurance has appealed the Cook decision, which will be heard at a later date. Subsequently, Jordan and Handy Motorsport’s Rob Austin inherited the remaining podium positions.

Motorbase Performance driver Jordan kept his championship chances alive with victory in race two, after fending off the attentions of Adam Morgan and Speedworks Motorsport’s Ingram.

The 2013 champion started on the front row and initially hounded Ingram’s Toyota Avensis, before storming down the inside going into Becketts on lap seven.

Morgan’s WIX Racing Mercedes nipped into second as Ingram’s pace faded, but he wasn’t able to trouble Jordan’s Pirtek-backed Ford for the win.

West Surrey Racing’s Rob Collard blasted his BMW 125i M Sport into the lead off the line in the final race, as his rear-wheel drive machine launched past Shedden’s Honda Civic Type R on the run down to turn one.

Shedden would not be denied, however, as the Halfords Yuasa Racing man produced a stunning move on the second lap. As Collard braked into Maggotts, Shedden stormed around the outside and back into the lead. He went on to extend his advantage and claim his fourth win of the season.

Motorbase’s Mat Jackson relegated Collard further down the order on lap three, but the latter was able to stem the flow thereafter and make the podium.

With just one event and three highly-anticipated BTCC races remaining this season, it is Tordoff leading the standings from the Honda duo of Shedden and Matt Neal. Incredibly Collard, Jackson, Jordan plus the Subarus of Colin Turkington and Jason Plato all remain in contention to claim the most coveted prize in British motor sport. Just 37 points separate the top seven with 67 still on offer at Brands Hatch.

West Surrey Racing/BMW continues to lead the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ standings, whilst Team JCT600 with GardX recaptured top spot in the Teams’ table.

Jordan cemented his position at the head of the Independents Drivers’ classification, and Motorbase Performance holds an unassailable points lead in the Independents Teams’ order.

Michael Epps was the Jack Sears Trophy winner at Silverstone, although Sutton is still in charge of the category’s proceedings.

Rounds 28, 29 and 30 of the 2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will take place at the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on 1/2 October.

Championship Leader

Sam Tordoff said: “From the off here we’ve had problems, so to come away having extended our lead from five points to 11 is quite frankly ridiculous! For me, the pressure is off as nobody expected this at the start of the year. I’m picking points up as we go along and seeing how we go from there really. It could be difficult at Brands with the ballast – it’s undulating, so we have to be wary. There are a lot of corners and stop-starts, though, which should suit the BMW.

“There are seven or eight guys taking points off each other out there as well as off of me, so we’ll see what happens. Regarding the competition, Honda has been up there for many years as the benchmark. I think the biggest threat comes from them – they’re experienced guys who have been there and done it. My team-mate’s there in the mirrors too, and you can never discount the Fords. It’s going to be a strange two weeks. I’ll try to keep myself sharp with BMW in the meantime, and Brands Hatch GP is my favourite circuit. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll go there the same way I did this weekend. I’ll prepare, do the simulator work and walk the track three times if needs be. Hopefully we’ll qualify well, which will be really important, and we’ll go from there.”

Silverstone Race Winners

Tom Ingram said: “Obviously it wasn’t the way we’d have liked to have won the race and it would have been nice to cross the finish line first on the road, but a win is still a win and we had the speed to run right at the front throughout. If it hadn’t been for Josh Cook’s robust move, I think we could have taken the fight back to Ash Sutton again, but we got the result in the end anyway, and it proved we are right back on the pace after recent events.”

Andrew Jordan said: “That was hard work. I think I’ve done myself a bit of an injury celebrating! We needed that. I’ve read in places that I’ve lost my mojo, well I’ll just remind them that I haven’t at all. After the safety car, I was trying to go as fast as I could to get a gap. I wasn’t worried about the tyres. I was controlling them well. I’ve perfected a technique to look after them from back in 2013. I could see Adam Morgan was using his fronts a bit harder. We’re back in the number one spot where we should be.”

Gordon Shedden said: “The rear-wheel drive cars made a good start and I had Mat Jackson on the inside as well. I thought ‘oh no’, but my car was right on it – there was an amazing amount of grip. I got my head down and made it back past Mat and then I nipped back past Rob Collard too. I could have gone another ten laps after the chequered flag, as I was absolutely loving it. We needed that so much, it was great. It’s going to be an amazing weekend next time out at Brands Hatch. Without a shadow of a doubt, I’ll be doing everything I can to retain my title. I think the last person to do it was Fabrizio Giovanardi back in ‘07/08. I’ve been on the back foot all season really and I’ve never given up. I’m delighted to go to Brands with a chance – that’s all I ask for.”

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 25 – Silverstone:

1 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport 21m49.891s (99.18 mph)

2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +3.478s

3 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +7.464s

4 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +10.121s

5 Jake HILL (GBR) RCIB Insurance Racing +16.570s

6 Aron SMITH (IRL) BKR +18.131s

7 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +18.307s

8 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +18.431s

9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +18.554s

10 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +18.785s

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 26 – Silverstone:

1 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance 26m44.945s (91.99 mph)

2 Adam MORGAN (GBR) WIX Racing +0.884s

3 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +2.456s

4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.662s

5 Jason PLATO (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +3.001s

6 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +3.253s

7 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +3.471s

8 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +4.409s

9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +5.043s

10 Hunter ABBOTT (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +5.993s

2016 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 27 – Silverstone:

1 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 21m54.766s (98.81 mph)

2 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.668s

3 Robert COLLARD (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +1.087s

4 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Silverline Subaru BMR Racing +2.009s

5 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2.426s

6 Sam TORDOFF (GBR) Team JCT600 Racing with GardX +2.586s+

7 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +5.399s

8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) Motorbase Performance +7.119s

9 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +7.914s

10 Ash SUTTON (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +9.275s