Knockhill BTCC: Colin Turkington dominates race one
Colin Turkington dominated the opening British Touring Car Championship round at Knockhill to bring his WSR-run BMW 1 Series home more than three seconds clear of the field
The Northern Irishman assumed the lead during an audacious three-wide overtaking move into the hairpin at the end of the second lap and he did not look back.
He held firm despite a mid-race safety car period to claim his fourth win of the season and his first ever at the Fife circuit.
With the BMW clear, attention centred around the fight for second position as Gordon Shedden's works Honda battled with the soft-tyred Audi A4 of polesitter Rob Austin.
The Honda pulled clear initially but Austin's car came on strong again over the closing stages to finish on the bootlid of the Civic.
Further back, Ciceley Racing Toyota Avensis driver Adam Morgan had one of his strongest races of the season. He unseated both the works Honda of Matt Neal and the MG of Jason Plato to secure fourth place. He was closing in on the battle for second position at the flag.
Plato came home in fifth despite two nudges - the first involving Neal and the second with Morgan - ahead of Rob Collard's WSR BMW.
Neal was seventh from Andrew Jordan's Eurotech Honda Civic.
The mid-race safety car period, which lasted for five laps, was caused when Paul O'Neill hit the barriers on the exit of the hairpin on lap nine after a clash with Nick Foster's WSR BMW.
In the Jack Sears Trophy, Liam Griffin lifted the spoils in his Ford Focus after fending off Lea Wood's Vauxhall Vectra to the flag.
Results - 27 laps: Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap 1. Colin Turkington WSR BMW 26m41.180s 2. Gordon Shedden Honda +3.452s 3. Rob Austin Austin Audi +4.229s 4. Adam Morgan Ciceley Toyota +4.864s 5. Jason Plato MG +6.867s 6. Rob Collard WSR BMW +7.939s 7. Matt Neal Honda +11.386s 8. Andrew Jordan Eurotech Honda +11.510s 9. Sam Tordoff MG +15.183s 10. Aron Smith Motorbase Ford +17.975s 11. Dave Newsham Speedworks Toyota +18.300s 12. Mat Jackson Motorbase Ford +20.125s 13. Tom Onslow-Cole Hard VW +20.631s 14. Frank Wrathall Dynojet Toyota +23.044s 15. Ollie Jackson Speedworks Toyota +24.715s 16. Nick Foster WSR BMW +25.233s 17. Liam Griffin Motorbase Ford +36.607s* 18. Mike Bushell IP Chevrolet +36.846s 19. Lea Wood Wood Vauxhall +37.428s* 20. Will Bratt Austin Audi +1 lap 21. Aiden Moffat Finesse Chevrolet +1 lap* 22. Kieran Gallagher Hard Vauxhall +2 laps Retirements: David Nye Welch Ford 26 laps* Daniel Welch Welch Proton 25 laps Paul O'Neill Hard Vauxhall 7 laps Warren Scott BMR VW 0 laps * S2000
Knockhill BTCC: Rob Austin grabs pole, Colin Turkington second
Knockhill BTCC: Colin Turkington wins again in race two
How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test
Expectations were high for the start of the British Touring Car Championship’s hybrid power era, and despite nerves and problems to solve prior to its debut the new rules gained widespread approval. Here’s how the first test at Donington Park was passed and the thorough examinations that are to follow
The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions
Reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton and Porsche Carrera Cup GB victor Dan Cammish form a potent line-up at the Motorbase-run NAPA Racing team as the series adopts hybrid power. With Sutton bringing the key components of his title-winning Laser Tools Racing set-up, and Cammish eager to prove a point on his return, their dynamic is set to be one of the season's major talking points
The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on
Veteran team manager Marvin Humphries and former Tech-Speed team boss has worked not only with stars of the British Touring Car Championship, but legends including Gil de Ferran, Hans Stuck and Tom Sneva in a long and varied career that has spanned five decades across tin-tops, single-seaters and sportscars
The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star
Having started out in club-level competitions alongside his own university engineering studies, Josh Cook's journey to becoming an established frontrunner in the British Touring Car Championship is atypical. But it's these experiences that have moulded the 30-year-old into a humble star, respected throughout the paddock
Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021
A refresh in equipment and some returning faces helped contribute to a supremely competitive 2021 British Touring Car Championship campaign. Ash Sutton was crowned a three-time champion, successfully defending his 2020 title, but faced stiff competition in the final year before the switch to hybrid. Autosport picks out the best performers
Why the BTCC's ballast increase couldn't stop champion Sutton
Ballast will be gone from the BTCC next year as hybrid power enters the scene, but for its final season the maximum was increased from 60kg to 75kg. Despite having to carry that nearly all season, Ash Sutton was always the favourite to pocket a third title - the 27-year-old getting his reward for a season of speed tempered by savvy to nail his opportunities
The much-loved tin-top superstar bowing out at 59
OPINION: It's not often that a driver achieves widespread affection for their personality, as well as their on-track performances. One such individual is Gabriele Tarquini, who will soon bring the curtain down on a remarkable career that has yielded touring car titles on the European and global stage - and, famously, in Britain too
The making of the BTCC's newest superstar
Ash Sutton is on the verge of being crowned a three-time British Touring Car Champion; he seems to have it all. But life hasn't always been straightforward for this superstar of touring cars, as Marcus Simmons has been finding out