Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Turkington fastest in Croft practice

Colin Turkington set the pace in practice for this weekend's British Touring Car Championship round at Croft in North Yorkshire

The Team RAC driver was quickest in the opening session in his BMW in 1:26.136 to wind up an impressive 0.422 seconds clear of Gordon Shedden's Team Halfords Honda.

Shedden set the pace in the afternoon session, but his time was slower overall than the mark he managed in the morning. This trend was echoed by most of the drivers in the top ten overall, while those further back tended to improve on their times in the later session.

Behind Turkington, who won at Croft last year, and Shedden, came Jason Plato, an excellent third quickest despite the former champion carrying 36 kilos of success ballast aboard his SEAT Leon TDI. Plato spun at Sunny corner in the morning session, but did not hit anything.

Tom Chilton and Darren Turner - teammates to Shedden and Plato respectively - were two of the three drivers in the top ten who did improve in the afternoon session, the Honda and SEAT drivers improving from eighth and ninth to fourth and fifth.

Matt Neal was the best of Vauxhall's trio of drivers in sixth, one place ahead of Tom Onslow-Cole and three ahead of champion and championship leader Fabrizio Giovanardi, carrying 45 kilos of ballast.

Adam Jones, who ripped the sump off his Team Air-Cool SEAT on the Clervaux kerbs in the first session, was eighth quickest overall while Mat Jackson completed the top ten for BMW Dealer Team UK.

Robertshaw Racing suffered a dismal start to their home race with Harry Vaulkhard failing to get out in either session in his Chevrolet Lacetti due to clutch problems, while his teammate Alan Taylor, who also missed first practice due to a broken halfshaft, did at least make it onto the track in his newly-liveried Honda Intergra.

Elsewhere, there were three offs for Turkish driver Erkut Kizilirmak, who did no damage to his Arkas Vauxhall Astra, and one for John George, who ripped off his TH Motorsport Honda's left front wheel arch.

Practice 1

Pos  Driver             Make       Time
 1.  Colin Turkington   BMW        1:26.136
 2.  Gordon Shedden     Honda      1:26.558 + 0.422
 3.  Jason Plato        SEAT       1:26.565 + 0.429
 4.  Matt Neal          Vauxhall   1:26.896 + 0.760
 5.  Tom Onslow-Cole    Vauxhall   1:26.908 + 0.772
 6.  Adam Jones         SEAT       1:26.951 + 0.815
 7.  F.Giovanardi       Vauxhall   1:27.051 + 0.915
 8.  Tom Chilton        Honda      1:27.058 + 0.922
 9.  Darren Turner      SEAT       1:27.143 + 1.007
10.  Mat Jackson        BMW        1:27.253 + 1.117
11.  Steven Kane        BMW        1:27.369 + 1.233
12.  Jason Hughes       Honda      1:27.965 + 1.829
13.  Mike Jordan        Honda      1:28.009 + 1.873
14.  Rob Collard        BMW        1:28.009 + 1.873
15.  Andrew Jordan      Honda      1:28.079 + 1.943
16.  Stephen Jelley     BMW        1:28.237 + 2.101
17.  Chris Stockton     SEAT       1:29.473 + 3.337
18.  John George        Honda      1:30.088 + 3.952
19.  Martyn Bell        Vauxhall   1:30.554 + 4.418
20.  Erkut Kizilirmak   Vauxhall   1:30.751 + 4.615
21.  Michael Doyle      Honda      1:30.847 + 4.711
22.  Stuart Oliver      SEAT       1:30.915 + 4.779

Practice 2

Pos  Driver             Make       Time
 1.  Gordon Shedden     Honda      1:26.687
 2.  Colin Turkington   BMW        1:26.712 + 0.025
 3.  Jason Plato        SEAT       1:26.767 + 0.080
 4.  Darren Turner      SEAT       1:26.786 + 0.099
 5.  Tom Chilton        Honda      1:26.809 + 0.122
 6.  Matt Neal          Vauxhall   1:26.995 + 0.308
 7.  Mat Jackson        BMW        1:27.098 + 0.411
 8.  Steven Kane        BMW        1:27.142 + 0.455
 9.  Andrew Jordan      Honda      1:27.269 + 0.582
10.  Tom Onslow-Cole    Vauxhall   1:27.356 + 0.669
11.  Rob Collard        BMW        1:27.366 + 0.679
12.  Stephen Jelley     BMW        1:27.434 + 0.747
13.  Adam Jones         SEAT       1:27.632 + 0.945
14.  F.Giovanardi       Vauxhall   1:27.903 + 1.216
15.  Mike Jordan        Honda      1:27.975 + 1.288
16.  Jason Hughes       Honda      1:28.398 + 1.711
17.  Chris Stockton     SEAT       1:28.948 + 2.261
18.  John George        Honda      1:29.211 + 2.524
19.  Erkut Kizilirmak   Vauxhall   1:29.634 + 2.947
20.  Michael Doyle      Honda      1:29.760 + 3.073
21.  Martyn Bell        Vauxhall   1:29.761 + 3.074
22.  Alan Taylor        Honda      1:30.570 + 3.883
23.  Stuart Oliver      SEAT       1:31.378 + 4.691

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Onslow-Cole sets sights on title
Next article Turner takes first BTCC diesel pole

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe