Thruxton BTCC - 04/06/23
Words and Images by Mitcham Media
Second event of June 2023 and first trip ever to Thruxton down near Andover for the British Touring Car Championship. After the joy of the A34 we were greeted with blazing sunshine scorching the tarmac of one of the fastest circuits in the UK.
This was the first time back at BTCC since Brands Hatch in October last year for the season finisher, the buzz of the circuit on race day had become even stronger in the however many months.
Support races for the day were set to be Mini7’s, Carrera Cup, Formula Four and Mini Challenge which set us up for an excellent day of action.
First up as always was a wander round the paddock to absorb some of the prep following Saturdays qualifying and racing.
Near enough every paddock had a range of music blaring but not nearly as much variation as the work going on with the cars from simple clean and polish to one car with an engine swap occurring.
BTCC is still very much a motorsport for the crowds with driver autograph and meet sessions a key and early part of the timetable, it’s great seeing fans/spectators young and old getting so enthusiast to meet the drivers and teams.
First race of the day was the Carrera Cup, a personal highlight series, and the action did not disappoint. We began spectating near the last chicane on the circuit where just on the out lap one driver managed to spin and narrowly avoiding a messy impact with other cars coming past.
The banks and grandstands were packed to watch the opening race which came complete with a symphony of screaming flat six notes from the Carrera’s.
22 laps of close racing through out the pack was a perfect way to begin the day and set us up perfectly for what was about to follow.
Following on from the Carreras came the first round of the BTCC for the day. The out lap sounded like a plague of very angry wasps was making it’s way round the Thruxton circuit and lining up on the start grid.
With 27 cars, the shear number of cars on track for a touring car race pre-empts the amount of chaos about to ensue. Following the grid walk, the lights went out and the bumper to bumper jostling for position began.
16 laps later and Ash Sutton crossed the line first in the Ford Focus ST, closely followed by Tom Ingram in the Hyundai i30N, the taking home third place was Josh Cook in the Honda Civiv Type R.
A contrast in cars for the lunchtime race with the Formula 4’s heading out in procession for the formation lap.
Open wheeled racing is often very difficult to get as engaged in as touring and GT racing, but stood up on the bank on the inside of Noble we had a fantastic view over almost the whole circuit seeing overtakes and near misses.
The race was quickly yellow flagged and safety car’ed as right in front of us three cars tried to enter Noble at the same time and consequently a slight touch of a front wing against a tyre sent two cars into a spin sending carbon every where (including the front wing near 30 feet into the air)
Straight after the Formula 4 race came the Mini7’s which was a stark contract in race speed and lap times going from full aero and lots of power to small classic saloon chassis with strict engine restrictions.
The field included a hand full of ex-touring car drivers who were putting on a real show and demonstrating how close to a contact sport racing can be.
The support races at the national series are often the better racing and give you a flavour of which drivers are up and coming through the ranks, it’s a great reason to not just watch the TV or YouTube coverage for an event and get circuit side.
The penultimate race was the second round of the Carrera Cup for the Sunday, another 22 laps of rear engined warfare.
Single make series like the Carrera Cup are a great way to test drivers and teams with the competitive edge coming from the skill behind the wheel and in setting up the car. There’s no scope for significant changes to the car which could give any one driver a massive advantage.
Winning round six was Charles Rainford followed by Josh Malin in the stunning Rosland Gold liveried car run by Century Motorsport
Closing the day under the late afternoon sunshine was the third BTCC race, and with Ash Sutton winning the first and second races the pressure was on to make it a full suite for the day.
Adam Morgan in the BMW 330i came storming round with a substantial lead on the first lap with the remainder of the grid a good 8 car lengths behind but in true BTCC style a strong lead at the beginning means anything but a win at the end.
Daniel Rowbottom (Focus ST) came out of the 16 laps on top taking the win, followed by Adam Morgan in the BMW. Despite coming 11th, Josh Cook claimed the fastest lap of the race by a significant margin.
As the BTCC grid returned to the paddock the day at Thruxton came to a close leaving behind some phenomenal racing memories and a good sun tan having had nothing but clear skies all day.
Many thanks to BTCC, Thruxton Circuit and British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) for organising and hosting such an excellent event. And thank you to the drivers, teams and sponsors across all the races for the preparation before the event and dedication to keeping the cars running and competitive through out the day.
Check out some more photos from the day below.
