![]() Michael Crees is making a sensational return to BTCC, having been announced as Bobby Thomson's replacement at Team HARD. Tony Gilham's outfit released a statement earlier this morning announcing Thompson's departure, stating that "the current economic climate, coupled with the increase in costs to compete has presented unprecedented challenges for the team. " Having made his debut in the BTCC with Team HARD. Racing in 2018, Bobby Thompson returned to the team in 2022 after switching to GKR TradePriceCars.com for the 2020 season. He walked away with the Jack Sears Trophy last year and had enjoyed a consistent start to this year's campaign with five top-ten finishes so far. Team HARD also went on to say: "The team wants to emphasise that this decision was not made lightly. Bobby has been an integral part of the team, he has met his targets on-track, his financial commitments for the season off it and his contributions to the racing program are deeply valued. Bobby has become one of the Team HARD. Racing family and his absence from the track for the remainder of the season is met with the greatest regret." Soon afterwards, it was also announced that crowd-favourite 'Creesy' would be returning to the tin-top competition to take up the spare seat for the remainder of the season, back with the team he made his BTCC debut for back in 2019. Both Crees' absence from the grid and the fan's pleas for him to return have been noticeable so far this season. The Kent-based driver, who spent the opening few months of this season competing in the British GT Championship after leaving Power Maxed Racing in the summer, is relishing the challenge that awaits him back in the BTCC. “I’m so excited to be returning to Team HARD. I have missed the family feel and even though I’ve been at other teams they have always made me and my family feel welcome. “The team has come on leaps and bounds over the last few years and it’s been showing in the results out on track. I’m super excited to jump in the Cupra, dust off some cobwebs and give it my best shot!” The latest news tops off a very busy week for Team HARD.Racing, which started last week with Daryl DeLeon being promoted to the team after Jade Edwards' switch to One Motorsport with StarLine Racing. Michael Crees will join Daniel Lloyd in the Autobrite Direct with Miller's Oils half of the garage and is set to make his first appearance when the BTCC returns after the summer break, at Croft on 29th & 30th July. Chris Tetreault-Blay BTCC Journalist @ F1 Journal
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![]() This weekend sees the summer break’s penultimate race as the paddock head to Hungary. Daniel Ricciardo fans will be anticipating his return as he replaces Alpha Tauri’s Nyck De Vries only 10 races into his Formula One career. Ricciardo previously drove for the team when in 2012, back when it was called Toro Rosso. Alpha Tauri released this statement on their Instagram from Team principal Franz Tost “The team will profit a lot from his experience as he is an eight-time formula one grand prix winner. I would like to thank Nyck for his valuable contribution during his time with us”. Although a huge success in Formula e, after winning the 2021 drivers championship, De Vries’ team Alpha Tauri sit at the bottom of the Constructors championship with only 2 points, provided by Yuki Tsunoda. Ricciardo’s return has not only ended De Vries’ time in Redbulls sister team but has become a serious threat to Tsunoda and Sergio Perez. Daniel Ricciardo’s performance in Hungary will be used to assess Yuki Tsunoda's performance, testing whether the poor race results come from the drivers or the car itself as Yuki Tsunoda has also provided us with a disappointing season so far. P10 being his best finish of the season. Will the Honey badger top that? However, the Alpha Tauri boys haven’t been the only drivers failing to meet Helmut Marko expectations as it is well-known knowledge that Redbull's number 2 driver Sergio Perez has not been meeting the team's targets. Checo sits nearly 100 points behind teammate Max Verstappen yet drives the same machinery. Perez has a lot to improve on as he has gone 5 races in a row where he has failed to reach Q3 and the podium of the feature races, leaving Verstappen to defend out front alone on Sundays. The Redbull family is known for being cut-throat, after replacing many drivers mid-season.
Daniel Ricciardo has now been added to the Formula One driver’s championship standings and is available to pick in F1 fantasy. Bronwen Jones Writer @F1 Journal ![]() Jade Edwards has re-joined One Motorsport for the remainder of the BTCC season, as the replacement for Will Powell. The Brackley-based outfit announced Powell's departure on Thursday, who has been removed from all of his role's within the team. Powell was not only a member of the driving team on the track, but also held a commercial position with Motus One, the company that merged with BTC Racing during the summer to form One Motorsport. The reason for Powell's departure has not yet been disclosed. The news of the move came shortly after Team HARD announced Jade's departure, also citing that she was "remaining within the BTCC." It is an emphatic return for Jade Edwards as she returns to the team she raced for through the 2021 and 2022 seasons, back into the Honda Civic Type R that she already knows well and linking up again with former team-mate Josh Cook and Aidan Moffat. One Motorsport currently sit 4th in the overall Team's standings and are leading the Independant Team's championship with 276 points. Whilst Jade's sudden departure leaves an open seat in one of the Team HARD-run Cupra Leons, the team have been quick to announce the promotion of Daryl DeLeon, the winner of their acclaimed 2023 scholarship program, to replace Jade Edwards in the BTCC squad for the remainder of the season. DeLeon has already impressed by not only establishing a commanding lead in the Radical UK championship, but also in his run-out in the Team HARD Cupra Leon a couple of weeks ago at the recent Goodyear tyre test at Donington Park. Both drivers are expected to make their debuts for their new teams in a couple of weeks when the BTCC returns to Croft on 29th & 30th July, the first weekend back from the competition's mid-season break. Chris Tetreault-Blay BTCC Journalist @ F1 Journal ![]() r "Who is the greatest BTCC driver of all time?" This is a question that over the years every BTCC fan has asked themselves and each other, with everyone having their own different opinion. Given it's sixty-five-year year history, I'm not even sure how - of even, if - we can find a definitive answer. But over the next few weeks, I am sure going to try! This is one of my favourite discussions to have amongst followers of the tin-top competition, not only due to the wide variety of opinions that fans have as to who would be their choice (and the very valid arguments for and against) but because of the number of factors one must consider when trying to determine who can be crowned the greatest-of-all-time. It's very tempting to simply go on championship wins as, surely, the very pinnacle of any competition is to be at the top of the tree and win that title? The easy answer is yes, as what is the point of competing if you aren't playing (or in this case, racing) to win? And it is also simpler to decide on this as you only have to go as far as the BTCC history books to find out. However, by very nature the BTCC is hugely unpredictable and throws many different possibilities at us that we need to consider. How about the driver who has the most race wins? The one with the highest points tally? Or even the best race-to-win ratio? Or is it all of the above? Already you can see the complexities that exist in picking out just one driver who claim the title of GOAT in a championship which has evolved year-on-year, decade-upon-decade during it's existence, providing us all with non-stop entertainment, but over the next few weeks I will explore all of these possible criteria in more depth to try and eke out an answer. For each topic, I will highlight not only who the record-holders are but the other chief contenders who should also be given consideration. To kick us off, this week I am looking at those who have already claimed the overall prize on the track - the BTCC Champions. Throughout it's history, thirty-seven different drivers have claimed the BTCC's top prize, including a total of eight double-winners, seven 'three-peat'ers and two that stand a cut above them all. The Record Holders Andy Rouse (4 times) Undoubtedly one of the top names synonymous with the history of BTCC is record-setting four-time champion, Andy Rouse. Debuting in 1973 (when the competition was known as the British Saloon Car Championship), it only took Rouse two years to bag his first overall title in 1975, behind the wheel of a Triumph Dolomite Sprint. After forming his partnership with Industrial Control Services, Rouse followed in the footsteps of BTCC greats Bill McGovern and Win Percy by winning three consecutive driver's championships between 1983 and 1985 in three different cars, becoming the first driver to win the title four times in the process - a record he would hold for twenty-five years. Still within the age of the multi-class competition, Rouse was unable to add more championships to his name despite racking up an impressive tally of outright race wins over the next several years, topping the powerful Class A championship five out of six years between 1984 and 1989. Andy Rouse is also credited as being one of the fore-fathers of the Super Touring era, being part of the group that decided on the formula that would put an end to the disparate class-related system and ushering in arguably one of the most exciting period in the competition's history. Colin Turkington (4 times) The modern-day era of BTCC boasts many potential legends in the making but Colin Turkington can happily walk amongst them knowing that although he is still very much active, his own name is already etched firmly in the history books. Graduating from the Ford Credit Fiesta Zetec Championship, the Ulsterman debuted in BTCC back in 2002 in a West Surrey Racing-run MG ZS. After several years of bouncing between different machines, it was in 2009 that Turkington sealed his first overall BTCC title behind the wheel of a BMW 320si E90. He would then take a few years break from the British competition to compete in the World Touring Car and Scandinavian Touring Car equivalents, before returning to BTCC with WSR in 2013. It was as if he'd never been away, as he secured his second championship in 2014. Back-to-back championships followed in 2018 and 2019, making him a four-time champion and equalling Andy Rouse's quarter-century-old record. Conversely to Rouse, all of Turkington's championship wins have come with the same team (WSR) and all in BMW's. Even today, Colin Turkington finds himself in the championship mix and putting on legendary performances, like he did the last time out at Oulton Park back in June. ![]() The Other Contenders Although Rouse and Turkington hold the official records, there are other past champions we need to discuss, who could also be considered for our title of Greatest of All Time. I could easily sit here and talk about all of the other three-time champions, for example, and wax lyrical about their achievements and why they all deserve their place in this debate. With that in mind, there are a couple which I do need to give an honourable mention to. Ash Sutton (3 times) Of course, no discussion about past or future BTCC legends would not be complete without talking about triple-winner and current championship leader, Ashley Sutton. His record really does speak for itself. After winning the Renault Clio Cup in his debut season in the competition in 2015, Sutton was quickly granted an opportunity to perform on the grandest stage of all tin-top sport and made his debut in the BTCC in 2016. Making an impression that year and finishing a respectable 13th in the championship, Sutton went several steps beyond the next year and clinched his first BTCC driver's title in 2017 in the Adrian Flux Subraru Racing Subraru Levorg. After Colin Turkington's back-to-back championships the next two years, it was time for Ash to reclaim his crown with his own double in 2020 and 2021. Becoming a three-time champion within his first six years in the BTCC is a remarkable feat in itself but also consider that not only has As Sutton achieved this already but - given his current form - could join Turkington and Rouse as a four-time champion before his thirtieth birthday! Of all of the 'three-peaters', it is safe to say that Ash Sutton is more than deserving to be part of this conversation. ![]() Matt Neal (3 times) Whilst we are talking about three-time champions, we simply cannot ignore the accomplishments of one Matt Neal. Taking nothing away from other triple-winners in BTCC's history - which include Bernard Unett, Frank McGovern, Win Percy and Neal's Team Dynamics team-mate, Gordon Shedden - it is Matt Neal's story that will forever live on within BTCC folklore. Making his first few appearances during the 1991 season, Matt joined his father Steve's Team Dynamics outfit for his first full campaign in 1992, taking charge of the previous season's championship-winning BMW M3 from Will Hoy. However, it was in 1999 that Matt made his biggest statement of all by becoming the first Independant's driver to win a BTCC race outright with a victory at Donington Park in his Nissan Primera, bagging himself a cheque for a cool £250,000. Neal's first BTCC championship came in 2005, in the Team Dynamics-run Halford Racing Honda Integra, and he retained the title again in 2006. After a brief stint at VX Racing for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Neal returned to the Team Dynamics fold in 2010, narrowly missing out on the title to his long-time rival, Jason Plato. Vengeance would come the following year, however, as Neal pipped team-mate Shedden to the post, securing his third and final title. As if all of this is not enough, let's not forget that Matt Neal also holds the record for the most Independant's Drivers Championships with six in total between 1993 and 2006, two of which he won alongside his overall Driver's Championship wins! Well, we have our first few names thrown into the ring but we have only just started to scratch the surface! Check out next week's article where we will be delving into the next category - the Race Winners. Will we see a few of these names return again to stake their claim as the BTCC GOAT? Let's find out! Chris Tetreault-Blay BTCC Journalist @ F1 Journal ![]() © Mclaren Media What a British Grand Prix Weekend. Wet to Dry Qualifying, Mclarens on the front 2 rows and a Silverstone Crowd that made me proud to be an F1 fan. lets go through Team by Team and see how their Weekend went. Redbull- 1st & 6thMclaren- 2nd & 4thMercedes- 3rd & 5thAston Martin- 7th & 14thWilliams- 8th & 11thFerrari- 9th & 10thAlfa Romeo- 12th & 15thHAAS- 13th & DNFAlpha Tauri- 16th & 17thAlpine- DNF & DNFA couple of weeks later in Saudi Arabia another dismal result of 15 th and 17 th failed to gain confidence.
There has always been a question mark over whether McLaren’s board were going to depart ways with Zak Brown. It must be said that Zak’s contributions to McLaren have seen a rapid increase in sponsorship and engagement for the brand as a whole. Attending races over the last couple of years since the pandemic the varied range of McLaren fans can easily be identified by their papaya baseball caps regardless of age. With that parting of ways, the final stages of announcing Daniel’s replacement Oscar Piastri started off confusing just about everyone with Alpine announcing him as their replacement for Fernando Alonso, then for Oscar to publicly announce that wasn’t the case and then a couple of days later McLaren confirm the appointment. I believe Alpine did this deliberately to force the confirmation but isn’t that what silly season is all about? Lastly the change in what must have been the equivalent of being a pinball fired around a machine level of travel. If you take a close look at Zak’s movements over 2022 to say at times, he was absent from races and attendance at and all time low at HQ wouldn’t be far from the truth as he explored his other hobbies. David Stone
Writer @ F1 Journal RACE STATS -LAPS- 52 CIRCUIT LENGTH- 5.891 RACE DISTANCE- 306.198 CORNERS- 18 10 RIGHT 8 LEFT DRS- 2 ACTIVATION 1- Entry turn 3 DEPLOYMENT 1- Exit turn 5 ACTIVATION 2- Entry turn 11 DEPLOYMENT 2- Exit turn 14 TIMES HELD- 77 DOWNFORCE LEVEL- HIGH TYRE DEGRADATION- Medium/High TIME AT FULL THROTTLE- 70% GEAR CHANGES PER LAP- 40 TIME LOST IN PITLANE- 29secs POLE SIDE- LEFT TYRE COMPOUNDS- HARD MEDIUM SOFT C1 C2 C3 MINIMUM STARTING TYRE PRESSURES- FRONT REAR 26.5psi 23.0psi MAXIMUM STARTING TYRE CAMBER- FRONT REAR -2.75° -1.50° TRACK STATS-PREVIOUS RESULTS2020 BRITISH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING 1 HAM 1.24.303 2 BOT 1.24.616 3 VER 1.25.325 RACE- 1 HAM (1 stop) 2 VER (2 stop) 3 LEC (1 stop) FASTEST LAP- 1.27.097 LAP 52 2020 70TH ANNIVERSARY GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING- 1 BOT 1.25.154 2 HAM 1.25.217 3 HUL 1.26.082 RACE- 1 VER (2 stop) 2 HAM (2 stop) 3 BOT (2 stop) FASTEST LAP- 1.28.451 HAM LAP 43 2021 BRITISH GRAND PRIX SPRINT WEEKEND SPRINT QUALIFYING- 1 HAM 1.26.134 2 VER 1.26.209 3 BOT 1.26.328 SPRINT RACE/QUALIFYING- 1 VER 2 HAM 3 BOT FEATURE RACE- 1 HAM (2 stop) 2 LEC (2 stop) 3 BOT (2 stop) FASTEST LAP- 1.28.617 PER LAP 50 2022 BRITSH GRAND PRIX QUALIFYING- 1 SAI 1.40.983 2 VER 1.41.005 3 LEC 1.41.298 RACE- 1 SAI (3 stop) 2 PER (3 stop) 3 HAM (3 stop) FASTEST LAP – 1.30.510 HAM LAP 52 WEEKEND SCHEDULE F1- F2 -F3RANDOM FACTS
The mid-season break may be in full swing but the BTCC crew showed that they are on anything but a holiday, as the premier tin top competition returned to Donington Park for this year’s official Goodyear tyre test earlier this week. Árón Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing, said: “This was definitely the most productive day of testing we’ve had so far this year. To finish the day in second is always a nice little boost, but as always, there’s definitely more time to come in the car and from myself.
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