Jake Hill aiming for top ten finishes

Rising star Jake Hill is setting himself a target of top 10 finishes in his first BTCC outing in NGTC machinery.

The 19-year-old starred in the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus at Croft in June, taking a win in the Jack Sears Trophy in his first race in the championship.

And he is stepping up to the newer NGTC machines in this weekend’s finale, replacing Will Bratt in the Rob Austin Racing Audi A4.

Hill turned heads in first practice, setting the sixth best time while running on wet tyres throughout.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, he said:  “I was going for it and I got up to second at one point, which was brilliant. It felt really good in the wet, which was why I managed to get it right up there.

“The reason we didn’t go for slicks at the very end is just a confidence thing really. The tyres were finished anyway, so I thought I might as well ruin them. Come FP2 hopefully it will stay dry, and we will go from there.

“It is all weather dependent, but I think it would be good to get two, or even all three, top 10 finishes. That would be brilliant to try and do.”

On the car itself, he added: “Everything about it is different. The NGTC cars are a lot bigger and heavier than the S2000 Focus, and are not quite as nimble, but this has got more overall grip. And it is a bit quicker as well.

“Although it is very different, it is still an absolute pleasure to drive. “