Spring break is over as BTCC returns at Oulton Park

The British Touring Car Championship returns to action at Oulton Park this weekend following the four-week spring break, with the celebrated Island layout facing the drivers once again.

The Cheshire circuit hosted its annual round of the series on the longer International circuit in 2014, but after some processional races which saw Colin Turkington take a stranglehold on the championship, a return to the traditional layout was inevitable.

And while Turkington and his fellow championship contenders will be looking to stamp their mark in the same way this year, for some drivers simply being on the grid will be an achievement.

Both AmD Tuning’s Mike Bushell and Speedworks Motorsport’s Simon Belcher have turned to crowd funding to raise the money to repair their cars after they clashed in qualifying at Thruxton.

And adding to the uncertainty during the break was the withdrawal of Infiniti as backer for the Support Our Paras Racing team. Boss Derek Palmer Sr has pledged to keep running the operation with son Derek Palmer Jr driving one of the Q50s, but it remains to be seen if anyone will drive the second car this weekend.

On the track, the grid will face quite a challenge on the 2.26 mile circuit, with ballast set to play a far bigger role than at Thruxton. With its many hard braking points, acceleration zones and elevation changes, the higher weight carried this year will undoubtedly have an effect.

Honda Racing Team’s Gordon Shedden is the man who will take the pain into qualifying and race one, but the series leader will still be confident on a track he has always shone on. Reigning champion Turkington is next in his new Team BMR Volkswagen CC, with Shedden’s team-mate Matt Neal just behind in the second Civic Type-R, ahead of a confident Jason Plato in fourth.

The two-time champion talked up his chances of pole after the Thruxton weekend, while just behind him, consistency is keeping 2013 champion Andrew Jordan hanging on to the leaders’ coat-tails despite not yet having won a race for Triple Eight Racing.

Conspicuous by their absence from the top of the standings but surely in line for a good showing this weekend are the West Surrey Racing BMW 125i trio of Andy Priaulx, Rob Collard and Sam Tordoff. Turkington’s domination last year was the catalyst for many an argument about parity, and both Priaulx and Collard have form on the Cheshire track.

And for Priaulx, the weekend sees him return to the scene of his first ever touring car race, for the Egg Sport Vauxhall team back in 2001 – a meeting which saw him take two poles and set off on the road of becoming one of the most decorated tin-top drivers of the decade.

The action gets under way with practice one at 10:00 BST on Saturday, with the usual truncated race day kicking off just after midday and finishing around 6pm.

BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRY LIST – OULTON PARK

No – Driver – Team Name – Car – Engine Builder/Marque

25 – Matt Neal – Honda Racing Team – Honda Civic Type-R – Neil Brown/Honda
52 – Gordon Shedden – Honda Racing Team – Honda Civic Type-R – Neil Brown/Honda
31 – Jack Goff – Triple Eight Racing – MG6 GT – Swindon/TOCA
77 – Andrew Jordan – Triple Eight Racing – MG6 GT – Swindon/TOCA
22 – Derek Palmer Jr – Support Our Paras Racing – Infiniti Q50 – Swindon/TOCA
84 – TBC – Support Our Paras Racing – Infiniti Q50 – Swindon/TOCA
6 – Rob Collard – West Surrey Racing – BMW 125i M-Sport – Neil Brown/BMW
7 – Sam Tordoff – West Surrey Racing – BMW 125i M-Sport – Neil Brown/BMW
111 – Andy Priaulx – West Surrey Racing – BMW 125i M-Sport – Neil Brown/BMW
1 – Colin Turkington – Team BMR – Volkswagen CC – Swindon/TOCA
99 – Jason Plato – Team BMR – Volkswagen CC – Swindon/TOCA
39 – Warren Scott – Team BMR – Volkswagen CC – Swindon/TOCA
40 – Árón Smith – Team BMR – Volkswagen CC – Swindon/TOCA
11 – Simon Belcher – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Avensis – Swindon/TOCA
80 – Tom Ingram – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Avensis – Swindon/TOCA
12 – Andy Wilmot – Welch Motorsport – Proton Gen-2 – Welch/Proton-M
13 – Daniel Welch – Welch Motorsport – Proton Gen-2 – Welch/Proton-M
16 – Aiden Moffat – Aiden Moffat Racing – Mercedes A-Class – Swindon/TOCA
17 – Dave Newsham – Power Maxed Racing – Chevrolet Cruze Saloon – Swindon/TOCA
66 – Josh Cook – Power Maxed Racing – Chevrolet Cruze Saloon – Swindon/TOCA
21 – Mike Bushell – AmD Tuning – Ford Focus ST – Mountune/Ford Duratec
23 – Kieran Gallagher – Tony Gilham Racing – Toyota Avensis – Toyota/Xctechr
30 – Martin Depper – Eurotech Racing – Honda Civic Hatchback – Swindon/TOCA
55 – Jeff Smith – Eurotech Racing – Honda Civic Hatchback – Swindon/TOCA
33 – Adam Morgan – Ciceley Racing – Mercedes-Benz A-Class – Swindon/TOCA
54 – Hunter Abbott – Rob Austin Racing – Audi A4 – Swindon/TOCA
101 – Rob Austin – Rob Austin Racing – Audi A4 – Swindon/TOCA
95 – Stewart Lines – JWT Performance – Toyota Avensis – Swindon/TOCA

TIMETABLE (ALL TIMES BST)

Saturday:
Free Practice 1: 10.00-10.40
Free Practice 2: 12:45-13:25
Qualifying: 15:20-15:50

Sunday:
Race One (15 Laps) – 12.17
Race Two (15 Laps) – 15.32
Race Three (15 Laps) – 17:42