Tom Chilton chasing seasonal best at Thruxton

Tom Chilton says he is hopeful that the return to Thruxton this weekend will provide him with his best chance yet of fighting for silverware for the first time in the 2022 BTCC season.

The experienced racer had endured a tricky campaign since switching to EXCELR8 Motorsport over the winter having yet to finish higher than ninth, but showed strong pace through practice and qualifying last time out at Snetterton as he ran comfortably inside the top ten.

A clip failure at the start of the opening race would cause terminal engine damage to his Hyundai however and brought his race day to an early end, with the team unable to get the unit replaced in time for the remaining two races.

Whilst that meant no points from the meeting, Chilton admitted there were still positives for him to now take into the eighth meeting of the season as he bids to try and his year on a high.

“Although Snetterton was such a disappointing weekend in terms of race day, I came away from it feeling really positive because the pace we had shown throughout practice and qualifying was so strong,” he said. “We were consistently inside the top ten, and it was arguably the most competitive I’ve been in the car so far this season.

“It showed how the work we’ve done to get the Hyundai more suited to my driving style is now paying off, and gives us a platform to build on over the final three rounds.

“Thruxton is one of my favourite circuits on the calendar, and I’m optimistic that we can go there this weekend and battle inside the top ten. I genuinely feel this is my best opportunity yet to fight for some silverware, and if the chance comes along, I’m planning to grab it with both hands!”