Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill enjoyed a dream Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship weekend at Snetterton as he backed up Saturday’s pole position with a dominant double on Sunday (25/26 May).
The BMW talent took two lights-to-flag victories, but that doesn’t tell the full story, as the Kent driver had to win each contest in very different circumstances.
Championship leader Ash Sutton scored a seventh successive podium before than run eventually came to an end in race two, when the NAPA Racing UK star crashed out late on.
Podiums for Bobby Thompson, Dan Cammish, Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat also shook-up proceedings as the title race continues to take shape.
The final word went to home hero Rob Huff as he headed an incredible Toyota 1-2-3 in the final encounter, securing his first BTCC triumph in 20 years.
When the rain eventually cleared in Norfolk it was Sutton leaving the circuit with a ten-point advantage over Team BMW’s Colin Turkington in the overall Drivers’ standings, with Hill and Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS’ Tom Ingram only a further point in arrears – the top four blanketed by just 11 points with Cook also closing in.
The Alliance Racing/Ford outfit jumped BMW in the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ order, whilst NAPA Racing UK also tops the Teams’ table.
Árón Taylor-Smith and his Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing squad still hold sway in the Independents’ championships, whilst team-mate Mikey Doble is the Jack Sears Trophy leader.
The BTCC returns in two weeks’ time at Thruxton in Hampshire (8/9 June).
Lucky 13 for Jake Hill
The list of 2024 BTCC race winners continued to grow after Hill scored his 13th career success, becoming the fifth different race winner of the season so far.
Hill bounced back from a challenging Brands Hatch last time out to take pole position in Norfolk yesterday, and he duly backed that up with a dominant display in the opener around the 2.97-mile circuit.
The battle for the other places on the podium kicked off almost immediately as NAPA Racing UK's Sutton slotted into second, whilst Zeus Cloud Racing with WSR's Thompson blasted into fourth behind Team BMW stablemate Adam Morgan.
Morgan's pace seemed to fade by mid-distance as Thompson cruised by, before the latter focused on hunting down Sutton's #1 Ford Focus.
The moment eventually came as the new striking purple BMW blasted by Sutton on the start/finish straight to secure second.
Third still represented an impressive result for championship leader Sutton, as it confirmed his seventh successive podium to kick off his title defence.
BMW star Hill then claimed a stunning victory in a frenetic race two.
A huge storm descended onto Norfolk just minutes prior to the original start time, which caused a delay while water was removed from the track surface.
Incredibly, the circuit was basked in glorious sunshine shortly after as a mixture of wet and dry tyre options began to take shape during the race.
The drama had already started on-track too with pole-sitter Hill and his Zeus Cloud Racing with WSR stablemate Thompson receiving a ten second penalty for jumping the start.
The race win almost looked impossible for Hill, but he immediately set about stretching the gap at the head of the field, and when rain began to fall again later in the contest the race started to swing back the way of the Kent driver.
Hill was truly sublime in the wet conditions, pulling away from the chasing pack by more than 15 seconds to score a superlative second victory of the day.
NAPA Racing UK's Dan Cammish took second ahead of LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ's Cook, with the latter impressively rising from 14th on the grid.
