BTCC Silverstone: Hill bats off Vauxhalls for free practice honours

One of four drivers in contention for the title, Hill set the fastest time in the early-morning session aboard his West Surrey Racing BMW 330e M Sport.

Hill was a monstrous 0.273 seconds clear of the opposition around the National Circuit in FP1, and set three laps quicker than the best anyone else managed.

His 57.622s from that running could not be dislodged in FP2, although some came very close.

Hill himself sat atop the times in that lunchtime session before Aron Taylor-Smith went quicker in his Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra with a 57.732s.

The Irish veteran, who had gone third in the opening session, looked set to earn bragging rights in FP2, before his team-mate Andrew Watson went faster still on the final lap.

The Northern Irishman’s 57.633s fell just 0.011s short of Hill’s earlier best, and he and Taylor-Smith completed what PMR team principal Adam Weaver reckons is the team’s first 1-2 in a BTCC session.

Hill was demoted to fourth in FP2 by reigning champion Tom Ingram’s Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N, but was happy with progress.

“The car’s feeling great today,” Hill told Autosport. “We’re off to a really good start, with no massive changes – we’re just seeing if we can get a bit more out of it.

“I know Watson went quickest in FP2 but there were no new tyres for ourselves – I’m pretty confident we’ll be there in quali.”

Ingram’s last-gasp improvement finally put his rookie Excelr8 Hyundai team-mate Ronan Pearson in the shade.

Árón Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra (Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images)

The Scottish youngster, who is part of a ferocious five-way Jack Sears Trophy title battle, celebrated his confirmation on Friday with Excelr8 for two more seasons by going second quickest in FP1, and then he went a mite quicker later en route to fifth in FP2.

All the other top 10 times overall were set in FP2, with Colin Turkington making it three of the overall title contenders in the top six at the wheel of his WSR BMW.

Mikey Doble completed the PMR Vauxhall joy by lapping seventh fastest – he was fourth, just behind Taylor-Smith, in FP1 – with Dan Cammish eighth at the wheel of the top Motorbase Performance Ford Focus ST.

Cammish is at the wheel of the spare Focus, following his massive shunt in free practice last time out at Donington Park.

Rory Butcher was ninth fastest in his Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla, with the WSR BMW of Adam Morgan completing the top 10.

Championship leader Ash Sutton languished down the times in his Motorbase Ford. He was sixth in FP1 but went slower later on, when he was 21st.

BTCC Silverstone practice results

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info

     

Driver Info			Main Information
Cla	Driver	#		Car	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h
1	A. Watson CarStore Power Maxed Racing	11		Vauxhall Astra	19	57.633		102.466
2	A. Taylor-Smith CarStore Power Maxed Racing	40		Vauxhall Astra	21	+0.099	0.099	102.291
3	T. Ingram BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	1		Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	20	+0.132	0.033	102.232
4	J. Hill Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	24		BMW 330e M Sport	20	+0.172	0.040	102.161
5	R. Pearson BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	14		Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	27	+0.189	0.017	102.131
6	C. Turkington Team BMW	4		BMW 330e M Sport	27	+0.275	0.086	101.980
7	M. Doble CarStore Power Maxed Racing	88		Vauxhall Astra	21	+0.289	0.014	101.955
8	D. Cammish NAPA Racing UK	27		Ford Focus ST	20	+0.291	0.002	101.952
9	R. Butcher Toyota Gazoo Racing UK	6		Toyota Corolla GR Sport	24	+0.303	0.012	101.930
10	A. Morgan Team BMW	33		BMW 330e M Sport	23	+0.339	0.036	101.867
11	D. Rowbottom NAPA Racing UK	32		Ford Focus ST	19	+0.395	0.056	101.769
12	S. Jelley Team BMW	12		BMW 330e M Sport	23	+0.428	0.033	101.711
13	R. Collard Toyota Gazoo Racing UK	37		Toyota Corolla GR Sport	21	+0.428	0.000	101.711
14	T. Chilton BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	3		Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	23	+0.486	0.058	101.609
15	B. Thompson Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown	19		Cupra León	23	+0.489	0.003	101.604
16	G. Gamble Toyota Gazoo Racing UK	42		Toyota Corolla GR Sport	27	+0.507	0.018	101.573
17	D. Lloyd Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils	123		Cupra León	23	+0.565	0.058	101.472
18	D. Patterson Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD.	17		Cupra León	24	+0.585	0.020	101.437
19	S. Osborne NAPA Racing UK	77		Ford Focus ST	22	+0.586	0.001	101.435
20	J. Cook One Motorsport with Starline Racing	66		Honda Civic Type R	14	+0.609	0.023	101.395
21	A. Sutton NAPA Racing UK	116		Ford Focus ST	22	+0.636	0.027	101.348
22	N. Halstead BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	22		Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	23	+0.675	0.039	101.280
23	A. Moffat One Motorsport with Starline Racing	16		Honda Civic Type R	22	+0.770	0.095	101.115
24	J. Butel Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown	96		Cupra León	20	+0.937	0.167	100.827
25	D. De Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD.	18		Cupra León	25	+1.058	0.121	100.619
26	J. Edwards Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD.	99		Cupra León	14	+1.129	0.071	100.498
27	M. Crees Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils	777		Cupra León	10	+1.410	0.281	100.019
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