WSR and BMW continue their push for the British Touring Car Championship’s Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles as the series reaches its penultimate event of 2024 at Silverstone this weekend.
Silverstone is the most significant circuit on the calendar for WSR. It was on the National Circuit where the team won its debut race in 1981 as Jonathan Palmer triumphed at the opening round of the British Formula 3 Championship.
The no-longer-used ‘International’ layout was the scene of the team’s maiden BTCC victory in 1998 as Will Hoy came out on top in a wet/dry pitstop race while Tom Kristensen won the last two races of the series ‘Super Touring’ era in 2000.
Its various layouts have produced seven wins since then including four in the past four seasons for Jake Hill and Colin Turkington; both of whom arrive at the 1.85-mile circuit in contention for the title.
Jake heads the Drivers’ Championship by nine points following six victories and five additional podiums in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport.
A winner at Silverstone in each of the past three seasons, the Kent racer is aiming to continue his impressive recent form and head to the Brands Hatch season finale on top of the points table.
Four-time BTCC Champion Colin’s recent form has been the strongest in the series, the Team BMW man’s 127 points, two pole positions and three wins since the summer break being significantly better than any other driver.
The Northern Irishman, who lives near Silverstone, has used that to elevate himself to fourth in the Drivers’ standings.
He aims to add to his three previous wins at the track – including one last year – as he also attempts to move BMW into the lead of a Manufacturers’ Championship that the German brand is aiming to win for a record 10th time.
Team BMW team-mate Adam Morgan has been a five-time podium finisher at Silverstone; most recently in 2022 at the wheel of a BMW 330e M Sport.
The Lancashire racer has been one of the strongest qualifiers since the summer break and has played a key role in Team BMW being the highest-scoring team at each of the past two events.
Sitting just 11 points away from seventh spot in the standings, Adam aims to use the weekend to snare a big score and achieve his first win of the season.
HOW TO WATCH…
While all races will be broadcast in HD on ITV4 on Sunday from 1045, a world-first agreement means that viewers from around the world will be able to watch the races live on the ITV Sport TikTok channel without restrictions, opening up the series to a live global audience for the first time. Qualifying will be broadcast on the ITV Sport YouTube channel.
NEED TO KNOW…
To aid overtaking, drivers can access the series’ standard Hybrid Energy Management System, during qualifying and racing, meaning up to a 60bhp increase against cars not using boost.
Because of their championship positions, Jake and Colin will be allowed to use hybrid boost for one and seven seconds on each lap of qualifying respectively and for five and eight laps of Race One. Boost will be available to Jake once he is doing 135kph and to Colin at 130kph.
Adam can access his boost from 115kph, will be able to use it for 15s per lap in qualifying and for 12 laps in Race One. Boost allocations will be re-set based on the Race One finishing order.
The ‘Quick Six’ qualifying format debuted at the opening round and features the field split in half for a 10-minute Q1 session with the fastest six drivers from each group progressing to the next stage.
The remaining 12 cars take part in a 10-minute Q2 with the fastest six progressing to the ‘Quick Six’ Q3, in which the fastest driver will take pole position.
At Silverstone the medium-compound Goodyear will be the standard tyre while the soft must also be used during one of Sunday’s three races.
WHAT THEY SAID…
Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, said: “This is the business end of the season. Things really aren’t that different to a year ago in that we came to Silverstone knowing we’d have a fast BMW and then following through on the promise with a win. What is different though is that in 2023 we were chasing and now we’re ahead in the standings so that makes us a target for everyone else. We just have to keep doing what we’ve done at every track so far; maximise the points and leave here in as strong a position as we possibly can.”
Colin Turkington, Team BMW, said: “The second half of the season has gone really well for us. The engineers at WSR have got the BMW to the point where we have a very fast car straight out of the box and can then focus on fine-tuning things for me during the sessions. That’s exactly what we need to repeat at Silverstone as we aim to keep closing on the series lead and do what we can to help BMW take the lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship.”
Adam Morgan, Team BMW, said: “We’ve had really good speed from the BMW over the past few events, but we’ve had a bit of bad luck, whether it was the issue at Knockhill in Race Three or when the rain came at Donington in qualifying, that’s stopped us putting up a really big weekend score. What’s clear is just how close we are to wins and podiums, because the car is always capable of it. I think the hybrid boost – double what it was last year – is going to be a lot more of a factor here than in 2023 and I’ll aim to use that to my advantage as I have more than the title contenders.”
Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “This Silverstone weekend could be very different to any we’ve seen in the past. Qualifying here has always been about slipstreaming, but with only 10 minutes in each session, you won’t be able to do the ‘team drafting’. That should make the battle for pole more open than normal, and with double the hybrid boost available compared to last year, we could see a very unusual grid. Despite Silverstone usually being a front-wheel-drive circuit, we’ve won four times in the past four years, which is more than any other team, and that gives us confidence to arrive and be in the ballpark with the BMWs.”
