A charging double top ten finish in race three from Honda duo Matt Neal and Dan Cammish ensured a positive conclusion for Halfords Yuasa Racing at Silverstone during Rounds 25/26/27 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Silverstone, with Dan Cammish successfully securing the coveted Jack Sears Trophy in his rookie season.
… and it could be the first trophy of many for drivers using Cobra seats as they lead every class as we approach the final three rounds of the season.
The battle for the BTCC Driver’s Championship – the biggest prize in British motorsport - will go down to the wire at Brands Hatch as the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s Diamond Jubilee reaches its climax.
Realistically it’s a two-way fight for top honours between two “Cobra drivers”: Team BMW’s double champion Colin Turkington and top Independent runner Tom Ingram in his Speedworks Toyota Avensis, with the Northern Irishman the hunted, rather than the hunter this year.
At Silverstone, current Indy champ Ingram produced a trademark fight through the field to seal victory in race two, leaving him well placed to score strongly in the final race of the day – which he duly did with a second-place finish. As a result, Turkington’s lead leaving Northamptonshire was clipped by nine points to 34. With 67 points on offer over the course of a BTCC race weekend, there is sure to be a nail-biting finale to a remarkable season which has seen a record 16 different race winners.
While, inevitably, focus is now concentrated on the battle for honours, other drivers using Cobra seats had notable results at Silverstone: In Race 1 Ricky Collard took the third step on the podium in his West Surrey Racing BMW 125, with Matt Simpson in his Simpson Racing Honda Civic taking a very creditable fifth place.
In Race 2, while Tom Ingram was stealing the headlines with his win, Ricky and Matt put in more solid performances to claim fourth and fifth respectively.
Similarly in race three, while most eyes were on the battle between Tom and Colin, who came second and third respectively, Rob Austin grabbed an impressive fifth in his HMS Racing Alfa Romeo Guilietta … and of course Dan’s 8th place finish behind Matt secured him the prestigious Jack Sears Trophy.
