[BTCC] Round Four, Thruxton 03-04 Jun, Races 10,11&12

[crmalcolm]

The fourth meeting of the 2023 KwikFit BTCC season sees visit to Thruxton.
A quick glance of the site and it is easily identified that this track began life as an airfield, with the circuit following what was essentially the airfield perimeter track. The site is also the location of the BARC HQ.

(thruxtonracing.co.uk) Like many race circuits Thruxton was originally a wartime airfield. Commissioned in 1941 the airfield was host to both the RAF and USAF and played a major part in the D-Day landings as a base for troop carrying aircraft and gliders. Declared surplus to requirements in 1946, motorsport started in 1950 with motor bikes on a track comprising both the runways and perimeter roads.
Cars joined the bikes in 1952 for only one year as the deteriorating wartime tarmac was breaking up badly. Amazingly, bikes continued racing until 1965, but by then plans were under way to redevelop the site and motor racing returned on a new track in 1968. The new layout ignored the old runways and followed the lines of the perimeter road with the inclusion of the chicane and further round the track three tight corners in succession: Campbell, Cobb and Segrave, commonly referred to as the Complex.
Even with these tight corners Thruxton is the fastest race circuit in the UK, with Formula Renaults averaging well over 100mph in race conditions. Thruxton soon gained a reputation as a real drivers circuit with its seemingly never ending high speed corners around the back of the track where success required total commitment.
Thruxton's fame grew from the Easter Monday Formula 2 meetings where Formula 1 drivers of the day battled with up and coming talent. Household names like Graham Hill, Jackie Stewart and Jochen Rindt all thrilled the crowds in the early races. Since then Thruxton has seen all our recent Formula 1 drivers race regularly at the track at some time in their career.
In 1993 Damon Hill, Formula 1 World Champion, drove a demonstration run in the Williams FW15C, recording an incredible 57.6 second lap of the 2.4 mile circuit, an average speed of 147.25mph.
It is now the high speed rounds of the British Touring car championship and Superbikes that regularly bring in capacity crowds. If you follow these series you may have seen Thruxton on the television or even lapped the circuit on the Playstation Touring Car game, but as always there is nothing like doing it for real.

Thruxton first appeared as a BTCC [BSCC] circuit for the 1968 season, winners that day were Chris Craft (Class A), Graham Janzen (Class B), Frank Gardner (Class C) and Brian Muir (Class D). Since the cars began to run under NGTC regulations, the track has seen a good return for FWD cars, particularly Hondas. From the 2011 season onwards, there have now been 45 winners; of these only 8 wins have been taken by RWD cars, and of these five were in race-3 reverse grids. At the same time, 22 wins have been taken by Hondas, with Cook both picking up ten of those wins and earning himself the title ‘King of Thruxton’.

Coverage is once again provided by ITV. Qualifying is scheduled to be on itv.com/btcc/qualifying-live and ITV Sport’s own Youtube channel with the coverage starting at 15:15. The Sunday coverage start time on ITV4 being 11:15, the first BTCC race is at 11:45.

The full timetable is:

Time	Activity	Championship	Laps
Saturday 3rdth June
09.05 – 09.20	Qualifying	The Dunlop Mini Se7en Challenge supported by Mini Spares
09.30 – 10.05	Free Practice	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
10.25 – 10.55	Qualifying	The Vertu Motors MINI CHALLENGE Trophy
11.05 – 11.25	Qualifying	ROKiT F4 British Championship
11.35 – 11.50	Qualifying	The Dunlop Mini Miglia Challenge supported by Mini Spares
12.00 – 12.35	Free Practice	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
12.35 – 13.35	Lunch Break
13.35	Race	The Vertu Motors MINI CHALLENGE Trophy	20 mins
14.10 – 14.40	Qualifying	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
14.50	Race	The Dunlop Mini Se7en Challenge supported by Mini Spares	10
15.25 – 15.55	Qualifying	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship
16.10	Race	ROKiT F4 British Championship	20 mins
16.45	Race	The Dunlop Mini Miglia Challenge supported by Mini Spares	10
17.20	Race	The Vertu Motors MINI CHALLENGE Trophy	20 mins
Sunday 4th June
10.00 – 10.30	BTCC Pit Lane Walkabout / Autograph Session
10.50	Race	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain	22
11.30	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
11.45	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	16
12.25	Race	The Dunlop Mini Se7en Challenge supported by Mini Spares	10
13.00	Race	ROKiT F4 British Championship	20 mins
13.30 – 13.45	Marshals’ / Lunch Break
13.45	Race	The Vertu Motors MINI CHALLENGE Trophy	20 mins
14.20	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
14.35	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	16
15.15	Race	Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain	22
15.55	Race	The Dunlop Mini Miglia Challenge supported by Mini Spares	10
16.30	Race	ROKiT F4 British Championship	20 mins
17.05	BTCC Pit Lane Opens
17.20	Race	Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship	16

Early weather forecast shows that Saturday is forecast to be 17deg with a 10% chance of rain.

Sunday 18deg and 4% chance of rain in the afternoon.