“Pole” is the best spot on the starting grid. A “race to pole” means drivers are competing to qualify first, because where you start can make a big difference in the race.
If the clutch is “slipping,” it means it’s not grabbing properly when you try to move. That can make the car launch badly and can also cause extra wear or heat in the clutch.
Rear wheel drive means the engine’s power goes to the back wheels. That changes how the car grips the road when you accelerate, especially in wet weather. They’re saying it still gets moving strongly at the start.
They’re talking about how drivers actually get past each other on track. “Outside” and “inside” mean going around the other car on different sides, and “cutbacks”/“faints” are tricks to make the other driver react and leave a gap. It’s basically smart positioning plus timing.
A “fastest lap” is just the quickest lap anyone did in the race. It’s a sign that the car was working well and the driver found a good rhythm. Sometimes it can matter for points or momentum.
A chicane is a tricky part of the track made of quick turns. It’s meant to slow the cars down, so if you go in too fast or turn the wrong way, you can lose control and crash.
Oversteer is when the back of the car starts to slide outward more than you want. It usually happens when the tires lose grip, and the car feels like it’s turning too much.
A puncture means the tire gets damaged and goes flat or loses pressure. When that happens, the car suddenly doesn’t grip the road like it should, so it can spin or crash.
A restart is when the race starts again after the safety car. Everyone accelerates together, and the first few corners can decide who gets track position.
“Car lengths” is a common motorsport measurement for gaps between cars, based on the approximate length of a race car. The hosts use it to quantify how quickly Ingram established separation after the restart.
The opening lap is the first lap right after the race gets going. Early on, drivers are close together, so good acceleration and clean driving can help you get ahead and stay there.
Term
TTV pass
TTV is a temporary power boost feature used in BTCC. When a driver uses it at the right moment, it can make overtaking much easier.
A 10-second penalty is basically a punishment where officials add time to a driver’s result. In a close race, adding 10 seconds can cost you a podium even if you were fast.
Term
over the roller
“Over the roller” is a post-race test where officials measure the car on a device (like a dyno) to see if it matches the rules. If the numbers don’t line up, the driver can be penalized. The segment says problems were found this way for Mikey Dover.
Tom Ingram is the driver being discussed. The hosts say officials found a technical issue with his car and that it could cost him his race result. They’re comparing how harsh that is versus other penalties.
“Disqualified from the classification” means your car is taken out of the official results list. Even if you crossed the line first, a rules violation found later can erase that result. In this case, they’re talking about a technical rule breach.
Overboosting means the turbo is pushing more pressure than the car is allowed to run. That can make the engine produce extra power. The hosts are saying officials later found this and it affected the result.
A five-second penalty is an official punishment measured in time. It’s meant to offset any advantage from breaking the rules. Here, the hosts are discussing whether five seconds (and other penalty sizes) are appropriate for the specific incidents.
Track limits are the boundaries on the race track that you’re supposed to stay within. If you go outside them, race control can warn you or add time to your penalty. The hosts are arguing about whether the penalty time is fair compared to how much advantage it really gives.
Your “grid box” is your exact spot on the starting grid. If you’re not in the right spot when the race starts, officials can penalize you. The discussion is basically about whether missing that spot is a bigger deal than going over track limits.
A drive-through penalty means you have to go through the pit lane without stopping, following the speed rules. It costs you time immediately during the race. The hosts are saying they don’t like how this particular situation ended up as a drive-through.
Disqualification means the driver is removed from the official race result. It usually happens when officials believe the rules were broken in a way that can’t be fairly corrected with a simple time penalty. The hosts are questioning why the punishments differ.
The Monaco Grand Prix is referenced as an example of where straight-line shortcuts (like coming out of a tunnel and effectively bypassing a corner) can be a major advantage. The hosts use it to contrast a “big indiscretion” with the different nature of the track-limit situation they’re discussing. It’s an illustration of how context changes what counts as a meaningful advantage.
Debuting a new car in a racing series is a major step because the team must validate setup, reliability, and compliance with technical regulations quickly. The hosts call it “sublime” to win on the first outing, which implies the car and team adaptation were immediately effective. It’s a common benchmark for how well a new development package works under real race conditions.
It means the driver started near the last rows of the starting grid and then moved up a lot during the race. That usually takes good speed and smart decisions, not just a fast qualifying lap.
The Jack Sears is an award within the BTCC. It’s for certain drivers based on eligibility rules, and winning it is a big deal even if you’re not winning the whole race.
Independent winner means the best result among the privateer teams (not the big factory teams). It’s a separate way to measure who’s doing well without factory backing.
Teething problems are the annoying issues that pop up early on when something is new. Think of it like the first weeks of a new car or a new team—things aren’t fully sorted yet, so small problems can happen.
The Ford Edge is a mid-size SUV made by Ford. It’s usually meant for everyday driving, not racing. If it’s mentioned in a race-control context, it likely means it’s close to the rules about what cars are allowed to compete.
An alternator charges the battery and powers the car’s electrical systems while the engine is running. If the alternator fails, the car may lose power and can’t start or may stall—leading to a “non-start,” even if the car is otherwise ready.
“Nursing a small issue” means the driver is managing a problem (mechanical or handling-related) to avoid making it worse. Even minor issues can disrupt tyre temperatures, braking stability, and confidence, which then shows up as lost pace and position.
Topic
On The Limit
“On The Limit” appears to be a BTCC media/analysis series where teams and drivers explain what happened during races. It’s relevant here because the hosts say they won’t know the cause of the issue until that follow-up content is released.
“Reverse” here means the race order/starting positions are flipped in some way. That changes who starts where and can completely change the race strategy.
Term
points in the independence
“Points in the independence” sounds like a reference to a championship standings battle (likely within a specific class or team/driver category). The key idea is that Paterson is scoring in a way that keeps him competitive in that points fight.
McLean’s is a specific corner at Donington Park. Corners like this are where drivers try to overtake because braking and corner entry create chances.
Term
roundabout positions
It means the race has calmed down and everyone is basically in the positions they want. After the early battles, drivers start focusing on keeping pace rather than constantly passing.
“Fight backs through the field” describes drivers recovering positions after being stuck in traffic, suffering an early issue, or starting from a less favorable spot. It’s a key BTCC performance metric because it reflects racecraft, tire management, and how well a car adapts as conditions change.
Term
pass on lap 16
Saying the pass happened on lap 16 tells you when the overtake worked. In races, the timing can be everything because tires and grip change as the laps go by.
“Regate” is the name of a corner at Donington Park. It’s the kind of place where drivers can try to overtake by setting up their braking and line before the turn.
This refers to BTCC’s reverse-grid “ball draw” system used to set starting positions for a race. The drawn number determines which driver(s) start from pole for the next race, creating strategic variability between races.
A scuff mark is basically paint or surface damage from rubbing against something. It’s common in close racing when cars get too close or touch wheels/bumpers.
If a driver is “pit late,” it usually means they had a problem and had to stop and sort it out later than planned. That can make them start the race from a worse position.
A misfire means the engine doesn’t burn fuel in one or more cylinders correctly. The car can feel rough, lose power, and sometimes won’t run smoothly until the problem is fixed.
When a team is new (or running a new car), they often have teething problems. That can mean reliability hiccups or setup mistakes while they figure out what works best.
Nailing the start means getting off the line really well. If you accelerate cleanly and quickly, you can get into the right position before other cars can pass.
Concept
bog down alongside him
To “bog down” means the car doesn’t accelerate as strongly as it should. In a tight start, other cars can get slowed or unsettled, which makes it harder to get past.
On the first lap, a lot of cars are close together. That makes it easier for someone to get squeezed or make contact, which can lead to spins or cars going off track.
“Grainers” is a part of the track at Donington Park. It’s the kind of section where drivers can stay close and try to outmaneuver each other without losing all their speed.
Late braking is when a driver waits longer to hit the brakes before a corner. If they do it better than the car next to them, they can get a better line and pass.
Term
TTB set up this year
“TTB” here sounds like a rule that forces teams to use a certain strategy in timed chunks. That changes when drivers can push hard, which is why you see different patterns of passing.
Concept
time-based race strategy effects on overtaking
Some racing rules force teams to use a strategy for set amounts of time. When that happens, drivers tend to attack in planned windows, so you often see more passing attempts in the same parts of the track.
DRS is a system that makes the car faster for a short time by reducing drag. Because you can only use it when the rules allow, teams and drivers plan exactly when to activate it.
Concept
tactical plot
They mean the race becomes more about timing and strategy than just driving fast. If everyone can only use the boost for a short time, you have to choose the right moment and place to get the advantage.
Donington Park is a key BTCC venue, and the hosts are analyzing how the circuit layout affects where a short activation window (five seconds) can be used effectively. Track-specific braking zones, straights, and chicanes determine whether the boost helps with passing or just changes momentum.
They’re comparing another track (Snetterton) to Donington. Because Snetterton has long straights, it changes when and where drivers can try to gain time or pass.
They’re saying Knockhill might be tougher for using a short speed boost. The track layout may not give as many straightforward chances to attack.
Topic
Alton
They’re comparing another track where the boost may not be as easy to use. If there aren’t many good moments to activate it, passing becomes harder and more strategic.
It means the car had a problem, but the driver tried to keep going carefully instead of pushing hard. That can make the car slower, but it helps it last until the team can fix it.
“New Car learning bits and pieces” refers to the adaptation period when a driver is learning a new car’s behavior—how it turns in, brakes, and responds under race conditions. In BTCC, that learning can affect pace and consistency, especially early in a weekend or after changes.
A “comeback through the field” means a driver started off badly or got caught in trouble, then worked their way back up positions. In racing, it’s not just speed—it’s also staying out of more trouble while you pass people.
“Red Gate” is a named corner at Donington Park. If you run wide or mess up there, you can lose time and positions because the next part of the track is right after it.
The brake pedal is what the driver presses to slow the car down. If it doesn’t work the way it should, the driver can’t brake properly and may have to go wide into the corner.
Term
run down the crane
“Run down the crane” is a named part of the track where cars are building speed. It’s important because where you exit and accelerate from there can make it easier to pass later.
That phrase means there were three cars running very close together, almost like a little train. In touring car racing, that can happen when everyone is fighting for position and there’s not much room to pass cleanly.
Sometimes a racing team tells one driver to back off or let another driver through. That’s called team orders, and it’s usually done to help the team’s overall strategy or championship chances.
If a driver pits and then retires, it usually means something went wrong with the car and they can’t keep racing. It could be damage or a mechanical issue that makes the car unreliable or unsafe.
Concept
penalty to follow
Sometimes officials don’t decide penalties instantly. They review footage and reports, then confirm whether extra penalties will be added later.
Before racing starts, there’s usually a meeting where officials explain the rules and how enforcement will work. The hosts are saying teams should be told where track limits will be watched.
“Road bottom” means the car’s suspension gets fully compressed and the bottom of the car can hit the ground. When that happens, the car can lose grip and feel unstable. The fix is usually to slow down and drive more smoothly through the spot where it happens.
They’re talking about a punishment that costs a lot of points—so much that a podium finish can turn into a much lower result. In racing, penalties are meant to stop drivers from repeating the same mistake. The hosts think it should make teams and drivers more careful for the rest of the season.
Brands Hatch is a famous race track in the UK where BTCC cars compete. The hosts are saying that at that track, cameras and data will be watching closely for mistakes. That matters because penalties can be severe if drivers ignore warnings.
“Graham Hill” is the name of a corner at Brands Hatch. The hosts are saying that this is a spot where drivers often go too far, and officials will be watching closely. It’s one of those track areas that can lead to penalties if you ignore the limits.
“Overrun” means going past where you’re supposed to be on the track—like running wide or beyond the limit at a corner. Race officials and cameras watch for it, and if it happens after warnings, it can lead to penalties. The point is to stay within the rules through that corner.
The pit lane is the controlled area where teams service cars and where certain maneuvers are regulated. In this segment, the hosts describe a driver “driving right around the pit lane,” which suggests a rules-related incident or an unusual on-track/off-track movement that can affect race position. Pit lane rules are tightly enforced because they impact fairness and safety.
“Boost left over” refers to a limited-use power increase system (common in modern touring car regulations) where the car has a finite amount of extra performance available during a race. Once the boost is used up, a dash light indicates the driver is out of boost for the remainder of the stint. This changes strategy: drivers may time boost to pass effectively while managing traffic.
“Poll” is pole position, meaning the car that starts first after qualifying. If a driver gets penalties, they may lose pole and the points/awards tied to it.
“Teething issues” refers to early problems that show up when a team or car is still settling into a new season, setup, or development direction. In motorsport coverage, it’s often used to explain why results can be inconsistent before reliability and performance stabilize.
They’re saying don’t judge the whole season based on just one or two races. Racing is unpredictable, and teams improve as they learn, so early highs and lows don’t tell the whole story.
After a race, officials can review something that might have broken the rules. If they decide it did, they can change the result or points for the drivers involved.
Finishing in the top six means you were near the front. In this kind of racing, that consistency usually helps you score lots of points over the season.
“Independents” are teams/drivers not backed like the biggest factory teams. They’re often competing with fewer resources, so their results are tracked separately.
They’re talking about an award the show gives out. “Driver of the weekend” is basically the person they think performed best across the whole event, not just one race.
PMR is the name of a BTCC team the hosts are talking about. They’re saying PMR did extremely well this weekend, especially considering they brought new cars.
When they say “new car to the grid,” they mean the team is using a brand-new race car in the actual races. Even if it looked quick in practice, it can still take time to get it working perfectly for racing.
In BTCC, an “independent team” typically means the team isn’t a factory-backed operation with the same level of manufacturer resources. That can make it harder to develop cars quickly, so strong early results from independent entries are often seen as a big statement.
“Three brand new cars” implies the team fielded a full set of fresh race cars across its drivers, rather than relying on older chassis or carryover setups. That increases variables—development, setup, and driver adaptation—so strong results suggest the team’s engineering and preparation were very effective.
A “new setup” refers to the race-car adjustments made to suit a specific driver and circuit—things like suspension settings, aero balance, and differential behavior. When teams change cars or drivers, they often need a fresh baseline setup and then refine it across practice and qualifying.
If your fastest driver has a rough weekend, the team still has to work hard to minimize the damage. That can mean smart strategy and helping the car get through traffic so you still score points.
A title fight means the championship is still close, and drivers are racing for the overall points lead. What you do on track can be shaped by how many points you need, not just who crosses the line first.
Term
pushed pass
A “pushed pass” is basically an overtake that’s helped along by the car’s pace and grip, so it doesn’t feel like a risky, desperate move. If the car is strong enough, you can set up the pass and execute it more easily.
Cosworth is a company that works on racing technology, including the software that helps control engine performance. The hosts are wondering if the system itself is allowing too much boost, not just what the teams choose to do.
Concept
tactical skill vs gimmicks
They’re debating whether new rules make racing less about smart driving. If the rules decide too much, then drivers don’t have to use as much judgment about when to attack or defend.
A “five seconds” penalty/time addition is being criticized as removing tactical decision-making. The hosts’ argument is that if a fixed time cost is too dominant, it can discourage nuanced race strategy and make the sport feel more rule-driven than driver-driven.
Term
TDB
TDB is referenced as something you “need” to compete at certain tracks, implying it’s a performance-related allowance or system tied to race regulations. The hosts’ concern is that without it, the competitive gap becomes too large, making results less about pure driving and more about having the right setup/permission.
Different tracks need different car settings. The same car can feel great at one circuit and harder to drive at another because the corners and grip demands are different.
This is a points-and-momentum concept: even after a strong weekend, the championship battle continues because results accumulate over the season. In BTCC, consistency across races often matters as much as winning individual races.
“Scrapping” describes close, physical-feeling racing where cars trade positions repeatedly. In BTCC, this often comes from tight performance gaps, racecraft, and strategic tire management that keeps multiple cars competitive even after falling behind the leaders.
Concept
sprint to pole victory
Some race weekends have a shorter race where the winner gets pole position for the main race. That matters because starting up front usually makes it easier to score points.
Concept
point scoring
In BTCC, drivers earn points depending on where they finish. Doing well across multiple races can help you climb the championship even if you don’t win everything.
A “curtain raiser” is the first event of the weekend, before the main races. It’s like the warm-up show that kicks things off.
LIVE
Hello, and welcome back to the British Touring Car Podcast.
We are bringing you updates live from the circuit today.
We've seen race one and two so far, and we'll bring you race three a little bit later.
But yeah, after yesterday's excitement in the race to pole, it chucked up a slightly
shuffled group for race one, didn't it? It did indeed. So if you haven't listened to our podcast
on the Saturday stuff, you need to go back and listen to that because we'll be splitting the two
because there's now all the action on a Saturday as well. But it did mean that
Robottom started from pole for race one. As many comments pointed out yesterday,
Jason Platter racing effectively won the 2026 season yesterday before racing will have been
turned. So we're very keen to see how he got on in full racetrack, weren't we?
Yeah, I think they got their fair share of coverage yesterday with everything that went on
and the cameras pointed at them. And we got a fair share of, you know, no wheel for maybe
pointing out that there might be some TVing issues at Jason Platter racing over the season.
However, all of that would be discussed and more. And we've had a nice day so far,
weather has been good, racing has been excellent, I will say that the any concerns over the season
perhaps not living up to expectations because of smaller grids, etc, etc. If the first two races
go by, it's going to be a cracking season of racing. So certainly in the touring cars anyway,
the sport packages haven't been brilliant so far, but a little bit of action.
Yeah, but I think that will be very track dependent to how they perform. And it is a shame to see
such a small Porsche main challenge grid as well. The sprint race is probably double if not treble
the size of it, which is a concern in many ways. Right, so we jump straight into race one then.
Let's do that. So Ingram and RoboM on the front row. And it appeared that RoboM had forgotten how
to start the car because it just went backwards off the line. Yeah, speculation is that the
clutch was a little slippy, so eating issues possibly. And yes, Ingram start was
monster really, especially considering how close there were a certain BMW behind him as well.
Absolutely. Rainford will get up to third of the start showing exactly as you just said there how
good the rear wheel drive is still going to be off the starting block. RoboM shuffled back down to
third and Ingram basically won the race on lap two. He was so far ahead, he was in a different
postcode, wasn't he? The speed and control that he had, especially throughout the whole of the race,
was almost second to none. A very dominant performance form from him.
Towards the back of the grid, it was all about how far could Sutton get. Of course, he was
starting the back of the field due to his indiscretion, shall we say, incident in the race
to pole sprint race thing. But by lap three, he was all the way up to tenth, so showing that
any problems, yes, they have been thoroughly put to bed and he was back on one of those Ash
Sutton charges. It was interesting to hear his interview with Louise afterwards saying that
they kind of had goals of where he wanted to be by the end of a certain lap. And I think they said
by the end of lap one, he needed to be in 12th and he was in 13th, but he made a decent amount
of progress after that anyway. Yeah, and if you're ever interested in watching how you can overtake
in a car, this lap or these opening laps are one to go back and watch because he was doing moves on
the outside, on the inside, cutbacks, faints. It was basically every trick that Ash Sutton has
ever written was on the show here and was carving his way through the field. Granted against drivers
that are of maybe a lesser quality compared to Sutton himself, but he still had to make those
moves count and make them cleanly as well because we know how difficult it can be in that mid-pack.
Absolutely, but some of the drivers he had passed during that, I take what you're saying entirely,
but when he gets to the mid-pack he then gets past Chilton, Sheddon in quick succession and Moffat,
setting the fastest lap by lap number seven. Chilton conversely was struggling and falling
back through the field, having a good race with Dexter Patterson at some point who looked very
solid in the Audi on his first time out and race. All Audi's have looked solid so far,
surprisingly so for some people. So yeah, double was looking on top form as well.
Some people include Ash, you do know that? Yeah, okay. Then we saw the first major
incident of the race. Cook lost it into the final chicane, set him fully off and into the barrier.
It looked initially as if he dropped it perhaps oversteered or but it was confirmed to be a
puncture. Yeah, almost looked like he went a little bit too deep and lost the rear end,
but as you say a rear left puncture put pay to that. Don't know whether it was causation or
correlation. But yeah, he ended up in the barrier coming out of the final chicane
and had to be recovered. Yeah, by the time we got to the safety car board Sutton had recovered
himself up to up to sixth. Is that all? That's all. Yeah, only sixth, only sixth. The restart
occurred when it was fairly standard. Everyone behaved pretty well and Ingram just basically
shot away. That was effectively out by plenty of boost. Well, as we'll come to, we were sat at
the bottom of the crane is sort of coming out of the old hairpin. And by the time he got to us,
he was already six car lengths clear. Good, several car lengths. Good, several, good,
several, good management. Yeah, he always seems to nail a restart. And it helps with yes,
drivers battling behind him and stuff like that. And he can concentrate on just looking forward.
But he just does seem to have this knack of building a gap on that opening lap.
Further behind Sutton was able to get past Moffat, basically just drove round him.
I imagine it was a push to pass or sorry, that's a crime. A TTV, a TTV pass, shall we say.
Doppel would then get himself into third of a good move on Rainford, which Sutton was able to,
I keep saying Sutton, I'm not being sponsored by him, but he was able to follow through
and get himself up to fourth. We then saw Collard run into the pits of an issue,
which is a bit of a shame for him. He hadn't been running particularly well in the opening
race, I think it's fair to say. So I think that car perhaps had a few, well, shall I say it,
TVing problems, which is not unexpected given the lack of running that car did over the testing
period. No, exactly. Smiley was then run out wide of Coppice and shuffled right to the back
of the pack. A really disappointing race for restart overall. It didn't seem to have the
pace. They weren't on it yesterday. They haven't really been on it today. A slow start to the
season for those guys. No, it seems to be battling down the back at both of them with the likes of
like Selby, Hamilton, Buxton as well, those drivers that are less experienced or not as
quick in the series. We then saw Robotton giving a final warning for track limits. We'll come
back to that later. Sutton was slowing down towards the end of the race. It gave Rainford
a chance to nip a background of a brave mover on the outside of the Craners, which Sutton was able
to get back by a few corners later. It was weird. It came round to us and suddenly he was right
back in the pack with them all and just seemed to have maybe had a little slide, missed a gear,
one of those things and just sort of all across probably use his boost and use the best of his
tires as well on that charge. Dober was then able to get into second on the through the chicane,
which is a really good move by him. Excellent bit of racing. He looks so at home in the Audi already.
Yeah, and I don't know whether it's just sort of like a complete setup and being comfortable with
how it drives already or whether it was just knowing when to use the boost at the right points
and saving a little bit towards the end of the race. We're getting into race two where he struggled
with the lack of boost, certainly. Yeah, absolutely. Any issue that one may have felt that
something might have had seemed to have correct itself because towards the end of the race,
he was right on the back of Daniel Robotton and into the last lap, he really started to put the
pressure on and then got the call he didn't need to because Moffat hadn't kept it on the grey stuff.
Moffat. Moffat, sorry, Robotton, hadn't kept it on the grey stuff?
No. Final track limits warning came to him and he was banged with a penalty, which Sutton got
told about on the last lap. Otherwise, I think he would have probably had a dive into the final
chicane and knowing Sutton, he would have probably have made it nicely, but he didn't have to and
he knew it at that point. So just coming in behind Robotton across the line meant that he got a podium.
Absolutely. So overall, race one was a particularly good race. There's lots of shuffling in and
around the pack without too many incidents to really talk about. The incidents came after the
race. Yes. So as you've touched upon, Robotton was given a 10-second penalty for his track limits
in discussions, which relegated him all the way down to 12, was it? Yeah, there were issues,
discrepancies, so we say, over the roller going underneath Mikey Dover's car and then the biggest
one of all, which was found out a little later on, was the overboosting suffered by Mr Tom Ingram,
race winner, would be disqualified from the classification. Yes. Adam Orgram was also given
a five-second penalty for a quote, a lesser in discretion, which makes very little sense to me.
Okay, quickly on these penalties then. I feel sorry for Robotton. I think 10 seconds is too
harsh a penalty for track limits. I think five is probably about right. I know he had multiple
warnings, I get that. My argument against that is you get sort of like three chances. Yeah. And
drivers, although they don't like it to do it, they know how to run within their limits. Yes,
I get that, but I also think to myself, has he gained 10 seconds by doing that? No. Therefore,
is it slightly over it? The rules are the rules and you're absolutely right. He's been given the
warning. It doesn't come as a surprise. You know that the crew had been on the radio telling him
the board will be out. I get all of that. I just think that fundamentally 10 seconds seems a little
bit harsh based on what the crime is. Given that Ingram was out of his grid slot yesterday and only
got five seconds, to me, that is a bigger in discretion and possible bigger gain than...
Do you reckon? I reckon so, yeah. I reckon so. I reckon because you can just... I think track
limits across a race is a bigger in discretion because you can gain more time through it. Ingram
being, what was it, 10 centimetres maybe in front of his grid box is not going to gain you that much.
No, but I also think that there are more factors at play to how you could have potentially
full foul track limits. You could have a slightly loose rear end or you could hit oil. We've seen
it before where cars can run wide and still given the track limits warning plan. Ingram
has got... What I'm saying is that you don't necessarily have total control about if your
car stays on the track or not. You have got total control about if you're in your grid box or not.
And it's fine to disagree. I just think fundamentally I don't like the idea that that's
worth 10 seconds. I also don't like the fact that a mechanic on the grid late gives you a drive-through.
That to me is a far lesser crime in either of those two. That should be like a team fine or
something like that. It's more down to the team than the driver. It's not at me. I'm not massively
fond of how the penalties are. However, I will accept that they are written down and everybody
knows them at the start of the season. What I can't understand, because I haven't read the
regs fully because I'm not a complete saddler and have got a life outside, is that I don't understand
how Ingram can be over-boosting so badly that it needs to disqualify, but Morgan's is an indiscretion
that can be slapped with a five-second penalty. And also, I'll come back to the point of robot,
that to me gives you more advantage to track limits. If you're over-boosting the car,
that gives you, in my opinion, more advantage under the track limits because we're not talking
about being on cut corners here because of the way the corners work. I understand if you're at
Monaco Grand Prix and you come up the tunnel and you straight line that's your cane, that is quite
a big indiscretion. That is quite a big advantage. I get that, but I'd argue in this scenario where
you can't do that and you're basically just either running wide or gnarling the court.
What I would say confuses the issue further is the fact that, and it was mentioned in the race
to pole yesterday, is that over-boosting should automatically cancel itself out across the lap.
So if you press it too early or have it on for too long, then it tries to readjust itself.
Yeah, so I don't really know how Ingram's managed to do it so badly that he's then disqualified,
but Morgan's... I mean, he was bloody quick.
He was bloody quick, but he was bloody quick yesterday. So I just don't really understand
how that works. I don't really understand how you have different levels of it.
However, it did give us a final standing, whether we like it or not, and it did me that Mikey Doble
won the race, which is an incredible achievement for both Mikey, but also for the PMR team.
New car, I went for a lot last season. I think that's the affords in the background,
do you hear those? To win a race on your first time out in the series in a new car is sublime.
I don't care that it came through disqualification. He won't either.
No, I know this should use that as a branch to beat him with. He was the first legally finishing
car, and that's what matters. Just with that roller going on.
Sutton came from the back of the grid to second, just what Sutton does, I guess.
Rainford are surprising perhaps for us going into the weekend podium, but actually raced really well.
Got himself to third on the podium. Dan Camish finished fourth. Gordon Shedham fifth, much better
day for laser tools from yesterday so far. Moffett in sixth, really solid result for him.
Dexter in seventh, fantastic. He's looked really good today.
Three Audi's in the top seven in the first race of the season.
And they look so at home with those cars. Exactly. Adam Weaver must be off his trolley
happy, so I think with that result. Aaron Taylor-Smith eighth, this one
passing by. Chilton recovered to ninth, which is quite impressive because at one point he was far
down towards the back. He seemed to be free-falling through the field.
Absolutely. Adam Morgan with his penalty would finish in tenth. Daniel Robotton with his penalty
finished 11th. Perhaps they didn't get everything right from the start, they know.
Daryl De Leon finished 12th. James Dorn in up to 13th. Second the Jack Sears. The Jack Sears was
won by Patterson. Sam Osborne, who is eligible for the Jack Sears, we'll cover that another time,
is in 14th. Louis Selby rounded out the point scoring places, getting his point on debut in
15th. In terms of independent winner, that also went to Mikey Doble. And as we just
intimated there, the Jack Sears winner went to Dexter Patterson. Yes, quite.
Any other thoughts to say on race one? Race one was a really good opener for the season, I think.
Yes, agreed. A race that will show everyone, even new viewers out there, if you are new to the series,
what the touring cars can be like. Yeah, agreed. It had nearly everything, apart from a little bit
of weather. But apart from that, yeah, this is what is to come for the season, hopefully.
Absolutely. I will now say that I will stop making sake comments about plater racing.
I think yesterday there was a little bit of an overreaction about, it was a great day for them
to say, don't get me wrong. However, not to say we were right, but these first two races have
proved, as we'll get onto in a minute, to be exactly the sort of teething problems that we
felt might happen. And you could point to say we thought the same about PMR, and that hasn't
happened, absolutely hasn't happened yet. But these are always the risks with new cars, new teams.
They are. Shall we get into race two then? Yeah, let's jump straight in. So,
as we probably might have expected, Rainford starting right up near the front with rear-wheel
drive, managed to take lead going into turn one. However, Sutton was on the fight back and cut back
coming out of turn one to lead going down the crank. Yeah, I mean, this is right on the limit
for me. So, I think that Sutton has misjudged the speed of Rainford coming out of the corner,
and then trying to get the cut back. He has hit Rainford's rear bumper. Not so much that he's...
It's unsettled the car, I would say. I'd say it's unsettled, if not completely hinder the car.
Sorry. It's one of those that is probably just on the ragged edge in terms of what
race control like to see. At time of recording, it hasn't been stripped from him. I don't think it
will be. Yeah, I mean, it's one of those that he's not... I think had he got that slightly
more misjudged, we could have seen Rainford off, and that would have potentially led into something.
I think otherwise this was just about on the cusp. Yeah, on the limit.
Good name for a YouTube series. Exactly. Ingram had issues before the racing even started, however.
Coming around on the formation lap to the grid, however you want to call it.
He spent a poll. He had to come into the pits, obviously from starting at the back anyway,
had to weave his way through a couple of cars to come in. And a Marshall who decided, or not a
Marshall, a pet crew member who decided to step in front of the car, which was fun for him.
And basically had a non-start due to an alternator issue. These teething problems
happened to even well-established teams. Yeah, I mean, that's... I mean, we've wanted to learn
going on to happen, particularly after race one of the Sighton as well. I'm not saying the
Championship's over. I do hyperbole too much, but that's its sort of seismic gap already
that he's starting a big disadvantage now. Yeah, he is. Children was also having issues in the
part of the car, should I say. He went off down the cranes, looked like he just got pushed
wide onto the marbles. No one's fault, no contact or anything like that. And went skating off onto
the grass, a little bit through the gravel, destroyed one of those advertising hoardings.
But luckily didn't collect anyone at the old hairpin. Did his best to take out collards as he
came back on. Yeah, be right, measure, avoid everybody. Yeah, one of those things, first
that bunch in Constantine and go on the cranes, that stuff happens. And as we saw them all come
out from the old hairpin, we noted that Buxton was very slow coming out of there. And then
following that up on the replay on the TV screens, we saw that Nick Hamilton had had a spin at
Redgate and was backwards into the gravel. Now, if you started at the back near Buxton,
Buxton going slow, did two of them come together? We never know. What we might do once they put
heritage up on the website. But for the replays that we've seen, we haven't seen anything
clear or clinical to say that those two had come together, but Buxton was very slow and
had to come into the pits at the end of that lap. At the end of lap two, sorry, safety car,
because of Hamilton being in the gravel, safety car was out, end of lap two, under the safety car,
robot on had to come into the pits with an issue straight into the garage.
Straight out the car. Straight into the truck. No hesitation. Pulled it up, they pushed it back
in. They put it straight up on the quick jacks and he was out and gone.
Not 100% sure what's caused this issue. But these issues will happen.
An issue at play-to-racing? That's none of my business.
We then had a safety car restart on lap five and it was a very equal restart across the board.
Before on lap six, Camish went down inside at the old hairpin to go past Double nicely.
Double, we get complaints. Come on.
But yes. Very fast, Double nicely. Nice and cleanly as well, a clinical move.
Good move. Double really struggled in this race.
He did. Now, having won effectively the race one, he only had two laps of TTB,
although he had run the soft tyre in race one. So he was on the medium, the preferred race tyre.
But he then got shuffled out by Shedden, the next lap. Shedden went around the outside of him
into the old hairpin. And then further shuffled out by Morgan, De Leon, Paterson and Aaron Taylor
Smith. And I don't know whether it was just he couldn't get back into the flow of it or
it was really affected by it for some reason. And then the car looks.
Yeah, the car. Again, you don't know if they would have made any set of changes. You'd have
thought not given how it went in race one, but they might have well made a few tweaks here or
there and or he might be nursing a small issue with tents or anything like that.
We won't know that until the next series of On The Limit comes out.
Yeah. So by the end of lap eight, Doble had been shuffled down quite far,
which was a little bit of a shame considering how well he'd paste in race one as well.
Yeah. But I mean, one man's loss with another man's game, both Moffat and Paterson were going
very well in reverse. And I think it'd be reassuring for everyone at PMIs that Doble
or Moffat is probably going to be the lead driver. You could make arguments for Eva or I think
personally, I think it's stable, but I think you can make arguments. However, it'd be very
reassuring for everyone at PMR that, okay, Doble's struggling a little bit. Moffat is absolutely
got this nail to where he needs to be. Paterson's doing the same thing, points in the independence.
What more do you want? You talk about Paterson, him and Leon managed to slip past Morgan going up
into McLean's on lap nine. Again, another clean move and from Paterson, very opportunistic as well.
Morgan had been pushed out wide with De Leon going down the inside and he just made the most
of it basically. Absolutely, Greg. Yep. At this point, Sutton was very comfortable out front.
I hate to want the race. Seriously comfortable. Who's thinking what he's going to say to the
weeds afterwards? Exactly. The race had died down. They'd all settled into their roundabout
positions that they wanted to be. Rainford was comfortably in second, Camish in third,
although Cook, who obviously had that incident in race one, was really struggling to make any
progress and was only up to about 13th halfway into the race. Yeah, I don't know. Considering
his pace in race one, up to that point, they had the issue. Yeah. I thought he'd made more progress.
I don't know if this is just what normal progress looks like and we've been slightly
gassed it's the wrong word, but Sutton is spoiled by Sutton and what he's able to achieve.
Obviously, we didn't get to see what Ingram was able to do because of his issue. I don't know if
that's just what he did. I mean, he's stood up seven places. Yeah, I suppose, but it didn't feel
like he was obviously making the progress that Sutton had done. No, I understand that. I understand
your point. I do understand your point. The pace that he showed yesterday as well in the race to
pole and in the first race this morning up until that point just looked promising. Yeah, no, I do
agree with that point. I just wonder if we can't judge everybody's fight backs through the field
based on what is one of them. Sutton and Ingram. Yeah, exactly, two. I've wondered about the word
freaks of the sport. Yeah, they are just insanely good. Kamish did then start to close in on Rainford
and managed to complete a pass on him on lap 16 into the old hairpin, very similar to the sort of
pass that he made on Mikey. And then Rainford seemed to have issues and started falling through
the pack. I don't know whether it was tires going off towards the end. Yeah, my guess is going to be
tire going off personally. But then Shedden passed him into regate and then Moffat and Leon went
through down at the old hairpin as well. Shedden looked good this race. He looked like he had a
fair bit of spice. As soon as he got past him, he immediately set off after Kamish and actually,
okay, he never really encountered any great pressure. However, he closed the gap fairly
quickly and just ran out of time to make anything impressionable. But a podium for, well, I jumped
ahead and predicted that after the race to pole stuff yesterday. No, certainly not. Certainly
not. It did look as if those drivers that finished well in the first race really then struggled with
their tires apart from Sutton, which we kind of come to expect nowadays. Colard had made decent
progress for the back. He managed to get up to eight overall. But it really was Sutton's race
and Sutton's race to lose. And that's exactly what he didn't do. Comfortable. Nope. So should we go
quickly through the final positions for race two then? So as you say, Sutton won comfortably from
Dan Kamish, Shedden on the podium, and the leading independent driver for that race. Moffat fourth,
great result for him and PMR. They looked really, really strong. De Leon had a really good second
half of that race and got himself back up through the field. Did quietly well as well. Just kept
his own business and didn't get into any sort of conflict with anyone. Just passed people naturally.
Yep, agreed. Rainford finished sixth overall. So he was able to stop the rotten. Still a decent
result overall. Patterson remained seventh. Look, back to back seven. Excellent results for him.
Colard up to eight, as you say. Morgan ninth. Cook recovered to tenth. So not bad recovery from
both those drivers. Arantana Smith down to 11th. Smiley 12th. Chilton 13th. Tobal finishing 14th.
Selby getting further points. Finishing 15th from Osborne, Dorlin, Buxton, Roe bottom. Obviously
Dorlin and Smiley have been disappointing so far. I think it's fair to say the car hasn't had the
pace that I had thought it would do. I think we'll probably have what it seems like at the
moment. An ongoing season battle with Osborne and Selby from Napa, it feels like, and maybe you can
sprinkle Halton and Buxton into there. I certainly think they're going to be the drivers that are
down the back this season. Absolutely. So ball number eight has been pulled out, which puts,
who do I say that puts on poll? Colard from Patterson. So it'll be interesting there. We've
then got two fast starting beamers just behind that. So it'll be interesting to see what that does.
It's hard to look past the BMW just because I think they will get into the lead early.
And their race pace in the first two races have seemed quite strong. However, I did say at the
end of race one that I think Patterson wins a race this season and it would be pretty cool if that
happened now. Imagine the Audi's winning two races in the first four. Yeah, absolutely.
Geez, right. We'll bring you up to race speed with race three next.
All right then, race three and what a race three it was. It was possibly one for the ages.
It was certainly a classic race three with plenty of twoing and throwing, I think I should call it.
Yeah, it certainly felt like almost a race three from the end of a season insofar as there was a
lot of action, a lot of moves, a lot of people going up and then down and up and then down,
a lot of rubbing. Damage. Yeah, I think it's fair to say that pretty much every car would have
finished with a scuff mark or two. Yeah, so De Leon probably the worst of those scuff marks,
should we say. Yeah, we'll get into that. We'll get into that. So at the start of the race,
no Nick Hamilton on the lap to the grid. He would start in the pit late to an issue and
Robo had a misfire on his car on the way to the grid, which meant that the mechanics were working
on that with certain anxious faces during the start to race three. Again, these are the
teaming problems that one would expect of a new car and new team. We've seen it across the grid
today. I know that Aldi had a really good day, but actually doble one race one and had a difficult
race two and three. Virtue haven't been immune to it either. They've had their difficulties today.
Napa have had some good results. We've also had a few problems over the weekend as well.
I think it's fair to say. So yeah, this is what you expect. But Robo was able to get the start
and was able to race fairly, I'd say fairly unhampered. It appeared from the side. He will
probably fairly argue that it was impeding his process through the progress through the field
rather. However, from the sidelines, it was no obvious problem. No, it certainly wasn't as quick
as he probably looked earlier in the day. But with the difficulties that he had with race two,
it's not unexpected. I think the start was quite an interesting one because we all kind of expected
the BMWs to do what they've done for the whole other two races and the sprint race yesterday and
sort of get away from the start. But Collard did really well. He nailed his start, helped slightly
look at the decks to bog down alongside him, which blocked a route through one of the BMWs. However,
yeah, Collard got his start absolutely nailed and was well ahead. Yeah, still leading when he came
round to where we were viewing the final race between Coppers and McLean's. And I was a little
surprised to see him still there. Those BMWs, we know how mighty they are off the line. And
I really thought they were going to swamp him. Yeah, he did really well to hold it off. Bit
further back, Selby got his first real experience of what a BTC race three is all about, getting
spun out of Hollywood into Redgate and sent across the grass, able to rejoin. But that was his
race pretty much gone from there. A difficult one. We've only seen a replay or two. It's hard to
really see if there's a mistake or a culprit for it or if it is a huge disillusion to their
your typical first lap bunching on the race three. Definitely. Yeah, we saw Rayford then get into the
lead with a great late move at the old hairpin. It looked like he caught Ricky Cole to be honest
with you. Yeah, it was a really nice clean move, clinical. And yeah, there was a big gap on the
inside, which I thought Ricky may cover, especially with his fighting talk that he gave to Louise
before the race. But no, Rayford made it through nice and cleanly. But he couldn't stay there for
long because on the very next lap, Collard sort of gave Rayford a taste of his own medicine with a
great move himself at turn one, taking a late dive to the inside. And then the wild elf fox that
was Sutton, who had managed to get himself to third by this point, was then able to make it a
three car battle down the Grainers. And these then basically fought for half our lap in 123,
which was fantastic to watch. Yeah, we saw a lot of moves, late braking moves down in straight day
today and down to the old hairpin. And it did seem like that back end of the track, a lot of cars
were able to follow side by side, which is really nice to see because it gives sort of like,
twos and froes between who's going to come out of the corner in a head or behind and makes for
a really good day of racing. Yeah, as you said, then it was exactly that because just behind him
Kamish did a similar quick dive down the inside of Dexter Patterson at the Grainers to snatch fourth.
I think I mean, I do do hyperbolic and I do do sort of recency bias, but I don't remember seeing
so much action through the crane as an old hairpin as we've seen today for a while, not
the sharp end of the grid necessarily. It seems today that a lot of moves are being teed up
through that section to complete as you went through McLean, which is good.
Do you think that's because of how they've got TTB set up this year with having to use five
seconds at a time so effectively you get four lots of it, rather than just using these snippets of
power? Yeah, I'm not sure yet whether that's going to be a good thing. I need more data. I need to
see it more action because it's turning a little bit more into DRS and it is tactical plot because
if you can only use five seconds at a time, the chances are that you're all going to use it in
the same sort of place. Particularly here at Donnington, you start to finish straight before
the chicane out the crane as there are three obvious places to use. I think that's going to be fairly
similar for somewhere like Snetton as well with the two long straights that you've got. It's going
to be a little more difficult for places like Knock Hill and Alton and stuff like that because
either there's not very many places or there are a few different places that you can be used.
But yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how that develops throughout the season.
Shedden then tapped De Leon into a spin at Coppice, which took out Chiltern and Cook.
Chiltern has a pit immediately. Cook would have to pit a few laps later. It looked a little bit
clumsy from the replays that we've seen. Obviously, as you can probably tell, if you're
watching us on YouTube, we are sat in a car park in Loughborough, if you're interested,
to record this before I go away on my holidays having let everybody including myself down.
I've not just let you down. I've let myself down. I've let the world down. I do apologize,
but yeah, I mean, Loughborough's nice. Yeah, yeah, working through it.
Yeah, exactly. Dobble had to pit but was able to return. So again, it was a race where he clearly
was nursing a problem in that car. I'm not sure what it was. We'll have to wait and see what they
say in the week to follow. Ingram managed to use all the chaos and folding in front of him, get
through it unscathed, which was crucial for him. It'd been a disaster if he'd been caught up in
the same way that Chiltern had been. Yeah, I think he just had to pick a side and hope that
a card didn't end up in front of him. Unfortunately, I think De Leon obviously
didn't do well with the amount of damage that he suffered, but at least he was able to keep going
with the pack. Whereas there were, as you say, a couple of other drivers that had to come into
the pits because of that. Yeah, difficult for Chiltern. He got back out and they had to pit again
with bodywork rubbing, which had either caused a puncture or was likely to cause a puncture.
It was difficult to tell because it was on the opposite side to where we were sat.
I can't tell whether Chiltern's had a really unlucky weekend or he just hasn't been very
quick and therefore he's been caught up in stuff. I think it's a little from column A,
a little from column B. Robotton trying to recover was up to 12th and Ingram was up to
seventh by about the halfway point. So decent efforts on both of them, particularly as they
had to get through some of the chaos and make sure they didn't get themselves caught up in it as well.
And also, as I say, you wouldn't really expect Robotton to create the same level
of comeback through the field as Ingram or Sutton because of New Car learning bits and pieces.
I don't think it's controversial to say. I don't think there's any level of Sutton
and Ingram across the field. I don't think that's controversial.
You're not at this stage, especially with the pace that both of them have shown this weekend
and their ability to go from literally back to front in one whole race.
Absolutely. Collard Woodland surrendered the lead on lap number nine. He was collared by
Sutton, a mistake by Collard into red gate, ran it wide and Sutton didn't need a second invitation,
did he? Yeah, he said afterwards that he went to press the brake pedal and it didn't work as well
as it should have done, which had him running wide slightly and really opened the door for Sutton
to come through. And it's worth remembering that this is his fifth, sixth time sat in a car. So
he obviously did a bit of running a media day, did the sessions yesterday and obviously did the
three races today. So I mean, yeah, the car has got a lot to learn of that car and he did a pretty
decent job considering, you know, what he has to get used to. Yeah, he fought well in that final
race and even when the odds were against him and he ran out of TTB, he was still able to fight with
the drivers around him. Ingram would then get by Paterson on lap 10, put him into fifth and a few
laps later he'd also pass Moffat at red gate, which was a real area of action today. Lots of
moves set up through there, particularly as you then had the run down the crane as to completely
moves that you needed to. Camish would then get by as well on lap 13 through on collards, through
fighting at Coppice. This followed a lap of side by side action, which to be fair, Collard then held
firm and Ingram got by Camish and they made it three by three for a lap and a half, which was
excellent. They did. Yeah, every time they came round to where we were spectating from, I wasn't
quite sure of that group who was going to be in front of the other. Yep. And then Ingram would get
second at red gate again, not overly defended by Collard. I mean, commentary said he made it
difficult. I mean, he didn't put the indicator on, but I wasn't defensive, was he? No. I had the
sad and troubling news on the grid that he potentially has only got funding at this moment
in time for half a season. So you don't think team orders were necessarily coming too early in the
season, but on the flip side, Ingram's had a terrible race one and two, got to get points back on
the board and Collard's not going to be in the championship hunt, you know? No, I really do hope
that he finds that budget for the second half of the season. And if the offer is there on the table
for him to take that, I think it will be beneficial for him, let alone the championship,
completely agree, especially to have that consistency throughout whole season. And if this weekend's
anything to go by, then he certainly looks like he could be a challenging force. Shall we say
throughout the season and possibly even surprise a few people? 100%. He's taken a podium earlier
than some drivers you'd have knelt your colours to have taken a podium by now. So absolutely. Cook's
poor week or bad week, whatever you want to term it, carried on just chundling around sounding like
he'd got an issue with the car and had to pit and basically retire early. Yeah, not great.
It didn't sound too healthy. The marshals and their flags are very, very busy because Ingram
has given a final warning for track limits. We've already seen today that not abiding by that warning
can be catastrophic and we're going to get on to that in a moment. Camus has then by on collards
into, you guessed it, Redgate, good move by Camus to be fair. He dogged Collard for a couple of laps
and then made his move when he could. And then Rainford would get Dexter Patterson down the
crane as Dorling bit further back would end up off the road after a skirmish with Sheddon,
said that three times fast. That's about the most exciting thing that has happened in Dorling's
weekend, unfortunately. Yeah. And it's not for the right reasons. The restart racing boys looked
a little off the pace. Smiley looks a lot better in this race. He did, but to pass people and
challenge and keep it on the road when others weren't. But it's certainly a weekend they'll be
looking to improve upon. Do you expect a penalty to follow for Sheddon for that? It looked clumsy
and they look like his second clumsy incident of the race. I think it's fair to say. I don't think
so. Any penalties and stuff like that, we'll probably clear up at the end of the month with a
full news update, especially as we're recording this one, a little ad hoc.
But one penalty we can confirm is that Dan Camus fell foul off the flag. And this is a real
podcast with tongue twisters. He fell foul off the flag, track limits, 10 second penalty.
I don't know what to say. I repeat what I said in the last bit about Robot. I think it's quite
harsh. I also need to understand, and this is my own shortcomings because we've been at the track
today, so we haven't got all the information to how they're doing track limits this year,
because last year was a shambles to different sessions having different corners and not all
corners counted. However, what I will say is that from the graphics we saw on the coverage,
is that they told you where the track limits were. So it was turns one or whatever.
So you'd expect that's for back to the team. So you'd expect them to be on the blower saying,
Dan, you've had a warning at corner seven. I'm pretty sure at the start of the race weekend,
when they have that weekend briefing almost, they'll be told where the camera's going to be,
where the track limits are going to be monitored. Yes, okay. We've had this argument before,
they should be monitored everywhere. But in the stage of race we are with the touring cars,
that's not necessarily possible. But at least we're getting more updates as to where they are
being limited. Budget tree is not possible. It is absolutely possible. It comes down to
nowhere. And I get that. And I don't want to say we don't have it at all. And then just that wild
fire erupts. However, yeah, I say I need to work it out. But what on the flip side, what I will say
is that we're getting a lot more information about it. Yeah. And I think Tim said this in
commentary as well, is that this is a completely self-induced issue. You can't blame, well,
I tried to make some excuses in race two for the road bottom. But the point is that you will know
and you will have been told that you've been given warnings, you've been told what corners it's at,
and you just then need to take it slower through there. I know it's very easy for me to sit and
say it, but yeah. And it does have catastrophic consequences because the podium finish relegated
because you're 10th. I know it's a massive loss of points going from being on the podium
that far down. Yeah. And you would like to hope that a penalty that is that severe will then
make them think a little bit more throughout the season than go, okay, last time this happened,
I lost a big chunk of points. I'll tell you what it does mean is that every car,
robot and camera are following at Brands Hatch, they'll be on the blow any time they overrun
down Graham Hill, telling you that now. So I haven't really talked about Ingram in that race
because he did it quite quietly. We expected him to come through the field. I didn't necessarily
expect him to get to second, although we certainly did it earlier. The only real incident that he
got caught up in was that De Leon won at Coppins, but he came out of that unscathed and then just
made continuous progress. And I was going to say unlike Sutton in his recovery drive, Sutton was
the boost a bit smarter and just basically driving around to people. There wasn't any sort of side
by side overtakes, part of the Dexter one down the crane is the rest of sort of I think the
Moffat one where it was basically drove right around the pit lane. So the ones as they got
towards the end of the race, he did have boost left over because they had a full allocation
coming from the back. And when you see the cars go past, they've got a little red light to show
that they're out of boost for the rest of the race. And he was passing those drivers fairly
easily. Yeah. Right. And I'll quickly round up the classification for that race. And so Sutton
won, making it two wins on a podium today, not bad for as he started back at the start of the day.
Ingram fought through to second, Ricky Kahn had taken his podium, great drive by him to get third.
Adam Moffat, fantastic day of race of him, really, really consistent. Brilliant weekend for the
Audis as well. It's finishing fourth and that means he was the independent winner of that race
as well. Then Rainford in fifth, solid by him. Patterson in sixth. So a real side weekend by
Dex as well. Smiley Morgan, who's been solid in around the lower ends of the top 10s today.
And to be fair, that's a good solid set of results for player racing and Morgan. Osborne
in ninth, Camish relegated to 10th. Road bottom got himself up to 11th with decent recovery drive,
potentially if he was down on power as well. Sheddon, Taylor Smith, De Leon and Dawley making
the points, paying positions, then Buxton, Selby, Howerton, Dobble, Cook and Chilton,
the final classifieds. Pretty much all of those towards the back end had issues in that race.
Absolutely. Right. Would you like to do predictions first or would you like to do the awards first?
The predictions are fairly cut and shut. So we'll go through those first of all.
Wicked. Okay. So you got the hot pot. I know you didn't get the poll prediction right then,
because it was taken off him. So I need to change that, unfortunately for you, because it wasn't
Ingram. It wasn't Ingram on poll. Yes, it was. It was. See the confusing nature of me as well.
Sorry, the confusing nature of the of the Saturday has confused me. Right. So you've got
the qualifying session. Let's start that again. Ingram was fast. Yes. The overall poll for the
qualifying session, you have got a point for Ingram being fast. Yes. However, he did not win
the race to poll, which was won by road bottom because of Ingram's misdemeanors.
So that means that neither of us get a point for that, which means that
so I went for Sutton for the sprint to poll. In terms of race winners, I have got one point here.
I went for Ingram, which didn't come through. Well, he won on the road, but he lost it in
the stewards room and we go on the final classification results. I went for Gordon Shedden,
which it looked like it might be possible at a point, but then it fell away a little bit.
I went for Sutton, who of course won races two and three. Sorry. I only get one point,
though, because I have to have said Sutton twice if I wanted multiple race wins.
You went for Ingram, Camish and Cook, so fairly cut and dry. Not really. You're slightly unlucky
on the Ingram ones, to be fair. Yeah, I think so. In terms of the Jackseys, you've won that hands
down. I did much better there. I went for James Dallin. You went for Dex Patterson. I think Dex
won three as well. Yeah, you've smashed out the park. So is Dex, to be fair. Fantastic drive
by him. And then we go to the Generales. It's a clean sweep for me, which I'm really happy with,
because I struggled in this championship last year. There's a long way to go. I've made a big
point today about not getting carried away by a few results. There's a long way to go,
and there'll be teething issues, and there'll be setbacks. This is exactly what I expect to see
throughout the season, but we'll cover yours first because you didn't have such a good day.
Tom's outscored WSR. I need to do a stewards inquiry on pending, and we'll confirm that on
the brand's preview. The WSR boys didn't have a brilliant final race, but nor did Chilton.
So we'll see how that goes. And yeah, there will be a, we'll update you in the preview.
Yeah, and Ingram obviously won. I didn't win a race, so I got second, but had two non-stars.
So I actually don't think you're going to have done that because Ingram with two non-pint finishes.
But we will check it in the stewards room afterwards, and we'll update.
You had neither Sutton nor Ingram to lead the championship on Sunday evening.
Yeah, I didn't see. I don't think anyone did.
I have Sutton doing what he's done today.
No, no, that is fair enough. Although to be fair, had Ingram not had his problems,
he'd have probably been in Sutton's position, so it was a bit bold.
I know, I know. But you did get an Audi top six finish. You've got that in every single race.
I know. Yeah, you can't argue that. Great result for you, great result for Alvin.
Wow. Yeah. And then you mapped up, shall we say?
Yeah, let's say that. So we had, for me, the sprint race winner, that was this race to poll
victory thing. Robot. Robot. Doesn't win a race on Sunday. So I had three different independent
winners. So we had, by my reckoning, Rainford, Shedden, and Moffatt's day as the three,
sorry, Doble. Apologies, Doble, Shedden, and Moffatt as the three independents today.
Quite possibly. It was definitely three different ones.
Yeah, Shedden finished third in race three. Yeah, so yeah.
And I had a tie to podium, which Shedden did claim for me in race number two, which was good.
So provisionally, provisionally, I am four, potentially four three, more likely four two.
Yeah. Four two I'll take.
No, actually, no, it's four three, absolutely. It could be four two, because I got one right,
you got two right. So it's two one there. So it's potentially four all, however,
I think it's four three. I don't think the Toms have done it, mate.
Agreed. Agreed. Now, the most important part of the weekend.
Yes. The point we get to anger everybody. Our awards.
Yes. Now, if you haven't watched before, we give out awards, four awards for the weekend.
We give out a driver of the weekend was driver of the day, but it's got to be weekend now.
We give a villain of the weekend. You don't want to be winning that one.
We give a surprise good and a surprise bad. Yeah. Where do you want to start?
Should we start with the surprises and work upwards to make change?
Surprise bad is fairly cut and dry for me. It's restart racing.
They were no near the pace on the Saturday. I know smiley did all right in race three,
but effectively they were good in one of five sessions that counted.
And that's not good enough. Dawlin wasn't particularly on the pace day either.
It just felt that they're a bit of a disadvantage all weekend.
I'm probably going to have to go for Chilton. Okay.
Yeah. He had sort of like a decent result of ninth, I think in race one, but apart from that,
nowhere night. Well, really either combination of unlucky, bad luck, unlucky, bad luck mistakes.
Yeah. However you want to call it, it's not the weekend he was after,
especially with the note, how we know the pace is in that car and Collard showed it as well.
Yeah, absolutely. No, I couldn't understand that. Surprise good.
Oh, I think it has to be PMR. Yeah, I agree with you on that.
Yeah, I agree with you on that. It was all very well seeing them go quickly in testing.
But we were a little unsure, bringing the new car to the grid, a team that,
an independent team that is up in the stakes this year, effectively bringing
three brand new cars in and they've smashed it.
Yeah, absolutely. And this first weekend they smashed it.
100%. And look, maybe we've been a bit guilty of underestimating them coming into the season,
but it's so hard for the reasons you've just said there. You've got three new cars,
completely new to three drivers, two of them are new to the team.
There's a lot of new bits and pieces there. Dare I say as well, there'll be a new setup or new
feeling inside because they've now changed dynamic where they've got three top drivers.
I don't think they've had that. I don't think they've had it this good before,
put it that way. They've had three drivers in the past. I don't think we've seen a level like
this before with race winners, a real prospect. Moving into new headquarters, having to set up
effectively, completely new for this season. Yes, okay, the team personnel there,
they know what they've been doing for the last three, four, five years.
But it's a big ask to bring in a car into the championship and three of them.
Yes, 100%. They've done really well this weekend and I completely agree with you.
If I was to do a bit of variety, change that to my surprise goods being Dexter Patterson as a,
just because I think he exceeds all the expectations weekend. However,
that's only for a slight point of difference. PMR smashed it.
You're villain then.
For similar reasons you already mentioned, I've gone for Tom Chilton. I think that a lot of hype
was going into the season around Tom Chilton and how he was expecting to really be challenging and
the car was good. I've been on there as well. Yeah, you have been on that hype train.
One bad weekend does not ruin a season, does not change everything and make you a bad driver.
Exactly. That doesn't help though. And I just think today, what we've always said about teams
at the top of motorsport is that if your main driver has a bad day, you've really got to be
there to pick up the pieces and do your bit. We've said that about Red Bull for years in the F1 world.
And today, Ingram had that day where he didn't go particularly well.
Okay, race one, Ingram won. You couldn't possibly know what was coming.
I've got a good question for you. Keep going.
Race two, didn't really affect it. Race three, yes, I know he gets caught up in stuff,
but as you say, is that bad luck? Is it also because you're at that part of the grid?
Really, Chilton was nowhere near the top four weekend. And that,
I know Kamish hasn't had a great weekend on paper, but he was closer to the sharp end throughout
the weekend where you'd expect him to be. What's your question?
If Proctor's still in that car, does he finish like top six most every race?
It's really hard to know because obviously it is a hypothetical question. What I will say is that
I've been watching on the limit recently and trying to catch up with that. And if you haven't
watched it, go back and watch it because the part he plays in Ingram's victory last year,
okay, he's not the sole reason Ingram won the championship. Let's not get carried away, but
it's a big part. Yeah, he really did play his part last year. He really was a pain in the ass
for Ingram's competitors. He was nicking points off of them. He was making races difficult. He was
holding people up, doing that team job of letting Ingram through when he needed to.
And dare I say as well, and this is going to sound like a diss to Chilton and it's not,
but if you are certain or you're anyone else in the title fight and you're trying to get past one
of Ingram's teammates, I'd rather go past Chilton than Proctor. Yeah, dare I say, and it might only
be for half season as we've already mentioned, Colard could be his main ally in that respect
because we know what kind of racer he's going to be. We know how hard he's going to fight.
We know he's going to put the cat amongst the pigeons and be there to record a few feathers.
I think as well, and I'll let you get your villain out in a minute.
This has been Chilton's problem. This has been a virtue is that there's too many of these weekends
and it's already happened at the start of the season. Again, okay, get out the way and maybe
have nine great ones moving forward. This looks silly at the end of the season, like so many
of the things I say. But again, watching back through on the limit last year, there were so many
weekends. Actually, we discussed it in the pre-season predictions about there'll be weekends
where the car's just on fire or he's just doing nothing because that's kind of where we are.
And it looks as if, okay, it's one weekend, let's not get too carried away, but it does look like
that pattern is already setting in. And I've just been a bit disappointed. Especially at the track
that we know he's gone when up before. Exactly. Did really well here at the season like the last
year. Took a race win. I'm now going to take out a note of your book. Oh dear, never do that.
My villain is TTB this weekend. Oh, you've gone for a, I have. I've gone for the championship.
The slight change that we've had to the TTB this weekend looks like it's making passes
a little bit too easy in my mind. Effectively, as you've already said, like a pushed pass at the
RS sort of thing. Yes, okay, that makes for overtakes and excitement and stuff like that. And
you, you have to be able to use it tactically to use it properly. But also the amount of times that
we've seen a slightly contradicting information with the race to pole on Saturday, we had
explanation from the commentators going, I should adjust itself across a lap and stuff like that.
I don't understand how a program or a software system basically like that can
over boost. There must be an upper limit that should be set. And I don't know whether this is
teams teams doing it or whether it's the system itself, whether it's Cosworth, whether it's M
sport, I don't fully know, which is why I'm a little bit squiffy on it. But the amount of issues
that it's caused this weekend for drivers Morgan Ingram, drivers being able to be passed and
defend a little bit easier. I want to see pure fighting. Yeah, no, I completely agree with you.
And I, I've said to you before that I'm a little bit nervous about how gimmicky the sport might
be being perceived as getting. And this one is, I don't like the five seconds we discussed a bit
further up. I think that takes away all tactical skill in when you use and when you don't. I think
it's now become as you've mentioned, I've mentioned DRSC, which for no one needed DRSC, this is just
debate for one of the time, but for one needed DRSC at the time, it wasn't the perfect solution,
but it was necessary. Whereas I don't think it was, this is necessary in the touring cars. I do
think that the boost is too powerful. And we're going to see at some tracks where if you've not,
if you've not got TDB, you're not going to compete. I do wonder whether it
contributed to double falling way through the field in that second one because he only had
two laps to deal with it and wasn't able to. No, and I suppose people will be shouting at this,
at the screen or at the thing right now, but one race three with only one lap. But then
I think that whenever, if certain engram do something, you have to take them out of the
conversation because what they do is just freakish. Yeah, they are honestly probably the
best two drivers about, well, I'm going to say they are the best two drivers of my lifetime.
I think they're the head of Matt Neil, them, Jason, in terms of what they can get out of a car
every single weekend. So I think whatever they do, put them away. I suppose the only driver that
might come close to Givinardi, again, the debate for a whole never day, but my point being, if they
do it, that is not the norm. That is absolutely the exception. Okay, cool. Shall we do driver of
the weekend? Driver of the weekend then. I know he had the bad Saturday, but do you know what the
mark of a great driver is? How you deal with setbacks and boy, oh boy, did he show how to deal
with setbacks down the Sunday. And dare I say, if you're going to have a setback across a weekend,
you'd rather have a setback today when there's only a maximum of 10 points to be lost out on,
shall we say? It will struggle if he does that next weekend though, because you have no boost at
the back of the grid for a race one. But what I will say is that he made the most of what he had
today and he's gone home with two firsts and a second. Yeah, not bad. Not bad. Not bad, is it?
I think he might have taken that at the start of the day. Had you offered it to him? Definitely.
So yeah, I mean, I think there is a few honorable mentions. I will put Dex in the conversation. I
think he's had a really strong weekend. I'll put Moffat in the conversation. I'd be tempted to put
Rainford in the conversation as well. But I'd say they've been solid rather than spectacular.
Sutton has just been spectacular. And Ingram would have definitely been in of a shout, but
yeah, when you don't start on other races, okay, it's not your fault. I understand that, but
you know, you can't have passed Sutton in my opinion. I know. Well, that kind of rounds up a
weekend of racing. A little bit chilly at the track today and you might see that we've caught the
wind slightly. Well, not that I'm bathed in sunshine here, so I'm fine.
But yeah, certainly a good, strong opening to the 2026 season. It'll be interesting to see what
come in two, three weeks time at Brands. And it is a completely different setup of track. So I think
we are going to get a different bag of results, which will be quite nice. Apart from Ingram and
Sutton, probably still being up there. Yeah, I mean, I've put five quick five thoughts on Facebook
for how far the weekend went. So if you're interested in those in a bit of a longer sort of
read by all means, go and check them out and give us yours. My thoughts are, yeah, pretty much that
is that the championship never went away. Sutton and Ingram are absolutely at the level that I
don't think anyone's going to get near this season. But what I will say is that whilst people might
already be going, oh, another battle between those two, the quality of racing the rest of the field
today was excellent. We really did see some great racing coming down the field. And even to the point
where drivers had fallen off the leading pack and we're fighting at the back, they'll still be able
to fight with each other. There's still lots of scrapping. There's still lots of changing of
positions. So yeah, if that's an indication what's to come, I think that we will be in for a good
season. I will also just say that there's been a few sake comments from me about play to race
throughout the podcast. It is purely just because of some of the just just jabbing back a bit of
some of the negative comments that we received for daring to criticize play to racing. But I do
think that if you're honest, being realistic and taking all joke out of it for a minute,
they've had a solid start to the weekend. If you'd offered them at the start of this weekend,
before a wheeler turns the sprint to pole victory and then solid point scoring,
play a part of what's out on the surface because he wants to win everything. But I think they
I think there'd have been an acceptance in the team at that is a good result. And I think they
have had a good start to the season. Well, brands next up, we're going, we are going. Let us know
your thoughts on the weekend. We'd love to hear them as we've heard them all across social media
this weekend. Might go book a holiday for after brands as well.
But yeah, we'll bring you a news update at the end of the month as well. But until then.
Yep. Cheerio. Hope you enjoyed the curtain raiser and we'll be back with a brands preview
after the news update as well. So you'll be and also thank you for sticking with us for this
episode. I appreciate that it's not necessarily as I say, smooth and polished as we normally are.
I've already did this when I get home. Yeah, I mean, good luck to that. But yeah,
thank you for sticking with us. If it's your first time listening to a review,
they're not all like this. They are generally a bit better quality. And yeah, that's on me.
I've let the nation down until next time. We'll see you soon. Bye for now.
About this episode
Donington Park’s BTCC 2026 curtain-raiser delivers dominant drives, chaos, and heavy stewarding. Robottom’s pole-to-win hopes in race one collapse into penalties: a track-limits call drops him, and Tom Ingram’s overboost leads to disqualification—handing Mikey Doble the win. Ash Sutton charges from the back in race one, then controls race two with a clean lead and tire/boost management. Race three turns into a classic with constant overtakes, spins, and track-limit penalties again, while Sutton and Ingram recover to take top spots. The hosts debate whether the new TTB/boost rules are making racing too gimmicky.
