Adam Morgan scored his second podium finish of the season at Thruxton as WSR and BMW maintained their push for the British Touring Car Championship.
The Team BMW driver started the final race of the day from pole position on the partially-reversed grid and finished in a strong second place aboard his BMW 330e M Sport at the series fastest circuit.
The Lancashire racer had been one of the stars of the opening race as he climbed from 15th on the grid to eighth spot, but was boxed in by a rival with a lap to go and fell to 13th.
He added 12th in Race Two and now sits eighth in the points while his results elevated Team BMW to second place in the Teams’ Championship and maintained BMW’s second spot in the Manufacturers’ points.
“Today was always going to be a bit of damage limitation because Thruxton favours front-wheel drive touring cars, so to come away with a podium is a good result for Team BMW and especially for Adam,” commented Team Principal Dick Bennets. “Jake’s gone up a spot in the championship and Colin’s scored consistently in all three races so we’re still there in the hunt. We need to look at ways of getting back onto the top step of the podium, but Oulton Park and Croft, which are next up, should give us a fighting chance of doing that.”
Team-mate Colin Turkington and Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Jake Hill both drove consistently throughout race day after qualifying sixth and fifth.
Both recorded fourth-place finishes with Kent racer Jake taking the position in Races One and Two and Colin doing likewise in Race Three.
Jake was restricted to 10th in the reversed-grid race while four-time series champion Colin had been seventh and sixth – the latter result coming after a well-judged last-lap move.
Colin maintained third place in the Drivers’ points while Jake moved up a spot to fourth.
Leicester’s Stephen Jelley started the opener alongside Adam, but was turned around by a rival at Thruxton’s infamous chicane and spent the rest of the race fighting back from last to 19th. He added 18th and 16th in the day’s other races.
The next round takes place at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on June 17-18, after which the series reaches its midway point and its summer break.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 4/10
DRIVERS
1/ Ash Sutton – 183 points
2/ Tom Ingram – 169
3/ Colin Turkington – 142
4/ Jake Hill – 130
5/ Dan Cammish – 128
6/ Dan Rowbottom – 95
8/ Adam Morgan – 90
14/ Stephen Jelley – 44
MANUFACTURERS
1/ Ford – 339 points
2/ BMW – 330
3/ Hyundai – 300
4/ Toyota – 227
TEAMS
1/ NAPA Racing UK – 312 points
2/ Team BMW – 255
3/ Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 – 242
4/ Toyota GAZOO Racing UK – 177
5/ One Motorsport with Starline Racing – 169
6/ Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport – 62
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