Jake Hill denied Mikey Doble victory in a final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race of the day with a last gasp move at Oulton Park this afternoon (Sunday).

For much of the race it appeared that Mikey Doble was on his way to a maiden victory at the wheel of his Vauxhall Astra, after the pole-sitter held off Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing teammate Aron Taylor-Smith off the line. Hill’s Laser Tools with MB Motorsport BMW was another car on the move early on, passing Dan Cammish into Cascades but he had to settle into third during the laps that followed.

Whilst Doble drove calmly at the front, Taylor-Smith kept Hill’s BMW 330e M Sport bottled up behind admirably. The Irishman’s determined defence lasted until lap 10 when Hill created an opportunity around the outside at Island. After exiting the hairpin ahead, Hill immediately began eating into the other Vauxhall’s advantage and was pressuring Doble within a lap.

As the race entered its final laps, Hill twice sized up a move towards the chicane at Hislops but found the door closed as Doble continued to hold on. The crucial move came on the final lap however, with Hill attacking down The Avenue and through Cascades before running side-by-side with Doble around the outside into the hairpin at Island. Hill remained on the outside over Hilltop before executing a bold move around the outside to seal the win at Hislops.

The BMW drove comfortably to victory through the final corners of the lap as Hill took his fifth win of 2024. For Doble, the disappointment of narrowly missing out on a first victory was tempered by the joy of a first outright podium in the BTCC.

Behind that, Taylor-Smith secured a double podium for the Vauxhall team in third place. Like Doble, he was under heavy pressure in the closing laps with 2022 champion Tom Ingram’s Hyundai in hot pursuit. Ingram wasn’t quite able to make a move stick though and had to settle for fourth.

Like Hill, Ingram will leave the Cheshire circuit in good spirits after jumping long time series leader Ash Sutton in the points standings. Sutton had started this race in 16th position and charged ably through the pack in an attempt to recover from his race two misfortune. The four-time champion was 11th at the end of lap one in his NAPA Racing UK Ford and seventh by the race’s midpoint. Sadly for Sutton, his charge came to an end on lap 11 when a puncture forced him to pit from the leading group, ending his chances of a big score.

Another driver to suffer a slice of bad luck was Colin Turkington, the grid’s other four-time champion. Team BMW’s Northern Irishman was running with the leaders during the early stages but suffered a spin which dropped him to the rear of the pack. He ended up 15th by the time the chequered flag fell.

Behind the key podium contenders, Dan Cammish and Daniel Rowbottom finished fifth and sixth in their NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus STs after running for much of the race in the chain behind Taylor-Smith’s fight with Hill. Adam Morgan, Josh Cook, Chris Smiley and Aiden Moffat rounded out the top-10.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Oulton Park, Race 3

1. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, BMW 330e M Sport
2. Mikey Doble, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +0.749s
3. Aron Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +2.410s
4. Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, Hyundai i30N, +2.856s
5. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +3.714s
6. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +4.150s
7. Adam Morgan, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +6.758s
8. Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +7.474s
9. Chris Smiley, Restart Racing, Cupra Leon, +9.744s
10. Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +12.474s

Click here for full timings from this weekend.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Standings

1. Jake Hill 211
2. Tom Ingram 207
3. Ash Sutton 187
4. Dan Cammish 169
5. Josh Cook 153
6. Colin Turkington 146