The TCR UK Touring Car Championship begins its northern leg this weekend as Oulton Park in Cheshire hosts a packed day of action on Saturday 8 June.
The leafy parkland circuit is hugely popular with spectators and provides a stern challenge for drivers on its fast-but-tight, undulating Island layout.
After his stellar showing last time out at Snetterton, Adam Shepherd heads into the weekend with a 35-point lead at the top of the championship standings. The Area Motorsport with Shepherd Motors driver has won three of six races so far this season in his CUPRA Leon Competición TCR and will be gunning for more glory this weekend.
The price of success comes with the maximum amount of 40kg compensation weight, ensuring that Shepherd will have to fight for every point.
The chasing pack is led by JH Racing’s Callum Newsham. Having topped the standings after the opening weekend, the Hyundai i30 N TCR driver struggled for ultimate pace at Snetterton.
But shedding 20kg of ballast should help him get back into the fight for race wins at the venue where he scored his maiden podium finish two years ago.
Just four points down on Newsham as they head to Cheshire is reigning champion Carl Boardley. It’s been a frustrating start to 2024 for the CBM with Hart GT driver, searching for the elusive set-up sweet-spot for his CUPRA Leon Competición TCR on this year’s Goodyear rubber.
But while he may have been missing that final 1%, Boardley has been a model of consistency with four podium finishes to date. Whether he nails the set-up or not, Boardley will be a force at the circuit where he broke his TCR UK duck last year.
Local driver Joe Marshall currently lies fourth in the standings, some 33 points further back. The Rob Boston Racing man has had terrific pace aboard his Audi RS3 LMS TCR this year – witness three fastest laps – but his results don’t fully reflect that.
A driveshaft failure prevented him starting the opening race at Snetterton last month but he finished the weekend on a high with second place in the finale. Still seeking his maiden victory in the championship, Marshall would love to put that right on home ground this weekend.
Completing the quintet of drivers who have emerged as leading title contenders this year is Bond It with MPH Racing’s Brad Hutchison. In just his third weekend aboard the CUPRA Leon Competición TCR, everything began to click for the Yorkshireman last time out.
He was on the podium in every race and secured his maiden win in the championship, which will leave him on a high as he crosses the Pennines for this weekend’s action.
Knocking on the door of the title chasers is Luke Sargeant. The sophomore driver pilots a second Area Motorsport-tended CUPRA Leon Competición TCR with backing from RS Vehicle Sales. Having made his TCR debut at Oulton last year, Sargeant will aim to consolidate his top-six status and push towards a first podium finish.
Newsham’s team-mate at JH Racing is Darron Lewis, who has revelled in the increased potency of the Hyundai i30 N TCR compared with the older car he piloted last year.
The West Midlander has three top-six finishes to his name already this year and leads the way in the Goodyear Diamond Award for drivers aged 40 and over. The similarly-mounted Steve Laidlaw (Capture Motorsport) belied his lack of mileage with a strong showing on debut at Snetterton and will look to continue his progress.
Will Powell’s Go-Fix Honda by Sport77 squad makes a welcome return to action this weekend, having missed the previous round. Back in action after knee surgery, Powell himself will lead the charge in his Honda Civic Type R FK7 TCR.
Joining him aboard a second Civic is Brad Thurston. The British Endurance champion dipped a toe in the water at the wheel of a Gen 1 Audi at the Brands Hatch season opener but has now graduated to a much newer and well developed model that will allow him to challenge at the front of the field.
The new-for-2024 Gen 1 Cup is set for more close battles as the category for older cars is proving to be hotly contested. Capture Motorsport’s Will Beech (Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR) led the way with an imperious class hat-trick at Brands Hatch in April.
But East Anglian Rick Kerry of EDF Motorsport hit back last month at his local circuit – where the action got very close indeed! Kerry’s CUPRA TCR now leads the standings by just two points.
Mark Smith (Richmond Fire CUPRA TCR) and Jeff Alden (Matrix Motorsport with DW Racing Opel AstraTCR) will keep the leading duo on their toes.
Another driver who is sure to ignite further action into proceedings is championship supremo Stewart Lines, who makes a welcome return to racing in the Gen 1 Audi RS3 LMS TCR Brad Hutchison has driven previously.
Lines was a regular in the championship’s inaugural season of 2018, but hasn’t been seen on the TCR UK grid since 2019 when he scored a podium double in a one-off outing at Brands Hatch.
All the action takes place on a single day at Oulton Park, with an early start for Qualifying at 0910hrs.
The hugely popular public grid walk takes place during the lunchbreak ahead of Round 7 of the championship.
Make sure you take the opportunity to get up close to the stars and their cars before racing gets under way with lights out at 1315hrs.
The reversed-grid finale is set to round off the day’s action at 1605hrs.
You can still purchase tickets for the next event of the 2024 season, at Oulton Park, from their website: https://www.oultonpark.co.uk/2024/june/tcr-uk-touring-car-championship
To find out more about the TCR UK Touring Car Championship visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/ for more information and how to get involved.
To learn more about the 2024 TCR UK Touring Car Championship Calendar events, visit https://www.tcr-uk.co.uk/2024-calendar/ for more information.
Stay tuned for news and updates regarding the 2024 season via our website and socials media channels:
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Useful information and livestream links:
OULTON PARK ISLAND QUALIFYING LIVESTREAM
OULTON PARK ISLAND RACE DAY LIVESTREAM
