Doble takes overall fastest time at Croft BTCC test

Reigning Jack Sears Trophy champion Mikey Doble made it an underdog double on the second of two days of British Touring Automobile Championship official testing at Croft.

Doble, who’s coming into his third season with the Energy Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra group, set no fewer than three laps faster than the most effective anybody else might handle within the afternoon session on Wednesday.

The Surrey racer was the one driver to eclipse the startling time set on the opening day by BTCC rookie and Independents class rival Max Corridor on the wheel of his Un-Restricted Motorsport Cupra Leon, his finest shading the Gloucestershire teenager’s effort by 0.141 seconds.

Doble’s Wednesday afternoon finest was a transparent 0.231s forward of the NAPA-liveried Alliance Racing Ford Focus ST of Dan Cammish in that session, though it was solely 0.201s faster than Cammish’s morning effort, which was the quickest time set earlier than lunchtime.

Just a few weeks in the past, the BTCC way forward for Doble and PMR appeared doubtful after the group’s title sponsor broke its contract, however a brand new tie-up with Motor Elements Direct got here to the rescue simply in time for testing to kick off.

“We’ve had a incredible first couple of days to kick off our pre-season testing programme,” mentioned Doble, who didn’t participate within the personal exams by which a number of different groups appeared at Manufacturers Hatch two weeks in the past and Snetterton final week.

“The automobile felt superb, and the group’s arduous work in growth over the low season is now shining by means of. I can’t wait to get again out within the automobile for season launch at Donington in a few weeks.”

A handful of pink flags interrupted operating through the day, with Adam Morgan going off at Clervaux in his Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai within the morning, and Dan Rowbottom doing the identical within the afternoon when his Alliance Ford sustained a puncture.

A late off-track incident for Rowbottom’s team-mate Sam Osborne triggered the ultimate pink flag, after which there was time for six minutes of operating.

Throughout this era, Cammish leapt up the order in session, as did Daryl DeLeon, who continues to become familiar with the West Surrey Racing BMW and completed the day in third.

4-time champion Ash Sutton was fourth quickest in his Alliance Ford forward of the Excelr8 Hyundai of 2022 title winner Tom Ingram, who was second within the morning however appeared to deal with longer-distance operating within the afternoon and was one of many few drivers to not go faster.

Corridor continued his spectacular pre-season by ending the day sixth forward of returning three-time BTCC king Gordon Shedden within the lead Speedworks Motorsport-run Toyota Corolla GR Sport.

Finishing the highest 10 had been rookie Charles Rainford in his WSR BMW, Josh Cook in a One Motorsport Honda Civic Sort R, and the second Un-Restricted Cupra of Dexter Patterson.

Reigning champion Jake Hill was one other to not deal with headline instances, and was on the cusp of the highest 10 in each classes along with his WSR BMW.

It’s understood that nearly everybody bought to run on mushy tyres in some unspecified time in the future through the day, though unclear who was on new or used rubber.

BTCC Croft pre-season take a look at – Day 2 outcomes