Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher made gains in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship standings this weekend, adding three strong points finishes to its tally during rounds 7, 8 and 9  of the series at Thruxton.

Heading into the weekend free from carrying any championship ballast; Tom Chilton staked his claim early on Saturday afternoon, posting the second fastest time on lap 2 in qualifying. As the session ran on and the track temperature rose, the times continued to tumble and Chilton ultimately claimed 7^th for the opening race. Team-mate James Cole struggled to string the perfect lap together and ended the session in P20.

A great start off the line saw Chilton follow his Motorbase stable-mate Sam Tordoff through the first corner to move straight up into sixth place in race 1. A crowd-pleasing battle ensued as the 33-year-old chased down Jordan’s BMW whilst holding off the pair of fast-charging Astra’s, and the Gallagher-backed racer finally bested former BTCC champion Jordan on lap 9 to take 5^th at the chequered flag.

Bogged down in the mid-filed traffic, Cole struggled to make huge in-roads during the weekend opener and eventually brought the #20 Focus RS home unscathed in P19.

Carrying 39kg of success ballast on-board for race 2, Chilton defended his position hard against the lighter challengers and a clean, trouble-free race was rewarded with a 9^th place finish and another excellent haul of points for the squad’s championship campaign.

Race 2 sadly failed to deliver salvation for Cole, with contact on lap 3 resulting in race-ending suspension damage for the #20 Ford Focus RS and forcing the Liverpool-based driver to sit out the remaining laps in the pits.

Chilton enjoyed his third points finish of the day in race 3 with a superb comeback drive on the final lap. Running as high as 7^th in the opening laps, a tussle with Austin’s Alfa Romeo on lap 13 dropped the #3 Focus RS back down to 14^th before a stunning move through the complex on the final tour saw Chilton charge through to take 11^th as the final flag dropped.

Cole battled back well from 29^th on the grid, using the final contest to gain as much valuable data as possible for the upcoming rounds, ending the day in P24.

The weekend’s strong points haul have advanced Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher’s Independent Championship position, moving the Kent-based squad up into 4^th place with Tom Chilton and James Cole now lying 6^th and 14^th in the Independent Drivers’ standings.

Speaking after the weekend, Chilton said: “Good old sunny Thruxton! We absolutely love it here.  We’ve managed to finish all three races and not been hit off this weekend, which for this season so far is a really big positive! I’ve nearly had 3 top ten finishes. The 3^rd race sadly was just 11^th which was a little frustrating but it was up and down and pretty crazy out there, so it was a good points haul.

“I had a lot of fun out there this weekend. We’ve moved up in the championship at each round so far this season. We’re building momentum now and I hope that we can keep carrying this forward into the next round at Oulton Park.”

Images courtesy of Images courtesy of PSP Images