Mike Bushell had an enjoyable return to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with a Jack Sears Trophy win.

The West Thurrock-based team made the trip to Norfolk eager to build on a solid test at the circuit last month, with both Mike Bushell and Nicolas Hamilton seeking to make forward progress up the grid.

For reigning Clio Cup champion Mike, the weekend started well as he finished just shy of the top ten in the opening practice session, although it was to be the highlight of Saturday as a challenging qualifying campaign saw him end up in 22^nd place on the grid.

A strong start when the lights went out in race one saw Mike make up four places on the opening lap alone at the wheel of his Ford Focus, and he continued to push hard throughout to cross the line in 16^th place – less than half a second away from what would have been a second points finish of the season.

That result wasn’t long in coming however, with a mature drive in race two seeing Mike rewarded with his best result in the series to date. Avoiding chaotic scenes ahead through two carnage-filled opening laps, Mike found himself running inside the points-scoring positions and continued to push forwards toward the top ten.

Sitting eleventh going into the final lap, Mike then took tenth when rival Tom Ingram slowed with a puncture; giving him a first top ten finish in the series.

While an off-track excursion in the final race prevented him from matching that result and instead resulted in a 20^th place finish, Mike’s combined results across the three races saw him secure the Jack Sears Trophy as top rookie driver – the first time he has achieved the accolade since the season opener at Brands Hatch.

Speaking after the weekends racing, Mike said: “I had three targets this weekend which were to score points, finish inside the top ten, and to win the Jack Sears Trophy – and I managed to hit them all.

“We knew we had some decent pace coming into the weekend and showed that in first practice, although the rest of Saturday proved to be more challenging and it meant we had to fight back on race day.

“We came close to scoring in race one and then in race two, it was great to break into the top ten for the first time. That race also showed how much you need luck on your side in this championship, as there was so much happening in the first two laps, it would have been easy to get caught up in the middle of it.

“Race three was a bit disappointing as I’d had contact from Hunter Abbott’s Audi a few times and it unsettled the car a little bit. I then made a small mistake that meant I went off at the end of the back straight.

“Despite that, we’ve ended the weekend with the Jack Sears Trophy, which is a big boost for me and the ideal way to start the second half of the year. I always knew the BTCC would be difficult but I’m delighted with a top ten finish, and hopefully this weekend can be a springboard to better things through the rest of the year.”

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