Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport enjoyed another memorable weekend in the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as Jake Hill scored two podium trips and his fifth victory of the season to head into the summer break as championship leader.
With sunshine blessing the picturesque Cheshire track, the weekend kicked off with Jake finishing the opening practice sessions at Oulton Park in 6th and 12th place respectively. With the Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport racer only afforded 3 Secs/Lap of hybrid in qualifying, Jake would overcame his handicap to progress through to the second stage of qualifying with a last lap dash.
In the second stage of qualifying, Jake would push his WSR-run BMW 330e M-Sport to the limit but just missed out on the 'Quick Six' by a mere 0.049 seconds as he secured a seventh-place starting position for Sunday's opening race.
Starting the opening race of the weekend from the fourth row on the grid, Jake would get off to a storming start as he passed his WSR-stablemate Adam Morgan and Daniel Rowbottom to move himself up to fifth place through the opening corners of the race.
After passing Tom Chilton on the run down to Hislops, Jake was running in 4th place and pressuring Dan Cammish for the final spot on the podium when an unforced error saw him have a huge lock-up at the Island Bend hairpin - forcing him wide and losing two positions.
Crossing the line in 6th place, Jake would later be promoted to fifth place after Daniel Rowbottom was given a post-race penalty - meaning Jake would start the second race of the day from fifth place.
Replicating his start from race one, Jake would once again pass his WSR-stablemate Adam Morgan to get himself up to 4th place but would soon be back running in 5th place after Josh Cook, on the softer tyre compound, would pass Jake at the hairpin.
Passing championship rival Ash Sutton into the final corner, Jake was now running in 4th place again and hunting down Dan Cammish for the final spot on the podium.
Not settling for 4th place, Jake fired his BMW around the outside of the #27 car on the final lap of the race to claim his 50th career BTCC podium as he crossed the finishing line in 3rd place.
In the reverse grid draw, Jake was handed a 4th place starting position for the final race of the day and moved into the podium places as he squeezed up the inside of Cammish at Cascades on the opening lap.
Jake would then pass Aron Taylor-Smith with a brave move around the outside at the hairpin to get himself into second place and would begin to hunt down Mikey Doble for the race lead.
Applying heavy pressure to Doble throughout the remaining laps, it was on the final tour that Hill and Doble went side-by-side through the chicane with Hill emerging ahead with a brilliant move.
Crossing the finishing line to take his fifth win of the season, Jake now leads the BTCC Drivers' Championship standings with 211 points, with a slim four-point advantage, as the BTCC pauses for the summer break before resuming at Croft Circuit on 27 - 28 July.
"What a fantastic way to wrap up the first half of the year - our fifth win of the season and we head now into the summer break as the leaders of the BTCC Drivers' Championship. Despite starting race day in 7th place, we were able to climb the order in all three races to bag some fantastic points and two trips to the podium with a P3 and a P1. I couldn't be prouder of this team and group of people, they've worked so hard all season and to be at the top of the standings heading into the summer break is just incredible. A big thank you to the Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport team and all of the fans—your support has been truly felt lately!" - Jake Hill
"Our annual trip to Oulton Park did not disappoint and we now pause for the summer break as leaders of the BTCC Drivers' Championship! It was a fantastic race day at Oulton, with Jake making great progress in all three races and pulling off last-lap heroics twice to score vital championship points. I'm very proud and thankful for the hard work being put in by the whole team, not only at the race track but between each race weekend, and that hard work is paying dividends. The season is only halfway complete and we must continue to perform at this high level if we want to stay at the top of the standings come the season's end. A huge thank you to all of our partners, fans, and team members for the endless support!" - Mark Blundell
