Jake Hill heads to the British Touring Car Championship season finale this weekend as the joint leader of the drivers’ championship standings, with the Laser Tools Racing driver targeting a maiden drivers’ title.
Following a ‘mega weekend’ last time out at Silverstone, Hill is now tied at the top with rival Tom Ingram on 365 points.
The WSR-run driver secured a victory, second place and a fifth at a rain-soaked Silverstone, which he admitted by any measure had been a ‘fantastic weekend’ even though Ingram cut his lead by nine points.
“Ultimately it was a mega weekend for us – you can’t turn your nose up at a win, a second and a fourth,” Hill told TouringCars.Net.
“By any means, that’s a great weekend. Unfortunately, my championship rival has just had a slightly better one! You can’t knock him for it – he’s done a good job and I feel like we’ve both driven our heart out this weekend and thrown the world at it, so now we go to Brands equal on points.”
Hill explained that the extremely wet conditions in the final race last time out prevented him from finishing higher up the order, and with Ingram winning it saw the duo leave the venue tied on points when Hill was penalised a place to fifth for contact with Dan Cammish.
“Ultimately the rain was just too heavy for us in the BMW – we really lose out when the rain is that heavy. It was hard work.
“In race one and two the car was fantastic, but then in race three it was just too wet, and we struggled, so I couldn’t make the progress that we had earlier one.
“Nonetheless, I can’t be upset with how it’s gone. Of course, I’d love to have extended my lead, it’s not happened but we still had a fantastic weekend and we go to Brands equal on points.”
Hill is hoping that his WSR stable-mates Colin Turkington, who only has the slenderest of mathematical title chances, and Adam Morgan can help him have the edge in this weekend’s showdown.
“Colin, unfortunately, is realistically out of it now. Adam has been helping me in the last couple of rounds when he can.
“I’ve got two great team-mates alongside me and I’m very proud to have them and any help is going to be welcome. I hope Colin can outqualify Tom and then try and help me out a bit there.
“It’s going to be one tough day.”