Knockhill comeback for Jake Hill

Racing drivers are a sensitive bunch. Only a matter of months ago, Jake Hill felt on top of the world as the new British Touring Car champion. Now, following a tough few months in his West Surrey Racing BMW and an illness-induced absence, it turns out the heart-on-sleeve Kent tin-top racer has been suffering from a crisis of confidence.

“I’m a bit teary after that one,” said Hill after canny use of his powerboost helped the 31-year-old win the first race of the day at Knockhill. “You question whether you can do it after what happened over the past two weeks. But we smoked them, didn’t we?”

In July, Hill was forced to miss the Croft rounds thanks to a bout of labyrinthitis that left him feeling dizzy. Standing deep in the shade of Tom Ingram and Ash Sutton’s exclusive title battle this term, Hill needed a big performance to reignite his self-belief. At the BTCC’s popular Scottish round that’s precisely what he delivered – admittedly at an undulating circuit that always plays to the strengths of the rear-wheel-drive BMWs.

Later in the day, after Ingram had led Sutton to victory in race two, Hill scooped the final encounter of an untypically balmy Scottish day with a dominant display. This was the 23rd BTCC win of Hill’s career and his seventh at Knockhill, a circuit record he shares with Sutton. “It’s been a tough few weeks, watching Croft from the sidelines, but now we’ve just got to focus on trying to win as many pots as possible between now and the end of the season,” said Hill. It was good to see him smiling again.

Meanwhile, ahead of Donington at the end of August, Ingram and Sutton were just 17 points apart after a weekend in which both called on team orders to keep their scores ticking over. No one wants to see that – but for the others in their respective EXCELR8 and Alliance Racing teams, the message is simple: next year, challenge the BTCC’s natural order, beat this era’s top duo and make themselves their teams’ best title hope. Easier said than done, of course.

Driver briefing notes

Summer sizzlers in WRC, Formula 3 and NASCAR

• Somehow Kalle Rovanperä hadn’t won his home event, but the two-time world champion set that right on Rally Finland this time. The 24-year-old dominated as Toyota took a WRC 1-2-3-4-5 – the first time that’s been achieved since Lancia in Portugal in 1990. After Finland, four drivers were separated by 13 points.
• Remember the name: Rafael Câmara. The Brazilian clinched the FIA Formula 3 title a weekend early with a dominant win from pole at the Hungaroring. Last year the 20-year-old Ferrari Driver Academy member was European Formula Regional champion and is the Trident team’s third consecutive F3 king.

  

• The most unlikely NASCAR name ever? But William Byron, inset, is the real deal after securing the ‘regular season Cup title’. The Hendrick Motorsports Chevy racer, who won his second Daytona 500 in January, now heads into the Play-offs to bid for the actual Cup… C’mon, keep up.