The 2025 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship rolled into Norfolk for Rounds 7, 8, and 9 at the Snetterton circuit last weekend.
With a length of 2.97 miles, Snetterton is the longest circuit of the season. And with a mixture of long straights and challenging corners, the drivers have to be wise with their choice of tyres as well as keep an eye on the weather conditions, which were windy for Sunday’s racing.
Napa Racing UK/Alliance Racing driver, Sam Osborne, started the weekend with nine points in the Drivers’ Championship and 63 points in the Jack Sears Trophy table – a separate series for drivers who haven’t stood on the BTCC podium yet.
Saturday’s qualifying saw Sam put his number 77 Ford Focus ST in sixteenth position on the grid for Sunday’s first race.
“I don’t particularly enjoy this circuit, but it’s a good technical track with nice features. It’s one of those tracks where you really have to be on it in order to make a lap work. There’s a real mix of fast, slow, and technical corners, plus long straights.”
RACE 1
Round Seven saw Sam start on the hard tyre from the eighth row of the grid. He also had the full quota of eight laps of boost available. As the lights went out, he got away well to get the better of Gordon Shedden’s Toyota Corolla GR Sport (Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with IAA) and Aiden Moffat’s BMW 330e M Sport (LKQ Euro Car Parts with WSR) at the start. However, the latter returned the favour further on in the lap to make sure Sam finished the opening lap in 15th.
Fifteenth became sixteenth on the second lap courtesy of Aron Taylor-Smith’s Toyota Corolla GR Sport (Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with IAA). The duo had a good old-fashioned ding-dong together, before Sam got by and into the points on the fourth lap.
He then set about pulling in the Toyota Corolla GR Sport (Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with IAA) of James Dorlin, before getting past on lap six. Sam then began closing in on Moffat’s BMW but, by the ninth lap, Taylor-Smith managed to sneak his Toyota down the inside at the start of lap ten to relegate the Ford Focus ST back to fifteenth.
However, Sam returned the favour by sticking the number 77 Ford up the inside at the first corner to get back ahead of Taylor-Smith on the penultimate lap. He then ran to the chequered flag to finish fourteenth and collect two championship points… “It was a rough race. I was on the hard tyres and had to take the pain. But I had a plan, and started to enjoy it.”
RACE 2
The second race of the day (Round 8) saw Sam start from thirteenth position for this 12-lapper. Once again, he had the full quota of eight laps of boost available. However, on this occasion, the number 77 Ford was booted up with four soft tyres.
Like the previous race, Sam made a great start to jump up to tenth place by passing Daryl DeLeon (Cupra Leon, WSR), Mikey Doble (Vauxhall Astra, Motor Parts Direct with Power Maxed Racing), and Josh Cook (Honda Civic Type R, One Motorsport). Tenth quickly became ninth following Charles Rainford running wide at the final corner in his BMW 330e M Sport (LKQ Euro Car Parts with WSR).
Sam then made a great move to pass teammate Dan Cammish for eighth place on the second lap, before inheriting seventh after Tom Ingram (Team Vertu Hyundia i30N) had a disagreement with the barrier on the third lap.
Mikey Doble relegated Sam back to eighth on lap five, before the fast Honda Civic Type R of Josh Cook began getting closer to the number 77 Ford’s rear bumper. However Sam and Doble clashed with each other, which allowed Cook to get by to leave Sam in ninth by the end of the sixth lap.
Ninth became eighth three laps later, as Sam got by teammate Ash Sutton, before setting about closing down Cook and Doble. However he ran out of laps to finish in a solid eighth, an impressive five places higher than where he qualified, to collect an additional eight championship points.
“I was on the softs for Race 2 and made up a few places. It would have been nice to get into sixth (pole position for the reverse grid third race), but ultimately, I didn’t have that edge to make it stick. Hopefully, I can do a good job and stay out of trouble on the first lap in Race 3, and see what we can do.”
RACE 3
The third and final race of the weekend (Round 9) saw Sam drive a blinder in his Ford Focus ST.
Starting from eighth on the grid, on the soft tyres, and with the usual eight laps of boost, he made a good start for this reversed grid race, but did get passed by the fast starting Jake Hill (BMW 330e M Sport, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport).
However, Sam retook the position from Hill before the end of the opening lap just before the first Safety Car of the afternoon (for the BTCC) was dispatched. The culprit for the intervention was Stephen Jelley, who had crashed his One Motorsport Honda Civic Type R on the opening lap.
The racing resumed on lap six, with the full distance being increased from 12 to 15 laps. And, another great start saw Sam jump up another three places to finish the lap in fifth. He had a great tussle with Daniel Lloyd (Hyundia i30N, Restart Racing) to finish the seventh lap in fourth place.
Only the excellent Tom Ingram (Team Vertu Hyundia i30N) was able to get by the number 77 Ford Focus ST, as Sam put in a superb drive to finish the day in fifth place, which was rewarded with another 11 championship points.
By the end of the day, Sam had scored an impressive 21 points from his three races, which saw him climb to 15th in the Drivers’ Championship Table.
Not only that, but he also secured another Jack Sears Trophy victory (his second of the campaign) to sit in fourth place in the competition’s table with 118 points.
“The team’s doing a wonderful job, the car is mega!”
