WSR drops appeal over Hill BTCC race one exclusion

Hill’s BMW 330e M Sport failed the ride-height test during the post-race checks due to being too low at the right-front corner.

The right-front was damaged on the 13th lap of the race when Hill clipped a tyre stack at the chicane while pursuing second-placed team-mate Colin Turkington.

BTCC sporting regulations allow some discretion if damage is not self-inflicted, and WSR’s argument centred on the possibility that Hill’s could have been caused by contact with another car.

On the second lap of race, there was contact on at least three occasions between Hill and Turkington.

WSR boss Dick Bennetts also argued that the penalty was draconian considering it was the first time Hill had raced a left-hand-drive car in the BTCC.

“It could have been from contact with another car,” Bennetts told Autosport.

“It’s too heavy a penalty – it’s his first race in a left-hand-drive car, he made a slight mistake and to be penalised like that is too much.

“If the car’s low all-round, you’re low, but to be penalised for being too low on just one side is unfair.”

Jake Hill, ROKiT MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

As with the old success-ballast regulations, Hill has to carry the hybrid-deployment restriction he earned from finishing third in race one into race two.

So even though the Kentishman will start the second race from the rear of the grid, he will still lose eight laps of hybrid usage.

It wasn’t Hill’s only problem during the first race – his start also came under investigation, although this is now academic.

“We put a bit of tape on the wall and I was bang on with where I lined it up,” said Hill.

“But then there was a lot going on over the radio saying I was over, so I reversed back a tiny bit, but the five-second board hadn’t come out at that point.”

Hill’s exclusion should have moved Bobby Thompson up into the final top 10 spot on his first outing in a Team Hard Cupra Leon – the BTCC returnee narrowly pipped Tom Chilton (Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai) to the position, but was given a five-second penalty for his own false start, relegating him to 12th.

BTC Racing Honda driver Jade Edwards was docked three positions for gaining an unfair advantage.