WELCOME TO BTCCPAGES.COM : THE BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP

The north-west plays host to rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship this weekend, as the series heads to Oulton Park in Cheshire. It's still Vauxhall's Fabrizio Giovanardi heading the standings with just four meetings remaining, but will the Italian have another strong weekend, or will the gap be closed? Stay tuned to BTCCPages.com throughout the weekend for all the latest news.

SEAT's Jason Plato won the first two races of the day at Snetterton, but that joy turned to despair as he failed to finish race three. Plato was followed home by Darren Turner in race one for the first Leon TDi 1-2 and it could have been a repeat performance in the second race had Turner not suffered a puncture. The top eight finishers from race two were reversed on the grid for the final race, handing pole position to Gordon Shedden. However, it was BMW Dealer Team UK driver Mat Jackson who took the spoils, ahead of a jubilant Steven Kane, scoring the best ever BTCC result for Motorbase Performance.

Deep into the BTCC's summer break, a number of teams have taken the opportunity to test at the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk on June 24/25. SEAT dominated the test with Darren Turner quickest on the opening morning, while Jason Plato set the pace in the following three sessions. The BTCC is back at Snetterton on 12/13 July for rounds 16, 17 and 18 of the championship.

Colin Turkington scored his first ever double BTCC victory at Croft today as Jason Plato's championship challenge took a severe blow. Plato picked up just three points, leaving him trailing in fourth position. Meanwhile, Fabrizio Giovanardi continues to lead the standings, with a 23-point gap back to teammate Matt Neal, who now sits second. There's now a six-week break until the next meeting, which takes place at Snetterton over the weekend of 12/13 July.

The 2008 HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship launched at Rockingham on March 12th, with the media unveiling of the teams, drivers and cars taking part in this year's championship. See below for details of the day's events and be sure to check back over the next couple of days for interviews and features!

The 2008 season is well underway and you can find all the information you could ever need about all the races right here on BTCCPages.com.