The circuit hosted rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the championship across Saturday (September 5) and Sunday (September 6), as the 2026 season entered its crucial closing stages.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Crowds packed into the venue throughout the weekend to watch some of the country’s leading touring car drivers tackle one of the most demanding circuits on the BTCC calendar.

Croft’s 2.13-mile layout features 16 corners and is regarded as one of the championship’s toughest all-round tests, combining fast sections with a highly technical sequence of bends.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

The North Yorkshire circuit has a long association with the British Touring Car Championship, having first hosted a BTCC race in 1968 before becoming a regular fixture again following its return to the calendar in the late 1990s.

This year’s visit came later in the season than Croft’s traditional pre-summer-break slot, with the meeting following the championship’s visit to Donington Park GP and helping to begin the run-in towards the season finale.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Saturday’s programme included BTCC free practice from 10.15am before qualifying got under way during the afternoon.

Fans were also treated to a BTCC qualifying race over 11 laps, alongside action from the Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain, MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, Wera Tools F4 British Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain.

Sunday brought the main race-day action, beginning with a pit lane walkabout and autograph session which gave spectators the chance to get closer to the teams and drivers.

Three 15-lap BTCC contests then took place at 12.10pm, 2.30pm and 5.15pm, forming rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the championship.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 2026 at Croft Circuit (Image: ANDY FUTERS)

A packed support programme continued throughout the afternoon, with Formula 4, Porsche and MINI racing adding to the spectacle.

Croft is particularly popular with motorsport supporters across the North East and North Yorkshire because of its proximity to Darlington, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and York.

The circuit has also developed a reputation for producing close and unpredictable touring car racing, while traditionally being considered particularly well suited to rear-wheel-drive vehicles.

Tom Ingram holds both of Croft’s current BTCC benchmarks after setting the qualifying lap record of 1m 20.522s, at an average speed of 95.85mph, and the race lap record of 1m 21.374s during the 2025 meeting.

Armed police descended on Holdenby Drive in Marton at about 2.45am on Sunday (September 6) where the man had suffered injuries to his head and leg.

Paramedics treated him before taking him to hospital. The seriousness of his injuries is not known.

Detective Chief Inspector Dan Cook, from Middlesbrough CID, said: “At 2.45am on Sunday, September 6, police were called to reports of the stabbing of a man on Holdenby Drive in Middlesbrough.

“The man suffered injuries to his head and leg and was treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital.

“Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information or footage is asked to contact Cleveland Police on 101 quoting reference number 178915.”

A second person was also taken to hospital.

A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We were called at 2.39am on Sunday 6 September to an incident at a private address on Holdenby Drive Middlesbrough.

“Three ambulance resources attended alongside police and took two patients to hospital.”

England have appointed former Ashes-winning batter Kevin Pietersen to their white-ball coaching team in the build-up to the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Pietersen, 46, joins as a specialist mentor and will start in the role for the upcoming T20 and one-day matches against Sri Lanka.

He will also be involved in this winter’s tours to Australia and South Africa, before joining up with the teams again for the home series against Pakistan and New Zealand next summer, as well as the 50-over World Cup which is being held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in the autumn.

“I’ve got immense respect for KP and what he’s achieved in the game,” said England’s white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum.

“He’s had an amazing impact on English cricket, so for someone with his experience, knowledge and stature to want to play a role with this team is a fantastic result.”

More to follow.

The A8 between Newbridge Roundabout and Edinburgh airport is closed due to a serious incident.

A serious crash has closed the A8 near Edinburgh Airport in both directions. A major emergency service response was scrambled to Glasgow Road, between Newbridge Roundabout and Gogar, near to Edinburgh Airport at around 9.25am on Monday, September 7.

Police, paramedics and fire crews are currently on scene.

Eyewitnesses have also said that an air ambulance was spotted in the area.

Multiple vehicles are understood to have been involved. Images taken at the scene show a lorry, which has stopped on a grass verge and a number of cars, some of which appear to be on their roof.

Police have urged motorists to avoid the area.

A spokesperson for Traffic Scotland said: “The A8 is currently closed in both directions between Newbridge Roundabout and Gogar due to a road traffic collision. Police are in attendance. Avoid the area where possible and use alternative routes currently.

“Traffic for the airport must use the M8 onto the Bypass and up to Gogar. Traffic is heavily congested as a result.”

Holidaymakers have also been warned to expect delays in getting to Edinburgh Airport.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: “Please be aware of an accident on the A8 near the airport.

“Police are in attendance but delays getting to the airport are expected.

“Follow Traffic Scotland for updates.”

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “The A8 is closed at Newbridge following a report of a serious crash around 9.25am on Monday, September 7.

“Emergency services are in attendance and diversions are being put in place.

“Motorists are advised to use another route.”

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The outlook after that looks reasonably good for London. The Met Office’s long-range forecast predicts “a trend toward some longer dry interludes between systems as we head toward mid-September”, although a return of the dry, settled weather of the summer “looks unlikely”.

The second season of “The Paper” and a new album from Bloc Party are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: a new “Call My Agent!” movie, a new season of “The Real Housewives of New York” and a multiplayer game based on the “Halloween” slasher films.

New movies to stream from Sept. 7 to Sept. 13

— The clever French series “Call My Agent!” has been revived as a movie that starts streaming on Netflix on Sept. 10. Camille Cottin’s Andréa Martel is no longer an agent but a film director overseeing a disastrous production. Guy Lodge, in his review for Variety, wrote that, “Fleet and fast-talking and packed, as ever, with Gallic industry in-jokes and celebrity cameos, Émilie Noblet’s film can hardly fail to please longtime fans.”

— Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza González star in the Guy Ritchie action pic “In the Grey,” about a lawyer and some mercenaries on an impossible mission to retrieve $1 billion. It received mostly mixed reviews and had the misfortune of opening around the same time as the box office phenomenon “Obsession,” but like many Ritchie joints it has its defenders too: An easy bit of action entertainment, coming to Starz and its streaming service on Sept. 12.

— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

New music to stream starting Sept. 11

— In certain corners of the internet, there appears to be a revival of ’00s rock bands. The Strokes are back; Wolf Parade’s “I’ll Believe in Anything” from their 2005 debut album “Apologies to the Queen Mary” got a huge streaming bump due to its placement in “Heated Rivalry.” Heck, new generations of listeners are discovering TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me” because of its use in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” Hopefully love for the era will extend to the English band Bloc Party, whose new album “Anatomy of a Brief Romance” arrives Friday. It’s the kind of dance-y post-punk the band has long hung its hat on, made modern.

— The Tubs first graced this weekly fixture in 2025, ahead of the London-based Welsh band’s sophomore album “Cotton Crown.” That release, a messy mosaic of jangly indiepop and ’80s college rock that was full of gorgeous songs about grief, was great. Its latest, “Hard Life,” may be even greater. At the very least, it confirms The Tubs’ position as one of the principal indie rock bands of the moment. These are impatient pop songs that span a range of emotions, somewhere between empathy and feeling pathetic. Delicious!

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from Sept. 7 to Sept. 13

— Carole Radziwill reclaims her “The Real Housewives of New York City” apple full-time for Season 16, eight years after her exit. Sai De Silva, Erin Lichy and Jessel Taank return as well, mixing it up with newcomers Hailey Glassman, Erika Hammond, and Daisy Toye. Expect Radziwill’s Epstein files mentions to come up. The new season begins streaming Wednesday, Sept. 9, on Peacock.

— Also on Peacock, we reunite with the staff of the Toledo Truth Teller celebrating their dominance at the Ohio Journalism Awards on “The Paper.” The full season of “The Office” spinoff, which stars Domhnall Gleeson as the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, drops Wednesday.

— Season 5 of “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” premieres Thursday, Sept. 10, months after production halted amid a domestic violence investigation involving the face of #MomTok, Taylor Frankie Paul, and her ex Dakota Mortensen. The allegations also caused Disney and ABC to cancel her “Bachelorette” season. In a new condensed season of five episodes, Paul deals with the fallout. And we see Whitney Leavitt fresh off a hit run as Roxie Hart in Broadway’s “Chicago.” Jen Affleck (who also anchors the show’s upcoming Orange County spinoff), Jessi Draper, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Matthews and Miranda Hope also return.

— Some recent successful young adult dramas have been set at beaches, lakes, and hockey rinks. A new one called “Crew Girl” takes us to boathouses. The eight-episode show follows rower Teagan Tao (played by Miku Martineau), who joins an elite prep school’s all-boys crew team after her life is upended by a family scandal. Naturally, a love triangle develops. It debuts on Thursday on Netflix. Jessica Paré (“Mad Men”) also stars.

— A three-part HBO docuseries digs into the two-decade Dana Chandler case. Chandler was convicted of murdering her ex-husband and his girlfriend in a 2002 shooting. A journalist became convinced of her innocence after spending six years covering the saga, which spanned three trials and included prosecutorial misconduct. “A Killer Story” premieres Thursday on HBO Max, with new episodes dropping weekly through Sept. 24.

— AP Writer Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from Sept. 7 to Sept. 13

— Looking to get an early jump on trick-or-treating? “Halloween: The Game,” an asymmetrical 1-vs.-4 thriller, is ready to make you scream. One player takes the role of Michael Myers, the relentless slasher from the classic 1978 movie. The other four are residents of Haddonfield, and they join forces to try to stop Mike before he splashes too much blood around their Midwestern suburb. “Halloween” comes from Colorado studio IllFonic, which has built its reputation with multiplayer games based on “Predator,” “Ghostbusters” and, well, “Killer Klowns from Outer Space.” The knives come out Tuesday, Sept. 8, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

— Lou Kesten

By DAVID WILCOCK, DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR and JASON GROVES, POLITICAL EDITOR

Published: 10:25 BST, 7 September 2026 | Updated: 10:36 BST, 7 September 2026

John Healey today tried to calm business fears that massive tax rises are coming in the Budget with a vow to get tough on Government spending.

The Chancellor used a speech to pitch a private-sector-friendly version of Labour ahead of October’s financial showpiece after days of turmoil ratcheted up the cost of borrowing.

In an address that had echoes of his predecessor Rachel Reeves he said the Budget would show his commitment to ‘fiscal discipline’ and highlighted the importance of getting UK debt under control.

He told an audience in Coventry he would dedicate himself to making ‘Great Britain growth Britain again’ with more investment, more innovation and more jobs. 

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The Chancellor insisted there was an ‘optimistic story’ about the UK economy which had ‘huge latent potential’.

It was, he said, ‘a country turning a corner, a country whose people, businesses and communities are ready to seize the opportunity of new technologies and new ideas’.

However, his speech came against a backdrop of fears of wealth taxes that will target businesses and homeowners, major job losses and an inability to rein-in the benefits bill.

And his vow to be a steady hand on the tiller came after new PM Andy Burnham vowed a major shake-up of how the country is run.

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The Chancellor used a speech to pitch a private-sector-friendly version of Labour ahead of October’s financial showpiece after days of turmoil ratcheted up the cost of borrowing

In an address that had echoes of his predecessor Rachel Reeves he said the Budget would show his commitment to ‘fiscal discipline’ and highlighted the importance of getting UK debt under control.

Jaguar Land Rover is expected to tell workers today it wants to cut 4,000 jobs as part of a voluntary redundancy programme to help save £1.7billion over the next two years.

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At the same time he has been told to break the pensions ‘triple lock’ to take billions of pounds from retired workers and plough it into helping cut youth unemployment.

Writing in the Daily Mail today, shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith acknowledged Mr Healey faced ‘tough choices’ but urged him to rule out further increases in Britain’s record tax burden.

He warned that the new Chancellor otherwise risks emulating his Labour namesake Denis Healey, who was forced to go cap-in-hand to the International Monetary Fund for a bailout in 1976.

Mr Griffith said: ‘He should commit to no more tax rises. But I fear that, as Labour chancellors always do, he will take the easy way out. 

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‘He must be careful or he could risk being the second Healey to bankrupt Britain as Chancellor.’

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The new Chancellor was warned that he risks emulating his Labour namesake Denis Healey (pictured) who was forced to ask the International Monetary Fund for a bailout in 1976

In his speech ahead of the first Budget since Andy Burnham entered 10 Downing Street, Mr Healey said: ‘The Prime Minister and I are in lockstep in our commitment to meeting the fiscal rules at the upcoming Budget, to balancing the books with a buffer to protect against uncertainty.

‘To controlling borrowing to bear down on inflation and reducing long-term pressures on our public finances.’

He said the rising burden of debt interest showed ‘staying true to our values means being honest about the need to control government spending’.

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Giving an overview of his plans for the economy, Mr Healey said the Government would extend its reforms of judicial review from energy projects to all major infrastructure programmes.

He said the reforms would mean ‘vexatious litigation and challenge can’t block economic growth’.

The Chancellor also reiterated the Government’s commitment to transferring power out of Whitehall, saying he would set out a ‘roadmap to fiscal devolution’ at next month’s Budget.

Ahead of that, he said the British Business Bank would be providing £150 million for fast-growing firms in the North of England and announced the creation of a ‘Northern 500’ group of ‘the North’s most ambitious mid-sized businesses’, to be led by regional mayors.

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A major route in Cardiff is currently closed off due to a “police incident”.

A section of Eastern Avenue north of the city centre is closed in both directions.

Police have not confirmed the nature of the incident, or whether it relates to a road collision.

Traffic monitoring service Inrix states: “A48 Eastern Avenue in both directions closed, queueing traffic due to police incident between the A4232 (Pontprennau) and Bryn Celyn Road (Pentwyn).Diversion – via Pentwyn Road and Church Road.”

You can follow live updates below.