Tag: BTCC

Ash Sutton has shared his delight at after being crowned champion of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for a record-equalling fourth time at Brands Hatch this past weekend (October 7/8).

The NAPA Racing UK driver entered the final meeting of the season holding a commanding 45-point lead and victory in the opening encounter around the iconic Grand Prix circuit was enough for him to clinch the coveted crown.

With the title secured, the 29-year-old then went on to win the penultimate race of the season before concluding a quite incredible campaign with a points-paying finish in the finale.

Adding to the titles that he won back in 2017, 2020 and 2021, Sutton’s latest championship triumph has now seen him draw level with Andy Rouse and Colin Turkington on the all-time winners list – cementing him as one of the greatest ever touring car drivers.

In addition to tying the all-time record, the Ford Focus ST driver has also become the first driver in the series’ illustrious history to lift the biggest prize in UK motorsport in both front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive machinery.

Ashley’s path to a fourth championship has been nothing short of sensational with six pole positions, 12 wins and a further eight podium finishes being tallied over the course of the ten round schedule.

Along the way, the BRDC Member smashed a number of records including scoring the most wins, podiums, pole positions, fastest laps and laps led in a single season in the modern era. He also became the first driver since Alain Menu in 1997 to win four consecutive races in a season.

“It feels pretty surreal to be standing here as a four-time champion,” Sutton said. “At the moment the magnitude of what we’ve achieved hasn’t fully sunk in but I’m sure over the next week or so I’ll start to take stock of what this all means – it’s just phenomenal!

“For me personally, one of the biggest things I wanted to do was to become the first person to win the title in both front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive cars. To have done that is really something.

“This year is going to be hard to beat. My little boy Sonny arrived just before the season started and it’s been the best thing that has ever happened to me. Becoming a Dad changed my approach and I’ve just been focused on making both him and my fiancé Ellie as proud as possible.

“To have claimed the records that we have this season is a real testament to everyone at NAPA Racing UK and Alliance Racing. So much development has gone into the Ford Focus for this year; we opened every drawer and lifted out every tool to improve the whole package.

“It goes without saying that my engineer Tony (Carrozza) has been instrumental in all of this too. He’s really helped me to dial into the car and without him by my side this would have been hard to do as he is something special.

“I’ve made no secret that I want to go down in the history books as the one of the best-ever touring car drivers so the aim is clear moving forward; to come back and try to win more races and titles. We’ll enjoy this and then it’ll be about resetting and coming back in 2024!”

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship brought the curtain down on its 2023 season in style at Brands Hatch this past weekend (October 7/8) as NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton was crowned champion for a record-equalling fourth time. 

On what proved to be a momentous final day of the season around the Grand Prix circuit, the Ford Focus ST driver held his nerve in front of a capacity crowd to cement his place as one of the greatest ever drivers in the UK’s premier motorsport series. 

Arriving at the Kent venue holding a commanding 45-point lead, Sutton stormed to victory in the opening encounter around the iconic Grand Prix circuit, which was enough for him to clinch the coveted crown.

With the title secured, the 29-year-old then went on to win the penultimate race of the season before concluding a quite incredible campaign with a points-paying finish in the finale.

Sutton’s path to a fourth title has been nothing short of impressive with six pole positions, 12 wins and a further eight podium finishes being tallied over the course of the ten event campaign. 

In addition to now tying Andy Rouse and Colin Turkington for the most BTCC titles ever, Sutton has also become the first driver to win the prestigious accolade in both front and rear-wheel-drive machinery. 

Whilst being unable to stop Sutton from triumphing, outgoing champion Tom Ingram ultimately settled for runners-up laurels whilst Jake Hill, Turkington and Josh Cook completed the top five in the standings.

Elsewhere, NAPA Racing UK and Ford claimed the Teams’ Championship for the second season in-a-row and they were also able to overhaul BMW to wrap up the Manufacturer-Constructor Championship for the first time too.

Cook retained his Independent Drivers’ title in comfortable fashion, and his performances also played a critical role in helping his One Motorsport with Starline Racing squad go back-to-back in the Independent Teams’ category. 

Rounding out this year’s title winners was CarStore Power Maxed Racing’s Andrew Watson who triumphed in the Jack Sears Trophy ahead of his Vauxhall Astra team-mate Mikey Doble.

Sutton’s charge to the coveted crown began on Saturday afternoon as he scooped a sensational sixth pole position of the season. Pacing the opposition by more than two tenths of a second, that success also clinched him the Goodyear Wingfoot Award.

In a season in which he has largely reigned supreme, it was somewhat fitting that Sutton became the youngest ever four-time champion with a superlative lights-to-flag victory in the opening contest.

Blasting away from the front row, the Alliance Racing driver was wheel-perfect throughout the 18-lap bout as he led home his chief championship rival this season, Ingram.

With the championship secured and the pressure off, Sutton then produced a carbon copy performance in race two as he charged to an unprecedented 12th victory of the year – which tied the record set by fellow multiple champion Alain Menu more than two decades ago.

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Hill then brought the curtain down on the season with victory in a thrilling finale, as he came out on top of a captivating battle for the lead which inclued Honda ace Cook and BMW stablemate Stephen Jelley.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Brands Hatch, as well as the final championship standings, CLICK HERE.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will return in 2024, with the start of the brand-new season poised to start around Donington Park’s National layout on April 27/28.

Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram will head into the final three races of the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in contention to be crowned champion next month following an action-packed weekend (September 23/24) at Silverstone. 

Brands Hatch’s world-famous Grand Prix circuit will once again provide the setting for this year’s closer in less than two weeks’ time with three-time title winner Sutton heading there with a commanding 45-point lead at the top of the standings. 

With 67 points set to be on offer at the famous Kent venue, reigning champion Ingram now remains the only driver in mathematical contention to capture the biggest prize in the UK motorsport. 

The penultimate event of the season at the Home of British Motor Racing saw its fair share of thrills and spills as Sutton, Jake Hill and Colin Turkington shared the spoils on what proved to be a spectacular race day in Northamptonshire. 

Running under the ‘Top Ten Showdown’ format for the final time this season, qualifying on Saturday proved to be ultra-competitive with less than a tenth of second blanketing the top five. 

Following a frenetic opening segment it was anybody’s guess as to who would grab pole position but CarStore Power Maxed Racing’s Mikey Doble duly stepped up the mantel to blast his Vauxhall Astra to the top of the timesheets.

Team BMW’s Turkington came to within 0.012 seconds of Doble’s pole time but the rear-wheel-drive ace had to settle for runners-up laurels whilst championship protagonists Ingram, Hill and Sutton completed the top five.

Doble’s delight sadly turned into despair in race one as a miscommunication by the team led to him completing an additional green flag lap, which relegated him to the rear of the field.

With drizzly conditions throwing a spanner in the works, tyre strategy proved crucial and it was Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Hill that rolled the dice correctly to leave his rivals in his wake as he claimed a commanding victory. 

Blasting into the lead off the line, Hill was in a league of his own out front whilst Dan Rowbottom and Andrew Watson diced for second and third all the way to the chequered flag. 

Further down the order, both Sutton and Ingram found themselves in the thick of the action as they tumbled backwards before pitting for wet tyres. The pair would ultimately go on to finish the race in 22nd and 23rd. 

That result set up two of the finest performances that the BTCC has seen in recent years as Sutton and Ingram carved their way through the order in race two, with NAPA Racing UK’s Sutton clinching a famous tenth win of the season.

As soon as the lights went out the champion duo were on the move and whilst they progressed forward, Hill looked to be cruising to victory out front. That was until a safety car neutralised proceedings. 

On the restart, a mechanical issue appeared to hamper Hill’s pace and he soon began to drop places, which promoted Aron Taylor-Smith into the lead. Holding firm out front for a number of laps, the Vauxhall driver soon had Sutton bearing down on him and the inevitable happened.

Sutton’s move for the lead came on the penultimate lap as he bravely dived down the inside of the Irishman at Woodcote and once clear, he cruised home to notch yet another win whilst Taylor-Smith and Ingram completed the podium. 

Four-time champion Turkington then brought the curtain down on the weekend in style as he scored BMW’s 150th victory in the BTCC. 

Starting fifth, the rear-wheel-drive ace wasted no time in making progress and he soon hauled himself into a lead that he was ultimately never challenged for. Behind, Ingram and Sutton had everyone on the edge of theirs seats again as they clawed their way onto the rostrum.

Turkington’s win ensured that BMW remain on course to secure the Manufacturer-Constructors for an eighth consecutive season whilst NAPA Racing UK are holding firm at the top of the Teams’ Championship.

Josh Cook has provisionally wrapped up the Independent Drivers’ Championship for the second year in succession whilst his One Motorsport with Starline Racing squad have edged closer to retaining their Independent Teams’ crown. 

In the Jack Sears Trophy, Watson now sits on the cusp of clinching the title after enjoying a stellar weekend which saw him extend his lead over the chasing pack.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Silverstone, CLICK HERE.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will bring the curtain down on its 2023 season at Brands Hatch on October 7/8.

The battle for supremacy in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship saw more twists and turns play out this past weekend (August 26/27) as Ash Sutton, Tom Ingram and Rory Butcher charged to victory at Donington Park. 

Entering the business end of the 2023 season, the UK’s premier motorsport series took centre stage on the Leicestershire venue’s GP layout for the first time in more than two decades – and the frenetic tin top action that followed didn’t disappoint. 

With every point proving to be crucial in deciding the destiny of this year’s title, qualifying on Saturday afternoon saw an almighty battle for pole position take place; with Sutton ultimately claiming bragging rights.

In what proved to be a ding-dong battle between the series’ leading title contenders, Sutton and Ingram spent a majority of the session trading fastest times before the NAPA Racing UK stamped his authority on proceedings to clinch his fifth pole of the year.

Had it not been for a slight lock-up on his final flying lap, Ingram could have clinched top spot however he settled for second ahead of Ricky Collard, Colin Turkington and Aron Taylor-Smith – who completed the top five.

Sutton made history in a wet opening encounter as he charged to an impressive ninth victory of the season, which in-turn saw him set a new record for the most wins in a single season in the current NGTC era.

Despite dropping to third on the opening lap, the Ford Focus driver took just two laps to power back into the lead and once out front, he paced the opposition to comfortably triumph ahead of a charging Jake Hill and Ingram. 

Reigning champion Ingram showed that he won’t be giving up his title without a fight however as he produced a battling performance to score victory in race two. 

Blasting away from third, the Hyundai driver wasted no time in muscling his way past Hill and then set off in pursuit of Sutton, making a brilliant pass on the run down to the Old Hairpin a few laps later.

Despite coming under pressure from Sutton in the subsequent laps, the 2022 champion got his head down and soon stretched his advantage to cruise to the top step of the podium. Behind, Sutton fended off the advances of Hill to clinch second.

Race three saw Toyota Gazoo Racing UK’s Butcher claim his first win of the season after long-time race leader Dan Lloyd endured heartbreak on the final lap, when a driveshaft snapped and sent him spinning out of contention.

Pole-sitter Lloyd had dealt with everything that was thrown at him in the reverse grid bout however with half a lap remaining, the Team HARD driver spun wildly into the gravel on the approach to McLean’s.

Lloyd’s despair was Butcher’s elation as he claimed a much-needed victory ahead of CarStore Power Maxed Racing’s Taylor-Smith – who was back on the podium for the first time in seven years – and Team BMW’s Adam Morgan.

Heading into the penultimate event of the season at the end of September, Sutton holds a 42-point advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Championship ahead of Ingram, with Hill, Turkington and Dan Cammish round out the top five. 

NAPA Racing UK continue their march at the summit of the Teams’ Championship, whilst BMW narrowly edge Ford in the battle for the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ title. 

Josh Cook and One Motorsport with Starline Racing remain close to retaining their respective Independent Drivers’ and Independent Teams’ crowns, whilst Andrew Watson sets the pace in the ultra-competitive Jack Sears Trophy. 

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Donington Park, CLICK HERE.

The penultimate event of the 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will see Rounds 25, 26 & 27 play out around the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, on September 23/24.

Jake Hill and Ashley Sutton blasted their way to victory at a wet and wild Knockhill this past weekend (August 12/13) as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship delivered its most thrilling event of the season to-date.

Approaching the business end of the 2023 campaign, the annual trip north of the border had everyone on the edge of their seats as the country’s best tin-top drivers went wheel-to-wheel in remarkable weather conditions – with Hill and Sutton ultimately coming out on top.

As expected, Saturday’s qualifying session around the undulating 1.27-mile proved to be an ultra-competitive affair with more than half the grid covered by less than a second. At the top of the times, Sutton emerged as the driver to beat as he charged to pole position in style.

Despite encountering a few troubles in practice, the NAPA Racing UK driver progressed into  the Top Ten Showdown and then punched in a superlative lap to pip One Motorsport with Starline Racing’s Josh Cook to top spot by just 0.006s.

The session – which saw conditions improve from wet to dry – saw Hill bounce back from an earlier off to clinch third whilst home hero Rory Butcher and reigning champion Tom Ingram completed the top five.

Race one will undoubtedly go down as a modern day BTCC classic as Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Hill inherited victory. Sutton had looked on course for a comfortable win after Cook had crashed out but the tide – and the weather – soon changed. 

Heavy rain battered the circuit and within a minutes drivers began heading for the pit lane for wet tyres. Despite conditions continuing to worse, Sutton remained on slicks, showcasing sensational car control but it proved unsustainable and he too pitted after a brief safety car period.

Ingram had been one of the first front runners to dive into the pit lane and when the tyre change shuffle was complete, he emerged out front and cruised to victory ahead of Hill and team-mate Tom Chilton.

Unfortunately, Ingram’s joy soon turned to despair in parc ferme as both he and Chilton failed post-race ride height checks and were disqualified from the result. That gave Hill the win whilst Andrew Watson and Ricky Collard were promoted to complete the podium. 

Hill doubled up in a breathtaking race two as the BMW ace held off the charging Ford Focus of Sutton to clinch his fourth victory of the season.

Held in much drier conditions, Hill quickly established a commanding lead out front but all eyes were on Sutton as he carved his way up the order from sixth, moving into second and then setting off after the race one victor.

Closing down a two-second lead in a matter of laps, Sutton spectacularly launched his car all over the famous Knockhill kerbs but Hill’s defence was resolute throughout and they remained in position all the way to the chequered flag. Stephen Jelley completed the podium in third.

The weekend’s third and final race then belonged to three-time champion Sutton as he obliterated the field to clinch his eighth win of the season in appalling wet weather conditions.

Starting sixth, Sutton scythed his up to second with relative ease and then made a pass for the lead on home hero Ronan Pearson at mid-distance. From there, the championship lead splashed off into the distance to triumph by more than nine seconds.

Cook completed a remarkable turnaround to finish second having finished race one in the tyre wall. The Honda Civic ace emerged as one of the fastest on the grid all weekend as he battled back to salvage some silverware.

Completing the podium in race three was Ingram, who like Cook fought his way back from despair to maintain his championship hopes. Ingram had had to pass team-mate Pearson on the final lap, denying the young Scotsman a maiden BTCC podium. 

Heading back down south, Sutton now leads Ingram by 37 points in the Drivers’ Championship with BMW and NAPA Racing UK topping the Manufacturer-Constructor and Teams’ categories respectively after seven events. 

Josh Cook and One Motorsport with Starline Racing continue to close in on retaining their Independent Drivers’ and Independent Teams’ crowns, whilst Mikey Doble is the current pace-setter in the Jack Sears Trophy. 

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Knockhill, CLICK HERE.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season continues in less than two weeks’ time when the series travels returns to Donington Park – albeit this time on the famous Grand Prix circuit for the first time in almost two decades – on August 26/27.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship blasted back into life in blockbuster fashion at Croft Circuit this past weekend (July 29/30) as Dan Cammish, Ash Sutton and Colin Turkington charged to victory.

Kicking off the second half of the season with its annual trip to the British Automobile Racing Club’s North Yorkshire venue, the UK’s premier motorsport series served up three pulsating contests for the bumper crowd that had flocked trackside.

Saturday’s battle for pole position saw NAPA Racing UK continue their qualifying domination as Cammish, Dan Rowbottom and Sutton clinched a hugely impressive 1-2-3 lock-out. 

On what proved to be a scintillating session around the 2.12-mile layout, a number of drivers staked their claim at the top of the times but it was home hero Cammish that ultimately came up trumps, blasting his rivals away with a sensational lap.

Rowbottom and Sutton – who virtue of being championship leader had no hybrid available – settled for second and third whilst Josh Cook and Turkington completed the top five on the grid for race one.

Cammish was wheel-perfect in the first of Sunday’s three races as he converted his front row start into a commanding lights-to-flag victory. Opting to run the soft option tyre, the Yorkshireman pulled clear of the chasing pack to clinch his third win of the season.

Behind, Rowbottom and Sutton diced for the remaining spots on the podium with the latter jumping ahead of his team-mate on the run to the flag as the Motorbase-run squad celebrated a historic 1-2-3.

Race two proved to be a carbon copy result however this time it was Sutton that emerged victorious. Sweeping around the outside of his stablemate on the run down to the first corner, the three-time champion produced a clinical performance.

Continuously stretching his advantage over the course of the 15-lap bout, Sutton claimed his seventh win of the season by more than seven seconds – with Cammish and Rowbottom in tow to clinch a second successive NAPA Racing UK podium sweep.

Team BMW’s Turkington then brought the curtain down on the weekend’s action with a commanding lights-to-flag victory in the reverse grid encounter, reaffirming himself as the King of Croft. 

Launching his BMW from pole position, the four-time title winner held off an early charge from Ingram before settling into a groove to claim his third win of the season. Reigning champion Ingram and One Motorsport’s Cook completed the rostrum. 

Leaving Croft, Sutton continues to lead the way from Ingram in the Drivers’ Championship whilst BMW and NAPA Racing UK top the Manufacturer-Constructor and Teams’ categories respectively after six events. 

Elsewhere, Josh Cook and One Motorsport with Starline Racing comfortably remain out front in the Independent Drivers’ and Team’s standings, with Mikey Doble now holding the advantage in the Jack Sears Trophy.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Croft, CLICK HERE.

The 2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season continues in less than two weeks’ time when the series travels north of the border to Knockhill for Rounds 19, 20 & 21 on August 12/13.

The British Automobile Racing Club is saddened to hear that Steve Neal, the founder of multiple British Touring Car Championship title winners Team Dynamics and father of three-time champion Matt, has passed away at the age of 82. 

First competing in the series – then known as the British Saloon Car Championship – during the 1960s at the wheel of a Mini Cooper, Neal established himself as a front-runner in his class during a five-year spell on the grid and scored an overall win at Crystal Palace. 

Setting up Team Dynamics in the early 1990s, the squad – with Neal at the helm – became a household name during the BTCC’s Super Touring era as they claimed a number of Independent titles and famously £250,000 for becoming the first Independent team to secure an outright win in 1999.

Over the next two decades, multiple Drivers’ titles for Matt and Gordon Shedden, as well as a number of Manufacturer-Constructor and Teams’ Championship crowns would follow.

“It is with great sadness we report the passing of our leader Steve Neal, the visionary founder of Team Dynamics Motorsport and a larger-than-life character who left an indelible mark on the racing world,” a statement issued by Team Dynamics read.

“Steve’s passion for motorsports was contagious, and his leadership guided the team to numerous victories and championships.

“With his relentless drive and unwavering determination, he transformed Team Dynamics into a powerhouse, earning the respect and admiration of fans and competitors alike.

“Steve’s infectious personality, combined with his unparalleled knowledge of the sport, made him a beloved figure in the racing community. His legacy will forever be remembered as he takes his final lap, soaring to new heights.”

Our condolences and thoughts go out to Steve’s family, friends and everyone at Team Dynamics at this difficult time.