NAPA takes P1 and P2 in Tyre Test
14 Jul 2022
NAPA Racing UK came out on top of the two-day Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship test at a scorching hot Snetterton 300 Circuit on Wednesday, 13th July, with teammates Ash Sutton and Dan Cammish delivering a searing performance in the Norfolk heat.
Shaving more than six-tenths of a second off the current race lap record, reigning BTCC Champion Ash Sutton set his best lap of 1m55.121 seconds on the second morning using Goodyear’s soft ‘option’ tyre. He completed 155 laps throughout the event, more than any other driver, and ended up with the quickest time overall for the entire test.
Dan Cammish, notably running the regular Goodyear race tyre on his blue and yellow Ford Focus ST, kept a consistently impressive pace throughout the two days. He finished a mere 0.015 seconds behind Sutton in the combined classification, securing NAPA Racing UK a phenomenal top two lockout.
Following the misfortune at Croft, these results bring NAPA Racing UK a real boost as the team prepares to get the second half of the BTCC season underway at the end of the month.
NAPA Racing UK also fielded a third liveried Ford — as previously seen at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2022 — in the Tuesday, 12th July testing. Nick Tandy, Le Mans 24 Hours Winner and team boss of top Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship squad JTR, shared driving duties with Motorbase Driver Academy racer Jack Mitchell.
THE TEAM
Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“This test has come at the right time for us and from what we’ve learned over the two days across the cars feels very positive. Dan’s pace, in particular, has been very impressive over the two days. Ash had a full day on Wednesday working with Goodyear on development tyres, so it was less about ultimate pace but a lot of hard work with Goodyear on tyres opposed to car set up — but the car is clearly in a good place looking at the times.
“We’ve been able to work in different ways and test very different things. A test like this gives you the chance to try stuff you wouldn’t normally be able to on a race weekend. So now we have all the data, the engineers have a lot of work to do to analyse everything to confirm all the positives and negatives. The cars have been fantastically reliable, especially in this heat, so full credit to the whole Motorbase crew behind the scenes who have worked their socks off! Hopefully we can carry the momentum into the next event at Knockhill despite the two circuits being so different!”
Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“We worked all day with Goodyear with the soft option tyre on day two, trying things for them going forward, so I took the limelight away from Dan a bit as he achieved his best time on raw pace and that was more realistic. It’s been a good test, we’ve found some positives as a whole and I think we can all be happy with where we are. I’m not sure what to expect for Knockhill, it’s such a different track, but I’m excited and looking forward to it as it is one of my favourite tracks. It’s a real challenge and it reminds me of my karting days!”
Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“It’s been a really constructive couple of days, lots worked through and the guys have been great; they’ve not stopped really. It’s been a great opportunity to try some car set-ups you wouldn’t usually get to try on a race weekend. It’s been warm, quite tough conditions, but a really good couple of days that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. We’ve worked through a programme, had some really good speed and set what was, ultimately, the fastest time of the entire test as I was on the normal race tyre. It’s great to get a one-two for NAPA Racing UK, all good and onward to Knockhill now.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
The second half of the BTCC season gets underway just over a fortnight from now, over the weekend 30th/31st July, at Knockhill Circuit in Scotland.
THE STANDINGS
2022 Goodyear Tyre Test Combined Classification
1st Ash Sutton
2nd Dan Cammish
2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
4th Ash Sutton, 171pts
11th Dan Cammish, 86pts
2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
3rd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 346pts
2022 BTCC Teams Championship
2nd NAPA Racing UK, 259pts
Follow us on social media @NAPARacingUK to stay tuned as the BTCC 2022 season unfolds.
