P2 finish for NAPA Racing UK at Donington Park
26 Apr 2022
From a heated qualifier to a podium finish. Take a look back at the first race of the 2022 BTCC season.
Reigning Kwik Fit British Touring Car Champion Ash Sutton wrapped up the opening event of the 2022 season with a second-place finish at Donington Park National Circuit on Sunday, 24th April, to ensure a fantastic podium for the NAPA Racing UK entry on its first weekend in the championship.
Qualifying third fastest for his first race with the hybrid-powered front-wheel-drive Motorbase Performance-run Ford Focus ST, Sutton claimed fourth in round one, sixth in round two and then impressed further in the final race with the runner-up spot – just a couple of seconds shy of the win.
Conversely, team-mate Dan Cammish’s fortunes on his first weekend with NAPA Racing UK couldn’t have been more different after a luckless car fire in qualifying on Saturday, 23rd April, caused by a split fuel line, almost ended his Donington challenge before it truly started.
Mounting a Herculean effort to repair the No.9 Ford for race day, the Motorbase mechanics worked through the night until three o’clock on Sunday morning before then returning to the track at 07.00 to continue the reassembly. Ensuring Cammish was on the grid for round one, from 28th and last he charged to 16th place. His weekend best of 13th came in round three after a race two puncture.
Round One
From third on the grid, Sutton maintained position but on lap two he was edged back to fourth at Coppice as the lead group battled wheel-to-wheel. Following an early Safety Car period between laps three and seven, Sutton pressured the BMW of Colin Turkington but was edged to fifth by the sister BMW of Jake Hill where he stayed. Post-race, Hill was excluded and so Sutton took fourth.
NAPA Racing UK team-mate Cammish had it all to do from 28th and last on the grid in his rebuilt Ford Focus. After gaining three positions prior to the Safety Car intervention, he made swift progress into the top 20 and eventually concluded the 19 lap contest in 17th place – a mere 0.002 seconds shy of 16th at the line. This then became 16th after the aforementioned exclusion for Hill.
Round Two
As per the race one result, Sutton started round two in fourth place and a good initial launch was tempered when he had to take swift avoiding action to steer around a stalled Turkington. Down to fifth, Sutton then slipped to sixth on lap four behind Josh Cook but did momentarily hit back at Hollywood on lap five before Cook re-took the place. Thereafter, Sutton stayed sixth to the finish.
From row eight, Cammish made good early progress to gain three places and on lap two he was into the top 12. Taking 11th position on lap four, Cammish battled hard just outside the top 10 but on lap 13 he was forced to pit with a puncture. Rejoining a lap down, he was classified in 21st place.
Round Three
Sutton saved the best for last in race three, climbing from fourth to third off the start and then piling pressure onto Daniel Lloyd before passing the Hyundai on lap three at the Old Hairpin. Around one second shy of the race lead at that point, Sutton lapped little more than a tenth of a second outside the fastest lap and went on to claim his first podium in NAPA Racing UK colours.
Cammish once again had a big challenge on his hands to try and break into the points, starting in 21st place after his round two puncture, but he made swift progress to gain three places on the first lap. By lap five he was into 14th position, locked in a tight midfield battle, and then moved into 13th in the second half of the race – taking the flag on lap 16 just 0.2 seconds behind Jason Plato.
Oly Collins – Motorbase Performance Team Manager:
“What a weekend! I think we covered most of the emotions available in the last two days. Firstly, a huge thanks to the whole team to turn around what was a monumental task on Dan’s car from the fire on Saturday and the marshals who were on the scene. That’s the last thing we could have done with in the first round but, as always, the main thing is that Dan reacted quickly and got out unharmed and then the Motorbase crew worked through the night to turn it all around.
“Great results for Ash on race day to put him P3 in the championship, he drove in the manner we’ve seen in recent years which has helped him win championships and he got a solid start to this year’s campaign this weekend. Unfortunately, we couldn’t unlock the race pace from the car for Dan. The one-lap pace from the Focus is fantastic, we just need to work on keeping the tyres alive for longer.”
Ash Sutton – NAPA Racing UK, No.1:
“We’ve been playing catch up which is a shame because yesterday [Saturday] the one-lap pace was phenomenal, it’s just getting back into front-wheel drive. We’re learning things so I’m pleased with that, we deserved it [the podium] with what the boys have been putting into it, especially from Dan’s car as well, obviously they’ve done a tremendous job. So, from NAPA Racing UK, a sterling job. We’ve now got some more data and it’s about learning – what do we need to do now to try and unlock a bit more.”
Dan Cammish – NAPA Racing UK, No.9:
“It’s been a tough first weekend for us, but everybody has worked so hard and I can’t thank the boys enough for getting my car onto the grid for the first race. The fire in qualifying was devastating, after looking at the damage it had caused then you really couldn’t have expected we’d be ready for race one. Everyone at NAPA Racing UK and Motorbase put in so much and I’m thankful we were able to get some important data in the races. We’ll build from here and come back stronger at Brands.”
2022 BTCC Drivers Championship
3rd Ash Sutton, 40pts; 17th Dan Cammish, 3pts;
2022 BTCC Manufacturers/Constructors Championship
2nd Motorbase Performance/Ford, 69pts
2022 BTCC Teams Championship
4th NAPA Racing UK, 44pts;
Porsche Carrera Cup
In addition to a capacity grid, the season-opening weekend also welcomed the arrival of the latest generation of 911 racing car – the 510 hp ‘Type 992’ 911 GT3 Cup – while the championship maintained an uninterrupted run as a key part of the British Touring Car Championship package. Hugo Ellis in the NAPA branded Porsche gained great points for the Joe Tandy Racing team by finishing P3 in Race 1.
The championships travel to Brands Hatch on the weekend of 14 and 15 May, where drivers will tackle the short but challenging Indy circuit.
