PODIUM HAT-TRICK PUTS NAPA RACING UK ON TOP

14 May 2024

Defending champion Ash Sutton made it six podium finishes out of six in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this season as the NAPA Racing UK man moved to the head of the championship standings.

The Alliance Racing-run team headed into the second meeting of the year at Brands Hatch bidding to defend its lead in the Teams’ Championship, whilst both Sutton and Dan Cammish sat inside the top ten in the Drivers’ standings.

BTCC QUALIFYING

In vastly different conditions to those faced at Donington Park two weeks earlier, the Ford Focus ST was once again a potent force on track, with Sutton, Cammish and Dan Rowbottom all running inside the top ten during free practice and Sam Osborne not far behind on the timesheets.

Although Osborne had to settle for 17th on the grid for race one when he was knocked out in the first stage of qualifying, Sutton, Cammish and Rowbottom all successfully made it to the Quick Six and the fight for pole, with Cammish and Sutton sharing the second row of the grid and Rowbottom starting on the following row.

BTCC (ROUNDS 4, 5 AND 6)

Sutton managed to jump ahead of Cammish on the opening lap of race one before getting ahead of Adam Morgan on lap two, with Cammish following him through to leave NAPA Racing UK running second and third. The pair swapped places on lap six before Cammish suffered an unfortunate puncture that forced him to return to the pits – dropping him to the back of the field.

Sutton would then find himself under pressure from the Toyota of Josh Cook and although he lost out to his former team-mate, the defending champion was able to start the weekend with a solid third spot.

Strong pace from Rowbottom saw him kick off race day with a fifth place finish, whilst Osborne crossed the line in twelfth as the leading Jack Sears Trophy driver.

Race two saw repeat results for both Sutton and Rowbottom as they once again crossed the line in third and fifth, with the star drive coming from Cammish as he recovered from his earlier issue to come through the field in fine style – crossing the line seventh place having charged through from 18th on the grid. His eleven place gain would be the most in a single race across the weekend. Osborne meanwhile picked up a twelfth place finish and would head into race three firmly in contention for the Jack Sears Trophy win.

The top eleven on the grid were reversed for the final race, which would prove to be one that was particularly strong for the NAPA Racing UK squad.

Sutton made it six consecutive podiums to start his title defence with a battling run through to third place from P9, whilst Cammish and Rowbottom both finished inside the top six. It means Sutton now leads the standings by two points, with Rowbottom and Cammish just two points apart in eighth and ninth.

Osborne looked to have secured the Jack Sears Trophy in the final race of the weekend, but a ten second penalty for a track limits infringement dropped him behind rival Mikey Doble in the standings across the three races. Osborne ends the weekend fourth in the Jack Sears Trophy standings, with NAPA Racing UK still on top in the Teams’ Championship.

MINI CHALLENGE JCW

The second round of the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE provided mixed fortunes on track for the three NAPA Racing UK drivers, with Lewis Selby maintaining his early season form with a brace of podium finishes.

A winner at Donington Park, Selby qualified fourth on the grid for race one before taking the flag in fifth, and followed it up with a solid second place behind defending champion Dan Zelos in race two having led the opening stages.

Third place in race three sees him remain second in the overall standings, and on top of the Directors Cup title race.

Fellow JCW driver Jamie Osborne endured a more difficult weekend after a solid sixth in race one, with a puncture in race two forcing him into retirement. A loss of power mid-way through race three then cost him valuable places and dropped him down the order to finish in ninth.

JCW Sport racer Cameron Richardson endured a tough start to his weekend when he was forced to retire to the pits in the opening race, and then suffered a trip into the barriers after contact in race two – although he would be able to nurse his car to the finish to be classified in third.

His weekend ended on a high with victory in the final race after a long battle with rival Ben Crossley, leaving him third in the standings ahead of the next event at Snetterton.