Ash Sutton’s resurgent Sunday continued with victory in round two of the British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park.

From second on the grid, Sutton surged into the lead and never lost it. Dan Cammish made it a NAPA Racing one-two, and a first win for the new Ford Focus Saloon. Gordon Shedden rolled back the years for third.

The drama began before the race started, with Tom Ingram putting on the end of the formation lap with an alternator issue with his car. His weekend going from bad to worse following his race one disqualification.

Rainford sprung off the line from third to pass Sutton and Doble for the lead. Sutton moved into second and on the exit of Redgate he nudged Rainford wide and took the lead. The Safety Car’s 100% appearance record continued with Nicholas Hamilton out in the gravel at Redgate. Tom Chilton went wide at the Craner Curves and almost collected team mate Ricky Collard on re-entry.

Dan Rowbottom pulled in during the Safety Car period and retired from the race, another driver whose weekend wasn’t going according to plan.

On the restart Sutton kept his lead, Cammish was up to third as race one winner Mikey Doble’s descent down the grid began. Shedden was past the beleaguered Audi driver on lap seven, not before a nudge from fellow Scot Aiden Moffat going into the Old Hairpin.

Lap eight saw Adam Morgan, Daryl DeLeon and PMR teammate Dexter Patterson pass Doble, with his car clearly suffering. Back up front Sutton was nursing a 1.6 second lead, untroubled in the lead.

Behind him Cammish was hounding Rainford for second, the Yorkshireman passed the WSR driver into Redgate, before going side by side down the Craner Curves, with Cammish finally making the move stick at the Old Hairpin. Shedden was now on Rainford’s tail.

Three laps from the end Shedden made the move for third on Rainford, with Moffat passing too as Rainford dropped from third to fifth in the blink of an eye.

Sutton took his 48th win of his career with Cammish following behind in the sister Focus. Shedden was third. Moffat was fourth with DeLeon squeezing past Rainford for fifth. Patterson finished seventh with Ricky Collard recovering from race one retirement for eighth. Adam Morgan was the lead Mercedes driver in ninth with Josh Cook taking tenth after ending race one in the gravel.

Aron Taylor-Smith took 11th with Chris Smiley, Tom Chilton, Mikey Doble and Lewis Selby rounding off the points.

Ingram and Rowbottom ruing car issues and losing early ground on Sutton.

Related posts:

Super Touring 25 Years On – F1 involvement and wing controversy BTCC Round One – Doble inherits race win with Ingram disqualification