Ash Sutton took a remarkable British Touring Car Championship victory from 11th on the grid in a chaotic Race 2 at Snetterton to extend his lead at the top of the Championship to 48 points.
He led home Team Vertu duo Ricky Collard and Tom Chilton, while Suttons championship rival Tom Ingram in another Vertu Hyundai retired with a loss of drive, after a significant lock up on lap 8 saw him drop from the lead to 5th under pressure from Sutton’s NAPA Ford.
The race started with Ingram making an early move on polesitter Charles Rainford after holding off the other WSR BMW of Daryl De Leon, and the race seemed to settle down as De Leon held back the NAPA Ford of Dan Cammish and Ricky Collard’s fast starting Hyundai, while Josh Cook dropped back from fourth on the grid in his Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla.
That all changed midway through the race.
Sutton had been steadily gaining places after his start took him to 8th from 11th and once he eventually deposed Collard from 5th, he was quickly into the medium shod and comparatively boost starved BMWs of De Leon and Rainford, with Cammish passing De Leon for third on lap 6.
De Leon quickly fell backwards as Sutton and Rowbottom both shuffled the BMW backwards, where he would eventually end up tenth.
Sutton easily dealt with teammate Cammish and Rainford’s BMW before he attacked Ingram into Riches. Ingram covered off the inside but on the brakes into Wilson, he locked up and went off to allow Sutton, Cammish, Collard and Chilton through.
An alternator failure on lap 10 proved Ingram’s undoing, while Collard and Chilton both passed Cammish at the end of the race to get onto the podium.
Gordon Shedden in the Laser Tools with MB Motorsport Toyota was seventh overall to take Independent honours ahead of Rainford in 8th.
Featured images: BTCC
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