Dan Cammish cruised to victory in round 28 at Brands Hatch in a lights to flag win, while Tom Ingram has one hand on the title by finishing ahead of title rival Ash Sutton.

Pole sitter Daryl DeLeon pulled into the pits on the formation lap with an issue, meaning Cammish was what was effectively pole position. Ingram lined up seventh with Sutton 11th.

Cammish led off the line, never surrendering his lead. Tom Chilton had a good start from fourth, jumping Dan Rowbottom for second on the run into Paddock Hill bend. Rowbottom got back in front of the veteran further into the lap. Ingram was up to fifty with Sutton ninth.

Jake Hill suffered a puncture to compound WSR’s woes with DeLeon stranded in the pits. The only saving grace for the beleaguered BMW squad was Charles Rainford, who passed Ingram for fifth on lap two.

Chilton managed to pass Rowbottom for second at the Druids hairpin. Adam Morgan wanted to pile further misery on Rowbottom and follow his team mate through. He tapped Rowbottom’s Ford going into Surtees and nudged his way through, with Rowbottom dropping to sixth. Ingram back through for fifth.

The title protagonists had a very quiet race, with Ingram happy to consolidate his fifth place finish and bank the all-important points he needed. Sutton was ninth but under pressure from Chris Smiley, himself fighting for the Independents title with team mate Dan Lloyd – who was further up the order.

Smiley managed to pass Sutton for ninth on lap 12 but went wide on Graham Hill bend and Sutton surged past.

Cammish took the chequered flag and strengthened his grip on third in the standings. Chilton and Morgan did Team VERTU’s Teams championship bid a world of good by finishing second and third.

Rainford finished fourth to secure points for BMW with the other three cars finishing out of the points; Aiden Moffat had to pit, speeding in the process, and earning a drive thru penalty. He finished 20th.

Ingram took fifth, extending his gap to 37 points with just 44 left to fight for. Rowbottom was sixth with Gordon Shedden seventh. Dan Lloyd finished eighth to lead the Independents title.

Sutton was ninth with Smiley tenth. Josh Cook battled from the back of the grid to finish 11th. Aron Taylor-Smith and Senna Proctor were next while Mikey Doble and Sam Osborne rounded off the points.

Featured image courtesy of Warren Nel

This is part two in our series looking back at the Super Touring era of the BTCC, be sure to check out part one.

The Super Touring era of the British Touring Car Championship had an inauspicious start to life. It was finding its feet and emerging from the shadow of the era of roaring Ford Sierra RS500’s. The new cars may have been more conventional looking, but that didn’t diminish the quality of the racing on show.

1991 saw a exciting title fight between Will Hoy and John Cleland, but 1992 was the year the series really kicked into life.

It would be the season of many a memorable moment, as well as a season finale which is still talked about nearly 35 years on.

The early proceedings were dominated by Vauxhall and Toyota. John Cleland and Jeff Allam in the Cavalier battled with Andy Rouse and Will Hoy, with the reigning champion now in a Toyota Carina. Cleland won the first two rounds at Silverstone and Thruxton before Rouse and Hoy won a race apiece at Oulton Park and Snetterton respectively.

Round five at Brands Hatch would see the first real flashpoint of the season. Cleland had made it past the Toyotas, and was sailing into the distance to strengthen his title bid. Rouse and Hoy were chasing hard, perhaps a little too hard as going into Westfield the pair collided and were in the barrier – breaking the first cardinal sin of motorsport, don’t hit your teammate!

At the halfway point of the season, Cleland was leading the championship, but an unlikely contender was about to enter the fray. While BMW won the title in 1991 with an M3, they were struggling with their new model, the Listerine liveried 318IS. Tim Harvey and Steve Soper led the team, with Soper splitting his time between the BTCC and the German touring car championship.

Leaving Donington Park, Harvey was fifth, 60 points behind Cleland. But he would go on an incredible five win streak, meaning he was a point behind Cleland going into the season finale at Silverstone. The minty marauder was in with a shout.

A race for the ages, the three title protagonists, Cleland, Harvey and Hoy all qualified in the middle of the pack, and had to fight their way through. Soper, who’d surged up from last following a collision earlier in the race, managed to pass Cleland and act as a rear gunner for Harvey. The onboard camera famously caught Cleland giving the finger to Soper, prompting the unforgettable quip from commentator Murray Walker – “I’m going for first says Cleland.”

Heading into Brooklands, Cleland got past Soper, going onto two wheels to do so, Soper, undeterred decided to lunge down the inside and took the pair into the gravel and out. This handed Harvey the title. Cleland was apoplectic, uttering his own famous line, “the man’s an animal” while claiming they “race clean” in the BTCC. The irony being as he says it you can hear tyre smoke and a probable collision in the background.

The pair have since buried the hatchet and are good friends, but the moment really put the BTCC on the map. It was front page of the newspapers and a much watch on Grandstand.

1993 saw the first of the big budget international drivers arrive on the scene, in the name of Jo Winkelhock at BMW. Renault also entered the series, tempting reigning champion Harvey to join Alain Menu (remember that name too). The Renault 19 struggled unless it rained, with Harvey managing just one win at Donington Park in the wet, Menu finishing second, a false dawn as the pair failed to make the top five in the standings.

Winkelhock and teammate Soper dominated, with Ford’s Paul Radisich putting on a late show to finish third despite missing the first seven rounds of the season. While not as controversial as the season before, there was definitely one moment which everyone remembers.

Reigning Formula One and IndyCar champion Nigel Mansell joined the Ford team for the ToCA shootout at Donington Park. The biggest of big names at the time, imagine Lewis Hamilton rocking up in a Ford Focus, that’s the magnitude we’re talking about.

Mansell wouldn’t finish the race however as going into the Old Hairpin, he lost the back end and and slid across the circuit. He was collected by Tiff Needell, who was a guest driver doing a feature for Top Gear – yes, that Top Gear.

Mansell was sent into the barrier and his first flirtation with the BTCC ended painfully. He’d be back later in the era…

The BTCC was really starting to hit the headlines, it was prime time viewing on BBC Grandstand, and the controversy and racing were only getting better and better. The big names were coming, and the budgets were ballooning. It wouldn’t be long before the big boys got involved.

Sam Osborne took his maiden win with a sensational lights to flag victory in round 27 at Silverstone. The Yorkshireman took his first win despite intense pressure from Josh Cook throughout the race.

Championship protagonist Ash Sutton took third to keep the title hopes alive with rival Tom Ingram fifth.

Sometimes the forgotten man in the NAPA Racing stable, Osborne can name race winners Dan Cammish and Dan Rowbottom as team mates, as well as four time champion Sutton no less. But Osborne was picked for pole by virtue of the reverse grid draw.

He led from the start, and held his nerve as there were battles throughout the field. The title rivals Ingram and Sutton were moving up the grid from the middle of the pack.

Sutton made it to third by lap six with Ingram in sixth, with Rowbottom and Jake Hill between them.

Cook was bearing down on Osborne, with the gap standing at seven tenths on lap 12. It was a tactical arm wrestle of when and how to use the boost. By lap 16 the gap was just two tenths with Cook, a multiple race winner, breathing down Osborne’s neck.

With just three laps to go Cook went wide into Luffield, losing the back end. This gave Osborne the slight gap he needed to cruise home for his first win, under intense pressure.

Sutton came third to cut into Ingram’s lead slightly, with Hill between the pair. Aiden Moffat was sixth with Vertu Hyundai pair Adam Morgan and Tom Chilton next. Dan Cammish and Mikey Doble rounded off the top ten.

The final points places were taken by Aron Taylor-Smith, Charles Rainford, Senna Proctor, Rowbottom and Dexter Patterson.

Osborne can finally call himself a race winner, and joins his NAPA teammates in that regard.

Going into the final three rounds at Brands Hatch in two weeks time, Ingram has a 33 point lead over Sutton. The title battle is sure to go down to the wire.

Tom Ingram took another step towards the title with victory in round 26 of the BTCC at Silverstone.

The championship leader and his title rival Ash Sutton showed why they’re the class of the field, finishing first and second by some distance.

At the start, Jake Hill passed race one winner Dan Lloyd into Becketts, while further down the order Ingram made an excellent start and was third by the end of the lap.

Brooklands was seeing plenty of action as Ingram made it second place by the end of lap two, taking Lloyd and chasing down Hill in the lead. The Hyundai man pulled away from the chasing pack and was on the tail of Hill’s BMW by lap four.

Ingram was through and away as he passed Hill down the Wellington straight and was off into the sunset with a lead he never surrendered.

Title rival Sutton, not to be forgotten, followed Ingram through the field and was up to third by lap eight with Hill between them.

The Safety Car was introduced for the second time today on lap nine when Tom Chilton was in the gravel trap. He tried a move on Charles Rainford but caught the front left, causing an instant puncture and he understeered off into the gravel and out of the race.

On the restart on lap 13, there was more drama when Hyundai’s Adam Morgan’s bonnet flew up after slight contact into Becketts.

Back at the front, Sutton could see Ingram pulling away, and in the slower medium tyre, his aim was to minimise the damage. He managed to pass Hill for second into Brooklands on lap 16.

While the top two pulled away, Hill was falling into the clutches of Dan Rowbottom, who was hunting the BMW man for third. The reigning champion was safe and secured third when on the penultimate lap Rowbottom’s engine gave up, and the Ford driver pulled into the pits to retire.

Ingram took the lead, and another small stride towards his second title, but with Sutton following behind, the fight is still very much on.

Hill, who is almost resigned to handing over his crown, was third. Aron Taylor-Smith secured his best finish of the season in fourth, with Rainford and Dan Lloyd close behind. Gordon Shedden and Aiden Moffat followed with Josh Cook and Daryl DeLeon rounding off the top ten.

Mikey Doble and Sam Osborne were next with Max Buxton, Nick Halstead and Chris Smiley taking 15th despite a penalty for track limits.

Dan Lloyd secured Restart Racing’s first ever BTCC win from fourth on the grid in a race which ended under Safety Car conditions. A fire for Nicholas Hamilton brought an early end to his race, and meant Lloyd’s excellent manoeuvres were rewarded with victory.

Title rivals Tom Ingram and Ash Sutton secured vital points finishes with not many races left to fight for the championship.

Pole sitter Daryl DeLeon led off the line with Shedden close behind. Sutton made a good start, squeezing up the inside and gaining a couple of places with a Ingram following his rival through.

Shedden dove down the inside of DeLeon at Luffield to take the lead. DeLeon began to slip down the grid as Dan Lloyd, Jake Hill and Senna Proctor passed the BMW man. Lloyd’s Restart Racing Hyundai took the lead at Brooklands with Shedden slipping into the clutches of Hill.

Further down the grid, the title protagonists were making their way through the field. Ingram made an important pass on Sutton for ninth on lap four, reducing any risk of losing any of his championship lead.

Hill passed Shedden for second and was bearing down on Lloyd in the lead, but the Hyundai driver stayed strong and held off Hill’s BMW.

Lap 11 saw Ingram pass Sutton’s teammate Dan Rowbottom. The Ford driver doing all he could to hold up Ingram but to no avail as the championship leader moved into seventh.

The race was neutralised on lap 18 when Nicholas Hamilon’s Cupra burst into flames. A small fire was spotted under the car which prompted Hamilton to park up on the Wellington straight. The car soon alight and being tackled by the marshals armed with fire extinguishers.

The Safety Car came out but the race never resumed as it finished behind yellow flag conditions.

Lloyd took the win, Restart Racing’s first ever BTCC victory, with Hill and Shedden rounding off the podium. Senna Proctor took fourth from sixth on the grid with Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat following close behind after a race-long battle.

Importantly, Ingram led Sutton home in seventh and eighth respectively with Rowbottom and Adam Morgan ninth and tenth. Aron Taylor-Smith was 11th with Dan Cammish moving from 21st on the grid to 12th. DeLeon fell from pole to 13th with Charles Rainford and Chris Smiley’s Restart Hyundai book-ending the points with 15th.

Ingram’s lead is now 33 points ahead of Sutton with just five races to go, and the chance to build on impressive race one finishes in race two.

It was the series that had it all, the finest drivers, prime time TV coverage, wheel to wheel action, and budgets big enough to make even the deepest pockets feel the pinch.

The British Touring Car Championship in the 1990’s had everything going for it, it was flying high and went from national competition to worldwide fame. But it soon became a victim of its own success and imploded on itself. By the end of the decade the writing was on the wall. All the momentum the series built evaporated and it took the BTCC years to fully recover. Never hitting the same heights.

As we welcome the 25th anniversary of the end of the Super Touring era, it’s still talked about today as one of the most exciting periods in motorsport history – even if it almost consumed the BTCC in the process.

To understand why this era was so significant, and why the ending was so abrupt, we need to go back to the start.

Touring cars in the late 80’s was dominated by Ford and their Sierra Cosworth RS500’s. Footage of Andy Rouse and Steve Soper hurling their fire-breathing monsters around Brands Hatch at breakneck speeds became stuff of legend. Accompanied by motorsport’s finest commentator, Murray Walker, and shown on BBC Grandstand in a highlight package format, the BTCC was indeed popular viewing.

But alas, there was a flaw in the system.

The BTCC field was split into classes, and on rare occasions, slower cars in lower classes would win the outright championship, not the driver finishing first on the road in the fastest car.

A prime example of this was John Cleland (remember that name, it’ll be important later), he won the 1989 title, not in a Group A Sierra, but rather, a Vauxhall Astra competing in Group C. For context that would be akin to a Formula Three car winning the Formula One world championship over the likes of McLaren and Red Bull.

For 1990, changes were made, and the 2.0 litre formula was introduced, which would become known as Super Touring. The cars eligible had to have naturally aspirated six cylinder 2.0 litre engines. Another stipulation was that 2,500 of these cars had to be built and manufactured for homologation purposes.

The beauty of the Super Touring era was that the cars you saw race on TV looked very much like the family car sat on your drive way. Instead of futuristic looking race cars, it was Ford Mondeo’s and Honda Accords you saw battling it out for victory. The phrase “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” became a popular mantra for car dealers around this time.

The move was made to combat escalating costs, and create a more open and even field. The unpopular class system remained in place, reducing to two – A and B. Essentially Class A was for the Sierra RS500’s, while Class B was the genesis of Super Touring. Vauxhall and BMW entered as manufacturers with the Cavalier and the M3 respectively.

Robb Gravett won the championship in a Sierra, but the signs were clear, Super Touring was born.

1991 saw a raft of manufacturers join the series. Vauxhall and BMW remained, and Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi followed. The multi-class system was dropped, instead opting for manufacturer and independent entries which would remain in place for the whole era.

The new rules brought with them the desired effect. Closer action, thrilling races, and the emergence of a host of what would become household names. John Cleland and Will Hoy fought it out for the title, with Hoy coming out on top in his BMW M3 after a thrilling season finale at Silverstone. ‘91 also saw the debut of future three time champion Matt Neal as an independent. BMW took the manufacturers crown.

Little did they know at the time, but the BTCC had stumbled upon a golden formula. One which would grow and be as popular as Formula One over the course of the 90’s.

This is the first of a five part article series chronicling the Super Touring era, what made it great, the controversies that ensued, and hopefully an explanation as to why this series and era of the sport is still very much talked about today.

Tom Ingram secured victory in the final race of the day at Donington Park, with title rival Ash Sutton close behind in second after a frenetic day of touring car action.

Sutton led off the grid with the Toyota’s of Cook and Taylor-Smith close behind. Ingram surged from fifth, clearing Daryl DeLeon before dispatching Cook for third with a nice switch back out of the Goddards hairpin.

Once he’d passed Taylor-Smith, he was hunting down Sutton in the lead. The Toyotas were squabbling which brought Rowbottom into the mix.

Ingram soon caught Sutton, teeing up a three lap battle of the two title contenders. Wheel to wheel side by side action, which culminated in the Hyundai man overtaking Sutton.

By lap eight Ingram was pulling away, with Sutton not too far behind, and Rowbottom sitting third behind his team mate. Tom Chilton was one of the stars of the race, going from 15th on the grid to fifth.

On lap ten Nick Halstead’s PMR Cupra decided to spill oil at the top of the Craner Curves, which brought out the Safety Car while it was cleaned up. After a four lap delay the race was back underway.

On the restart Ingram held off Sutton, despite a little glance on lap 15 at the Melbourne hairpin. He maintained the lead and took the win, a big win in terms of the championship.

Sutton came home second with Rowbottom third. The battle for fourth was intense between Aron Taylor-Smith and Jake Hill, but the Toyota man prevailed for fourth, Hill fifth, with Chilton’s excellent drive culminating in sixth. Gordon Shedden was seventh with Dan Lloyd leading home the BMW pair of Daryl DeLeon and Charles Rainford.

Josh Cook faded during the final laps to finish 11th with race two winner Dan Cammish 12th. Aiden Moffat, Sam Osborne and Senna Proctor rounded out the points finishes.

Tom Ingram now holds a 32 point lead in the standings over Ash Sutton, and with just six races left in the season, Ingram and his Hyundai squad sit in a very strong position.

Dan Cammish marked his 200th BTCC start with victory in a chaotic race two at Donington Park. Having taken the lead on lap six, a sudden downpour three laps from the end almost ruined the occasion.

Tom Ingram extended his championship lead with fifth while Ash Sutton was in the wars, with a couple of collisions and a ninth place finish the best he could achieve.

The top three from race one, Tom Chilton, Ingram, and Dan Rowbottom were all lumbered with the hard tyre compound, and with Sutton fourth, he was in the prime position to capitalise.

Sutton made a fine start and jumped Rowbottom for third. Chilton was pulling away with Ingram holding back Sutton and the chasing pack behind him. The Safety Car was deployed on lap one when there was an incident at McLeans.

Senna Proctor put a wheel on the grass and started to spin. He collided with Aiden Moffat’s BMW sending both into the gravel trap with Sam Osborne spinning while taking avoiding action in his Ford. Proctor was out while Moffat and Osborne returned to the action as the rain began to fall.

A few spits of rain fell, which foreshadowed the end of the race as Rowbottom couldn’t find grip and tapped into the back of Sutton at Redgate. This sent Sutton down the order who fell into further issues when he collided with Aron Taylor-Smith’s Toyota and fell to 12th place.

Cammish took the lead on lap six, passing Ingram down the back straight on softer faster tyres. Adam Morgan passed team mate Ingram for second. But with Sutton down the order, Ingram could afford to let Morgan through and not pick a fight.

The race settled into a rhythm when on lap 15 there was a sudden downpour, sending a whole host of cars off at McLeans including the leading trio of Cammish, Morgan and Ingram. The Safety Car was deployed and the race ended under yellow flag conditions.

Cammish took the win, with Morgan second and Gordon Shedden the big winner in the deluge of rain as he went from sixth to third. Chris Smiley was fourth, but was disqualified for failing ride height checks. Ingram was fifth, extending his championship lead as he inherited fourth. Everyone below Smiley moving up a place.

Daryl DeLeon finished sixth with the Toyota pair of Josh Cook and Taylor-Smith following behind. Sutton ended the race ninth and a solid haul of points despite his issues with Jake Hill tenth.

Dan Lloyd was 11th with Aiden Moffat recovering from his first lap collision for 12th. Dan Rowbottom, Sam Osborne and Mikey Doble rounded off the points.

Tom Chilton cruised to victory in race one of the day at Donington Park. With team mate and championship leader Tom Ingram in tow, the veteran capitalised on his first pole position in 14 years, with the win.

While initially slow off the line, Chilton held on to the lead, with Ingram close behind. His championship rival Ash Sutton started tenth, giving Ingram breathing space as the lead pair built up a gap at the front.

Behind the Hyundai trio of Chilton, Ingram and Restart’s Chris Smiley, were the NAPA Ford’s. Dan Rowbottom and Dan Cammish held the fort while Sutton caught up, passing Jake Hill and Senna Proctor into sixth place.

On lap four Rowbottom took Smiley for third, while at the front, perhaps weary of Sutton’s surge, Chilton relinquished the lead to Ingram coming out of the Melbourne hairpin – maximising his points haul.

Sutton managed to get past Cammish for fifth and was on the tail of Smiley for fourth.  Sportingly, at the front, Ingram gave the lead back to Chilton, who’d earned the right to win the race. Ingram got the point for leading a lap and was happy to settle for second.

Sutton made it up to fourth, but with the quandary of the top three starting on the slower hard compound tyre for race two; Sutton was happy to stay where he is and have a front row seat for a race two win.

Chilton secured the win, his 18th of his illustrious career, with Ingram second. The NAPA trio of Rowbottom, Sutton and Cammish followed with reigning champion Jake Hill sixth. The other Team Vertu drivers Adam Morgan and Senna Proctor were close behind while Smiley dropped to ninth and Aron Taylor-Smith rounded out the top ten.

Daryl DeLeon finished 11th ahead of Gordon Shedden on the hard compound tyre. Charles Rainford, Dan Lloyd and Aiden Moffat were the final points scorers.

With Sutton on the soft tyre and Ingram on the hard, race two could have huge implications for the championship.

Ash Sutton put his race one woes in the rear view mirror with a confident win in race three at Croft. The championship protagonist secured the win with rival Tom Ingram following him home in second and Senna Proctor completed the podium despite starting 18th.

In typical race three fashion, chaos ensued in the opening laps. Ingram made a good start, taking an outside line into turn one. Moffat defended, Ingram went wide and into a spin coming out of turn two. He powerslides and catches it with style.

Sutton surged through from fifth, passing Ingram for third and Rainford for second.

The Safety Car was deployed on lap three when, coming into the Complex, Dan Cammish was pushed wide onto the grass. The Yorkshire was a passenger as he skittled into the pack, taking out Chris Smiley and Daryl DeLeon. Senna Proctor the benefactor from the incident, going from 14th to sixth.

After a four lap break, the Safety Car pulled in and the race resumed. Ingram managed to get a run on Sutton on the back straight and took second. However at the final hairpin more chaos ensued. Sutton benefited, sneaking down the inside and taking the lead.

There was more strife at the hairpin on lap nine when Charles Rainford was spun around, sliding down the order.

Proctor, up from 18th on the grid, was the faster Hyundai, and defied all odds by passing team mate Ingram. A brave move with Sutton running away at the front. Ingram had been struggling to pass Aiden Moffat in second place, but Proctor had a go, and after some contact, Proctor was up into second with Ingram following behind.

On lap 13, Ingram made it back past Proctor, who didn’t put up a fight to get his teammate through.

Sutton strolled to the win, his sixth at Croft, and the fifth of the season, after a horrendous race one, he turned around his weekend to consolidate his place in the title fight.

Ingram finished second, and suffered minimal damage to his championship lead. Proctor finished third, his second podium of the day despite intense pressure from Gordon Shedden who finished fourth.

Adam Morgan was fifth with Moffat sixth. Sam Osborne drove brilliantly for seventh place with Tom Chilton, Aron Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble rounding off the top ten.

Dexter Patterson was 11th with Max Buxton, making his series debut, finished 12th. Rainford, Nick Halstead, and Dan Rowbottom were the last of the runners, all picking up points finishes.

Ingram still leads the championship, his lead now eight points from Sutton, who in turn is 70 points clear of Dan Rowbottom in third.