Sutton takes victory in race two after investigation

Ash Sutton dropped another bombshell for anyone who thinks they can catch him for this season’s British Touring Car Championship with victory in race two at Thruxton.

Sutton and his Alliance Racing-run NAPA Ford Focus Titanium couldn’t quite get past the polesitting Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla GR Sport of race one winner Josh Cook at the start. He tried around the outside of the first corner at Allard, but Cook retained the inside line into the Complex to restore his advantage.

But when Cook’s Toyota squirmed wide at Church Corner on the opening lap, Sutton was able to pull to the right and claim the lead on the run up to the chicane.

Sutton was never headed from then on, although Cook came back at him mid-race. The four-time champion believed he may have a puncture, although the imbalance could have been caused by fluid on the track.

Sutton came under investigation for a possible false start, although was later exonerated.

“I’m not quite sure what we’re being investigated for,” he said. “I was not moving until the lights went out.

“It kind of went to plan. I wanted to get Josh earlier than we did, but he did a very good job of stopping that. Once I got past, I got my head down, got fastest lap and managed it from there.

“There was a phase in the middle of the race where I questioned whether we had a puncture, so the gap was a bit yo-yoey. I nearly boxed, but you never box until it’s actually exploded!”

Behind Sutton, Cook had his hands full with Tom Ingram, whose Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N Fastback had passed the Plato Racing Mercedes A35 Saloon of Dan Rowbottom when he got on the TOCA Turbo Boost and swept around the outside into Noble on the fifth lap.

With four laps remaining, Ingram was on the TTB again on the approach to the chicane and drew to the outside of Cook, who was not going to give in without a fight. Light contact was made, and Ingram bailed out to bypass the chicane entirely and elevate himself to second. Cook half-spun, clambered over the kerbs and rejoined just in front of the Alliance Ford of Dan Cammish.

Cammish tried a move around the outside of the Toyota at the chicane on the next lap, but Cook judged things superbly, saving his solitary lap of TTB until the final tour.

With Ingram given a 10-second penalty for his track limits offence, that elevated Cook to second, Cammish to third and Rowbottom to fourth, with Ingram classified fifth.

A grassy moment at Church Corner cost the other Plato Mercedes of Adam Morgan sixth place to the impressive James Dorlin in his Restart Racing Hyundai. The Yorkshireman held on to the finish, despite Morgan coming back at him, and got a bonus present of reversed-grid pole position for the final race.

A last-lap skirmish at the chicane between Mikey Doble (Power Maxed Racing Audi A3 Saloon) and Aron Taylor-Smith (Speedworks Toyota) did not change their order, the Surrey man getting home just in front for eighth, with Taylor-Smith’s Laser Tools stablemate Gordon Shedden getting the better of Tom Chilton on the final lap for 10th.

BTCC Thruxton – Race 2 results

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