Sutton marches on with extended BTCC points lead leaving Oulton Park

Ash Sutton extended his British Touring Car Championship points lead after three races in mixed conditions at Oulton Park.

The NAPA Racing UK driver tactically settled for fourth in race one, avoiding the mandatory hard tire choice for the top-three finishers for the next race. He then capitalized on that to win race two, but with race three taking place in damp conditions, he would avoid having the hards all day.

In the day's first race, Team Vertu’s Tom Ingram was the winner, leading from lights to flag after starting from pole position. He finished 5.490s ahead of NAPA Racing UK’s Dan Cammish who started from third on the grid but got by second place starter Chris Smiley of Restart Racing going into the first corner on the opening lap. 

Smiley also succumbed to Sutton, who swept round the outside  at Cascades. Their squabble was far from over though. After a brief safety car following a collision between Stephen Jelley and Sam Osborne, the Northern Irishman was on the tail of Sutton on the restart, but Sutton began to close up to his teammate Cammish. 

An ensuing battle between the two Ford drivers kept Smiley in the flight, and when he eventually made another move on the final lap of the 16 lap race – extended from 15 after the early safety car – Sutton didn't put up a fight, with the long game in mind. 

Tom Chilton finished fourth after passing his Team Vertu teammate Adam Morgan on lap 10, but then failing to get by Smiley by the time he'd closed up three laps later. 

Morgan held off the Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport-entered West Surrey Racing BMW of Jake Hill at the line for sixth, with Senna Proctor ensuring all four Team Vertu Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performances finished in the top eight. 

Josh Cook, James Dorlin, Charles Rainford, Dan Lloyd – who'd climbed from 23rd on the grid – Aron Taylor-Smith, Darryl DeLeon and Daniel Rowbottom completed the points scorers.

RACE 1 RESULTS

Sutton wasted no time in getting going in race two, getting by Smiley before the first turn and challenging Cammish on the exit. He got by the 14-time race winner by the second turn, Cascades, and was all over Ingram by the end of the lap, before snatching the lead up the inside of the Island Hairpin on lap two, his softer tire advantage over the top-three starters proving vital. 

It would be a common theme at the front, with Morgan passing Smiley for fourth towards the end of the first lap, then getting by Cammish for third at the start of the second. As with race one, an early safety car neutralized proceedings early on, with Lloyd's hard work carving through the field in race one coming undone after a heavy crash at the top of Clay Hill after being crowded wide by Cook. 

After the race restarted on lap 10, Cammish quickly found himself slipping down to ninth, while Chilton also worked his way forward. He finished third behind Sutton and Morgan – who was +1.715 adrift of the winner – with Ingram settling for fifth ahead of Hill, Rowbottom, Cook, Proctor, Gordon Shedden – who'd steadily progressed forward through the first two races after starting the day 24th and last on the grid. 

Cammish eventually finished 10th, ahead of Mikey Doble, Osborne, Dorlin, Smiley – who fell all the way to 14th – and DeLeon.

RACE 2 RESULTS

BTCC television anchor Steve Rider, retiring after this weekend following a glittering five-decade career in British sports broadcasting, did the draw for the partial reverse grid for race three, putting Shedden on pole ahead of Proctor, Cook, and Rowbottom. 

Hill, who started outside those who were reversed in fifth, made the best start, capitalizing on his BMW's rear-wheel-drive advantage to get up to third before the first turn. He challenged Cook for second at Old Hall as well, but the Honda driver held firm. 

Cook went straight on at Hislop's Chicane, handing the place to Hill. Cook remained on the back of the reigning champion, however, and had a look round the outside, and again looked to make a move at Lodge, the final corner, but instead outbraked himself, going through into the gravel. 

This all played into the hands of Shedden, comfortably out in front in his Toyota Gazoo Racing UK Corolla, the four of which have been down on power for much of the season, but the changeable conditions proved to be a great leveler. 

Hill hadn't given up, though, and set about chasing down the three-time champion, closing to within 0.7s when the safety car came out on lap seven with Max Hall stranded in the gravel at Lodge, unable to keep going as Cook had earlier. 

The pause once again extended the race past its initial 15 laps. When the race resumed on lap 10, Shedden took off cleanly, but Rowbottom tried to take second off Hill at the first turn. The squabble brought Sutton into play, who was able to get by Rowbottom, but Hill remained in second. 

Once again after the drama, Hill began to hunt down Shedden, as was right on his bumper in the closing laps until a mistake at Cascades on the penultimate tour took him out of contention and handed second to Sutton. 

Rowbottom took third for his 17th career podium and fifth this season, with Ingram fourth and Proctor fifth. Cammish finished sixth despite having an off at Hislop's on the penultimate lap, while Hill had to settle for seventh. Dorlin was eighth ahead of Charles Rainford, who started 19th after an off in race two, with Osborne in 10th ahead of Aiden Moffat. 

Dexter Patterson finished 12th with the fastest lap after pitting for slicks during the safety car as the track began to dry out. Finn Leslie took his first BTCC points in only his third race in 13th, with Lloyd – once again charging from the back – and DeLoen completing the scorers.

RACE 3 RESULTS

The BTCC now takes a short summer break, with the series resuming on August 3 at Croft in North Yorkshire.
Sutton enters that break with an 11-point advantage over Ingram, with Cammish a further 61 points back in third. Rowbottom sits third, just two behind Cammish, with Hill fifth.