Sutton emerges the big winner from Donington BTCC opener

Ash Sutton enjoyed a massive reversal of fortunes after ending Saturday’s British Touring Car Championship qualifying race in the gravel to leave Donington Park with the points lead after three races on Sunday.

The NAPA Racing UK driver surged through the field from the back of the grid in Race 1 to take second, before going on to win the two other races in the day.

“It's surprising what 24 hours can do,” Sutton told RACER. “Back of the grid today, in Race 1, to come away with essentially a second – OK, fourth on the road with the penalties and whatnot handed out, it meant that we were promoted to second – and then to come away with two wins after that, I couldn't have asked for a better day.

“The amount of points we've pulled in today, I think it's the most I've ever had on a weekend. So if you actually factor that in, where we started the day, it's crazy how we turned it around.

“24 hours ago, I was sitting in a gravel trap, 24 hours later we've got three trophies to take that now.”

Sutton’s strong Sunday came in the first outing for the newly configured Ford Focus Titanium Saloon, but despite having essentially a new car under him, Sutton wasn’t expecting growing pains but after Saturday’s showing, the somewhat expected two win weekend was beyond what he thought he’d achieve.

“We came here to do this job and come away with results like we have,” he said. “We always take two solid results and then an average running Race 3, but to come away with what we did, from where we started, is far beyond any expectations we've had.

“The car has been phenomenal; NAPA Racing UK has given us an awesome bit of kit to race with this year.”

Race 1 was won by team VERTU’s Tom Ingram on the road, who beat polesitter Dan Rowbottom off the line to take an early lead. He went on to dominate the race, but was later disqualified for a boost infringement.

That ought to have handed the win to Cataclean Plato Racing driver Rowbottom, but he also got an infraction, falling out of the top 10 after receiving a 10-second penalty for track limits violations. Before that, he fended off a charge from Speedworks Corolla Racing’s Josh Cook, whose own podium hopes were dashed when a left rear puncture put him in the gravel at the final chicane.

Mikey Doble finished fourth after dispatching of West Surrey Racing’s Charles Rainford after a brief safety car period to recover Cook’s Toyota, but with the penalties for Ingram and Rowbottom, he was elevated to first, giving Power Maxed Racing a fairytale start to life with their new Audi S3 Saloons.

Sutton had finished fourth on the road but was bumped up to second, with the final podium place going to Rainford.

Like his teammate Sutton, Dan Cammish cut through the field, moving up from 13th to take fourth ahead of Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Gordon Shedden.

Aiden Moffat and Dexter Patterson ensured all three PMR Audis finished in the top-10, ahead of MB Motorsport’s Aron Taylor-Smith, Team VERTU’s Tom Chilton, and Adam Morgan of Plato Racing.

RACE 1 RESULTS

As was the case in Race 1, second on the grid got a better start with Sutton making light work of Doble when the lights went out. He charged off into an untouchable lead, hindered briefly by an early safety car for Nicolas Hamilton who spun at Redgate early on.

Doble, meanwhile, fell dramatically. After the safety car, he couldn’t hang on with the hard tires and eventually tumbled to 14th.

Cammish moved up from fourth on the grid to take second, having passed a fast-starting Rainford, while Shedden also got by the BMW driver to take third having started from fifth.

Rainford ultimately fell three places from his starting spot, with Aiden Moffat and his WSR teammate Daryl DeLeon also getting by.

Patterson took another strong result in seventh, with Ricky Collard of Team VERTU, Morgan, and Cook – who had to come from the back row of the grid after his Race 1 retirement – completing the top-10.

Ingram and Rowbottom’s day went from bad to worse with Ingram failing to start due to an alternator issue, and Rowbottom retiring on the third lap with engine problems.

RACE 2 RESULTS

Collard was drawn on pole for the partially reversed Race 3 grid and held off Rainford early on having used his BMW's rear-wheel-drive start advantage to get away well from third on the grid.

But Sutton, who started eighth, was a man on a mission and he soon found a way past Collard, although Collard kept within touching distance for a couple of laps. He was soon at the mercy of his teammate Ingram who got by after a failed move from Cammish on Collard handed him the opportunity to pass.

Ingram set chase on long-time rival Sutton with the two breaking away from the pack. He eventually came home second, salvaging a podium from his dismal weekend with a colossal drive from 21st and last on the grid.

Cammish eventually passed Collard too, but was hit with a 10-second time penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping him to 11th and giving the final podium spot back to Collard.

Moffat was fourth once again, with Rainford dropping to fifth by race end, splitting the two Scottish PMR drivers, Patterson coming home in sixth.

Restart Racing’s Chris Smiley ended the day with his first top-10 result of the season in seventh, ahead of Morgan and NAPA Racing UK’s Sam Osborne.

RACE 3 RESULTS

• All 30 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship championship rounds will be live on RACER Network and on the RACER+ App,