Sutton wraps up record fifth BTCC title in style at Silverstone

Ash Sutton wrapped up a record-breaking fifth British Touring Car Championship title with four races to spare with an impressive drive from 12th to first in the second race of the day at Silverstone.

Aiden Moffat and Tom Ingram were the other victors across Sunday’s three races around Silverstone’s National circuit, but the spotlight was rightfully on Sutton, who entered the weekend with one hand already firmly on the championship trophy.

The day started with rain just before the first race, a race that had the LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing duo of Mikey Doble and Aiden Moffat alongside one another on the front row of the grid.

Moffat was the stronger starter, with Doble also momentarily falling behind WSR’s Daryle DeLeon before recovering before the end of the lap. It was then formation flying for the Audi drivers at the head of the field, with Moffat just edging Doble by 0.092s to take his first BTCC win since 2024.

But Moffat was later dropped to fourth because of the track limits penalty – a penalty that was later rescinded after it was deemed that one of his violations came after he took evasive action to avoid debutant Osamu Kawashimi who was off the pace and suffering from engine issues.

Tom Chilton shadowed the PMR pair to finish third, having got past DeLeon at Brooklands on lap 2. He then resisted pressure from DeLeon and his teammate Charles Rainford, but broke free to secure the final podium spot.

Both BMWs then fell to Speedworks Corolla Racing’s Josh Cook, with DeLeon holding on for fifth, and Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Gordon Shedden passing Rainford for sixth.

Rainford would wind up seventh, ahead of CPRL’s Adam Morgan, with Aron Taylor-Smith and Dan Rowbottom completing the top-10.

Chris Smiley passed Sutton late on for 11th, denying Sutton the chance to wrap up the title in the first race of the day and leaving him needing just one point in the second. Sutton later revealed he let the Restart Racing man by to ensure he could win the title in Race 2 in style.

RACE 1 RESULTS

And that’s what he did. Starting 12th, but now with a bigger allocation of boost – his Race 1 allocation hindered by his championship position – Sutton charged to a dominant race victory.

By lap 5 he was already in a podium position, and on lap nine he surged up the inside of DeLeon, who’d made a strong start to snatch the lead off polesitter Moffat, at Copse. From there, with that handy boost surplus in his back pocket, he wasn’t getting caught and eventually won by a mammoth 5.449s.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Sutton said after becoming the first driver to win five BTCC titles. “It's not fully sunk in for sure, but to go over the line, experience all the emotions, have Tony [Carrozza, his race engineer] come over the radio and say it's a history day … I think it's not until I actually sit down later, in a quiet room, with my own thoughts, that's when it’s really going to sink in.”

Speaking of delaying his coronation until Race 2, Sutton admitted that “in some respects” he let Smiley past in Race 1 to delay the inevitable, but that winning “in a style that fitted” was something the team had discussed.

“We spoke openly between the team that we wanted to try and do it in a style that fitted,” he said. “There's been a lot of times where I've had to hold back in scenarios over the years, and it was nice to actually go about winning the championship in Race 2 with the soft tire, full [boost] deployment.”

Once again a solid start for DeLeon faded, with a soft tire-clad Morgan taking second off him, and Rainford snatching third off him on lap 19.

Rowbottom finished fifth ahead of Cammish who like his NAPA Racing UK teammate Sutton had to cut through the field, albeit from all the way back rather than halfway after retiring from Race 1. Prior to that contest, he needed a win and the fastest lap to have any hope of prolonging Sutton’s crowning. His failure to finish meant that a point for Sutton would’ve put the championship beyond question.

Taylor-Smith had another strong result to finish seventh ahead of outgoing champion Tom Ingram, Moffat – forced to use the harder of the tire compounds on offer after his Race 1 victory thus wasn’t really in with a hope of a repeat – and Cook.

RACE 2 RESULTS

After a mixed Race 1 and a dry Race 2, the rain arrived properly for Race 3.

The partial reverse grid put Moffat on pole with Ingram beside him and Taylor-Smith and Cammish on Row 2. Ingram didn’t get the best start, losing out to Taylor-Smith – who also found his way to the front briefly – and Rowbottom early on, but with the full allowance of boost at his disposal it was to be a minor blip.

Rowbottom was the leader at the end of the first lap, passing Taylor-Smith for the lead at Luffield, and held onto the position for another four laps before Moffat retook his place at the head of the field at Brooklands.

Ingram, in full fightback mode, then disposed of the CPRL driver with a move round the outside of Copse, completing a similar move on Moffat a few laps later to move into first. From there, similarly to Sutton in Race 2, he boosted his way clear of the pack.

Sutton, whose own boost deficiency was negated by the weather, completed another masterful drive through traffic to take second, with Moffat coming home third to claim two podium finishes in one weekend for the first time since 2018.

Shedden finished fourth despite a brief foray off track while challenging fellow Scotsman Moffat for third. Cammish and Chilton were next up, with Cook and Taylor-Smith seventh and eighth. Rowbottom’s early lead was rewarded only with a ninth place, with his CPRL teammate Morgan following him home

RACE 3 RESULTS