To keep respective title hopes alive
It’s advantage Jake Hill following a dramatic day of racing for Rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park (25 August).
Colin Turkington (Team BMW), Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK) and Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) claimed a victory apiece around the legendary Grand Prix to keep their respective title hopes alive, but it was a podium double for Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Hill that may prove pivotal.
A late podium for Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS’ Tom Ingram also grabbed the headlines as he sensationally surged from 19th on the grid in the finale to snatch second at the finish.
Hill leads Ingram by just nine points in the overall Drivers’ standings with Sutton a further 11 in arrears. Turkington and Cammish are next in the table, whilst an impressive trio of top four finishes for LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ’s Josh Cook ensures there remains a sextet of title contenders.
Alliance Racing/Ford tops the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ Championship by just two points from BMW, whilst NAPA Racing UK holds a commanding advantage in the Teams’ table.
Árón Taylor-Smith and Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing continued their dominance of the Independents’ titles, whilst team-mate Mikey Doble still leads the Jack Sears Trophy.
The BTCC now moves on to its penultimate event at Silverstone on 21/22 September before the highly anticipated season finale takes place at Brands Hatch on 5/6 October.
Turkington tops title contenders in Donington opener
The race for the title continued to build as Turkington headed a quintet of title contenders in a thrilling opening race.
In a contest arguably more fitting for a frenetic finale, four-time champion Turkington kept his powder dry around the 2.49-mile Grand Prix circuit.
With drama throughout the order, Turkington simply blasted his #20 BMW 330e M Sport off-the-line, past pole-sitter Cook, and never looked back.
The Team BMW legend sustained late race pressure from NAPA Racing UK's Sutton, after the latter had skipped by a lurid LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ Toyota of Cook, and the top two romped on to further boost their respective championship chances.
It was Turkington's fifth win of a fantastically fast season – he has only taken more wins in the same season on two occasions in his career – showing he has lost none of his speed.
Hill completed the podium to move back into the standings lead, after he too got by Cook following another wild moment through the Fogarty Esses for the #66 Toyota Corolla.
Sutton secures second win of the season
NAPA Racing UK’s Sutton initially closed the gap at the top of the standings after scoring a second win of the season.
In what proved to be one of the most vital races of the campaign so far, the championship's top five drivers occupied the top five places for much of the race, as Sutton and Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Ingram jumped Team BMW's pole-sitter Turkington in the early running.
The most successful trio on the grid – with nine BTCC Drivers' titles between them – ran nose-to-tail for much of the contest, with championship leader Hill and Cook watching on from behind.
The standings looked set to be tightened yet further until the #80 Hyundai of Ingram began struggling with high rising engine temperature after a stone had punctured through the radiator.
The 2022 champ lost out to the BMW duo of Turkington and Hill, and he was soon retiring to the pitlane, with the Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS squad facing a race against time to replace the engine ahead of the finale.
Sutton held on from Turkington, Hill and Cook with Team BMW's Adam Morgan taking a top five finish.
Cammish claims classic ahead of Ingram
NAPA Racing UK's Cammish led from start to finish to win a brilliant Donington finale, whilst Ingram surged from 19th on the grid to grab a sensational second.
Fellow title contenders – Sutton and Turkington – both hit trouble during the early running in separate incidents, with the former being forced out of contention while the latter had to produce a cracking comeback drive to claim seventh.
Cammish's team-mate Sam Osborne acted as rear gunner initially as he kept the chasing pack at bay, but as he began to fall down the order and a number of safety car periods interrupted the contest, the lead driver had to remain fully focussed.
It was an important victory for Cammish – his first of 2024 – as he kept his title hopes on-track, but it was arguably Ingram's drive that had the crowd on its collective feet.
The #80 Hyundai scythed its way past car after car and when Ingram eventually dismissed the Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall of Taylor-Smith for second, it proved to be one of the best performances of his career.
LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ's Cook held off Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport's Hill for fourth, with the latter leaving Donington Park with the standings advantage – not bad for a man who had been feeling under the weather during much of the weekend.
Colin Turkington, Team BMW, said: “It’s been a great weekend for me, and it’s been a lot of fun. Race one was obviously the highlight winning from second on the grid, and another podium in race two was fantastic in tricky conditions, especially the first lap – but my BMW 3 Series kept improving with each race, and by race three it felt the best of the whole weekend.”
Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, said: "This is the British Touring Car Championship, and you’ve got to capitalise. To be fair, we had our share of bad luck at Oulton Park – you never want to see your rivals go out with a problem, but it just made my life little bit easier. It’s getting interesting, it’s the pointy end of the season isn’t it.”
Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, said: "We've been close a few times, but we finally got it over the line. It couldn't have been tougher conditions out there – when you're the first one finding the limits it can be daunting, but I'm delighted with the win."
Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, said: “I’m feeling pretty happy as I’m leading the British Touring Car Championship again. We have a nine-point lead, which is fantastic, and we’ve just had a nice day with two thirds and a fifth, which is great considering we started seventh in race one.”
Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, said: "It was hard. After that second race we knew it would be a bit of a struggle to get back into the mix. The work that went on in-between races two and three was nothing short of amazing. It's races like that that really mean a lot to you, and yeah, emotional.”
2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Donington Park GP
1. Colin Turkington, Team BMW 17 Laps
2. Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +1.863s
3. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +6.416s
4. Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ +7.693s
5. Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS +10.188s
6. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +10.817s
7. Rob Huff, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +13.844s
8. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +14.655s
9. Árón Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing +15.259s
10. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK +16.212s
2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Donington Park GP
1. Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK 14 Laps
2. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +1.712s
3. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +5.121s
4. Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ +5.540s
5. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +11.242s
6. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK +13.741s
7. Rob Huff, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +15.024s
8. Árón Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing +16.376s
9. Mikey Doble, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing +18.304s
10. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK +25.009s
2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Donington Park GP
1. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK 17 Laps
2. Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS +1.959s
3. Árón Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing +2.894s
4. Josh Cook, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ +3.652s
5. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +4.048s
6. Mikey Doble, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing +4.522s
7. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +5.154s
8. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +5.712s
9. Daryl DeLeon, Duckhams Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport +11.337s
10. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK +12.585s
Penalties:
Race One
Mikey Doble received an official reprimand and two penalty points during Round 22 of the championship, for causing a collision in an incident involving Tom Ingram.
Race Two
Andrew Watson received a verbal warning during Round 23 of the championship, for gaining an unfair advantage in an incident involving Daryl DeLeon.
Race Three
Andrew Watson received an official reprimand and two penalty points during Round 24 of the championship, for causing a collision involving Aiden Moffat. This counts as a ‘strike’, carrying a further three-place grid penalty.
Daniel Rowbottom received an official reprimand and two penalty points during Round 24 of the championship, for causing a collision in an incident involving Rob Huff and Colin Turkington.
Dan Zelos received an official reprimand and two penalty points during Round 24 of the championship, for causing a collision in an incident involving Chris Smiley and Aiden Moffat.
