BMR's Ashley Sutton doubles up with second BTCC Croft win
BMR's Ashley Sutton made it back-to-back wins in the second British Touring Car Championship race of the weekend at Croft

The defending champion repeated his success from the opening race with a measured drive that saw him lead the majority of the 15 laps, bringing him to within 50 points of the championship lead.
When the lights went out it was the third-placed Toyota of Tom Ingram that made the best start to lead into Turn 1, but the Speedworks driver wasn't able to get away up front as Sutton kept him honest through the opening lap.
Heading into the final hairpin at the end of the second lap, Sutton saw his chance to go for the lead and slid up the inside into the left-hander to move ahead.
Despite carrying maximum ballast on his car, Sutton was able to start edging away from Ingram behind as the Toyota driver had to contend with pressure from Colin Turkington behind.
It meant a relatively straightforward second win of the day for the defending champion; the first driver to achieve the feat this season.
"I wouldn't speak too soon but it's looking good, the car has been phenomenal and it felt awesome," said Sutton. "I know the final corners are prime for traction and Tom didn't make it too hard.
"I had to push to get the gap and it helped when he was under pressure but he's doing well with a front-wheel drive car."
The battle for second would run for the entirety of the race, with Ingram forced to place his car in the perfect position lap after lap to keep Turkington at bay.
The WSR driver had run fourth on the opening lap before inheriting a place when Jason Plato was hit with a drivethrough penalty for a false start.
There was no way to get ahead of Ingram, however, with Turkington forced to settle for third when the chequered flag dropped.

Unable to keep pace with the top three ahead, Sam Tordoff was fourth-best for Motorbase as he repeated his strong result from the opening race, although he saw his advantage over Andrew Jordan cut in the closing laps.
Jordan had spent the first half of the race dicing for position with team-mate Rob Collard but got ahead with a fine move at Tower mid-way through the race, just before Collard had a spin at Hawthorn that forced him to pit with a puncture.
Tom Chilton in the second of the Fords was able to benefit from Collard's misfortune as he raced well through from 15th to take sixth.
The former World Touring Car Championship racer was one of several drivers to make the most of a moment for team-mate James Cole on the opening lap that split the midfield pack.
Matt Neal, who lost time on the opening lap avoiding Cole's spinning car, recovered to seventh with Senna Proctor, Dan Lloyd and Rory Butcher rounding out the top 10.
Lloyd will start the final race from pole position thanks to the reverse grid draw.
Aside from Plato and Collard, the race would prove to be problematic for a number of drivers, with Josh Cook forced to retire after he dramatically went off into the field at Tower at high-speed on the opening lap.
Adam Morgan's wretched day continued as he was hit with a drivethrough penalty that meant he once again failed to score.
Race two result
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ash Sutton | Team BMR | Subaru | 21m56.436s |
2 | Tom Ingram | Speedworks | Toyota | 4.284s |
3 | Colin Turkington | WSR | BMW | 4.604s |
4 | Sam Tordoff | Motorbase | Ford | 5.147s |
5 | Andrew Jordan | WSR | BMW | 6.573s |
6 | Tom Chilton | Motorbase | Ford | 11.754s |
7 | Matt Neal | Team Dynamics | Honda | 13.653s |
8 | Senna Proctor | Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall | 14.112s |
9 | Daniel Lloyd | BTC Norlin | Honda | 14.387s |
10 | Rory Butcher | AmD Tuning | MG | 21.701s |
11 | Dan Cammish | Team Dynamics | Honda | 22.310s |
12 | Chris Smiley | BTC Norlin | Honda | 23.238s |
13 | Tom Oliphant | Ciceley Motorsport | Mercedes | 26.658s |
14 | Jason Plato | Team BMR | Subaru | 27.090s |
15 | Rob Austin | HMS Racing | Alfa Romeo | 27.391s |
16 | Aiden Moffat | Laser Tools Racing | Mercedes | 31.605s |
17 | Matt Simpson | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 37.039s |
18 | Jack Goff | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 40.730s |
19 | Adam Morgan | Ciceley Motorsport | Mercedes | 41.010s |
20 | Stephen Jelley | Team Parker Racing | BMW | 41.025s |
21 | Brett Smith | Eurotech Racing | Honda | 41.341s |
22 | Mike Bushell | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 43.776s |
23 | James Cole | Motorbase | Ford | 44.404s |
24 | Sam Smelt | AmD Tuning | Audi | 44.943s |
25 | Ollie Jackson | AmD Tuning | Audi | 50.843s |
26 | Jake Hill | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 53.167s |
27 | Bobby Thompson | Team Hard | Volkswagen | 1 Lap |
28 | Rob Collard | WSR | BMW | 2 Laps |
- | Josh Price | Team BMR | Subaru | Retirement |
- | Michael Caine | Team Hard | Volkswagen | Retirement |
- | Tom Boardman | AmD Tuning | MG | Retirement |
- | Josh Cook | Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall | Retirement |

Croft BTCC: Ash Sutton scores first win of 2018 in Subaru one-two
Croft BTCC: Dan Lloyd and BTC Norlin take first series win

How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test
Expectations were high for the start of the British Touring Car Championship’s hybrid power era, and despite nerves and problems to solve prior to its debut the new rules gained widespread approval. Here’s how the first test at Donington Park was passed and the thorough examinations that are to follow
The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions
Reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton and Porsche Carrera Cup GB victor Dan Cammish form a potent line-up at the Motorbase-run NAPA Racing team as the series adopts hybrid power. With Sutton bringing the key components of his title-winning Laser Tools Racing set-up, and Cammish eager to prove a point on his return, their dynamic is set to be one of the season's major talking points
The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on
Veteran team manager Marvin Humphries and former Tech-Speed team boss has worked not only with stars of the British Touring Car Championship, but legends including Gil de Ferran, Hans Stuck and Tom Sneva in a long and varied career that has spanned five decades across tin-tops, single-seaters and sportscars
The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star
Having started out in club-level competitions alongside his own university engineering studies, Josh Cook's journey to becoming an established frontrunner in the British Touring Car Championship is atypical. But it's these experiences that have moulded the 30-year-old into a humble star, respected throughout the paddock
Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021
A refresh in equipment and some returning faces helped contribute to a supremely competitive 2021 British Touring Car Championship campaign. Ash Sutton was crowned a three-time champion, successfully defending his 2020 title, but faced stiff competition in the final year before the switch to hybrid. Autosport picks out the best performers
Why the BTCC's ballast increase couldn't stop champion Sutton
Ballast will be gone from the BTCC next year as hybrid power enters the scene, but for its final season the maximum was increased from 60kg to 75kg. Despite having to carry that nearly all season, Ash Sutton was always the favourite to pocket a third title - the 27-year-old getting his reward for a season of speed tempered by savvy to nail his opportunities
The much-loved tin-top superstar bowing out at 59
OPINION: It's not often that a driver achieves widespread affection for their personality, as well as their on-track performances. One such individual is Gabriele Tarquini, who will soon bring the curtain down on a remarkable career that has yielded touring car titles on the European and global stage - and, famously, in Britain too
The making of the BTCC's newest superstar
Ash Sutton is on the verge of being crowned a three-time British Touring Car Champion; he seems to have it all. But life hasn't always been straightforward for this superstar of touring cars, as Marcus Simmons has been finding out