Silverstone BTCC: Ash Sutton leads MG one-two in race one

Sutton lost the advantage from pole to fellow front-row starter Tom Ingram from the off, but pounced on his Toyota-mounted rival with a move that started at the end of lap seven of the 22.

Ingram ran slightly wide and that allowed Sutton inside at Luffield.

After slight contact, they ran side-by-side along the finish straight and Sutton hammered home the advantage into Copse at the start of lap eight.

NEWS UPDATE: MGs excluded, Ingram gets victory

Sutton said: "I let Tom get on with it to start with and I just relaxed a bit and looked after my tyres.

"Then I saw Tom had left a little gap on the inside just big enough for me and I just stuck my MG into it.

"There was a little bit of a touch, but I made it stick."

Cook also passed Ingram with a robust move into Becketts just half-distance. The pair touched as Cook lunged down the inside, but the Triple Eight machine secured second place.

Behind Ingram, Andrew Jordan capitalised on a great start to consolidate fourth place in the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus.

He headed home Rob Austin's Handy Motorsport Toyota Avensis, which prevailed in a race-long battle with Adam Morgan's Ciceley Racing Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

Jake Hill clawed his way up to seventh place in the Team Hard Toyota Avensis after a huge midfield fight, which had earlier involved both Team Dynamics Hondas.

The wheels came off the Honda threat in the latter stages of the race.

Gordon Shedden was forced to drop out of ninth place halfway through the race when his front-left Dunlop failed and he had to pit, while Matt Neal also suffered a tyre failure, possibly as a result of contact, with three laps to go. He also pulled in.

The top 10 was rounded out by Aron Smith's Team BKR VW CC, Rob Collard's WSR BMW 125i M Sport and Colin Turkington's Team BMR Subaru Levorg GT.

Championship leader Sam Tordoff struggled after a tough qualifying and could only manage 13th spot in his WSR BMW 125i M Sport, but edged out his points lead to eight after Neal and Shedden's problems.

RESULTS - 22 LAPS: