Andrew Abbott

Ash Sutton was unconcerned about losing some of his huge British Touring Car Championship lead at Oulton Park, with the NAPA Racing UK driver still holding an advantage greater than two race wins. Sutton finished behind title rival Tom Ingram in two of Sunday’s three races, although a dominant win in race two, ahead of the Team VERTU driver, meant Ingram only made a limited, nine-point dent in Sutton’s championship advantage, which now stands at 48 points.

Ash Sutton’s commanding near 20-second victory in race two of the British Touring Car Championship weekend at Oulton Park might, at first glance, appear to be a simple case of one driver possessing superior outright pace. However, the reality was far more nuanced, shaped heavily by the series’ tyre regulations, TOCA Turbo Boost deployment allowances, race circumstances, and even late-race weather. A key factor underpinning Sutton’s advantage lay in the BTCC’s tyre allocation rules.

Charles Rainford delighted by ended the British Touring Car Championship weekend at Oulton Park in the best possible fashion by winning the final race of the meeting, capping a hard-earned recovery after a difficult start to the event. The WSR driver had arrived in Cheshire on the back of a strong Snetterton weekend and holding third in the standings, but a challenging Saturday left him with work to do before Sunday’s three races.