Ashley Sutton continued his success in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this past weekend (May 28/29) at Thruxton as he scored a hat-trick of podium finishes to move up to second in the standings.
The NAPA Racing UK driver showcased his capabilities, as the reigning champion scored an impressive triple podium at the UK’s fastest race circuit.
The 28-year-old arrived at the Hampshire venue with a number of changes to his Ford Focus ST which proved to be rewarding as Sutton managed to display some impressive lap times, ultimately qualifying fifth fastest.
The opening race of the day saw the three time BTCC champion produce a delightful defence as he speed his way to the final step on the podium.
Race two provided an exciting first lap for the BRDC Member as he hung on to third place, before holding off the rest of the grid for the entirety of the race to secure a second podium of the weekend.
Starting the final race in fifth virtue of the reverse grid draw, Sutton started strong by claiming two places up into third position. Despite closing the gap between himself and the two front runners, the Bishop’s Stratford-born driver crossed the line in third place to add more silverware to his collection and take a clean sweep of podiums.
Departing his promising weekend, Sutton trails series leader Josh Cook by 23 points in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship and will aim to close that gap when the series resumes at Oulton Park (11/12 June).
“Going home with three trophies isn’t a bad weekend at all,” Said Sutton. “We’ve made a real step forward with the car and to score a hat-trick of podiums is a great reward for all the hard work everyone at NAPA Racing UK and Motorbase Performance has put in.
“As soon as the car rolled out we were on it and arguably we should have been on the front row in qualifying. If I’m honest, we made a change overnight which did the opposite of what we wanted to do and that meant I was a bit of a cork in a bottle for race one.
“Once we sorted that issue the car felt really good in races two and three. I did try and have a little go at Colin (Turkington) late on in the reverse grid race but he just closed the door before I could make it stick.
“We’ve got a bit of momentum behind us now so I’m looking forward to going to Oulton Park. It’s a circuit you’ve got to really attack, which certainly suits my style, so hopefully we can get the car dialled in, hit the ground running and see what we can achieve.”
