The 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will go down to the wire at Brands Hatch this coming weekend (8/9 October) with a quartet of contenders battling for the most coveted motorsport prize in the country.
A huge trackside audience and millions more watching on television will likely witness one of the closest and hard-fought finales in BTCC history at the legendary 2.43-mile Grand Prix circuit with just seven points currently covering the top three drivers – the narrowest margin separating the front-running trio since 2011.
Reigning champion Ash Sutton holds a slender advantage as the NAPA Racing UK star has added significant race victories in the second half of the season to the spell-binding consistency he produced during the opening stages of the campaign.
Sutton’s Motorbase Performance-run Ford Focus seemingly struggled to express race-winning pace in the early part of the year, but the 28-year-old ensured that he grabbed every last point that his car was capable of.
With steady development and improvements made to the car by mid-season, Sutton has since taken three wins on his way to the finale at the team’s home track.
Jake Hill is just five points off the championship summit, and in the West Surrey Racing BMW 330e M Sport he boasts one of the fastest and strongest packages on the grid. Six out of nine front-row starts for Hill highlights both his undoubted pace, as well as the prowess of the ROKiT MB Motorsport machine, with many tipping the Kent man to claim a first BTCC title.
Another looking for a maiden overall Drivers’ crown is Tom Ingram – one of the quickest and most popular peddlers in the field.
Still only 29 years old, Ingram is somewhat of a veteran of the final day drama having been in championship contention on a number of occasions. The Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com racer will be vying to overturn a seven-point deficit to Sutton, and there’s little doubting that the Hyundai driver has the credentials to do so.
Incredibly, Team BMW’s Colin Turkington is the outsider in this year’s showdown, having dropped from first to fourth in the standings at Silverstone last time out. A dismal day at the Northamptonshire circuit provided a super-quick change in fortunes for the multiple champion, but the most experienced contender will have to believe that the same thing could happen in reverse at Brands Hatch.
Turkington and Sutton also have a key role to play when it comes to the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and Teams’ trophies too with both their respective squads going head-to-head for glory.
Josh Cook and Rich Energy BTC Racing will be looking to secure Independents’ honours at the weekend, whilst Autobrite Direct with JourneyHero’s Bobby Thompson aims to wrap up the Jack Sears Trophy in front of his home crowd.
While there are a number of side stories to keep abreast of during the season finale weekend there is little doubting the main focus… will it be a record fifth title for Turkington, a record-equalling fourth for Sutton or will the BTCC crown an all-new champion with Hill or Ingram having every hope of having their name carved into the famous old trophy.
Tickets, TV Times and Support Races
This weekend’s Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship finale (8/9 October) will once again see Brands Hatch play host as the race for the most coveted prize in British motorsport comes to a climax, and another action-packed campaign is drawn to a close.
Tickets to attend the event are still on sale, with prices starting from just £20, while under 13s go free. Teen tickets are available for 13–15-year-olds, with tickets and all the information you need to get the most out of your trip to the Kent circuit available here.
The final qualifying session of the campaign – which will no doubt prove pivotal in the contenders’ championship challenges – gets underway on Saturday from 1540, with itv.com/btcc streaming the full session, before ITV4’s race-day broadcast brings the highs, lows and everything in between to fans at home on Sunday from 1000.
Alongside the triple header of BTCC contests, culminating in the BTCC’s 2022 Champion ascending, the weekend will see further winners crowned in the Ginetta GT4 SuperCup, MINI CHALLENGE, Ginetta Junior Championship, F4 British Championship and Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain.
