Jake Hill clinched victory in the final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race of the season at Brands Hatch, ending BMW's campaign on a high.
Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport) got the better of a sensational battle for victory, which initially involved Stephen Jelley (Team BMW) and Josh Cook (One Motorsport with Starline Racing) swapping positions on a number of occasions at the head of the field.
While Jelley and Cook had an eye on each other, Hill spotted his chance as he incredibly sliced past both of them in the same move.
Cook and Jelley completed the podium, whilst Tom Ingram (BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8), Dan Rowbottom (NAPA Racing UK) and Ricky Collard (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK) rounded out the final top six of the season.
Dan Lloyd (Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils), Adam Morgan (Team BMW), Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) and Colin Turkington (Team BMW) completed the top ten order as the curtain came down on a fantastic BTCC season.
Newly crowned four-time champion – Ash Sutton – had to settle for a points paying position in the finale after a wild mid-race melee, but that won't dampen the spirits of a man who has taken six pole positions and 12 race victories on his way to a phenomenal fourth crown for one of the world's best touring car drivers.
Jake Hill: “I knew coming into the weekend it was going to be hard to try and beat Tom [Ingram], and obviously we couldn’t win the title – it was just a case of trying to bring the car home.
"I was feeling a bit down in the dumps today but now, I'm feeling extremely happy after all of that! We sent it hard and we got the win so I'm chuffed.”
Josh Cook: “The car was back to what we’re used to, but I just got pushed wide on lap one and picked up a load of grass so I had to start managing the engine overheating.
"Gutted that I couldn’t get that win for the guys at One Motorsport."
Stephen Jelley: “It was a great race! It’s great racing with these guys and I definitely want to do this again – this won’t be my last roll of the dice.
"It was a fantastic race between Josh [Cook] and Jake [Hill], but we were quick going down the back straight so I knew that was my weapon and tried to make it work. I'm happy to have ended the season with a podium."
2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Brands Hatch GP
1. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport 18 laps
2. Josh Cook, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +1.278s
3. Stephen Jelley, Team BMW +1.794s
4. Tom Ingram, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +4.032s
5. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK +5.356s
6. Ricky Collard, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +6.951s
7. Daniel Lloyd, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils +7.914s
8. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +8.361s
9. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +8.714s
10. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +8.896s
11. Dexter Patterson, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +8.968s
12. Daryl DeLeon, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +9.275s
13. Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +10.179s
14. Mikey Doble, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +10.292s
15. Rory Butcher, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +10.406s
16. Ronan Pearson, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +10.811s
17. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK +16.671s
18. Andrew Watson, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +17.760s
19. James Gornall, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +19.571s
20. Nick Halstead, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +19.959s
21. Árón Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +1 Lap
22. Jade Edwards, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +10 Laps
23. George Gamble, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +10 Laps
24. Tom Chilton, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +11 Laps
25. Bobby Thompson, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +11 Laps
26. Aiden Moffat, One Motorsport with Starline Racing DNF
