Ash Sutton will again get behind the wheel of a BMR Racing Subaru Levorg GT for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, marking his third season as part of the outfit with which he won the 2017 Drivers’ title.
Sutton joins Senna Proctor, with the team having worked tirelessly over the course of the off-season, alongside Subaru (UK) and Adrian Flux Insurance Services, to ensure the right package was put in place to secure his services for the campaign ahead.
Last year, the 2017 champion narrowly missed out on retaining top honours, tallying six race wins and eight podium appearances on the way to fourth in the overall running. The Essex driver is delighted to be back with BMR for another crack at the crown in Britain’s top flight.
“First thing’s first; I am bouncing off the walls to be returning for my fourth BTCC season and my third season with the BMR, Adrian Flux Subaru Racing outfit,” said Sutton. “Secondly, trying to keep this on the lo-down since the end of last year has been very difficult!
“My second season, 2017, was really the start of a journey for me, landing myself a manufacturer seat in Subaru, with a fantastic team behind it. Alongside representing our prestigious sponsor, Adrian Flux Insurance Services, pushing the program, it was simply a dream.
“To be the one to go and secure them their first BTCC title made it very clear that this would now be home for me.
“Having all parties back on-board for the 2019 season means we have all the required assets to step it up a level. With the addition of Senna Proctor as my team-mate, who, like myself, originally progressed through the BMR Academy, we’re looking good for a strong campaign.
“We had a lot of bad luck last year which cost us the chance to go out and defend the title but having been in touch with the hard work going on back at base throughout the winter, it’s certainly shaping up nicely.
“The guys have been doing a sterling job and I’m very excited about our plans moving forward. Along with our developments for the season, we’re aiming for a huge uplift. To see things unfold and watch the Subaru Levorg GT start to take shape again has left me champing at the bit.”
BMR’s testing programme will commence in the coming weeks ahead of the BTCC Season Launch test day at Brands Hatch on 27 March, and Team Manager Mickey Sergeant is eager to get underway with Ash back in the fold for 2019.
“It’s a given I’m thrilled that Ash is remaining with the team and excited that together with Senna we have a young team that can push us forward this season,” said Sergeant.
“Continuity is a word bandied about quite often in motorsport and it’s key for both the team and Ash in order to build on and replicate our success. Much has gone on behind the scenes to strengthen the team and to maximise the Levorg’s performance in a championship that gets tighter and more competitive every year.
“Having Ash on-board for another season is the final part of the jigsaw for our 2019 BTCC campaign and the news we all longed for. Together with Senna we have a great pairing capable of running at the sharp end. One thing’s for sure, it’ll be entertaining to watch!”
Gerry Bucke, General Manager of the team’s title sponsor Adrian Flux Insurance Services added: “Adrian Flux is delighted that Ash Sutton returns to the team for the third year in a row to mount his BTCC title challenge.
“The sport's fans already know what an outstanding talent Ash is and the team will be working as hard as ever to keep him at the sharp end where he belongs.”
“With Senna in the second car, BMR Racing has secured an incredible line-up of young, race-winning drivers. It will be interesting to see which of them comes out on top each weekend.”
Paul Tunnicliffe, Subaru (UK) Managing Director said: “This is as good as it gets. Ash is a proven winner, a known entity to the team, if we had a blank sheet of paper he would have been our first choice as driver, as he would be for many teams. He and Senna bring new meaning to the phrase ‘dream team’.”
