NAPA Racing UK's Dan Cammish led from start to finish to win Round 24 of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park, whilst Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS' Tom Ingram surged from 19th on the grid to grab second.
"We've been close a few times but we finally got it over the line," said Cammish, who coped well with the dry/wet/dry nature of the race. "It couldn't have been tougher conditions out there – when you're the first one finding the limits it can be daunting, but I'm delighted with the win."
Fellow title contenders – Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK) and Colin Turkington (Team BMW) – both hit trouble in the early running in separate incidents, with the former being forced out of contention while the latter had to produce a cracking comeback drive.
Cammish's team-mate Sam Osborne acted as rear gunner initially as he kept the chasing pack at bay, but as he began to fall down the order and a number of safety car periods interrupted the contest, the lead driver had to keep his wits about him.
It was an important victory for Cammish – his first of 2024 – as he kept his title hopes well and truly alive, but it was arguably Ingram's drive that had the crowd on its collective feet.
The #80 Hyundai scythed its way past car after car and when he eventually dismissed the Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall of Aron Taylor-Smith of second, it proved to be one of the best performances of Ingram's career.
"It was hard," said an extremely emotional Ingram. "After that second race we knew it would be a bit of a struggle to get back into the mix. The work that went on in-between races two and three was nothing short of amazing.
"It's races like that that really mean a lot to you, and yeah, emotional."
LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ's Josh Cook held off Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport's Jake Hill for fourth, although the latter leaves Donington Park with a nine point advantage in the standings over Ingram – not bad for a man who has been feeling under the weather during the weekend.
Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing's Mikey Doble eventually had to settle for sixth, whilst Team BMW's Turkington recovered brilliantly from his earlier incident to claim seventh.
Adam Morgan (Team BMW), Daryl DeLeon (Duckhams Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport) and Osborne rounded out the top ten.
Donington Park – Race 3 – Final Classification
P/ | No/ | Name/ | Entry/ | Laps/ | Time/ | Gap/ | Best/ | On/ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 27 | Dan CAMMISH | NAPA Racing UK | 17 | 29:29.302 | 1:34.169 | 3 | |
2 | 80 | Tom INGRAM | Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | 17 | 29:31.261 | 1.959 | 1:33.901 | 5 |
3 | 40 | Árón TAYLOR-SMITH | Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing | 17 | 29:32.196 | 2.894 | 1:34.779 | 3 |
4 | 66 | Josh COOK | LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ | 17 | 29:32.954 | 3.652 | 1:34.812 | 4 |
5 | 24 | Jake HILL | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | 17 | 29:33.350 | 4.048 | 1:34.885 | 5 |
6 | 88 | Mikey DOBLE | Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing | 17 | 29:33.824 | 4.522 | 1:34.747 | 3 |
7 | 20 | Colin TURKINGTON | Team BMW | 17 | 29:34.447 | 5.145 | 1:34.422 | 3 |
8 | 33 | Adam MORGAN | Team BMW | 17 | 29:35.014 | 5.712 | 1:34.803 | 3 |
9 | 18 | Daryl DELEON | Duckhams Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport | 17 | 29:40.639 | 11.337 | 1:35.476 | 3 |
10 | 77 | Sam OSBORNE | NAPA Racing UK | 17 | 29:41.887 | 12.585 | 1:34.886 | 5 |
11 | 45 | Dan ZELOS | Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | 17 | 29:43.252 | 13.950 | 1:36.230 | 16 |
12 | 11 | Andrew WATSON | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | 17 | 29:43.607 | 14.305 | 1:35.935 | 5 |
13 | 32 | Daniel ROWBOTTOM | NAPA Racing UK | 17 | 29:43.732 | 14.430 | 1:34.524 | 5 |
14 | 29 | Scott SUMPTON | Restart Racing | 17 | 29:46.595 | 17.293 | 1:35.791 | 3 |
15 | 12 | Rob HUFF | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | 17 | 29:46.616 | 17.314 | 1:36.639 | 8 |
16 | 3 | Tom CHILTON | Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | 17 | 31:00.622 | 1:31.320 | 1:35.936 | 3 |
17 | 22 | Nick HALSTEAD | Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | 17 | 31:06.147 | 1:36.845 | 1:36.914 | 8 |
NC | 1 | Ashley SUTTON | NAPA Racing UK | 14 | 29:48.075 | 3 Laps | 1:34.111 | 13 |
DNF | 16 | Aiden MOFFAT | LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ | 7 | 11:59.807 | 10 Laps | 1:35.897 | 3 |
DNF | 222 | Chris SMILEY | Restart Racing | 5 | 8:48.169 | 12 Laps | 1:36.079 | 3 |