MOTORBASE PERFORMANCE CELEBRATES SUCCESS AT BRANDS HATCH

Motorbase Performance celebrated a strong run in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season finale at Brands Hatch this weekend, securing the squad's 11th podium of the campaign with Rory Butcher's race three victory.

In the latest Ford Focus ST's first year in the series, it was a quintet of wins with Butcher adding to the tally in the final race of 2020.

Team-mate Ollie Jackson continued his impressive run with a trio of top ten finishes while Andy Neate achieved his best qualifying position of the year during a wet-dry weekend in Kent.

Catch the weekend round-up from the team below...

ASH SUTTON CROWNED TWO-TIME BTCC CHAMPION

Laser Tools Racing star clinches title on dramatic day at Brands Hatch

Laser Tools Racing’s Ash Sutton is a two-time British Touring Car Champion after clinching the title at Brands Hatch earlier today (15 November), as the curtain came down on a dramatic season of wheel-to-wheel racing.

The Infiniti Q50 driver came into the season finale weekend trailing defending champion Colin Turkington by nine points in the overall standings – the Team BMW star aiming for a record fifth title – but Sutton immediately turned things around at the Kent circuit.

He qualified third on Saturday afternoon while Turkington could only manage eighth, as the BMW 3 Series seemingly struggled for pace in the wet.

Turkington’s hopes may have been dashed as early as Sunday morning when heavy rain descended on the 1.2-mile Indy circuit and the opener would commence in extremely tricky conditions.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish produced one of the best performances of his BTCC career so far to win the opener from fourth on the grid.

The Honda man blasted around the outside of Rory Butcher’s Motorbase Performance Ford Focus at Paddock Hill Bend on the first lap, and he soon saw off Sutton ahead of him.

The pivotal moment came on lap 13 when Cammish squeezed his Honda Civic Type R down the inside of Ingram’s Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters Corolla, as the pair climbed the hill towards Druids. It was a tense moment as Cammish braked as late as he dared, just about stopping his #27 machine on the run through the slowest corner on the track.

It was a fantastic move and one that eventually saw Cammish largely cruise away… that was until Sutton also took his opportunity to pass Ingram through Surtees. Sutton set the fastest lap as he closed in on Cammish, but his challenge came too late.

Ingram completed the podium as Turkington hobbled to ninth, whilst fourth place wasn’t enough to keep Butcher’s championship hopes alive.

Sutton – now leading the overall standings – went one better in the second contest as the 27-year-old extended his advantage by winning the wet-dry race in commanding fashion.

Ingram and Cammish finished second and third respectively – the former now out of title contention heading into the grand finale – whilst Turkington could only manage an improved fourth place.

Turkington’s loosening grip on the championship trophy eventually ended in the final bout when Sutton cruised past the BMW 3 Series on his way to taking fifth place – securing more than enough points to comfortably earn a hugely deserved second BTCC title.

Butcher completed his impressive season with victory in the final encounter at Motorbase Performance’s home track. Ingram scored a podium hat-trick on-the-day with another second-place finish and Jake Hill celebrated his new deal with MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square by taking the final rostrum on offer in the 2020 campaign.

So, it was a delighted and emotional Sutton who clinched the Drivers’ crown – lifting the most coveted trophy in British motorsport. Turkington and Cammish were second and third respectively, Ingram cemented fourth place during his positive weekend, whilst Butcher completed the top five in the overall order.

Team BMW concluded its fruitful campaign with Manufacturers’ and Teams’ honours, whilst Sutton and Laser Tools Racing took both Independents’ titles.

Michael Crees was one of the happiest people in the paddock as the sun came down at Brands Hatch – the Kent driver lifting the Jack Sears Trophy at his home circuit.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – having successfully completed its rescheduled but delayed campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic – will be back in April next year.

Ash Sutton said: “It’s an absolute dream to get this, for an Independent team to win the overall championship. It’s been a long time since that’s happened, so I have to thank Laser Tools Racing, BMR Engineering and everyone involved. It’s just a real shame that we can’t experience it with the crowds and fans. All year we’ve tried to put on a good show, and it’s been absolutely mega to even be racing after everything that’s happened, but without your support at home it wouldn’t be possible.

“Coming into the weekend, we saw it was going to be mixed conditions both days. Obviously yesterday in qualifying it was wet and we just missed out on that pole, but we were in a perfect position today and despite it drying out in race two, the car came alive and I was a bit shocked myself. The boys and girls back at base, those here this weekend and all my family, they’ve delivered me the perfect year and without them this also would not be possible.

“I spoke to Louise [Goodman] before and she said ‘you must think you have one hand on the trophy’ and when you’re coming into the final race nine points ahead yes you do to some extent, but obviously touring cars can change so quickly and that race fell into our favour with the rain. We sat behind Colin and I wasn’t willing to make a move until he made a mistake or left the door open which he did and I made the most of it – from that point onwards we just drove off into the distance.

“I learnt the hard way at Croft, race two bit me hard when I ran into Jake but I’ve calmed. I’m a new man in some respects and we’re just going to sometimes have to bite the bullet and say we’re not on a winning weekend but for sure this weekend the inner racer came out and we were there. We still managed the results when we needed to but I took the gaps when I saw them.

“I’d like to think that we won the championship in that last race with the inner racer showing, rather than the conservative. I still wanted to give the guys at home a good show and we did that to come away with the championship.”

Colin Turkington said: “It’s been a very positive season overall, and it’s great for all of us to win the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ championships, both of which are clearly very important titles.

“I gave it my very best shot at defending my Drivers’ championship, but there’s absolutely nothing to be ashamed of finishing second in a series as competitive as the BTCC – it genuinely is one of the toughest championships in the world to win. It ultimately wasn’t to be for me this year.

“I tried to be as consistent as I could and we came very close, but the low-grip conditions didn’t favour us at Brands. We showed the pace we had in the dry over the second half of race two, and at the end of the day, we can hold our heads high.

“We’ve had some great results this season and the Team BMW guys have done a fantastic job to provide me with a great car throughout, and everybody gave 100% in the pursuit of victory. They should all be very proud of what we have achieved.”

Dan Cammish said: “I’m going away from here with my head held high and incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved this year. I think to be third overall is a great result with the level of talent on this grid and the teams in this championship, it gets better and better all the time.

“I thought we were mega today – in fact, I think we were really good all season. Everyone’s got a story to tell, I know that from last year. Everyone can say ‘if only this, if only that’ but I think 99% of the time we’ve got everything out of it. I’m very proud of that fact. I really am going away from here very content.

“It’s a fantastic result it really is. It’s so close! I don’t know how Alan [Gow] does it, but he manages to get us all here at the very end and he always keeps it so close and all to play for.

Everyone’s points are actually beyond what we scored last year despite being actually one round less, which kind of shows you just how competitive it has been. To do nine events with all the troubles that everyone’s faced is brilliant and testament to the BTCC, and I hope everyone out there’s enjoyed it and I can’t wait to welcome everyone back next season.”

Tom Ingram said: “It was a hugely enjoyable weekend; to get a podium in every single race is fantastic. Without that little squabble with Rory at Snetterton, it would have been six podiums on the bounce.

“The car has felt fantastic in the second half of the season, so I’m really, really pleased. But I’ve got to say a massive well done to Ash and all the guys at Laser Tools Racing, they’ve done a great job this year and full credit to them for getting Ash’s second title.

“I think we’ve shown in the second half of the year that we’ve got the pace. We haven’t been off the front row in qualifying over the last four races, we’ve had podiums every single weekend through from there as well.

“We had some misfortune at the start of the year, so I think a bit of luck is the key. We’ve shown we’ve got the speed and everyone at Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters has shown that the Corolla is a great car, we just need that luck next!”

Rory Butcher said: “Fantastic! We really needed that to go into the winter. It’s been a tough few rounds, but we’ve made team boss David Bartrum very happy. We’ve had such a great year with a brand-new car. The Ford Focus ST came out of the blocks really fast and it’s been great all year.

“We’ve had some bad luck; I’ve made some mistakes and it’s been a learning experience. In the middle of the season, two or three rounds in a row we didn’t get everything out of it that we wanted to. We’re finishing fifth in the championship and we’ve had numerous podiums, pole positions and wins, but we need to get more consistent next year if we want to challenge someone like Ash.

“I was really comfortable out there and the car was so much better than it had been in race one, so I was feeling good. It was only in the last few laps that I saw Tom’s lights start appearing in my mirrors and I thought ‘here we go’ but I kept it together, pushed a little harder to keep the gap and brought it home.

“It’s our first year and it’s been a fantastic new car. Our goal for next year is to come back fighting and put in an even stronger fight, with everything we’ve learned about the championship and the car itself, so we’ll be back!”

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Brands Hatch Indy

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Brands Hatch Indy

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Brands Hatch Indy

Penalties:

Race 1:
Senna Proctor was officially reprimanded and had his licence endorsed by the addition of two penalty points for an incident involving Nic Hamilton

Race 2:
Colin Turkington was penalised by the addition of 2 seconds to his overall race time for gaining an unfair advantage in an incident involving Dan Cammish under yellow flag conditions

Michael Crees was officially reprimanded and had his licence endorsed by the addition of two penalty points for an incident involving Jack Goff

BUTCHER WINS RACE AS SUTTON TAKES TITLE

Laser Tools Racing's Ash Sutton is a two-time Kwik Fit British Touring Car Champion after clinching the title in the final race of a dramatic season at Brands Hatch.

Motorbase Performance's Rory Butcher won the contest with Toyota's Tom Ingram and MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill completing the podium, but the title race was understandably the headline story as Sutton got the better of his Team BMW rival Colin Turkington.

Turkington made steady progress early on but the BMW 3 Series has seemingly struggled in the wet conditions for much of the day, and Sutton was soon on his tail in a fight for sixth. Sutton sat comfortably behind the reigning champ but Turkington couldn't keep the Infiniti Q50 at bay, and the #116 slipped through at Paddock Hill Bend in the closing stages.

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish was fourth in the race – consolidating his third position in the overall standings – whilst Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools' Adam Morgan grabbed a hard-earned fifth.

Sutton took sixth – and with it the title – after a late move by his good friend Josh Cook in the BTC Racing Honda Civic Type R.

Laser Tools Racing enjoyed a double celebration with Aiden Moffat claiming eighth, as the team also wrapped up Independents' glory.

Turkington could only manage ninth as his title defence ended on a rather soggy note around the undulating 1.2-mile Indy circuit, whilst Motorbase man Ollie Jackson rounded out the top ten.

Ash Sutton, BTCC Champion, said: "It’s an absolute dream to get this, for an Independent team to win the overall championship. It’s been a long time since that’s happened, so for Laser Tools Racing, BMR Engineering and everyone involved, RCIB, Cinch and all my personal sponsors, it wouldn’t be possible without any of them. It’s just a real shame that we can’t experience it with the crowds and fans. Obviously all year we’ve put on a good show and it’s been absolutely mega this year to even get racing, but without your support at home it wouldn’t be possible.

"Coming into the weekend, we saw it was going to be mixed conditions both days. Obviously yesterday in qualifying it was wet and we just missed out on that pole, but we were in a perfect position today and despite it drying out in race two, the car came alive and I was a bit shocked myself. The boys and girls back at base, those here this weekend and all my family, they’ve delivered me the perfect year and without them this also would not be possible.

"I spoke to Louise [Goodman] before and she said ‘you must think you have one hand on the trophy’ and when you’re coming into the final race nine points ahead yes you do to some extent, but obviously touring cars can change so quickly and that race fell into our favour with the rain. We sat behind Colin and I wasn’t willing to make a move until he made a mistake or left the door open which he did and I made the most of it and from that point onwards we just drove off into the distance.

"I learnt the hard way at Croft, race two bit me hard when I ran into Jake but I’ve calmed. I’m a new man in some respects and we’re just going to sometimes have to bite the bullet and say we’re not on a winning weekend but for sure this weekend the inner racer came out and we were there. We still managed the results when we needed to but I took the gaps when I saw them.

"I’d like to think that we won the championship in that last race with the inner racer showing, rather than the conservative. I still wanted to give the guys at home a good show and we did that to come away with the championship."

Rory Butcher, race three winner, said: "Fantastic! We really needed that to go into the winter. It’s been a tough few rounds but we’ve made (Team Boss) David Bartrum very happy.

"We’ve had such a great year with a brand new car. The Ford Focus ST came out of the blocks really fast and it’s been great all year. We’ve had some bad luck, I’ve made some mistakes and it’s been a learning experience. In the middle of the season, two or three rounds in a row we didn’t get everything out of it that we wanted to. We’re finishing fifth in the championship and we’ve had numerous podiums, pole positions and wins, but we need to get more consistent next year if we want to challenge someone like Ash.

"I was really comfortable out there and the car was so much better than it had been in race one so I was feeling good. It was only in the last few laps that I saw Tom’s lights start appearing in my mirrors and I thought ‘here we go’ but I kept it together, pushed a little harder to keep the gap and brought it home.

"It’s our first year and it’s been a fantastic new car. Our goal for next year is to come back fighting and put in an even stronger fight, with everything we’ve learned about the championship and the car itself, so we’ll be back!"

More to follow...

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Brands Hatch Indy

1          Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance 24 laps
2          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters +1.522s
3          Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +7.679s
4          Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +9.984s
5          Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +10.521s
6          Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +12.038s
7          Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +14.094s
8          Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +16.133s
9          Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +17.320s
10        Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +18.431s
11        Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +18.764s
12        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +19.008s
13        Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +19.217s
14        Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +20.935s
15        Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +31.358s
16        Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +35.780s
17        Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +36.679s
18        Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +38.623s
19        Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +39.743s
20       Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +45.302s
21        Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +46.119s
22        Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +47.175s
23        Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +54.671s
24        Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +3 laps
25        Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +12 laps
26        Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +21 laps
27        Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +21 laps

COLIN TURKINGTON RECIEVES TIME PENALTY AFTER RACE TWO INCIDENT

Colin Turkington has been penalised by the addition of two seconds to his overall race time in Round 26 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship after gaining an advantage under yellow flags.

Dan Cammish has subsequently been promoted to third in the final classification, with Turkington now fourth.

Updated Drivers’ standings (with 22 points still on offer in the final round):

Sutton 340

Turkington 329

Cammish 320

SUTTON EDGES CLOSER AMID TOPSY-TURVY ENCOUNTER

Ash Sutton won a wet-dry penultimate round of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch as the Laser Tools Racing star edges closer in his quest to win a second Drivers' title.

The majority of cars went to the grid on Goodyear wet tyres before a flurry of changes shortly before the start, but it was those choosing to stick with grooved rubber that initially had the better of the contest.

BTC Racing's Tom Chilton hit the front early on after choosing to run the wets – ahead of the slick-shod Sutton – with Andy Neate surging into third in the Motorbase Performance Ford Focus.

Chilton's joy was short-lived, however, as those running the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport dry tyres were soon in the ascendancy.

Sutton scythed his way into an unassailable lead, also taking fastest lap on his way to his fifth victory of the season, whilst the other contenders all survived bruising encounters.

Toyota's Tom Ingram and Honda's Dan Cammish endured a sychronised half spin at Paddock Hill Bend on the first lap, whilst BMW's Colin Turkington was caught up in contact with BTC Racing's Josh Cook and MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill shortly after mid-distance.

The title chasing trio were left to play catch up during the race and they eventually did exaclty that with Ingram taking second, ahead of Turkington and Cammish.

There was one contentious and heart-in-the-mouth moment when Team BMW's Turkington made it by Halfords Yuasa Racing's Cammish on the run-up to Druids. The Audi S3 of Paul Rivett was left stranded on-track in a separate incident, and Turkington was able to pass Cammish while taking avoiding action of Rivett's car ahead of him.

In summary, the result leaves Sutton nine points clear of Turkington, with Cammish the only other driver still in contention. Ingram's valiant title fight has come to an end but his second place again showed what a fierce competitor he is.

Motorbase Performance's Ollie Jackson had his second successive top five finish, ahead of the Ciceley Motorsport-run Mercedes of Adam Morgan. Hill survived to finish seventh.

Excelr8 Motorsport's Senna Proctor continued his day-long recovery – following his crash in qualifying yesterday – to finish eight, whilst BTC Racing's Josh Cook and Motorbase man Rory Butcher completed the top ten positions.

There was cause for celebration further down the order as Michael Crees moved into an unassailable points lead in the Jack Sears Trophy, capping off a wonderful season for the Kent driver at his home track.

Round 27 – the grand finale – takes place at 1515... all the action is live on ITV4 and a champion will be crowned.

Ash Sutton said: “Obviously, on the opening lap everybody’s a bit cautious and all hell broke loose behind me. I got a little tap from Tom [Ingram], but it’s just those conditions – there was nothing he could do, I think he was getting pushed from behind. From that moment on, it was just a case of getting my head down, keeping out of trouble and pulling the gap we needed. It’s touring cars, and it can change so quickly. Obviously I would have liked a few more cars between myself and Colin [Turkington], but he took advantage of what happened on lap one and came through. Anything can happen in the reversed grid race, so we’ll wait and see. We’re in a good position as it is, so it’s just going to be a case of managing the points gap to Colin.”

Tom Ingram said: “I got a really good launch off the line and got a bit of momentum. I knew I had to try to make up as many places as I can, so it was a case of ‘lick the stamp and send it’ and see what happens. I just got to the outside, but lost the rear, did a bit of rallycross and kept going. I think we were down in 13^th at one point and it was just a case of battling forwards from there. They’re conditions I absolutely love. It takes me back to being six-years-old and my dad was too tight to buy me wet tyres for my go-kart! It was mega fun and good to recover from where we were.”

Colin Turkington said: “I’m just thankful I avoided [Paul Rivett] – that’s the biggest shock you can have as a driver. Paddock Hill Bend is blind on the entry, so I had no idea he was there at all and there were no yellow flags out. It was such a shock to get to almost the bottom of the hill and see the road blocked. Just at the last moment I dived right, and I thought Dan Cammish was on the inside. I was expecting to get speared across the front of him, but those are the little bits of luck that you need to win this championship. It could be a pivotal moment. It was a really strong race for me even before that. We obviously made the call to go on slicks, and the car took a while to get going but once it did, it just switched on and I had excellent pace, so really well done by Team BMW.”

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Brands Hatch Indy

1          Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 24 laps
2          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters +4.762s
3          Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +9.370s
4          Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +9.688s
5          Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +10.832s
6          Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +13.422s
7          Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +14.088s
8          Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +14.418s
9          Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +14.919s
10        Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +17.900s
11        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +22.605s
12        Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +28.823s
13        Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +33.011s
14        Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +37.119s
15        Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +37.712s
16        Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +42.984s
17        Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +43.415s
18        Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +1 lap
19        Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +1 lap
20       Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1 lap
21        Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1 lap
22        Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +1 lap
23        Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +1 lap
24        Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +1 lap
25        Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +3 laps
26        Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +22 laps
27        Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +23 laps

CAMMISH KICKSTARTS TITLE CHALLENGE WITH RACE ONE WIN

Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish produced one of the best performances of his BTCC career to claim victory in the opening race at Brands Hatch, whilst Laser Tools Racing's Ash Sutton moved ahead of Team BMW's Colin Turkington at the head of the overall standings.

Finals day kicked off amid awful conditions at the famous Kent venue as four of the five title contenders went wheel-to-wheel at the front of the field while reigning champion Turkington was forced to take a back seat in the opener.

Sutton's Infiniti Q50 made the best getaway as he blasted by Rory Butcher's Motorbase Performance Ford Focus off the line, slotting into second behind pole-sitter Tom Ingram, and Cammish was soon into third as he took the wider line through Paddock Hill Bend.

The contest was simmering in the early laps before the Honda of Sam Osborne and VW of Glynn Geddie had a coming together on the run up to Druids on lap seven, bringing about a brief safety car period.

The battle resumed following the restart and the moment of truth came on lap 13 as Cammish squeezed his Honda Civic Type R down the inside of Ingram's Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters' Corolla as the pair climbed the hill towards Druids Hairpin. It was a tense moment as Cammish braked as late as he dared, just about stopping his #27 machine on the run through the slowest corner on the track.

It was a fantastic move and one that saw Cammish largely cruise away... that was until Sutton also took his opportunity to pass Ingram through Surtees. Sutton set the fastest lap as he closed in on Cammish but his challenge came too late.

As the chequered flag fell it was Sutton who has now taken a two point lead over Turkington, whilst Cammish is just 13 points in arrears with another pole position to come for the Honda star in race two. Ingram's solid podium still saw him lose ground in the title fight with Butcher's fourth place forcing him out of overall contention.

Local team beat local driver to fifth place in this contest as Motorbase's Ollie Jackson held off MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Jake Hill, with Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal taking a relatively lonely seventh.

BTC Racing's Josh Cook passed Turkington following the restart to take eighth, with the latter seemingly struggling for pace in the wet conditions. Turkington's team-mate – Tom Oliphant – rounded out the top ten with the pair unable to extract any more pace from the BMW 3 Series.

All the drama is taking place live on ITV4 with the second race due to commence at 12:32, as the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continues towards its climax later this afternoon.

Dan Cammish said: “It’s all about trying to score as many points as you can, and when you’ve got a car that’s clearly got the potential, you’ve got to use it. In touring cars, you get your moments and you have your days where you can take advantage and you’ve got to. I’ve been in many fights with Tom Ingram this year where he’s had a slight advantage, but this morning, we managed to reverse that. You’ve got to give as good as you get. I’m really pleased with the result, both for myself and for everybody at Team Dynamics. We were quick yesterday and we knew we had a good race car, so I’m really glad we put it to good use. First blood to me, but we’ve got to go back and see if we can improve again because everybody else will.

“After what happened last year, I think my outlook’s probably changed a little bit – you don’t get ahead of yourself until you’re on your way home, halfway up the motorway with the trophy in your hand! Anything can happen in this game and it usually does, as I proved last year! I’m just here to enjoy it. I think sometimes, I get a bit caught up with the pressure and the racing that I forget that I’m in a very privileged position to do what I do. I love what I do, and I hope the fans enjoyed it at home today. I can’t wait to see you all again next year!”

Ash Sutton said: “I felt like we had a very good car at the end of the race – it really came alive. Just before the safety car, it felt like, ‘hang on a minute, I’ve got a car underneath me here’ but then we had to start again and it wasn’t until the latter stages of the race that I had the pace to put a move on Tom [Ingram] and then try and hunt down Dan [Cammish]. The tyres just started to come in – they seemed to take a very long time, but I saw Tom was wounded to some extent and he was falling into my lap. I did play it safe, but if the move was 100 per cent on then I was doing it.”

Tom Ingram said: “The conditions were super tricky in race one, and it seemed like they were changing every lap – we even had another short downpour midway through! We were just struggling with the front tyres and I didn’t really have an answer for Dan [Cammish] or Ash [Sutton] towards the end, but it was pleasing to get a podium nonetheless.”

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 1 – Brands Hatch Indy

1          Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 27 laps
2          Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.813s
3          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters +3.160s
4          Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +6.538s
5          Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +7.952s
6          Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +9.273s
7          Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +10.164s
8          Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +13.519s
9          Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +18.283s
10        Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +19.339s
11        Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +21.167s
12        Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +21.621s
13        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +23.221s
14        Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +23.649s
15        Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +31.348s
16        Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +31.760s
17        Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +32.939s
18        Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +36.294s
19        Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +38.121s
20       Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +39.758s
21        Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +42.563s
22        Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +45.018s
23        Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +45.798s
24        Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +59.266s
25        Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +9 laps
26        Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +21 laps
27        Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +21 laps

QUALIFYING IN QUOTES: BRANDS HATCH INDY

For the final time in 2020, the Official BTCC website caught up with the top three qualifiers from this yesterday's session at Brands Hatch Indy.

Find out what they had to say below...

Securing his first pole position of the 2020 campaign, catch up with Tom Ingram:

Rory Butcher starts the opening race from P2:

Laser Tools Racing man Ash Sutton will be aiming to get ahead from third on the grid:

Listen Again – Brands Hatch Final - Qualifying Circuit Commentary

POLE POSITION KEEPS TITLE DREAM ALIVE FOR TOM INGRAM

BTCC season finale live from Brands Hatch on ITV4 tomorrow

Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters' Tom Ingram claimed the final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship pole position of the season earlier today (14 November) as the 27-year-old mastered the wet conditions on Brands Hatch's Indy circuit.

Not only was it a stellar display from Ingram, but it has also hauled the Toyota star one point closer to standings leader Colin Turkington ahead of tomorrow's triple-header finale.

With a quintet of drivers still in contention to claim the most coveted prize in British motorsport, it was the two title outsiders that produced the goods, as Motorbase Performance's Rory Butcher completed the front row positions.

Another pair of title chasers were next in the order as Laser Tools Racing's Ash Sutton pipped Halfords Yuasa Racing's Dan Cammish to third. Such was the competitiveness of the session that the top four cars were separated by just 0.083s.

Ollie Jackson made it a double celebration for Motorbase Performance as he grabbed fifth at the team's local circuit, fresh from his victory at Snetterton last time out and continuing his sensational run of form during the second half of the season.

The rain made for an exciting session for those watching but it was a nerve-wracking experience for the 27 drivers on track.

Paddock Hill Bend is one of the most notorious corners in the world of motor racing, but it was Surtees, Druids and Clearways that initially proved most tricky. Matt Neal (Halfords Yuasa Racing), Carl Boardley (HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD), Senna Proctor (Excelr8 Motorsport), Jack Butel (Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools) and Cammish all had off-track moments in the first half of the session before Paddock eventually took its first victim.

Neal – the most experienced driver on the grid – endured his second skirmish as he ran through the gravel at Paddock, before local man Jake Hill went even deeper into the corner and eventually made contact with the barrier, bringing about a second red flag stoppage.

Proctor's aforementioned incident caused the first halt to proceedings whilst Boardley's third and final incident brought the session to a premature end.

MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square's Hill lost his fastest lap – part of the penalty for causing a red flag – but had still set a quick enough backup time to take sixth on the grid ahead of Neal.

Defending champion Turkington had to make do with eighth in his maximum ballast-laden BMW 3 Series, but was rewarded with the Goodyear Wingfoot Award thanks to his superior qualifying positions across the season.

Paul Rivett (GKR TradePriceCars.com) starred to take ninth in his Audi S3 and will line up alongside BTC Racing's Josh Cook for tomorrow's opener.

Rounds 25, 26 and 27 of the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place tomorrow with all the action aired live on ITV4 from 0920. The races start at 1000, 1232 and 1514 respectively with the title race set to go down to the wire.

Team BMW's Turkington holds a nine-point advantage over Sutton ahead of this unmissable finale, while Cammish is a further 16 points in arrears. Ingram is eight points behind Cammish, whilst Butcher only holds an extremely slim mathematical chance of claiming the crown.

Tom Ingram said: "That was super tricky, it was really slippery! It took quite a while to get into a rhythm because the circuit felt very different from Free Practice, so we were actually chasing some of the set up during the session. My engineer came over the radio with some really inspired set up choices which we went with and it just transformed the car. It was a challenging session but I’m very, very pleased to get it done.

"A lot of the time it’s about a bit of luck, maybe just catching it at the right time, you’ve got your tyre temp just at the right time and you get a bit of clear space. The wet tyre is a very good tyre but you get such a small margin for it to be at its absolute peak performance, especially on such a short lap, when there’s a bit of traffic and so many people going off.

"I feel really relaxed this weekend, more than any other event previously, I think it’s probably because there’s no direct pressure on me? I can do the best job I can, qualify on pole and win all three races tomorrow, but if everyone else we're fighting against is directly behind then it’s null and void. The team and I can only do the best job we can, and if it’s enough, it’s enough. So I feel very relaxed, very chilled, which actually is a nice place to be."

Rory Butcher said: "It was all about finding that window, I was setting up the car throughout the session and then it came. We got that lap at the end and for a moment we were on pole and then Tom just pipped us.

"It’s not my title to win this year, I’m a bit like Tom in that the pressure’s off now. We’re so far off in terms of points that our focus is just to have a good end to the year and go into winter feeling really positive. We’ve started the weekend really well with a front row start and we just need to keep that going."

Ash Sutton said: "We were caught out with that last red flag, we couldn’t respond to what Tom and Rory had put in. Obviously we were sitting pretty for about 75% of it so really happy. There’s a little bit left on the table, I didn’t want to be the driver again like at Croft where I went off, caused a red flag and lost my best lap. So there’s a little bit left on the table, we put in a good lap, we’re in a good position, unfortunately we just didn’t get to respond to Tom and Rory.

"I’m in my element, I absolutely love the wet. Whatever car, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, it’s my favourite. I feel at home, there’s a little bit of pressure for me taking off because obviously going against Colin in the BMW is hard, but I feel much more in my comfort zone when it comes to the wet."

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Brands Hatch Indy

1          Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters 54.950s
2          Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.024s
3          Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.034s
4          Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.083s
5          Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.189s
6          Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +0.306s
7          Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.329s
8          Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.431s
9          Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +0.454s
10        Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +0.499s
11        Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +0.531s
12        Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +0.534s
13        Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.577s
14        Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +0.772s
15        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +0.819s
16        Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +0.849s
17        Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +0.916s
18        Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +0.917s
19        Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +1.035s
20       Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.125s
21        Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.204s
22        Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +1.363s
23        Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +1.378s
24        Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.540s
25        Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +1.566s
26        Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +2.445s
27        Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +2.496s

COLIN TURKINGTON WINS INAUGURAL GOODYEAR WINGFOOT AWARD

BMW driver emerges as Goodyear Wingfoot Award winner
Rewards British Touring Car Championship qualifying pace
Goodyear completes first season as BTCC’s Official Tyre Partner

Colin Turkington won the inaugural Goodyear Wingfoot Award on Saturday, rewarding his impressive and consistent qualifying performance throughout the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.

Goodyear established the Wingfoot Award to celebrate the driver with the best qualifying results across the season, awarding points based on each driver’s qualifying positions at every race weekend. For this weekend’s season finale at Brands Hatch, Turkington qualified eighth to secure his title as the inaugural recipient of the Wingfoot Award.

Turkington will be fighting for his fifth BTCC drivers’ championship on Sunday. The Team BMW driver currently leads the championship with 309 points, but four other drivers - Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish, Tom Ingram and Rory Butcher - are still in contention for the 2020 title.

This weekend’s nail-biting finale brings to a close a thrilling BTCC season which has been Goodyear’s first since becoming Official Tyre Supplier. Every car on the BTCC grid races with Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperSport race tyres, and the Goodyear team works closely with teams up and down the pitlane to maximise their performance.

This dedication is particularly important for qualifying, where this season’s action has shown battles to be closer than ever. At Brands Hatch earlier in the season, Turkington and teammate Tom Oliphant crossed the line with the exact same lap time, down to the thousandth-of-a-second. In a field this competitive, Turkington’s consistency deserves to be rewarded.

Andy Marfleet, Goodyear’s Marketing Director UK & Ireland, said: “Colin is a deserving winner of our Wingfoot Award. Qualifying sessions have been just as exciting as the races this season and we’re pleased to reward this important performance and recognise Colin’s success with the Goodyear Wingfoot Award. It’s been a fascinating BTCC season and we’re all eagerly awaiting the final races of the year.”

Speaking to ITV after receiving the Goodyear Wingfoot Award trophy, Turkington said: “That’s been a great reward for our qualifying performances all year. It has been probably one of our biggest strengths, getting the car up onto the first couple of rows consistently, nearly every weekend. Of course that dictates such a big part of Sunday, so I think it’s a just reward.”

The 2020 British Touring Car Championship will crown its champion on Sunday with three races on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

HILL TOPS RAIN DISRUPTED PRACTICE

Kent man Jake Hill kicked off his home race weekend by topping a drizzly Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Free Practice session at Brands Hatch.

It was dry when the hour-long session commenced, hence the majority of the fastest laps being set early on before a downpour of rain descended on the famous venue.

Hill’s MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square Honda has always been a potent weapon around the 1.2-mile Indy circuit and that proved to be the case again in mixed dry-wet conditions.

"I love Brands," said Hill. "It’s my home and we’ve always gone well here. That’s the second free practice session we’ve topped here this year so that’s good.

"It’s been a great start to the morning, can’t get any better than that!

"I'm feeling ready for it definitely. The car's really great. It's hooked up and we've definitely got something left in the tank so I'm feeling positive."

The performance followed yesterday's news that Hill will be staying with the same outfit for the 2021 BTCC season.

"It’s fantastic to sign with MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square for 2021," he continued. "The team's been fantastic to me this year and we know that if we hadn't had those engine issues at the start that we'd be heading into this final fight for the championship as well. I’m very happy with where I am and I can’t wait to get going with them next year.

"I’m going to just do my thing this weekend and obviously try my best to not get tangled up with anyone. It's their championship to lose. If they want to play the game with me they're going to have to try hard."

Despite the rain, more than 1000 laps were completed by the field as the track remained busy for the duration.

Title contenders Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish, Tom Ingram and Rory Butcher were close behind on the timesheets, with Laser Tools Racing’s Aiden Moffat among them.

The two Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundais of Chris Smiley and Senna Proctor were inside the top, as was Motorbase Performance’s Ollie Jackson and BTC Racing’s Josh Cook.

Our colleagues at ITV Sport have you covered later today with an extended Saturday online streaming session via www.itv.com/btcc.

BTCC qualifying will commence at 12:35 – a critical session ahead of Sunday’s grand finale – and the coverage will include all the on-track drama, as well as driver interviews with Louise Goodman and the rest of the ITV Sport team. Furthermore, the session will conclude the battle for the Goodyear Wingfoot Award, as this year’s best overall qualifier will be crowned.

Motorsport fans will then be treated to a quintet of crucial support races as the Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Mini Challenge, Ginetta Junior, British F4 and Carrera Cup GB reach an exciting climax across the weekend.

2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Free Practice – Brands Hatch Indy

1        Jake HILL (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square 54.678s
2        Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.225s
3        Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.330s
4        Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.376s
5 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Toyota Gazoo Racing UK with Ginsters +0.393s
6   Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.515s
7        Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Motorbase Performance +0.610s
8        Chris SMILEY (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +0.753s
9        Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +1.024s
10      Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +1.039s
11      Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +1.048s
12      Tom CHILTON (GBR) BTC Racing +1.078s
13      Adam MORGAN (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +1.111s
14      Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +1.125s
15      Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.202s
16      Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.207s
17      Michael CREES (GBR) The Clever Baggers with BTC Racing +1.452s
18      Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +1.530s
19      Andy NEATE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +1.641s
20      Glynn GEDDIE (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +1.691s
21      Nicolas HAMILTON (GBR) ROKiT Racing with Team HARD +1.702s
22      Sam OSBORNE (GBR) MB Motorsport accelerated by Blue Square +1.838s
23      Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) HUB Financial Solutions with Team HARD +2.056s
24      Paul RIVETT (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +2.210s
25      Brad PHILPOT (GBR) Power Maxed Car Care Racing +2.358s
26      Jack BUTEL (GBR) Carlube TripleR Racing with Mac Tools +2.489s
27      Ethan HAMMERTON (GBR) GKR TradePriceCars.com +2.629s