Dan Rowbottom rounded off an incredible weekend for NAPA Racing UK as he won the reverse grid Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton.
Pole-sitter Adam Morgan made a stellar getaway and immediately pulled away from the chasing pack, as Aiden Moffat (One Motorsport with Starline Racing) initially proved to be the cork in the bottle with a gaggle of cars bulked up behind him.
Team BMW's Morgan scurried off into the distance, whilst Rowbottom was busy making progress from fifth on the grid and into third.
On lap five, Rowbottom's Ford Focus dispatched of Moffat's Honda Civic Type R through the Complex and he took six tenths of a second out of Morgan's advantage on the very next lap.
The gap kept coming down and Rowbottom eventually made his move down the inside of Morgan's #33 BMW 330e M Sport before the cars reached Church on lap ten.
It was a great comeback throughout the day from Rowbottom, as his car suffered with a puncture in the opening race before his fightback began in race two.
Morgan held on to second whilst Moffat defended valiantly to fend off Team BMW's Colin Turkington to complete the podium.
Ricky Collard (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK), Aron Taylor-Smith (CarStore Power Maxed Racing) and Rory Butcher (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK) were next in the order, ahead of a quintet of title contenders headed by Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK).
Tom Ingram (BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8) arguably made the move of the race as he surged around the outside of Jake Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport) at top speed to steal ninth as they battled with Josh Cook (One Motorsport with Starline Racing) and Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK).
Daniel Rowbottom said: "I made up places at the start and then it was a good battle with Aiden [Moffat]. Aiden put up a great challenge, but our car was fantastic and so once we got clear and into second I set about chasing Adam [Morgan] down. I didn’t plan to make the move into Church, but it was a great feeling to take the win.
"The team have been brilliant all week – Ash [Sutton] won the first two races and we’ve won the third. I did not feel as positive at the end of Race 1 after the issue we had – I wondered if the weekend was finished – so to come back from that and show the pace that we had in Race 2 and in Race 3 is a great feeling. It's a fantastic end to the day."
Adam Morgan said: "We gave it a really good go. The plan was to get off the line well and get my head down. I was hoping that Aiden [Moffat] could hold the pack up a little bit more, but then Daniel [Rowbottom] got through, I made a small mistake at the chicane and suddenly the Ford was right there with me.
"I did think it was just a matter of time before Daniel got through, although I did hope he had killed his tyres by the time he got to me, but it wasn’t to be. The main thing after being passed was to just bring the car home and bank good points, which is what we did with P2. The car was mega and it is nice to be back on the podium."
Aiden Moffat said: "I am delighted with that. It is long overdue and almost feels like a win after the year that we have had. I knew Adam [Morgan] was going to be quick off the line at the start, so I made sure I settled into second. My attentions then turned to those behind me and keeping in front of them, but Daniel [Rowbottom] in the Ford was just too fast and got by.
"I tried not to put up too much of a fight for that one, as we knew we could definitely hang on to third place. But then I saw Colin [Turkington] behind me, a four-time champion, and knew it was not going to get much tougher. So, it means a lot to hang on and get that podium for the team. The car has been great all weekend, and it is nice to reward the team with a top three finish."
2023 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 3 – Thruxton
1. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK 16 Laps
2. Adam Morgan, Team BMW +2.733s
3. Aiden Moffat, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +3.786s
4. Colin Turkington, Team BMW +4.022s
5. Ricky Collard, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +4.559s
6. Árón Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +5.054s
7.Rory Butcher, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +6.347s
8. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK +6.985s
9. Tom Ingram, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +7.608s
10. Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport +7.814s
11. Josh Cook, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +8.451s
12. Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK +8.896s
13. Andrew Watson, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +10.136s
14. Mikey Doble, CarStore Power Maxed Racing +13.182s
15. Dexter Patterson, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +14.054s
16. Stephen Jelley, Team BMW +15.424s
17. George Gamble, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK +16.028s
18. Daniel Lloyd, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils +19.954s
19. Ronan Pearson, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +18.375s
20. Sam Osborne, NAPA Racing UK +19.021s
21. Jack Butel, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +25.033s
22. Nick Halstead, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +35.325s
23. Nic Hamilton, Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown +36.092s
24. Will Powell, One Motorsport with Starline Racing +37.209s
25. Tom Chilton, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8 +1 Lap
26. Jade Edwards, Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD +3 Laps
