NAPA Racing UK scored its first ever win in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as the battle between Ash Sutton and Jake Hill intensified in the second encounter at Knockhill.
Reigning champion Sutton showed his class once more as he went wheel-to-wheel with Hill's West Surrey Racing-run BMW.
Pole man and race one winner Hill held on during the early running, before the young Kent driver ran wide on the exit of the chicane and handed Sutton the advantage.
A further mistake followed by Hill, which allowed his Team BMW stablemate Colin Turkington through and into second.
Both WSR drivers alluded post-race to the fact that the rear end of their respective BMWs were loose in the latter stages of the contest, and when Turkington ran wide into turn one it allowed Hill back through into second.
Hill hauled Sutton's Ford Focus back in and had one last attack out of the final chicane as the pair made contact again, with the latter eventually crossing the line just 0.141s ahead of the former.
Turkington completed the podium for the second successive race, ahead of championship leader Tom Ingram (Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com) who had made a couple of impressive moves by the likes of Stephen Jelley (Team BMW) and George Gamble (Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport).
The Scottish duo of Gordon Shedden (Halfords Racing with Cataclean) and Rory Butcher (Toyota GAZOO Racing UK) were next in the order, ahead of the battling Gamble and Jelley.
Multiple race winners – Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK) and Tom Chilton (Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com) – rounded out the top ten.
Ash Sutton said: "It was made a little bit easier with Jake’s [Hill] mistake at the chicane, I think he was just trying to match what we were capable of doing through there and that’s been our strongest area all weekend, so I just focussed on that and gave it full send on every lap.
"We kind of did a good job of managing the gap through the middle of the race, despite that mistake, we maintained that gap, we closed it, we stretched it. Those last few laps the tyres had just had enough – I was getting to that point as well! Jake really honed us in and tried to put an attack on the start/finish line, but I wasn’t letting that one go! I’m just pleased that I can get the first win for NAPA Racing UK."
Jake Hill said: "I went through the chicane one lap and something’s not right with it because every lap after that I couldn’t go through the chicane like I have been able to all weekend. So I’m very annoyed. There’s a few little niggly bits that caused me to be slow in that one. I just can't keep hold of the car through the chicane. Something’s changed, we need to look into why and what's happened, and fix it for race three.
"A nice little fight with my team-mate Colin [Turkington] obviously, he just ran wide and I got past him to take second. I'm still pleased with second, it's great for BMW and obviously for myself and ROKiT MB Motorsport, so I'm still pleased, it's just what could have been."
Colin Turkington said: "I was hanging on a bit there to be fair! We changed the balance from race one to race two and I was just a little bit more limited by the rear axle from mid-distance on, so it's hanging out a bit at the rear.
"I just turned into turn one, Duffus, and normally it's sort of stops there but it just kept coming. We’re pushing hard, and I was working hard to try and keep with Jake [Hill] and Ash [Sutton]. Congratulations to Ash I think that's maybe his first win in a front-wheel drive car, so a good achievement for him. But a similar story to race one for me you know I was sitting trying to pick up the pieces which ultimately didn't happen, but you know I had significantly more pace than Tom [Ingram] behind, so another good race for BMW."
2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Race 2 – Knockhill
1. Ash SUTTON (GBR) NAPA Racing UK 26 laps
2. Jake HILL (GBR) ROKiT MB Motorsport +0.141s
3. Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.758s
4. Tom INGRAM (GBR) Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com +3.969s
5. Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +10.196s
6. Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Toyota GAZOO Racing UK +11.269s
7. George GAMBLE (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +11.567s
8. Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team BMW +12.425s
9. Dan CAMMISH (GBR) NAPA Racing UK +14.629s
10. Tom CHILTON (GBR) Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com +15.318s
11. Ricky COLLARD (GBR) Toyota GAZOO Racing UK +18.137s
12. Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +19.450s
13. Josh COOK (GBR) Rich Energy BTC Racing +22.533s
14. Dexter PATTERSON (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +22.896s
15. Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Halfords Racing with Cataclean +23.750s
16. Árón TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) Yazoo with Safuu.com Racing +25.655s
17. Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan +29.407s
18. Adam MORGAN (GBR) Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport +30.007s
19. Michael CREES (GBR) CarStore Power Maxed Racing +30.682s
20. Jade EDWARDS (GBR) Rich Energy BTC Racing +36.071s
21. Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Apec Racing with Beavis Morgan +37.311s
22. Daniel LLOYD (GBR) Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com +37.647s
23. Jack BUTEL (GBR) Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com +39.048s
24. Nic HAMILTON (GBR) Yazoo with Safuu.com Racing +43.603s
25. Rick PARFITT (GBR) Uptonsteel with Euro Car Parts Racing +1 lap
26. Jason PLATO (GBR) Rich Energy BTC Racing +2 laps
27. Ash HAND (GBR) CarStore Power Maxed Racing +5 laps
28. Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) Autobrite Direct with JourneyHero +14 laps
29. Will POWELL (GBR) Autobrite Direct with JourneyHero +25 laps
