Colin Turkington claimed his second Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship win of the day with another classy performance at the head of the pack at a sunny Brands Hatch this afternoon (Sunday).
Team BMW’s four-time champion made a stellar start in the rear-wheel-drive 330e M Sport for a second race in succession, leaving the rest of the field in his wake to secure first into Paddock Hill Bend. As in the earlier race, the Northern Irishman sailed into a commanding position which never really looked under threat.
There was plenty of action behind the leader though, with Jake Hill making early moves in his Laser Tools branded BMW after a strong start from fourth which saw him rise to second on the first lap, passing Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton. Hill was forced to defend hard as soon as he claimed the place, allowing Turkington to quickly build a gap and pull clear.
Cook’s early attack on Hill left him vulnerable to Sutton behind, enabling the reigning champion’s NAPA Racing UK Ford into third with a bold move around the outside at Graham Hill Bend on lap two. 2022 title winner Tom Ingram was another driver on the move early on, seizing fifth from Daniel Rowbottom before the end of the third lap.
Whilst Turkington continued to circulate solo at the front, Hill was facing further pressure from Sutton who was pressed hard to find an opening. Sutton took the place on lap seven and Cook immediately managed to follow him through on the Cooper Straight, despite collecting grass in his radiator. Ingram was the next to force an opening on Hill, and that caused something of a chain reaction with several drivers passing the latter as the BMW quickly dropped to 10th.
This left Turkington still at the head of the field from Sutton and Cook, with Ingram and Tom Chilton completing the top-five. Former World Touring Car Champion Rob Huff had fought his way into sixth position by this stage too, with Rowbottom just ahead of the hard charging Adam Morgan who’d fought through from a lowly starting position.
Ingram then passed Cook for third just before Hill suffered an issue on the exit of Paddock Hill Bend that left him a passenger as his BMW steamed into the gravel trap at Druids. That brought a safety car and eliminated Turkington’s hard won advantage.
With the race now extended to 27 laps following the neutralisation, Turkington once again set about building a gap whilst Morgan was straight on the charge, passing Chilton for fifth. This was followed by disappointment for the Toyotas of Huff and Cook which were both forced to withdraw from the lead group after being shown the black and orange flag for loose bodywork.
With Turkington once again demonstrating he possessed the pace to pull clear, the main fight in the closing laps was between Ingram and Sutton. Ingram produced a bold move to take second from last year’s champion on the inside at Paddock Hill Bend and, although Sutton fought back, was able to hold the place until the end.
Turkington ultimately crossed the line more than three seconds clear, but those behind fought right until the line. Whilst Sutton’s attempts to re-pass Ingram failed to yield a result, the scrap allowed Morgan to catch up and he only narrowly missed stealing a podium spot on the line as he finished fourth. Rowbottom and Chilton crossed the line fifth and sixth ahead of Dan Cammish, who quietly climbed the order after his puncture in the earlier race. Aiden Moffat was eighth, just ahead of the Vauxhalls of Mikey Doble and Aron Taylor-Smith.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Brands Hatch, Race 2
- Colin Turkington, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport
- Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, Hyundai i30N, +3.397s
- Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +3.656s
- Adam Morgan, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +3.681s
- Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +7.348s
- Tom Chilton, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, Hyundai i30N, +7.911s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +8.088s
- Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +8.585s
- Mikey Doble, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +10.183s
- Aron Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +10.388s