STRONG START FOR MOUNTUNE-POWERED NAPA RACING UK

The four-strong BTCC line-up of defending champion Ash Sutton, Dan Cammish, Dan Rowbottom and Sam Osborne were keen to make the most of the undoubted pace of the Alliance Racing-run mountune-powered Ford Focus ST, which had proven to be the class of the field in 2023 as Sutton stormed to the title.

BTCC QUALIFYING

Although not the quickest car in practice, Cammish, Rowbottom and Sutton would all lap within the top ten and were widely expected to be in the mix for top spot in qualifying later on Saturday – although it would end with mixed results.

Making it through to the final stage of the new three-part qualifying session in mixed weather conditions, Sutton just missed out on putting the #1 car on pole as the leading NAPA Racing entry.

It was a more difficult session for the other three cars however, with Osborne falling in Q2 to sit eleventh, and Rowbottom and Cammish down in 14th and 17th on the grid after being forced to run in the Q1 group impacted by a rapidly drying circuit after rain showers.

BTCC (ROUNDS 1, 2 AND 3)

Racing on Sunday would be delayed by poor weather, with the action only beginning after lunch across a condensed schedule with the first race run in tricky wet conditions.

Osborne would fall victim to the conditions with a dramatic spin into the barriers going down the Craner Curves on lap one, which resulted in a lengthy safety car period before the action got underway in earnest. Sutton would race to a solid second place to secure the first podium finish of the year for the team, with Cammish showing the pace of the Focus to fight his way through into eighth.

Rowbottom was also fighting his way towards the top ten before he was forced to pit after the bonnet on his car came lose, ultimately leading to his retirement late on.

Slipping to third at the start of race one behind a fast-starting BMW, Sutton battled his way back ahead of Jake Hill late on to equal his result from the earlier race, whilst Cammish continued his recovery from qualifying as he fought his way up into the top six.

Whilst Osborne was unable to take the start as the team worked to repair his damaged car, Rowbottom stormed from the back of the grid to take tenth, setting the second-fastest lap of the race in the process.

Sutton completed a podium hat-trick in race three with a typically attacking run through to third place, with Rowbottom recovering from contact with the Toyota of Andrew Watson on lap two – which dropped him down to 18th spot – to fight his way back through to eighth.

Cammish lost places when the lights went out when his car bogged down off the line but would recover to take tenth, with Osborne grabbing the final point after the team worked hard to get him back out on track to contest the finale.

At the end of the weekend, Sutton sits second in the standings – nine points off top spot – as the lead NAPA Racing runner, with the team sitting top of the Teams’ Championship ahead of the next meeting at Brands Hatch.