BTCC: 2019’s Five Unsung Heroes

In 2019’s BTCC championship, it was obvious that the likes of Colin Turkington, Dan Cammish and Andy Jordan all had very good seasons – no one will disagree with that.

As a result, much of the coverage has focused around that dramatic final round, as well as the record fourth title Turkington has achieved.

However, amidst the vast praise these drivers received, many others’ triumphs were overshadowed. William Holmes takes a look at a few drivers who can look back on 2019 proudly.

Rory Butcher:

From the start of the season, Butcher and his Civic looked very fast. Despite being in the previous generation of Honda, his FK2 was bagging better results than the FK8. In the season opener at Brands Hatch Indy, Butcher claimed his maiden BTCC victory in Race 3, proving the pace of the car. Throughout the year, Butcher posted multiple fastest laps, as well as earning a deserved pole at his home track of Knockhill. Race results were also very impressive, consistently seeing Rory placed in the top 10, and ultimately lifting the BTCC Independents’ Trophy.

Final Championship Position: 5th

Tom Ingram:

Following on from two highly successful seasons in the experienced Toyota Avensis, Ingram was introduced to a new car for 2019. The Corolla was often overshadowed by the BMW 330is and their domination in its maiden season, but the little hatchback actually performed surprisingly well. In addition, Ingram had never driven anything other than an Avensis in the BTCC, so the four victories and pole at Snetterton was mightily impressive.

There were concerns for the car through the corners during the first few rounds, but Team Toyota GB worked tirelessly on the machine and produced a great car that Ingram will surely be looking forward to driving once more in 2020.

Final Championship Position: 6th

Jake Hill:

Despite his final championship standings not seeming too impressive, I believe there are many things that Jake Hill will look back on 2019’s season and conclude it as his finest. Personally, I think Hill drove better than 15th place deserves. In the first race at Brands, Hill gambled wisely with slick tyres on a drying track, and claimed a mighty 2nd place. Race 2 also saw him finish 4th.

At Oulton Park, Hill thought he had won his first race in the BTCC, but was sadly penalised for the brash move on Matt Neal for first place post race. However, at Knockhill, a favourable reverse grid draw saw Jake on pole, and maintained his great pace for the guaranteed first win of his BTCC career. The Audi S3 is not particularly famed for its speed either, so such results can be seen as major successes.

Final Championship Position: 15th

Stephen Jelley:

Since Jelley’s return to the BTCC in 2017, luck has really not been on his side – countless mechanical problems and crashes have seen Stephen’s results plummet. However, in 2019, on some occasions, Jelley appeared to have fortune on his side.

As mentioned prior, Jake Hill was penalised post race for an incident with Neal at Oulton Park, and promoted Jelley to his first race win in the BTCC for 10 years. At Brands Hatch Indy, Stephen also drove confidently to a 3rd place finish in Race 3. Finally, the BMW driver has some positives to reflect on since his return to the championship.

Final Championship Position: 17th

Ash Sutton:

Now, this decision may seem controversial, as it is very easy to say the 2017 champion performed poorly this year. However, I believe that Ash managed to drive very impressively in a car that is so much slower than his direct competition – whilst everything else was getting quicker, the Subaru Levorg seemed to get slower.

The car was very good in the corners, and always has been, but the BTCC’s calendar is filled with fast circuits: Thruxton, Silverstone, Snetterton etc. To get a race win and a pole position from a car that struggled so much really is a sign of how great a driver Sutton is. I’ve always thought that if Sutton was stuck in a BMW, no one would be able to touch him. Now that Subaru have pulled out of the BTCC, only time will tell what car he shall be driving in 2020.

Final Championship Position: 8th