BTCC: 3 winners at Snetterton as Sutton leaves on top

June 13, 2021 June 13, 2021

After a lengthy five-week break since the season’s opener at Thruxton, the British Touring Car Championship arrived at a very sunny Snetterton for Round 2.

The event was kicked off by the returning qualifying shoot-out on Saturday, with Jake Hill arriving as the surprise championship leader.

Now with ballast in full effect, the weekend promised to be an exciting encounter as title-favourites Ash Sutton and Colin Turkington hoped to ignite their campaigns.

Race 4:

A dramatic shoot-out saw Sutton finish outside the top 10 with engine troubles, but the ever-reliable Turkington elevated to pole position with Gordon Shedden disqualified for technical infringements.

Upon the first race’s start, the Team BMW-man launched confidently and fended off the early challenges from rival Tom Ingram. The opening laps were navigated safely by the field and included plenty of enticing battles; Adam Morgan helped himself to fifth by the end of lap 3, taking the fastest lap in the process.

Shedden was making amends for Saturday’s woes by placing 18th midway through the race, with Sutton also on the charge, overtaking six competitors for 10th. However, a scuffle between the reigning champ, Tom Oliphant and Jake Hill at Oggies forced the Laser Tools Racing driver back down a couple.

Up ahead, Turkington eased to another win in Norfolk as Ingram trailed behind for second. A quiet race for championship protagonist Rory Butcher saw him round out the podium spots.

After the race, Turkington said:

“That’s the first time we’ve been on the soft tyre this year but I think we managed it well, and once again the 3 series BMW is a fantastic weapon around Snetterton, I think with three cars in the top ten it’s a good hunting ground for us.”

Race 4’s Top 10:

Colin Turkington
Tom Ingram
Rory Butcher
Stephen Jelley
Ollie Jackson
Adam Morgan
Dan Lloyd
Tom Oliphant
Jake Hill
Chris Smiley

Race 5:

The second race of the weekend was a far quieter affair. With the sun beating down, Turkington made sure to hold on to the lead again when the lights went out, despite carrying maximum ballast.

As the event went on, it was clear that Sutton’s was the car to beat – the absence of success ballast and using the soft option tyre helped the Infiniti Q50 carve through the field. By lap 9, Turkington had to concede defeat to the speedy Sutton, who had made up 10 spots to inherit the lead.

A highlight of the race was the duel for P3, as Ollie Jackson held on resolutely from Ingram. The two-time winner seemed to have been beaten midway through the 12-lap event, but dug deep and forced his way back into the bronze honours.

Sutton and Turkington completed the race far ahead of Jackson, with other notable stories being Team Hard Racing’s Jack Goff and fellow Infiniti driver Aiden Moffat completing the top 10.

Race-winner Sutton said:

“I loved it! The car was absolutely phenomenal. After such a bad qualifying yesterday, and we didn’t make as much progress in Race 1 as we wanted to, we had our work cut out, but the ultimate goal was to win Race 2 and we’ve achieved that”

Race 5’s Top 10:

Ash Sutton
Colin Turkington
Ollie Jackson
Tom Ingram
Rory Butcher
Tom Oliphant
Stephen Jelley
Adam Morgan
Jack Goff
Aiden Moffat

Race 6:

The reverse-grid draw put Stephen Jelly on pole alongside Team BMW teammate Oliphant – the former kept the lead from launch, and Butcher dropped down the order with a poor start from P3. Drama ensued only a lap later as Oliphant was turned by Jackson whilst attempting to take first place, as Ingram took second with ease.

Sutton was once again the fast charger early on, making his way up to third with 75kg onboard. Shedden was another to watch, ballast-free and on the soft compound tyre. By lap 5, he was all over Sutton’s rear bumper, as Ingram overtook Jelley for first up ahead.

The Laser Tools driver was the next to take Jelley on lap 8, with Shedden slotting through in the process. Ingram was not phased, however, and claimed both EXCELR8 and Hyundai’s first win in the BTCC. An exemplary demonstration on defensive driving rewarded Sutton with another podium, as Shedden had to settle with third-place. Josh Cook shadowed the Scot’s strategy, and claimed P4.

Race-winner Ingram said:

To come to the second weekend and take a second, then a fourth, then a win in the last race is amazing. I honestly can’t express just what a great job that everyone at Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com have done, they’ve put an insanely good car under me.

Race 6’s Top 10: