Hill wins as Ingram and Sutton collide

The seas parted and Jake Hill took victory in the first race of the British Touring Car Championship final at Brands Hatch to put him in the box for the title.

Hill started his West Surrey Racing-run BMW 330e M Sport from sixth on the grid, but was second exiting the second corner – the Druids hairpin – after a freak incident for him delayed or eliminated his main title rivals.

Tom Ingram, who reached the day’s points level with Hill, started his Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N Fastback from the front row but could not hold off the Alliance Racing-run NAPA Ford Focus ST of Ash Sutton at Paddock Hill Bend.

An excited Josh Cook then pulled his Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla GR Sport alongside Ingram in the build-up to Druids.

Then, under braking for the hairpin, the Toyota appeared to spin out of control – perhaps a legacy of damage or a puncture – and Cook flew past the inside of Sutton.

Sutton rammed into Ingram on the left, sending the Ford into the gravel trap with damaged front left suspension, dropping the Hyundai to 10th.

Cook’s spun Toyota was in turn harpooned by blind Adam Morgan, while Rob Huff continued the chain reaction by running into the back of the Toyota.

Tom Ingram, Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 Hyundai i30 N Fastback, Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing Ford Focus ST

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

All these drivers were now out of the race, ending Sutton’s chances of the title, along with Cook’s slim hopes.

Hill was given second place behind poleman Colin Turkington and a lap and a half after the restart following the inevitable safety car, the four-time champion predictably left the sister BMW in Laser Tools colors in the lead at Pilgrim’s Drop.

In doing so, Turkington conceded his own slim hopes of the title and entered a race as his teammate’s rear gunner.

Ingram, meanwhile, was on trial. He had already passed Dan Rowbottom before the safety car was called, and then sent Sam Osborne and Aiden Moffat on the first lap of the restart, and Daryl DeLeon and Dan Cammish on the following tour.

With this, Ingram now reached fifth place and had secured the bonus point for the fastest lap.

Shortly afterwards, Ingram took fourth place from the Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra of Aron Taylor-Smith at the exit of Clearways, and a few laps later he swooped in from the inside of the other PMR Vauxhall of Mikey Doble Surtees.

Now Ingram was third and drove into the BMWs at the front. With four laps to go, Turkington was defending everywhere and, crucially, he stayed in front as Ingram used his only lap of hybrid allocation.

Mikey Doble, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing

Photo by: JEP

Hill was safe, leading a BMW 1-2 by 1.105 seconds from Turkington, with Ingram third, and is now five points behind Hill in the championship with only these two now in contention.

“From my point of view, it looked like Ash and Tom had braked earlier to catch each other as they caught Josh,” Hill said, “and he had nowhere to go.

“After that, Colin was the best teammate I could ever wish for. It was just a matter of dealing with the rear tires a bit. The soft tires were a bit worn, but everything is cool. We may not have the full pace, but we have the pace to get the job done.”

“We know Josh is not a numpty,” Ingram said. “I was in a vulnerable position because I had no choice but to be in a vulnerable position.”

Behind Doble, fifth place went to the Alliance Ford of Dan Cammish, who passed Taylor-Smith two laps from home and was the leading rider home on medium tires – and will therefore be the best placed car on the grid for race two on soft rubber . But Cammish was another who lost his last hope for the title.

DeLeon achieved an excellent seventh place in his Unlimited Motorsport Cupra Leon, with Rowbottom (Alliance Ford) eighth and Tom Chilton (Excelr8 Hyundai) winning an entertaining battle for ninth with Andrew Watson’s Speedworks Toyota.

BTCC Brands Hatch Race 1 Results