Turkington does the double on BTCC milestone weekend 15.08.2022: Sutton scores win in Snetterton finale as BTCC season hots up Team BMW star Colin Turkington scored a double victory at Snetterton today (14 August) as the four-time champion also contested his 500th BTCC race on a milestone weekend.

Sutton scores win in Snetterton finale as BTCC season hots up  




Team BMW star Colin Turkington scored a double victory at Snetterton today (14 August) as the four-time champion also contested his 500th BTCC race on a milestone weekend.



Having snatched pole position from West Surrey Racing stablemate Jake Hill on Saturday afternoon, championship leader Turkington remained in imperious form come race day.



NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton then went on to win the finale as the cars and stars entertained a huge crowd amid sweltering conditions in Norfolk.



Turkington claimed a relatively routine lights-to-flag victory in the opener as he kept Hill at bay for the duration.



Turkington’s main threat from attack was the race start – and two subsequent restarts following safety car periods – but the Northern Irishman dealt with the challenge with consummate ease, showing particularly good pace immediately following each getaway.



ROKiT MB Motorsport man Hill held off Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com’s Tom Ingram in similar fashion, as the leading trio held station throughout the contest.



The only change in the top five happened on the opening lap as Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport’s Adam Morgan blasted around the outside of Stephen Jelley’s BMW 330e M Sport with an impressive move.



Rich Energy BTC Racing’s Jason Plato withstood huge pressure in the early running to claim an encouraging top-six finish, with a gaggle of cars battling for seventh behind him.




Turkington made it two out of two with yet another commanding success in the second bout.



Hill made the opening lap one to remember as he ran side-by-side with Turkington for a number of corners. The battle swung one way and then the other, but the more experienced man just about held on.




There was one brief safety car period for the Northern Irishman to contend with, but status quo remained following the restart as Turkington, Hill and Ingram completed an identical podium to the first encounter.



Morgan grabbed his second successive fourth-place finish, as he was once again followed home by Team BMW’s Jelley.



The most eye-catching performance came from Toyota GAZOO Racing UK’s Ricky Collard as the young star made up five places from his grid position to take sixth – the best result of his season so far – with better still to come later in the day.



NAPA Racing UK then secured its second Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship victory in as many race weekends, as reigning champ Sutton fought back to win the finale.



Halfords Racing with Cataclean’s Dan Rowbottom made a stellar getaway from the front row as he surged around the outside of Sutton’s Ford Focus into Riches.



A minor mistake from Rowbottom later in the lap, however, was enough for Sutton to nip back by while Rich Energy BTC Racing’s Plato also made his way through into second – the BTCC legend contesting his 650th race in the championship.



The top two pulled clear as Rowbottom began fading towards the chasing pack, and the Honda man would eventually drop to tenth.



The final place on the podium led to a raucous last lap as Ingram squeezed past Collard, before the latter fought back at the next turn to retake the position – albeit having made contact with his rival.



Although Collard crossed the finish line in third place, the positions were subsequently switched when he received a post-race penalty for his involvement in the incident.



Hill and Turkington finished fifth and sixth respectively, as the West Surrey Racing duo rounded off a great day’s work.



Turkington’s phenomenal weekend – one of the best in his illustrious career – saw him extend his advantage in the Drivers’ standings to 15 points from Ingram, with Hill and Sutton a further nine and ten points in arrears respectively.  



BMW tops the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and Teams’ championships, whilst Josh Cook and Rich Energy BTC Racing still lead both Independents’ honours.  




The Jack Sears Trophy is still being led by Autobrite Direct with JourneyHero’s Bobby Thompson, whilst Turkington holds sway in the Goodyear Wingfoot Award.



Rounds 22, 23 and 24 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship take place at Thruxton in two weeks’ time (27/28 August).





Simon Melluish ,Emma Illman- photos BTCC