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Points leader Ash Sutton delighted with tow-assisted qualifying

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Championship leader Ash Sutton was full of praise for Jason Plato after qualifying an unexpected third for the Brands Hatch finale, saying he wouldn’t have been able to set the time he did without a lap-long tow from his Team BMR team-mate.

Sutton is protecting a 10-point lead over rival Colin Turkington, who suffered a misfire-affected qualifying and could do not better than 17th in his West Surrey Racing BMW 125i.

And the 23-year-old said his superior grid position is down in no small part to Plato, who provided a tow around the whole of Sutton’s best lap in his Subaru Levorg GT.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Sutton said: “On paper it has done the job – it’s in black and white. We’re at the front and Colin is at the back.

“It’s what we needed, but I did not for one second expect we’d even be in the top 10, let alone the top three. I’m really pleased.

“The whole lap I was sat under Jason’s rear wing – at the end of the day, he’s a brilliant team player. Without him I wouldn’t have been able to do that lap. That’s down to Jason.”

Sutton said he was planning to take a risk-free approach to race day, mindful that he expects his title rival to progress through the field.

He said: “I need to score as many points as I can, but we can’t take any risks. It helps that we have that big delta between me and Colin, but I know he is going to come through the field. I’ve just got to manage my own positions and pick up my own points.”