Ash Sutton: “I feel we’ve worked hard for no points”

Ash Sutton said he felt like he had ‘worked his backside off to achieve no points’ after seeing his lead in the BTCC standings remain unchanged at Croft.

The NAPA Racing driver took a six point lead into the weekend ahead of Tom Ingram, but looked set to extend his advantage after qualifying as he took third on the grid as a part of a 1-2-3 for the Ford team, with Ingram back in seventh after a mid-session spin.

Sutton extended his advantage at the top in the opening race, running third throughout before being allowed through into second by Rowbottom on the final lap, and he then moved further clear in race two with a dominant seventh victory of the season.

That meant Sutton has now scored more wins this season than in any other season in his BTCC career to date, despite having four events left to run.

Race three however would end in disappointment after lap one contact with Stephen Jelley saw Sutton forced to retire for the third time this season, with a podium for Ingram meaning he clawed back ground in the points to leave the gap as it was coming into the weekend.

“I feel like I’ve worked my backside off to achieve no points,” Sutton admitted. “We came here six points up and we leave six points up, and it’s just a shame as it would have been to good round things out with a top six result and an extended lead in the points.

“Unfortunately, Jelley barrelled in at turn one and took Cammish and Rowbottom with him, then got into the back of Cammish through turn three which meant I found a half-sideways BMW in front of me. I was trying to avoid him but when a gap is closing due to contact, you can’t do anything about it and wheel-to-wheel contact left me with a puncture.

“We would have had good pace in that race with the hard tyre as we did at Snetterton, so it’s a missed opportunity, and now we just have to look ahead to Knockhill and hope we can put on a good showing to take the fight to the BMWs at a circuit where they are always strong.”