BTCC: Chilton takes opening race win of Sunday action

Tom Chilton converted pole position to victory in the opening race at Donighton Park after an excellent drive.

Team Vertu lined up with a front row lockout as Chilton was joined by championship leader Tom Ingram ahead of Chris Smiley and Daryl DeLeon. Ingram's championship rival of Ash Sutton started in 10th place after another difficult qualifying for the four time champion.

The race would get underway with the Team Vertu Hyundai's defending into Redgate from the Restart Racing Hyundai of Smiley. Meanwhile, Sutton would make up three places off the start before making a move on DeLeon into the Melbourne hairpin to jump up to 6th before the end of the 1st lap. Senna Proctor would try and make a move on Adam Morgan at the start of lap 2 but Morgan would manage to stay ahead which allowed Jake Hill to sneak passed Proctor for 8th place. Sam Osborne would make a move to get passed Mikey Doble for 16th knocking on the door of points.

Back up in the points, Daniel Rowbottom would make the move to get by Dan Cammish and sets his sights on Smiley for the final podium place. It wouldn't take long from Rowbottom to go for a move as into the Melbourne hairpin he would make a dive up the inside to complete the move. Just behind them, Cammish and Sutton would also start fighting into Redgate as the teammates scrap for 5th. Sutton would just manage to get by on the exit of the first corner of lap 5 setting his sights now on Smiley in fourth.

The leading Team Vertu Hyundai's would swap places to allow Ingram to take the lead for a lap to get an extra point before Ingram let him by a few laps later. The third of the Team Vertu Hyundai's of Morgan would defend into the Melbourne hairpin on lap 6 from Hill as the BMW driver puts more and more pressure on the Hyundai for the next lap before using the slipstream to make a move on the brakes at the chicane on the following lap.

Sutton would finally get his opportunity to make a move on Smiley into McLean's leaving the door for teammate Cammish to get the run on the exit of the following corner to also pass the leading Independents driver for fifth place overall on lap 8.

Smiley's race would continue to become more difficult as his constant defense would meet a new challenge as the rear wheel drive BMW of Hill would get the exit off the chicane to make a run into the Melbourne hairpin to get to the outside of the Hyundai before taking the inside of the final corner to complete the overtake into sixth place. Morgan would take advantage of this battle to take a better run down the main straight on Smiley to get into seventh on lap 10.

On lap 11, Proctor would be the next to try to pass Smiley as he would make a massive dive into Redgate but Smiley would read him and use the cutback to keep the position. After a few laps of pressure, Proctor would manage to make a move on the penultimate lap to take 8th place.

The unofficial battle for the lead of the hard tyre runners would intensify as Gordon Shedden and Charles Rainford would fight hard over the last few laps but the three time champion would manage to reclaim the position on the final lap after losing it temporarily only a few corners earlier.

However, out front it would be Chilton who takes victory ahead of Ingram in second. Rowbottom would round out the podium while Sutton and Cammish complete the top five. Hill would finish ahead of Morgan in sixth and seventh while Proctor would come home in eighth. Independents winner Smiley would add to his championship tally while finishing ninth overall ahead of Taylor-Smith who rounds out the top ten.