BTCC: Sutton takes seventh victory of the season in Race 2 at Knockhill

Sutton takes victory in race two at Knockhill to claim seventh victory of the season in commanding drive.

Adam Morgan started on pole ahead of teammate Daniel Rowbottom while Gordon Shedden started third, but all eyes were on Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram who were looking to finish what they started in race one and get through the pack.

Sutton would get a tremendous start, pulling passed Shedden early on before using the battling Mercedes to almost take the lead away from them before being shuffled back to third. Rowbottom would take the lead away from Morgan before a safety car would be deployed after Aiden Moffat went off the road and breaking the car as it dug into the grass. Ingram would be caught up in another incident hitting Shedden from behind into the chicane causing a load of damage to the Hyundai which forces him out of the race.

The race would go green again on lap six with Sutton pressuring Morgan on the run into the hairpin, trying to use the switchback to get back underneath the Mercedes but to no avail before sling-shotting to the inside into McIntyre’s to take second place. Morgan would fight back as hard as he can to both regain the position and allow his teammate to get away but Sutton would keep the position. Behind them, Ricky Collard would pass Shedden into the first turn moving up to fourth place.

Down the order, Dan Cammish and Charles Rainford would be moving up the order after their problems in race one set them back for race two with both making up nine places by lap eleven.

Sutton would take the lead into the hairpin on lap eleven after getting a better run through Clark and the rundown to Hislop, using the extra turbo boost to pull passed before beginning to pull away from the Mercedes.

Further behind, a group from fifth to thirteenth would be held behind Shedden who was defending against two Audi’s who would start fighting on lap fourteen leaving Mikey Doble to take sixth place from Dexter Patterson. Rainford would continue to make progress passing teammate Daryl De Leon to move into the top ten on lap sixteen. He would make two more places on lap seventeen, passing Cammish on the run down the main straight before sticking a move on Patterson at McIntyre’s as well to move into seventh place.

Shedden would be passed by Doble on lap eighteen, as the Audi jumps ahead of the Toyota down the main straight. Shedden would drop another place on the medium compound of tyres as the softer tyre continued to work well for Rainford who moved up to sixth place with fifthteen places gained in nineteen laps.

Collard would move up to the podium places passing Morgan at McIntyre’s as the Hyundai sets his sights on Rowbottom. Morgan would have to continue defending from cars behind as Doble would catch up to the back of the Mercedes. On lap 22, he would make the dive at Clark to take fourth place before a Safety Car would be deployed for Chris Smiley who was in the gravel.

The race would go green with a single lap of racing to go with Sutton bolting away to give no opportunity to the cars behind before a yellow flag would be thrown at the final corner for Nic Hamilton who was stopped on the road.

Sutton would take his seventh victory of the season ahead of Rowbottom and Collard who complete the podium while Doble and Morgan complete the top five. Rainford would finish sixth after an astonishing drive while Shedden and Patterson would finish seventh and eighth ahead of Cammish and Sam Osborne who complete the top ten.