BTCC Brands Hatch: Supreme Sutton bags pole for finale

Sutton was supreme throughout the half-hour in his Alliance Racing (nee Motorbase) Ford Focus ST as he bids for a fourth title.

He sat at the top of the times when the red flags flew after nine minutes, due to barrier damage on the straight after Sheene Curve inflicted when George Gamble dropped a wheel of his Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla onto the grass and cannoned off in a rearward impact.

At this point Sutton was 0.051 seconds clear of Rory Butcher (Speedworks Toyota), with Ingram third in his Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N.

Bizarrely, none of the leading positions changed once the session resumed for the remaining 20 minutes, but that doesn’t mean Sutton didn’t go quicker.

First he chipped 0.030s away from his previous best, and then he lopped the best part of 0.2s away from that to end up 0.253s to the good.

That was despite Sutton, who extends his championship lead over Ingram to 46 points, running the minimum one second of hybrid boost on the Ford, deployed at 135km/h.

“Well that’s one point extra,” said Sutton. “I had a scary old lap there. We had three laps good enough for pole, but I knew I had a couple of tenths on the table.

“On my best lap I had a big moment at Hawthorn – I was all over the grass and still managed to go quicker.

“I knew there was a bit more and I wanted it, despite whether we needed it or not.”

Rory Butcher, Toyota GAZOO Racing UK Toyota Corolla GR Sport (Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images)

While Sutton was delighted with his sixth pole of 2023, so too was Butcher with his first front-row qualifying effort of a tough season.

The smooth-driving Scot was on the maximum 15s of hybrid at a minimum 115km/h, and held out Ingram’s Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N, which was on 3s/135km/h.

Dan Rowbottom made it two Alliance Fords in the top four, the bearded Midlander allowed 13s of hybrid at 125km/h.

Bobby Thompson put in the latest of his impressive showings to grab fifth in his Team Hard Cupra Leon (15s hybrid) and will the share the third row with another Alliance Ford, that of Dan Cammish (11s hybrid).

It was a disappointing session for the West Surrey Racing BMW squadron. Four-time champion Colin Turkington was just 0.061s off third-placed Ingram, but ended up seventh on 7s hybrid at 130km/h.

Turkington ended up one spot ahead of team-mate Jake Hill, although the Kentishman was 0.130s further back on 5s hybrid at 135km/h.

Jack Sears Trophy title contender and Silverstone poleman Mikey Doble put in another strong showing to take ninth in his Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra ahead of the WSR BMWs of Adam Morgan and Stephen Jelley.

BTCC Brands Hatch Qualifying Results:

Main Information Additional Data Driver Info

     

Driver Info			Main Information
Cla	Driver	#		Car	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h
1	A. Sutton NAPA Racing UK	116		Ford Focus ST	15	1'29.823		97.520
2	R. Butcher Toyota Gazoo Racing UK	6		Toyota Corolla GR Sport	12	+0.253	0.253	97.246
3	T. Ingram BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	1		Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	14	+0.307	0.054	97.188
4	D. Rowbottom NAPA Racing UK	32		Ford Focus ST	15	+0.326	0.019	97.167
5	B. Thompson Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown	19		Cupra León	13	+0.330	0.004	97.163
6	D. Cammish NAPA Racing UK	27		Ford Focus ST	14	+0.365	0.035	97.125
7	C. Turkington Team BMW	4		BMW 330e M Sport	17	+0.368	0.003	97.122
8	J. Hill Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport	24		BMW 330e M Sport	15	+0.498	0.130	96.982
9	M. Doble CarStore Power Maxed Racing	88		Vauxhall Astra	14	+0.510	0.012	96.969
10	A. Morgan Team BMW	33		BMW 330e M Sport	17	+0.525	0.015	96.953
11	S. Jelley Team BMW	12		BMW 330e M Sport	17	+0.620	0.095	96.851
12	R. Collard Toyota Gazoo Racing UK	37		Toyota Corolla GR Sport	16	+0.707	0.087	96.758
13	A. Watson CarStore Power Maxed Racing	11		Vauxhall Astra	15	+0.756	0.049	96.706
14	R. Pearson BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	14		Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	15	+0.794	0.038	96.665
15	A. Taylor-Smith CarStore Power Maxed Racing	40		Vauxhall Astra	14	+0.829	0.035	96.628
16	J. Cook One Motorsport with Starline Racing	66		Honda Civic Type R	16	+0.844	0.015	96.612
17	T. Chilton BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	3		Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	14	+0.894	0.050	96.559
18	D. Lloyd Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils	123		Cupra León	14	+0.938	0.044	96.512
19	D. Patterson Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD.	17		Cupra León	15	+0.994	0.056	96.452
20	A. Moffat One Motorsport with Starline Racing	16		Honda Civic Type R	16	+1.008	0.014	96.438
21	S. Osborne NAPA Racing UK	77		Ford Focus ST	15	+1.011	0.003	96.434
22	G. Gamble Toyota Gazoo Racing UK	42		Toyota Corolla GR Sport	3	+1.213	0.202	96.220
23	D. De Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD.	18		Cupra León	15	+1.261	0.048	96.170
24	M. Crees Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils	777		Cupra León	11	+1.481	0.220	95.938
25	J. Gornall Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown	180		Cupra León	15	+1.623	0.142	95.789
26	J. Edwards Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD.	99		Cupra León	16	+1.692	0.069	95.717
27	N. Halstead BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with EXCELR8	22		Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance	16	+2.352	0.660	95.031
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