Photo: PSP Images

Ash Sutton charges to race two win

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Ash Sutton has extended his lead in the BTCC standings after overcoming former team-mate Josh Cook to secure victory in the second race of the weekend at Thruxton.

Cook had started the race from pole thanks to his victory in the opening race of the weekend and held the lead at the start despite the best efforts of Tom Oliphant, who launched his BMW from row two of the grid into second ahead of Jake Hill.

Hill then came under pressure from Rory Butcher at the complex but Sutton was behind the pair on the run through Noble. As Hill and Butcher went side-by-side through Village, Sutton went down the middle to get ahead of Butcher and then cleared Hill around the outside going into Church to move into third.

Sutton then set about chasing down Oliphant and cleared the BMW on the exit of the chicane at the end of lap three and gradually closed in on Cook, who had managed to build a handy advantage early on despite running maximum ballast.

It would take until the end of lap ten before Sutton was able to make his move, drawing alongside on the exit of of the chicane and completing the move into turn one to secure the race win.

Cook took second spot to add to his points haul, with third going to Oliphant, who hold the place throughout despite the best efforts of Hill in the Focus to keep his run of podium finishes going.

The main focus therefore became the battle for fifth spot, with Butcher under pressure from Senna Proctor and then Tom Ingram after the EXCELR8 man managed to work his way up into the top six.

Ingram tried more than once to find a way ahead before a fine move at the complex on lap 15 but his good work was then undone on the final lap when a puncture exiting Church saw him drop down the order.

That meant Butcher reclaimed fifth spot ahead of Colin Turkington, who took sixth from Proctor thanks to a solid move at Noble. Proctor followed behind with Adam Morgan taking eighth and the reverse grid pole.

Jason Plato and Dan Lloyd then completed the top ten, with Ingram dropping down to twelfth as a result of his puncture.