Chasing pack prepares to attack as BTCC descends on Donington

The fight for the 2021 British Touring Car Championship heads for Donington Park this weekend, with the chasing pack needing to go on the attack to try and close the gap to Ash Sutton in the standings.

The Laser Tools Racing man holds a lead of 36 points going into the weekend having adopted a more reserved approach in recent meetings – with a focus on picking up points rather than going all-out for victory.

Sutton took victory at Donington last year in what was his first appearance in the Infiniti Q50 and return this time with a much stronger package underneath him.

However, with maximum ballast to carry into the weekend, retaining his advantage is the key focus as the defending champion looks to try and keep his buffer at the top ahead of the Brands Hatch season finale.

“If you look back to last year, we had a win there on what was our first weekend with the car and since then we’ve really moved things on,” he said. “The car is phenomenal, and we’ve got a few little things up our sleeve so I’m buzzing to get there and manage that gap at the top!”

The chasing pack is now headed once again by Tom Ingram, who moved back up to second spot thanks to a double podium at Silverstone last time out.

The EXCELR8 driver has won in three of the last four seasons at Donington, whilst the Hyundai i30 Fastback N scored a podium on its debut weekend at the same circuit last year in the hands of Chris Smiley.

Whilst the extra weight will make the going tough, Ingram is ready to attack in his bid to keep pace with Sutton in the standings,

“We know that qualifying and race one are going to be tricky when we have the weight onboard, so we have to get the maximum we can from those, and then look towards races two and three to fight for the big points.

“There is no escaping the fact that Ash has a handy buffer in the points, and we have to go on the attack this weekend. There is a lot of hard work ahead, but my full focus in on doing the best job possible to stay in contention going into the final rounds.”

Jake Hill had held second heading into the Silverstone weekend but slipped behind Ingram into third spot, with the MB Motorsport driver only two points down on his rival but now carrying less success ballast than last time out.

That additional weight looked like costing Hill dear after he struggled in qualifying and race one, but the Focus then came alive when the ballast came out, and he ended the weekend with victory in race three to remain right in the mix.

“Some people are saying the championship is already his, which is understandable I suppose, but there’s six races left – and the prospect of some autumn rain could really shake things up,” he said. “It’s exciting to be part of the fight, and I’m determined to be in this fight to the end.”

Hill is only two points clear of Colin Turkington, who rounds out the top four in his BMW and – like the pair ahead – is eager to try and close the gap to Sutton in the title race as he chases his record-breaking fifth title.

“There’s a lot at stake, but I’m in the box seat to score well this weekend, and will do whatever it takes to put my best foot forward,” he said. “At this stage I have to take points away from Ash; that’s the aim and it’s completely possible.

“We had a competitive BMW at Donington last year, and I’m confident we’ll bring a strong package there this time around. Good track position will be vital so if we get the BMW in the sweet spot for qualifying, anything is possible.”

Josh Cook rounds out the top five and is still a contender, although he needs strong weekend in his BTC Racing Honda having lost ground at Silverstone after his exclusion from race two and the race three no-score that followed.

Aiden Moffat holds sixth after another solid weekend at Silverstone and will hope to run near the sharp end to aid Sutton’s title challenge, although he will need to keep one eye on Rory Butcher – who closed in on the top six with his double success last time out for Speedworks.

“I’m feeling really positive going to Donington,” the Scot admits. “It will obviously be difficult to replicate what we did at Silverstone, but I’m confident we will be able to fight up at the sharp end again and if we can get ourselves into the top five in qualifying, that will put us in a great position for race day.”

Senna Proctor, Gordon Shedden and Dan Rowbottom round out the top ten and are covered by a single point, with Adam Morgan and Stephen Jelley close behind.

Rowbottom could become the first champion of the season if results go his way this weekend, with a 92 point lead over Sam Osborne in the Jack Sears Trophy and only 120 still to play for.