Dan Cammish wins Brands Hatch opener as Tom Ingram edges closer to title

Dan Cammish charged to victory in the opening British Touring Car Championship race of the day at Brands Hatch GP whilst behind him, Tom Ingram moved a step closer to clinching the 2025 title.

The EXCELR8 Motorsport driver kept his nose clean during the opening encounter to cross the line in fifth, which in-turn allowed him to extend his advantage over Ash Sutton in the standings to 37 points.

Drama ensued before the race had even begun as pole sitter Daryl DeLeon was forced into the pit lane and out of the race with a mechanical issue.

With the front row looking somewhat vacant, Cammish – who was starting second – romped into the lead as the lights went out and ultimately never looked back as he cantered to his third win of the campaign.

As the Alliance Racing driver broke clear on the opening lap, outgoing champion Jake Hill saw his hopes of a podium disappear as he sustained a front left puncture – forcing him to limp back to the pit lane in his BMW 330i M Sport.

Back at the front, Rowbottom initially held second place however he soon became embroiled in a captivating fight with the Hyundai duo of Tom Chilton and Adam Morgan, and also the BMW of Charles Rainford.

All three drivers would find their way past Rowbottom in quick succession and then Morgan quickly dispatched Rainford before setting off after his team-mate. Utilising his boost advantage, Morgan closed up to Chilton but frustratingly locked himself out of deploying on the run to the flag.

That allowed Chilton the breathing space he needed to cruise to second place while Morgan was third. Behind him, Rainford crossed the line in fourth ahead of championship leader Ingram who was fifth.

Completing the top ten was Rowbottom, Gordon Shedden in his Speedworks Motorsport Toyota, lead Independent Daniel Lloyd, title contender Sutton and Chris Smiley.

Race 2 – which could see Ingram clinch his second title – is scheduled to get underway from Brands Hatch at 14:05.