Adam Shepherd crowned TCR UK champion as Callum Newsham wins Brands finale
Adam Shepherd claimed his first TCR UK Series title by finishing sixth in a red-flagged final race of the season at Brands Hatch, which was won by Callum Newsham.
Needing to score just two points after winning Saturday’s opener, the Capture Motorsport Cupra driver started 10th for the reversed grid race and duly stayed out of trouble throughout to secure the title.
Newsham produced one of the drives of the season from ninth on the grid, moving up to the lead by the end of the opening lap and dominated the 17-lap encounter, beating Sam Laidlaw and George Jaxon.
The race was stopped with just over three minutes left after Will Beech, Luke Sargeant and Alex Jones all ended up in the Paddock Hill Bend gravel trap.
That assured Shepherd, who finished sixth on the road behind Max Hall and Brad Hutchison, the championship
From ninth on the grid, Newsham made a sensational start and leapt all the way up to third place by the time the pack negotiated Druids for the first time. That became second place at Graham Hill Bend as front-row starter Mark Smith slowed suddenly.
Sam Laidlaw made the best getaway and moved into the lead with Newsham in tow as polesitter Gregory Saunders fell to fifth. Newsham then incredibly seized the lead under braking for Clearways at the end of the first lap before the safety car was deployed for an incident involving Darelle Wilson.
Equally keeping out of trouble was champion-elect Shepherd who gained four positions from 10th to run sixth by the time the race was neutralised. Once racing resumed, Shepherd moved past Saunders for fifth before getting embroiled in an entertaining scrap between Brad Hutchison and Max Hall.
Despite needing only to score two points to be crowned champion, Shepherd pressurised the back of Hutchison for fourth place, with slight contact made between the pair at the final corner, leaving the Cupra driver at risk from Hall’s Lynk & Co behind.
After several attempts to wrestle the place from Hutchison, Shepherd allowed Hall to pass under braking for Druids.
That left Hall and Hutchison to trade blows entering the final six minutes; the pair went side-by-side at Paddock Hill Bend, before Hall finally grabbed the place after slight contact at Druids.
Out front, Newsham produced a consummate display in the lead and was never truly threatened throughout, despite his advantage over Laidlaw coming down to under a second at one point.
Through traffic, Newsham extended his gap to comfortably head Laidlaw prior to the red flag which extinguished any remaining hope that the Hyundai driver had of stealing the title away from Shepherd.
Behind Shepherd, Sargeant was classified seventh after the red flag, ahead of Beech and Rick Kerry, while Saunders completed the top 10.
