Dan Rowbottom wins action-packed inaugural BTCC Qualifying Race

Dan Rowbottom will start the opening round of the 2026 British Touring Car Championship from pole position after winning an frenetic first-ever Qualifying Race at Donington Park.

Marking the debut weekend for Plato Racing and the Mercedes-AMG A35 Saloon, Rowbottom finished withstood a torrent of pressure from Josh Cook to finish second on the road – however this became first after Tom Ingram was given a time penalty for a false start.

The reigning champion had been the benchmark during the qualifying session prior to the race and secured pole position, however that was just the start of a blockbuster opening sequence.

Four-time title winner Ash Sutton started alongside Ingram on the front row and wasted no time in mounting a challenge to Hyundai driver. Showing his nose on a number of occasions throughout the opening lap, things came to a head on the run to Redgate on lap two.

Looking to go three-wide into the first corner, contact between Sutton and Ingram pitched the Ford Focus driver sideways and he speared across the circuit, baulking his team-mate Dan Cammish in the process.

Sutton’s race was run at that moment and Ingram quickly then found himself hit with a five-second time penalty after being adjudged to have made a false start. The subsequent laps saw the double champion defend from Rowbottom in the early laps before he then broke clear.

As Ingram began to stretch his legs, Rowbottom and Cook diced behind however neither swapped positions. Up front, a late surge from Ingram ensured that he only dropped to second on corrected times, with Rowbottom taking first and Cook third.

Behind. Mikey Doble gave the Power Maxed Racing Audi a debut to remember by finishing fourth while WSR’s Charles Rainford climbed up the order to finish fifth.

Tom Chilton came out on top of a tense battle with former team-mate Adam Morgan to finish sixth with Aiden Moffat, Gordon Shedden and Daryl De Leon completing the top ten.