Aron Taylor-Smith scythes through the field to score race two victory

Aron Taylor-Smith produced a masterful drive in race two at Brands Hatch to claim his first British Touring Car Championship win in a decade.

In what were ever-worsening conditions at the Kent circuit, the Irishman became the third different race winner of the season as he soared from 13th on the grid to triumph on the soft tyre.

Championship leader Ash Sutton held the lead from pole position but with the rain worsening, the prospect of the four-time champion having a smooth ride was slim to none, especially with the Hyundai of Ricky Collard behind him.

After finishing behind Sutton in the day’s earlier race, Collard got the better of the Ford Focus driver at mid-distance but he was unable to pull away, with the likes of Sutton, reigning champion Tom Ingram, Charles Rainford and Dan Cammish all looming.

Rainford emerged as one to watch in the opening exchanges with his BMW being a force to reckoned with out of Clearways. Unfortunately, contact on lap 13 with Sutton saw the rear-wheel-drive ace tumble down the order, and Cammish would then hit misfortune as he slid into gravel at Paddock Hill Bend.

As the front runners scrambled for grip, the bright blue Toyota Corolla GR Sport of Taylor-Smith soon became a factor as he quickly dispatched a number of drivers to move into second. That then became first as he snatched first from Collard at Paddock Hill Bend.

Once out front, Taylor-Smith streaked clear and was declared the winner when the red flag came out after both Rainford and Sam Osborne came to a stop in the Druids gravel.

Behind, Sutton got back past Collard to clinch second place with reigning champion Tom Ingram enduring a rollercoaster contest to finish fourth. Fifth and sixth were the Power Maxed Racing duo of Aiden Moffat and Mikey Doble, with Josh Cook, James Dorlin, Dexter Patterson and Daryl De Leon completing the top ten.