Ash Sutton with ‘one hand on the title’ leaving Croft

Ash Sutton could clinch a record-breaking fifth British Touring Car Championship title at Silverstone later this month after extending his lead to 115 points at Croft.

Despite failing to finish the reverse grid finale at the North Yorkshire venue, a second place finish in race one followed by an eighth win of the year on the hard tyre in race two has put the Alliance Racing driver within touching distance of the coveted crown.

With a total of 152 points remaining on offer across the final two events of the season, it is now a real possibility that the four-time champion could secure an unassailable lead at the penultimate event of the season.

If achieved, Sutton would become the first driver since Alain Menu in 1997 to provisionally wrap up the Drivers’ Championship prior to the final round.

“We’re in a fantastic place currently,” said Sutton. “Unless something seriously goes wrong I think we can say we have one hand on the title. That being said, anything can happen in touring cars so the focus is on taking it one race at a time.

“After race two I got a bit emotional simply because the reality is setting in of what we’re achieving. The car is in an unreal place at the moment, especially on the hard tyre.”

As it stands, NAPA Racing UK and Alliance Racing / Ford hold unassailable leads in the Teams’ Championship and Manufacturer / Constructors Championship respectively.

Dexter Patterson is also on the cusp of wrapping up the Jack Sears Trophy, while Power Maxed Racing and Mikey Doble remain the benchmark entries when it comes to the Independents’ Trophy.

The British Touring Car Championship continues in less than three weeks’ time at Silverstone on September 26-27.