Ash Sutton and Dan Rowbottom in winning form as Wrotham’s Motorbase Performance NAPA Racing UK squad dominate British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton

Wrotham-based Motorbase Performance enjoyed a clean sweep of victories as the British Touring Car Championship continued at Thruxton.

Ford Focus driver Ash Sutton claimed his fifth and sixth wins of the season in races one and two, before team-mate Dan Rowbottom got his first win of 2023 in race three. Sutton now holds a 14-point lead in his quest for a record-equalling fourth BTCC title.

Motorbase top the manufacturers/constructors’ standings, while their NAPA Racing outfit lead the team competition

“The car is just phenomenal and is just a joy to drive,” said Sutton. “It’s so rare you get this. I can’t thank the boys and girls enough at Motorbase. It’s just mega.

“I just had to maximise the beginning as we’ve been strong there for the past few races. I was hoping there might be a bit more squabbling behind, but Tom [Ingram] hung in there and [Josh] Cook was closing the gap to him and that gave me the space we needed.

“Looking after that tyre is a challenge around here. The car is good, very good, but these tyres do take a beating.”

Starting race one on pole, Sutton kept Tom Ingram (Bristol Street Motors) and Josh Cook (One Motorsport with Starline Racing) at arm’s length to win by 2.5sec with Platt’s Heath’s Jake Hill (BMW) fourth.

NAPA Racing’s Dan Cammish came from ninth on the grid to fifth, although Rowbottom wasn’t so lucky as a late puncture halted his charge and he finished 24th, Sam Osborne was 21st in the final Motorbase car.

Sutton pulled out a gap of nearly a second on the opening lap of race two on his way to a third double of the season and sixth victory overall.

It was the usual suspects in pursuit, Ingram, Cook and Hill completing the top four, with Cammish again fifth, Rowbottom 11th and Osborne 18th.

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