Árón Taylor-Smith claimed his first Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship victory in a decade following a stunning drive through the field in the second race of the day at Brands Hatch this afternoon (Sunday). The Irishman started a lowly 13th in his Laser Tools branded Toyota, but cut his way through in slippery conditions to win.
At the start of the race it was the race one protagonists who featured most prominently, with series leader Ash Sutton leading away from pole in his NAPA Racing UK Ford. Ricky Collard was his nearest rival in the first of the Team VERTU Hyundais as the field streamed through Paddock Hill for the first time, with teammate Tom Ingram tucked in behind.
But full-speed action was halted almost immediately after Lewis Selby’s Ford got beached in the gravel trap. Action resumed on lap seven, and there was immediate movement at the front as Collard moved into the lead with a strong move on the Cooper Straight. Slowed in the aftermath of this, Sutton fell straight back into Ingram’s clutches, and the duo were soon under attack from Charles Rainford’s WSR BMW, which had overtaken Dan Cammish’s Ford for fourth earlier in the lap.
Just a couple of laps later, Rainford overtook Ingram after getting a strong run along the Brabham Straight. Just two more tours of the Indy circuit later, Rainford tried something similar on Sutton but found the door firmly closed and the duo made contact. With drizzle continuing to make the circuit slippery, Taylor-Smith was beginning to make inroads into the top-10.
On lap 13, Collard ran wide through Surtees and Sutton attacked but couldn’t pass him. Rainford was delayed as they backed up though, losing ground to Ingram, Sam Osborne, Cammish and Taylor-Smith who was now up to sixth.
The drama continued the next time around as Cammish ran off the circuit at Paddock Hill Bend, handing another position to Taylor-Smith. Meanwhile, at the front, Ingram and Sutton made contact at Clark Curve. Both continued, but Taylor-Smith continued to carry the momentum forward and he was second, seemingly from nowhere by the end of lap 15.
Two laps later, Collard’s valiant attempt to win for the first time in the BTCC came to an end when Taylor-Smith took a lead he was never to lose. Sutton too made his way past Collard, though the Hyundai did manage to hold its own in third ahead of Ingram’s sister car.
By the time Rainford and Osborne both slid into the gravel at Druids, just a few laps from the scheduled end, Taylor-Smith was over three seconds clear of Sutton. And he was duly rewarded with victory when it was confirmed that the race would end under red flag conditions. This meant he was joined by Sutton and Collard on the podium.
Behind that, Ingram crossed the line fourth after his lively outing, while Aiden Moffat was fifth following an entertaining scrap with Audi A3 teammate Mikey Doble. Josh Cook, James Dorlin, Dexter Patteerson and Daryl De Leon followed them home on the road.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Brands Hatch Indy, Race 2
- Aron Taylor-Smith, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus Titanium, +3.409s
- Ricky Collard, Team VERTU, Hyundai i30N, +3.830s
- Tom Ingram, Team VERTU, Hyundai i30N, +4.460s
- Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing, Audi A3 Saloon, +5.304s
- Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing, Audi A3 Saloon, +5.571s
- Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +9.027s
- James Dorlin, Restart Racing, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +9.720s
- Dexter Patterson, Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing, Audi A3 Saloon, +9.958s
- Daryl De Leon, WSR, BMW 330i M Sport, +12.111s
Click here for full results and times from this weekend's event.