Sutton clinches a third BTCC title, as Cook wins race two

Ash Sutton clinches a third BTCC drivers' title after sixth place sees him secure the 2021 championship with a race to spare at Brands Hatch.

Simon Evans

24 Oct 2021

iAshley Sutton (GBR) - Laser Tools Racing Infiniti Q50
© JEP

Ash Sutton has clinched this season's British Touring Car Championship drivers' title with a race to spare after finishing in sixth position, while BTC Racing's Josh Cook won the penultimate race of the year at Brands Hatch.

The Laser Tools Racing driver carried forward a 33-point lead heading into the penultimate race of the year and needed to finish at least 23-points ahead of title rival Colin Turkington to wrap it up a round early.

And despite falling behind Team BMW's Turkington after getting boxed in at the start of the race, Sutton kept his composure and settled for a sixth place finish to clinch a third BTCC drivers’ crown with an unassailable 30-point lead.

Four-time champion Turkington did threaten to make things interesting after finally moving ahead of Dan Rowbottom on lap 11 of the race, but a late safety car dented any chance of the BMW driver making any serious progress, with Gordon Shedden holding firm directly ahead in third.

Sutton almost followed Turkington through into fifth ahead of Rowbottom on lap 11, but the Infiniti Q50 driver decided to protect his championship winning advantage by holding station behind the Honda runner.

Back-to-back titles for Sutton with the Laser Tools Racing squad means the 27-year old becomes the youngest ever treble champion in the series.

Meanwhile, at the front of the field, Cook was again in superb form to control the race ahead of another impressive podium performance from Dan Lloyd.

Despite running maximum ballast and losing his rear gunner Senna Proctor at the start of the race, Cook took a comfortable fifth win of the year to move up to third in the drivers's standings, while Team Dynamics driver Shedden completed the podium order in third behind the Vauxhall Astra of Lloyd.

Turkington will have to wait another year to fight for a record-breaking fifth BTCC title after finishing in fourth ahead of Rowbottom and 2021 champion Sutton.

Toyota Gazoo Racing's Rory Butcher was seventh after surviving a hairy moment when passing Aiden Moffat, while Tom Chilton, Stephen Jelley and Jake Hill completed the remainder of the top-ten in eighth, ninth and tenth.