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Tyres NorthamptonIn 2023's first race, Daniel Rowbottom led the field from pole position for NAPA Racing UK at a soaking wet Donington. Rowbottom's teammate, Ash Sutton, lost the rear of his Ford Focus ST and went onto the grass but rejoined before Redgate in fifth place.
Jake Hill took advantage after the two Ford Focus' misfortune, taking the lead before the Safety Car was deployed at the end of Lap 1 as Tom Chilton stopped on the circuit. Sutton was forced to pit at the end of a frantic first lap as grass got stuck in the car's radiator, and the 29-year-old retired from the race.
Hill judged the restart perfectly on Lap 3, retaining the lead ahead of Dan Cammish as the reigning BTCC champion Tom Ingram challenged the leading duo. A second Safety Car deployment followed four laps into the race as Nick Halstead beached his Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance in the gravel at the bottom of the Craner Curves.
Hill held the lead at the restart on Lap 7 as race control extended the race distance to make it a 21-lap event. That extension proved crucial, as Cammish snatched the lead away from Hill with three laps to go with a calculated move, sweeping up the inside at the Old Hairpin. The NAPA Racing UK driver took a superb win in Race 1 at Donington, ahead of Hill and Ingram.
The rain fell at Donington before Race 2, and George Gamble and Adam Morgan, among others, dove into the pits to switch from slicks to wet tyres on the formation lap. Cammish led the field into Redgate, closely followed by Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8's Ingram.
The race's first Safety Car appearance came at the end of the opening lap to clear Ricky Collard's stricken Toyota Corolla GR Sport car. At the restart on Lap 7, Cammish held the lead on the slick tyres ahead of Ingram as the rain got heavier and, again, the race distance increased another three laps to 21 laps.
Ingram overtook Cammish for the lead a lap later as the leading pair stayed on the dry tyre. However, his joy was short-lived as Chilton took the lead and enjoyed a massive grip advantage on the wet tyre. The champion pitted for wet tyres on Lap 10 as Nic Hamilton improved to fifth place on the wet tyres for Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown.
Chilton built a sizeable seven-second margin and took victory in Race 2 ahead of Morgan, with Sam Osborne inheriting third place after a disqualification for Ronan Pearson following a technical infringement.
In the third and final race at Donington, Cammish led the field from pole position ahead of his teammate Rowbottom who suffered a poor start, dropping to P5. Once again, the Safety Car emerged on the first lap, with Cammish leading in his Ford Focus ST ahead of Ingram. Halstead's Hyundai i30 got stuck in the gravel at Redgate after a collision causing the Safety Car.
Cammish perfected the restart on Lap 4 in what was now a 21-lap affair. Bobby Thompson clattered into Rowbotton at McLeans, pushing the Ford Focus ST into the gravel a lap later. A second neutralisation in Race 3 came to clear Osborne's damaged NAPA Racing UK machine from the track.
The Safety Car returned to the pits on Lap 7, and Cammish kept the lead as Ingram attacked him with Team BMW's Colin Turkington in third place. Later, Turkington lost two positions, allowing Sutton to take the final spot on the podium. Cammish went on to take his second victory of the day and the championship lead. Ingram took second place, with Sutton in third place to make up for his lacklustre first two races at Donington Park.
BTCC returns next month at Brands Hatch on May 6-7.
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