Ashley Sutton brought the curtain down on his 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign in fine fashion at the final event of the season, claiming victory around the Grand Prix layout of Brands Hatch.

In what has been a rollercoaster season for the Adrian Flux Subaru Racing driver, the 25-year-old entered the season finale with his sights set on a big result; and duly delivered in front of a bumper trackside crowd.

The 2017 champion mastered the wet conditions in his rear-wheel-drive Levorg both throughout practice and in qualifying. Setting a best time which saw him second on the grid, Sutton put himself in contention for a strong race day.

Launching into the lead from the outside of the front row, Sutton held the early advantage in race one before being shuffled back to second shortly after. As the rain around the circuit began to intensify, the Subaru driver valiantly fought to stay amongst the front-runners.

With several drivers opting to pit for wet tyres, Sutton showcased his comprehensive car control to continue on the dry tyre compound, although the conditions ultimately didn't favour him in the end and he was relegated to 11^th.

Sutton’s crowning glory came in the penultimate race of the season as he served up a virtuoso performance to clinch his and the teams' first win of the year.

Starting on the sixth row of the grid, the former Jack Sears Trophy champion enjoyed an impressive opening lap, scything his way into third place by the end of the first tour.

Following a brief safety car period, Sutton was on the move once more and showcased his ruthless overtaking prowess to pass the Honda pairing of Matt Neal and Dan Cammish - taking the lead in the process.

From there, the Hertfordshire driver was unchallenged as he powered away into the distance to claim a 14th BTCC career win.

Starting tenth by virtue of the reverse grid draw, Sutton rounded off his season with more silverware as he produced another storming drive to clinch third place - despite being ladened with success ballast.

Working together with former team-mate Josh Cook, the Renault UK Clio Cup champion of 2015 worked his way into fourth early on and remained there until the closing stages when he overhauled Cook for third; signing off the year in style.

Tallying six podium finishes in total, Sutton ends the season eighth in the BTCC Drivers’ Championship whilst Adrian Flux Subaru Racing finished fourth and eighth in the BTCC Manufacturer/Constructors’ Championship and BTCC Teams’ Championship respectively. 

Subaru will leave the BTCC after the title-winning BMR Racing squad's four-year deal to field the Levorg came to an end.

“It’s been a tough season,” said Sutton, “so it is fantastic to round out the year with a win and some more silverware - the team have worked tirelessly throughout so it is a great reward for them all. I was going into the finale wanting to win a race and that is exactly what we achieved!

“We knew we would be strong after qualifying but the weather didn’t help us in race one. In race two though the car was hooked up as soon as the lights went out; I was into third by lap one and then it was just about picking my moments to take the lead. 

“Once I got out front it was relatively easy and I could dictate the pace, look after the tyres and bring it home. To finish third in the final race is the cherry on top and the perfect way to sign off 2019. 

“It has been no secret that this year has been a frustrating one, but we’ve kept pushing and reaped the rewards. It felt great to be in the fight on Sunday! It will be nice to relax for a little while, hit the reset button and then I’ll begin plotting for next year.”

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher concluded the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season in memorable style, with a return to the rostrum at their home circuit, Brands Hatch.

Closing off a rollercoaster season, the Kent-based squad made its return to the podium with two Independent race wins, and five top-ten results during the action-packed triple-header season finale.

An expert on the Brands Hatch GP layout, Tom Chilton kicked-off his final race meeting of the year with a stunning drive from 19^th to third in the weekend opener. Having struggled to find the perfect set-up in tricky qualifying conditions, the Reigate-racer made an intuitive call to switch to wets under the safety car appearance.

With tyre strategy coming into play as the rain fell in the closing laps, Chilton carved his way through the field with an exciting drive to snatch third from Rory Butcher as the pair charged across the finish line.

Having claimed his fourth podium of the year in race one, Chilton immediately followed up with another sterling drive in the #3 Focus RS. Avoiding an opening lap melee, the Ford battled hard against the lighter chasing pack to lead home the first-ever Motorbase Independent 1-2-3, securing his fourth Independent win of the year.

Any hopes of a third rostrum appearance were dashed in race three, with Chilton’s race abruptly brought to an end on lap two. Having made a promising start on the soft tyre, the 34-year-old looked to be in strong podium contention before contact resulted in a sideways slide for the #3 Focus, into the gravel trap at Westfield.

Recording his second-best points-scoring weekend of the season, Ollie Jackson also settled his maiden Motorbase BTCC season in fine style with three top-ten finishes on his home circuit. Coming through from 20^th on the grid to break into the top ten in race one, Jackson showed excellent race-craft and strong pace to follow up with a sixth-place finish in race two.

Starting from seventh in race three by virtue of the reversed grid draw, the 35-year-old produced one of his best drives of the year to bring the season to a close. Holding off title contenders Dan Cammish, Tom Ingram and a fast-charging Colin Turkington for over ten tours of the circuit, a solid defensive drive rewarded Jackson with an eighth-place finish in the #48 Focus RS.

Thanks to the outstanding performance, Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher ended its 2019 campaign as the highest points-scoring Independent team of the weekend – a fitting tribute to conclude its successful three-year partnership with Shredded Wheat.

"A nice way to sign 2019 off,” said Team Manager Oly Collins. “After a difficult qualifying on Saturday we started on the back foot, but it was a great performance from everyone today. The drivers were great, the team behind the scenes, and pit-stops, were spot on as well. It's always difficult in these conditions.

"The decisions were tricky all day with the weather being so changeable and that puts pressure on the engineers, mechanics, tyre guys, etc. to make the right decision and get the job done. So, coming away with some silverware and a brace of top ten results is good."

“We have lots of positives to take from race day,” said Chilton. “We went from 19th to third in race one and got an Indy win and third overall. I have to say what a great job the team did on the tyre change. I didn’t give them any warning and they were epically fast. I literally called for wets as I came into the pits and they did so well and so quickly that led to our podium finish.

“Race two we had ballast on so it was a bit tougher out on track, but we did a great job. The reverse grid hurt us a little bit, but I got a cracking start in race three. My tyres were geared up to come into play later in the race. I was just starting to feel like my peak was coming in before I was fired off. I genuinely feel that we could have had three podiums this weekend.

“What was great in race two was leading home my team-mates Ollie Jackson and Michael Caine for an Independent’s 1-2-3. That was a massive high. It’s been a hard year for the team so that was a great result and I’m very happy for everyone at Motorbase.”

“It looked like we were in for another sad turn of events this weekend but actually we turned it around on race day,” said Jackson. “We’ve been a bit experimental with the car set up this weekend and it’s really paid off. We’ve moved the car on, unfortunately it was right at the last round, but it’s been mega today. The car has been so different this weekend that we didn’t really crack the set-up for qualifying, but today we got it right and it paid off.

“It’s been an up and down season. To come here and race against the championship contenders as we have this weekend shows that we’ve got the pace and the team can do the job, which is massively important.”

BMW made it back-to-back Manufacturers’ titles in the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch last weekend, as Colin Turkington clinched a record-equalling fourth Drivers’ crown in the most dramatic fashion possible.
 
Turkington arrived at Brands’ legendary GP circuit – home to Formula 1’s British Grand Prix on 12 occasions between 1964 and 1986 – holding a 16-point lead in the pursuit of the most coveted prize in UK motorsport.
 
That margin was eroded, however, when intensifying rain over the second half of race one restricted the Northern Irishman to a fighting fifth-place finish. Having qualified on pole position for the third time in 2019, he led early on, but was ultimately powerless to withstand the attack of rivals who had pitted to switch over to wet-weather tyres during an early safety car period.
 
Turkington’s advantage was overturned altogether in race two, when a tag from another driver sent the Team BMW man into a spin and tumbling down to the tail of the order. That left him eight points shy of the lead going into the eagerly-anticipated finale, and with it all to do from 25th on the grid. A scintillating charge through the field secured sixth at the chequered flag – and with it, a supremely hard-earned fourth championship title.
 
BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan was similarly in the mix heading into the weekend, sitting 17 points adrift of the summit of the standings. He had reduced that deficit to just two points by the end of race three, courtesy of an eighth, second and fourth-place finish, as the 30-year-old came tantalisingly close to adding to his 2013 championship success.
 
The runner-up spot in the Drivers’ table was ultimately Jordan’s reward for a season in which he won more races than anybody else behind the wheel of BMW’s all-conquering new 330i M Sport.
 
Tom Oliphant concluded his maiden campaign with Team BMW with a sensational drive from 30th to a top ten finish in the finale. The 29-year-old proved his pace with fastest lap in race one despite the mixed conditions, before finding himself removed from contention on the opening lap of race two through no fault of his own – a setback that paved the way for his soaring charge in race three.
 
The results confirmed BMW’s sixth BTCC Manufacturers’ title, with Team BMW finishing second in the Teams’ classification and BMW Pirtek Racing sixth.

Colin Turkington, Driver, Team BMW, said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get close to Andy Rouse’s record [of four titles] – that’s amazing and very special. This has been my hardest championship yet by a long shot – to win it two laps from the end of the season is completely different to the other ones. It was the race of my life. My engineer told me that Dan [Cammish] was out, but I couldn’t see where Andrew [Jordan] was so I wasn’t sure if it was enough. I was in shock when I crossed the finish line and was told I was champion. It was just pure elation – nothing else in life gives you that feeling. I really do feel for both Andrew and Dan – it’s a bitter pill to swallow. You put in a full year’s work to try to win this, and I honestly thought it had got away from me after race two. Whenever you think you are out of it, though, there’s always a tiny little part of you that keeps believing, and we won this through hard work, grit and sheer determination.”

Tom Oliphant, Driver, Team BMW, said: “The weekend wasn’t kind to me as a whole, but I really enjoyed fighting through the field in race three – that was the way I wanted to finish the season. The track was finally consistent in that race, and I just gave it the full send and showed what this BMW is capable of. To finish inside the top ten from plum last on the grid was mega – I loved every second if it. It’s been a special year overall. It’s been a big step-up for me and I always knew it was going to be difficult, but my form over the second half of the season gives me a lot of confidence going into 2020. I’m with the best team, best car and best manufacturer – the work ethic here is absolutely phenomenal. We’ve rolled out three new cars and not had a single mechanical failure – I’m in awe of what we’ve accomplished, to be honest, and this is only the 3 Series’ first year. It’s a massive achievement.”

Andrew Jordan, Driver, BMW Pirtek Racing, said: “I don’t have many words, to be honest. There really wasn’t anything more I could have done. It’s just the one that got away. I was obviously up against it going into the weekend, but I gave it my absolute all. The weather couldn’t have made things much more difficult for us in race one – under the safety car, it was like a switch in terms of grip – but we fought back in race two. I needed to make progress and I was all guns blazing; I was coming through, as simple as that! We then came so close in race three – we certainly didn’t go down without a fight. At the end of the day, it wasn’t quite enough but the title wasn’t lost at Brands – it was lost at Donington Park back in April. We still come away from the season with six race wins, and I’m immensely proud of the job we’ve all done this year.”

On a frenetic final day of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Honda driver Dan Cammish produced epic drives to take a race win and assume the championship lead, only to miss out on the title by just two points after his first mechanical failure of the season in the final race.

Having arrived at the final meeting 16 points behind championship leader Colin Turkington, and with Turkington’s team-mate Andrew Jordan breathing down Cammish’s neck in the standings, the weekend did not begin auspiciously for the Halfords Yuasa Racing team. Set-up problems in qualifying relegated Cammish's Honda Civic Type R to 12^th on the grid and Matt Neal 13^th, with their BMW rivals first and third.

The #27 Honda made an excellent start in race one to jump to eighth, but the omens did not look good as Turkington quickly established a lead. As a safety car period closed up the field, rain began to fall and several runners, Neal included, dived into the pits for wet tyres.

Cammish could not risk giving up track position but also knew his rivals' cars did not favour damp conditions. Balancing his Honda's slick tyres on the increasingly greasy track, he scythed through the field. Jordan and Turkington were quickly disposed of, before Cammish rounded leader Rory Butcher in a brave move that had the crowd holding their breath.

The Leeds driver took the win and was chased home, remarkably, by Neal. Another fast tyre change by the Halfords Yuasa Racing mechanics set the three-time champion up for a charge through the field on his wet rubber, to complete a memorable race for the Honda team.

From pole position in race two, Cammish assumed the lead but Neal was beaten away by the fast-starting Turkington. As the Honda tried to fight back the two made contact and Turkington spun to the back of the field.

In tricky conditions on a drying track, Cammish was determined to drive with a championship mindset and when threatened by rivals Ash Sutton and Jordan, the Honda man did not fight too hard. Third at the flag, with Turkington not scoring, propelled Cammish into an eight-point championship lead with one race to go.

Neal, meanwhile, was forced to give best to old sparring partner Jason Plato, but when Plato spun sideways on the last lap the Honda driver regained the place to come home fourth and secure the 2019 Teams' title for Halfords Yuasa Racing. 

The reverse draw for the final round put Cammish into eighth starting spot. He dropped behind the fast-starting Jordan at the start, but kept his rival in sight and even when passed by Turkington remained in the points lead, only to have the championship snatched away on the penultimate lap when a mechanical failure pitched the Honda off the circuit and out of the race.

Neal finished 13th after a tumultuous race from 13^th on the grid, but all of the team's thoughts were with his team-mate, missing out on the Drivers' title by just two points after a highly competitive season. The Halfords Yuasa Racing team had again been firmly in the title battle to the end and will now focus on returning even stronger in the 2020 season that starts at Donington Park on 29 March.    
 
“My first non-finish of I think two seasons,” said Cammish, “and the first time I haven't finished on the lead lap this season. Congratulations to Colin Turkington, he's a worthy champion. I’m disappointed more than anything. It’ll take a little while to sink in that I’ve lost it in that fashion, but that’s the way it is. Obviously Colin has had a great year, but I've taken the title fight right to the end, which is testament to the team and the Honda. We’ve done a lot of good racing this year, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and that first race was mega regardless.

"It’s going to take me a little while to recover from that one. But I’ll be back more determined. It’s tough, it’s a long year and a lot of sacrifice, it’s tough on everyone, not just the driver. And to come within two points of being champion, you never know it might be the only chance I get, you just don’t know what the future will bring for any of us, but I gave it my all and it just wasn’t meant to be.”

To celebrate the end of another successful season for the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, we are launching a new award to allow fans to name their top driver from the 2019 season ahead of the annual TOCA Night of Champions.

The Fans' Driver of the Year will be chosen through a special poll that will run through the official BTCC App, with users given the opportunity to log their vote when they next visit the app.

The driver who secures the most votes will then be announced during the Night of Champions, which takes place on Saturday, November 23rd.

Every person registered on the BTCC App will be eligible to vote for one of the 32 drivers who appeared on track in the series this season.

Simply log in to the BTCC App – available via the App Store and Google Play - and log your vote when asked.

Voting closes at 5pm on Monday 18th November.

BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan came agonisingly close to a second Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship title after a dramatic season finale at Brands Hatch.

Jordan went into the weekend sitting third in the championship standings, and needing to try and overturn a 17-point deficit to fellow BMW driver Colin Turkington to secure the crown on what was his final weekend under the Pirtek Racing banner.

Qualifying would be a challenging affair thanks to wet weather conditions, with Jordan securing third place on the grid despite a trip into the gravel that resulted in his session being brought to an early end.

With rain in the air ahead of race one, Jordan held position through the opening lap before losing out to Rory Butcher and Jake Hill on lap two, leaving him running fifth before the race went behind the safety car.

The rain would then start to fall, making conditions particularly tricky for the rear-wheel drive cars as the action resumed. Continuing to run fifth until the final lap, Jordan would ultimately end up eighth after losing three spots to drivers who had gambled on a switch to wet tyres during the safety car period.

Having made up two spots at the start of the second race, which was once again held in wet conditions, Jordan was aware of the need to try and fight his way forward, with team-mate Turkington running outside the points following an incident on lap one.

After an early safety car period, Jordan quickly made up places and had got himself into third behind Dan Cammish,­ the other title contender,­ when the safety car was deployed for a second time.

Battling ahead of Cammish after the re-start, Jordan secured second place to go into the season finale 13 points away from the championship lead.

With the reverse grid draw leaving him ninth on the grid for race three, Jordan had no option but to attack on what was now a dry track, and kept himself ahead of Cammish on the opening lap.

A series of committed moves allowed him to fight his way forwards into the top four and although Cammish would retire two laps from home after a brake issue, a sixth-place finish for Turkington meant Jordan missed out on the title by just two points.

Instead, he ended the season as runner-up ahead of Cammish by virtue of a superior win record, having won more races than anyone else over the course of the season.

“It’s hard to find the words to express how I really feel,” said Jordan. “Coming into the weekend, I knew it was going to be a challenge to try and overturn the gap in the points but I also knew that anything could happen in the races and that was how it panned out.

“After the second race, I had no option but to push as hard as I could in race three and I don’t think I could have done anything else. I gave it everything I had and we came so close, but ultimately it wasn’t quite enough.

“I’m proud of the way I’ve performed this season and to have been in contention for the title having missed two races at Donington Park shows how strong I’ve been. I feel I’ve gelled well with the 330i M Sport this year and the team has done a fantastic job with a new car, and I’m pleased to have helped them to win the Manufacturers’ title again.

“Of course it would have been great to end my time with Pirtek Racing with the championship title but I’ll forever be thankful for their support through the years. We have enjoyed so much success together on-track and have created memories that will live with me forever.”

Cobra Sport AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing enjoyed a stunning end to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season as it successfully wrapped up no fewer than three titles during the final rounds of the year.
 
The West Thurrock-based team went into the weekend chasing both Independent class titles and also in the lead of the Jack Sears Trophy, with drivers Rory Butcher and Mike Bushell keen to make most of the pace of the Honda Civic Type R (FK2) around the full Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.
 
Fife racer Butcher qualified in a solid fifth place in tricky conditions in qualifying as the best placed front wheel drive car in the session, and a strong start to the opening race saw him move up into third spot by the end of lap two ahead of title hopeful Andrew Jordan.
 
After an early safety car period, and with rain starting to fall, Butcher fought his way ahead of Ash Sutton and Colin Turkington to hit the front and would lead until the 16^th lap when a charging Dan Cammish found a way through.
 
Running in a comfortable second, Rory only missed out on a podium on the final lap when Matt Neal and Tom Chilton managed to get ahead, having gambled on a switch to wet tyres behind the safety car.
 
With Josh Cook retiring from the race, second amongst the Independent class racers saw Rory close right in on his rival in the race for the title.
 
A tough opening lap in race two saw Butcher forced to take avoiding action when two cars clashed ahead, which dropped him down the order to run outside the top ten. However, he fought back well to take the flag in ninth spot, bringing the gap to Cook down to a single point going into race three.
 
It was a result that also wrapped up the Jack Sears Trophy title after his only rival Tom Oliphant retired.
 
Aware that the final race of the weekend was a case of ‘winner takes all’ in terms of the Independent title, Butcher found himself running in fourth at the end of the opening lap and then battled up into the podium places with Cook on his tail.
 
Knowing that he had to keep the newer-gen Civic at bay, Butcher produced one of his best drives of the season to secure the position and wrap up his second title of the weekend.
 
On his third outing in the car, Bushell put the sister Honda ninth on the grid for the opening race with a solid performance in qualifying, although he would slip back to eleventh in the opening laps.
 
The former Clio Cup UK champion then started to make his way forwards however, and had climbed into the top ten before the safety car period to allow the similar Honda of Matt Simpson to be recovered from the gravel at Paddock Hill.
 
Continuing to make good progress, Bushell climbed up to fourth going into the final lap although, like Rory, he would lose out to Neal and Chilton on the final lap to end up in sixth.
 
A strong start to race two saw Bushell jump up into fifth spot on the opening lap, but his hopes of trying to push towards the podium were ended by a drive through penalty for being slightly out of position at the start.
 
Dropping to the back of the field, he raced well to come through to 18^th at the finish, and then came close to a points finish in race three with 16^th in the season finale.
 
The combined efforts of the two drivers ensured that Cobra Sport AmD with AutoAid RCIB Insurance Racing successfully wrapped up the Independent Teams’ Championship.
 
Shaun Hollamby, Cobra Sport AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing Team Principal, said: “We had three trophies we were aiming for at the start of the season and to have won them all is absolutely fantastic. I’m delighted for the whole team because we have worked so hard and it has a been a massive team effort.
 
“We made some big improvements over the winter and the support of Cobra, AutoAid, RCIB and GardX has been key as their investment in us allowed us to strengthen and move forwards. We were able to get the right calibre of driver in as success like this doesn’t happen if you don’t have the right drivers. Huge thanks have to go to Rory, Sam [Tordoff] and Mike for their efforts.
 
“Rory was fantastic all year and the final race was his best of the season to hold off Josh like he did. Mike also did well again stepping in for Sam, who played a massive part in what we have achieved this year and who I know is happy at our success.
 
“Now it’s time for a few beers!”
 
Rory Butcher, #6 Cobra Sport AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing Honda Civic Type R, said: “I think being the chaser for the Independent title was the best thing for me coming into the weekend, as every race I just pushed hard to get as much as I could from it. I knew in race three that Josh would drive his socks off in the early laps to get to me and I had to drive at 100 per cent from the start. That was the hardest I’ve driven the car all year – it was to the maximum.
 
“To come away from the weekend with the Independent title and the Jack Sears Trophy for me personally, and to finish in the top five overall, is absolutely fantastic and I think it will take some time to sink in. It’s hard to believe what we have achieved.
 
“For the team to also win the Independent Teams’ title and finish third overall is brilliant, and you can see in the eyes of the guys in the team just how much it means to them. I’m so pleased to be part of this team and to have had this opportunity, and I’m also happy for all of my sponsors and for the team sponsors who have made it possible.”
 
Mike Bushell, #21 Cobra Sport AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing Honda Civic Type R, said “I put in so much effort alongside Rory this season and I’m not ashamed to say I cried when he was getting his trophies. For us to have led the overall championship at one stage, and to win the Independent title has been a phenomenal effort.
 
“Personally, I’m a bit annoyed with myself for being an inch over the line ahead of race two as I was comfortable in fifth place before the drive through penalty, and that really ended the weekend for me as race three was a case of just bringing the car home in one piece.
 
“I’ve enjoyed doing these final three rounds and it was nice to hear David Addison comment on TV that it was a case of what might have been if I’d been in the car for a full season. It shows that people have taken notice of how I’ve performed, and it’s been nice to have a chance to get out on track in a top level car and race with the big names towards the front.”

Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing returned to winning ways at Brands Hatch for Rounds 28, 29 and 30 of the Kwik Fit MSA British Touring Car Championship, the final weekend of the 2019 season.

The Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit offers a real challenge to both engineers and drivers with a focus on traction and high-speed stability. For race fans, much of the hard graft put in by the drivers is hidden in the trees of the Grand Prix loop, before the cars burst back into view at Clearways with the Indy circuit.

For Vauxhall Astra driver Rob Collard, Brands Hatch offered another chance to add to his two podiums in his first season back in a front-wheel drive car for a decade.

As qualifying commenced, Collard immediately slid wide into the Paddock Hill gravel. The Indy section of the track proved slippery throughout the session, with both drivers finding a lack of grip relative to the long middle sector.

With the ideal window for lap-time coming after the first of three red flags, Jason Plato lost his fastest lap with a big slide at Surtees, while Collard still found the rear of car #9 too loose.

The final restart saw both drivers struggle to move forward, consigning Plato and Collard to a challenging race day starting 16th and 25th - including a two place penalty carried over from Silverstone - respectively.

With threatening skies and a slippery surface, Race 1 was certainly a challenge. From 25^th on the grid, Collard made a good start, gaining two places on the opening laps before progress was halted by the first safety car on lap five. Teammate Plato also made ground immediately, moving from 16th forward three places.

Looking to move through the train directly in front, Plato caught the slippery kerb entering Stirlings and slid across the grass, dropping right back, with Collard making more progress up ahead in 18th, before a Safety Car neutralised the field.

The Safety Car came in on lap 11, and by lap 14, despite being on slicks on an increasingly wet track, Collard was in an excellent 11^th with Plato flying in 19th but five seconds a lap quicker on his wets. By lap 16 car #11 was the quickest on track, now another position ahead, whilst Rob was starting to struggle for grip as he dropped to 13th.

A dramatic final lap saw Plato move through to 14^th, running out of laps, whilst for Collard the chequered flew a few laps too late on his slicks, to cross the line in 15^th­.

The rain continued into race two, with all 30 cars on wet tyres. Both PMR drivers produced impressive opening laps as Plato moved forward five placed and Collard three. Others didn’t fare so well as Paddock claimed three more victims on the opening lap, once again bringing out the Safety Car.

The lap four restart saw Collard move forward again, looking very racy as he moved into P11. By lap eight he had consolidated his position whilst Plato’s Vauxhall Astra came alive as he moved into seventh, setting off after the leaders, only for yet another Safety Car intervention on lap ten.

Restarting on Lap 12, contact at Druids resulted in Collard finding himself in 17^th, with smoke pouring from the right rear tyre under load. Although still lapping at a competitive pace, unstable handling meant the #9 car was destined to hold station until the finish.

By lap 17, Plato was catching Cammish and Jordan ahead hand over fist, a podium looked very much on the cards only for Plato to trip over the rear of Cammish’s car as they entered Hawthorns, dropping his left-rear tyre onto the grass. With the Astra fully sideways, Plato exemplified his car control to gather it all up on the wet grass but couldn’t stop losing the places he had just gained, falling back to seventh but delighting the amassed crowd in the process.

Collard started the final race of both the day and the 2019 Championship in a frustrated and somewhat aggrieved 17^th on the grid, with Jason getting the fifth berth in the reverse grid draw.

As the red lights went out, the #11 Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra catapulted from the third row into third as the field went into Paddock. A lap later, Plato made a confident move down the inside of Proctor at Stirlings for second and immediately set off after the leader, closing in around the remainder of lap two before sliding inside on the exit of Clearways to cross the line victorious, clearly the fast car on the track.

Further back, Collard was struggling to get his tyres into their performance window, losing a place. By lap six, Plato had extended his lead to a healthy three seconds whilst Collard was being hit from pillar to post as he dropped to 22^nd.

With dusk drawing in, the field made for a dramatic sight with headlights ablaze and the BTCC driver with series' win record leading the way. It was a win that was never in doubt as Plato celebrated over the radio on the final lap to record his 97^th BTCC career victory.

After mid-distance Collard was starting to lap at front running pace and started to recover some lost ground, moving into an eventual 18^th.

“We’ve got the ingredients of a very fast car,” said Collard, “Jason proved that by winning race three. Going away from here I’m disappointed, I’ve been knocked from pillar to post and it’s been a really frustrating weekend. I just haven’t quite found that ultimate pace in the car, so there’s homework to do there I think. But it’s been fantastic to be a part of the PMR story; the team really are becoming a dominant force within the BTCC, and the Vauxhall brand is synonymous with winning, so it’s great to be associated with the brand.”

“A mega end to the year!” Said Plato. “The last couple of years have been really awful for me, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this year. Never in my career have I got in a car and knew I wouldn’t do well, and after two years of thinking exactly that, joining PMR has taken me back to how it should be. To rebuild it all back up again is great; we’ve ended the year brilliantly, and we’ve been genuinely fast. Mojo’s back – thank you PMR.”

“What a finish to the most enjoyable season I’ve had in the BTCC,” said Team Principal Adam Weaver. “I can’t thank JP, Rob, the team and sponsors enough-without you all, we would be nothing, and this year (and especially today) has reminded me exactly why we do this!”

“This weekend has been frustrating, as have most this year,” said Technical Director Martin Broadhurst. “But I couldn’t be prouder of JP and the team for bringing home the win in arguably the biggest race of the year. It’s been a long time coming! Both Jason and Rob have had hurdles to overcome this year, and its only bad luck that have robbed them of other victories. I’m looking forward to talking to both of them over the winter break and seeing what happens for the 2020 season.”

Team BMW’s Colin Turkington was crowned a record-equalling four-time BTCC champion in the most dramatic of circumstances after an unforgettable finale at Brands Hatch earlier today (13 October).
 
Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish kicked off proceedings in superb style by claiming the most important victory of his BTCC career to-date, before Adrian Flux Subaru Racing’s Ash Sutton scored his first win of the season.
 
The 30th and final round of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will live long in the memory with Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing's Jason Plato winning the race – his first of the year – whilst the fight for the title went down to the wire.
 
Cammish would face heartbreak with around four miles of the season remaining, whilst Turkington scythed his way from 25th on the grid to claim a sixth-place finish, ensuring that he leapfrogged Cammish by just two points in the overall standings.
 
Honda man Cammish came into the weekend with it all to do – 16 points in arrears to Turkington – and his task seemed even harder when his BMW rival dominated qualifying on Saturday.
 
Andrew Jordan, Josh Cook and Tom Ingram completed the quintet of drivers with a chance of winning the championship coming into the final weekend, but five soon became three after a frenetic opener at the famous Kent circuit.
 
Cammish surged from 12th to first as intensifying rain helped to produce one of the most exciting races of 2019.
 
Pole-sitter Turkington lost the lead off the line to Sutton’s Subaru and the pair began an intriguing battle for the lead in the early stages. Turkington’s BMW 3 Series squeezed back by at Druids a few tours later and the reigning champion was now holding a 28-point advantage in the live standings.
 
All that was to change, however, when Matt Simpson’s Honda went off at Paddock Hill Bend, bringing out the safety car.
 
Rory Butcher grabbed the lead at the restart in his AmD-run Honda, as the rear-wheel drive BMWs and Subarus struggled in greasy conditions.
 
Cammish was scything his way through the order as the handling of the Honda Civic Type R proved to be the standout contender in changeable weather, and he soon disposed of BMW Pirtek Racing’s Jordan. Sutton and Turkington were next to be pushed down the order by Cammish and the moment of truth followed on lap 16.
 
Race leader Butcher held the inside line through Paddock Hill Bend but Cammish hauled his Honda around the outside at one of the most daunting corners in the world. The Yorkshireman emerged in the lead and never looked back. 
 
Matt Neal – having switched to Dunlop BluResponse wet tyres during the earlier safety car period – made a number of moves on the final lap, bringing Tom Chilton’s Motorbase-run Ford Focus through with him. The experienced duo eventually completed the podium, further relegating BMW’s title contenders in the process.
 
Things improved even further for Cammish when he moved to the summit of the overall standings with just one race of the campaign remaining.
 
Cammish led race two from pole position but immediately came under attack from the fast starting BMW of Turkington, after he had blasted through the order from fifth on the grid.
 
Honda’s Neal fought back from third as they ran through Graham Hill Bend for the first time and contact was made with Turkington’s 3 Series, spinning the latter down the order. Turkington immediately pitted to take a gamble on slick tyres, a decision that ultimately failed to pay off, meaning the incident with Neal handed Cammish the championship lead.
 
The wet/dry contest eventually went the way of Sutton as he made impressive moves past both manufacturer-backed Hondas, whilst Jordan kept his title hopes alive in second with Cammish settling for third.
 
The final race of the year belonged to BTCC legend Plato as he grabbed a first victory in nearly two years, a result that has been on the cards for much of the season.
 
Plato was able to get by early leader Stephen Jelley, before the Vauxhall Astra driver pulled away to take a comfortable victory from Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance’s Rory Butcher and Adrian Flux Subaru Racing’s Sutton, but it was all eyes on the battles behind.
 
Turkington – starting the race in 25th and eight points behind then standings leader Cammish – ripped through the order from the outset, making up ten places on the opening lap alone. The #1 BMW was soon inside the top ten, just behind the similarly charging Toyota of Tom Ingram, and the duo had swarmed up behind Cammish’s Honda Civic Type R.
 
Having nipped past Ingram’s Toyota Corolla, Turkington then squeezed by Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Cammish at Druids with four laps to go.
 
Whilst Turkington was now reducing the points deficit, Cammish was still in command of the overall standings lead knowing that eighth position was good enough for a maiden BTCC title.
 
With seemingly no end to the drama, Cammish suffered heartache with just a lap and a half of the campaign remaining, having previously been the only driver to have completed every single racing lap of the season so far.
 
As Cammish sped towards Hawthorn Bend – his brake discs already glowing – the #27 Honda suffered with brake failure and continued straight on and into the barrier at one of the fastest corners on the circuit. 
 
In the blink of an eye, Cammish’s championship dreams were over and Turkington’s despair had turned to ecstasy, the Northern Irishman eventually passing the chequered flag to equal Andy Rouse’s record of winning four British Touring Car Championships.
 
Jordan and Cammish eventually ended up on the same number of points, just two behind champion Turkington. 
 
BMW also claimed overall Manufacturers’ honours, whilst Halfords Yuasa Racing was rewarded with the Teams’ title.
 
Butcher and Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance scooped Independents’ silverware, whilst the Scotsman also won the Jack Sears Trophy.
 
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will return in 2020, again comprising of 30 races across ten race weekends. In a shake-up to the calendar, Donington Park will host the opening event on 28/29 March.
 
Colin Turkington, Drivers’ Champion, said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get close to Andy Rouse’s record [of four titles] – that’s amazing and very special. This has been my hardest championship yet by a long shot – to win it two laps from the end of the season is completely different to the other ones. I was in shock when I crossed the finish line and was told I was champion. It was just pure elation – nothing else in life gives you that feeling. I really do feel for both Andrew and Dan – it’s a bitter pill to swallow. You put in a full year’s work to try to win this, and I honestly thought it had got away from me after race two.”
 
Andrew Jordan, Drivers’ Runner-up, said: “I don’t have many words, to be honest. There really wasn’t anything more I could have done. It’s just the one that got away. I was obviously up against it going into the weekend, but I gave it my absolute all. The weather couldn’t have made things much more difficult for us in race one – under the safety car, it was like a switch in terms of grip – but we fought back in race two. I needed to make progress and I was all guns blazing; I was coming through, as simple as that! We then came so close in race three – we certainly didn’t go down without a fight. We still come away from the season with six race wins, and I’m immensely proud of the job we’ve all done this year.”
 
Dan Cammish, Third overall, said: “You can’t write that sort of finish. I think I would have sealed it in the position I was in, it’s disappointing obviously and it will take a little to sink in that I’ve lost it in that fashion. We’ve done a lot of racing and I’m proud of our achievements, and that performance in race one today was one of my best. It’s a long year, it’s a lot of sacrifice and it’s tough on everyone to come within two points of winning the championship. I’ll come back stronger. I’ve given it my all but it just wasn’t meant to be today.”
 
Rory Butcher, Independent Drivers’ Champion, said: “It has been an unbelievable year and I can’t really put it into words. This is such a competitive series but the team have put such a great package together. We’ve ended up with both Independents’ cups and the Jack Sears Trophy, as well as a top five in the overall standings – we’ve reached all of our targets and the plan is to come back and challenge for overall honours again next season. There have been some ups and downs, and some weekends have been better than others, but this has been the best one yet.”

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 28 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing 18 laps
2 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +7.882s
3 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +8.306s
4 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +8.624s
5 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +10.370s
6 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +11.057s
7 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +11.916s
8 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +12.634s
9 Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +14.878s
10 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +15.919s

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 29 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing 18 laps
2 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +5.223s
3 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +7.158s
4 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +7.882s
5 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +10.225s
6 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +11.173s
7 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +11.451s
8 Michael CAINE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +11.895s
9 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +12.177s
10 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +12.259s

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 30 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing 15 laps
2 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +0.958s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.767s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +4.248s
5 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +5.333s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +13.598s
7 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Team Toyota GB with Ginsters +14.103s
8 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +16.810s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +17.346s
10 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +17.653s

Penalties:

Race 1:

Mike Bushell was officially reprimanded and had his licence endorsed by the addition of two penalty points for an incident involving Chris Smiley

Dan Cammish was penalised by the addition of five seconds to his race time for an incident involving Tom Oliphant

Race 2:

Matt Neal was officially reprimanded and received a five-place grid penalty for an incident involving Colin Turkington. His licence was also endorsed by the addition of three penalty points

Carl Boardley was verbally warned for an incident involving Sam Osborne

Race 3:

Josh Cook was formally reprimanded and had his licence endorsed by the addition of two penalty points for an incident involving Tom Chilton

Team BMW's Colin Turkington was crowned a record-equalling four-time BTCC champion in the most dramatic of circumstances after an unforgettable finale at Brands Hatch.

Round 30 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will live long in the memory as Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing's Jason Plato won the race – his first of the season – whilst the fight for the title incredibly went down to the wire.

"It’s great to win and it’s been a long time coming this year," said Plato. "I’ve made mistakes and had parking issues. We made a couple of changes for this one that worked. I’ve had such a brilliant year and I’ve got my mojo back. I’m back in the bus getting told off so that means I’m getting competitive. We need to develop and the work starts now for 2020. Everyone said I was too old but I knew different. We can see now, in a competitive car, I can still win."

Plato was able to get by early leader Stephen Jelley, before pulling away to take a comfortable victory from Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance's Rory Butcher and Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Ash Sutton, but it was all eyes on the battles behind.

Turkington – starting the race in 25th and eight points behind then standings leader Dan Cammish – ripped through the order from the outset, making up ten places on the opening lap alone. The #1 BMW was soon inside the top ten, just behind the similarly charging Toyota of Tom Ingram, and the duo had swarmed up behind Cammish's Honda Civic Type R.

Having nipped past Ingram's Toyota Corolla, Turkington then squeezed by Halfords Yuasa Racing's Cammish at Druids with four laps to go.

Whilst Turkington was now reducing the points deficit, Cammish was still in command of the overall standings knowing that eighth position was good enough for a maiden BTCC title.

With seemingly no end to the drama, Cammish would face heartache with just a lap and a half of the season remaining, having previously completed every single race lap of the season so far.

As Cammish sped towards Hawthorn Bend – his brake discs already glowing – the #27 Honda suffered with brake failure and continued straight on and into the barrier at one of the fastest corners on the circuit. 

In the blink of an eye, Cammish's championship dreams were over and Turkington's despair had turned to ecstasy, the Northern Irishman eventually passing the chequered flag to equal Andy Rouse's record of winning four British Touring Car Championships.

"That was so hard," said Turkington. "We’ve had such a tough day. That was the race of my life. I got my head down and got stuck in. I couldn’t believe after one lap I was on the pack. I could see Andrew (Jordan) and Dan (Cammish) so I just kept fighting and fighting. I was determined to get past Dan and I knew I could put the pressure on him. I don’t know what happened to him. Thank you to everyone at home and my fans.

"It’s all about that moment when I jumped on my roof there. You can’t get that emotion anywhere else. I just wanted to be number one this year. Records are great but all our hard work was dedicated to that. We just never gave up. I thought we were done when the slick tyres didn’t switch on in race two. I thought even after the spin I could catch them and make up ground but they didn’t. To come from P25 to wherever I finished in this one is much better than a win. Thank you to all the people at home and all my fans in Northern Ireland – it means so much."

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Round 30 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Jason PLATO (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing 15 laps
2 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +0.958s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.767s
4 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +4.248s
5 Josh COOK (GBR) BTC Racing +5.333s
6 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +13.598s
7 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Team Toyota GB with Ginsters +14.103s
8 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +16.810s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Mac Tools with Ciceley Motorsport +17.346s
10 Tom OLIPHANT (GBR) Team BMW +17.653s
11 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker Racing +18.758s
12 Jake HILL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +19.409s
13 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +19.786s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +19.931s
15 Bobby THOMPSON (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +23.307s
16 Mike BUSHELL (GBR) Cobra Sport AmD AutoAid/RCIB Insurance +23.724s
17 Michael CAINE (GBR) Motorbase Performance +24.171s
18 Rob COLLARD (GBR) Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing +24.800s
19 Carl BOARDLEY (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport +31.345s
20 Mark BLUNDELL (GBR) TradePriceCars.com +32.646s
21 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +32.916s
22 Rob SMITH (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +34.070
23 Dan CAMMISH (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2 laps
24 Sam OSBORNE (GBR) Excelr8 Motorsport +2 laps
25 Daniel ROWBOTTOM (GBR) Cataclean Racing with Ciceley Motorsport +3 laps
26 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +10 laps
27 Michael CREES (GBR) GKR Scaffolding with Autobrite Direct +12 laps
28 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher +14 laps
29 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Racing +15 laps
DNS Jack GOFF (GBR) RCIB Insurance with Fox Transport