Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Ashley Sutton has won the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after a dramatic day of racing at Brands Hatch.
 
Colin Turkington's sensational race two win left Sutton with just a six point advantage going into the season finale and a nail biting climax seemed set to grip the legendary Kent circuit.
 
The action had already commenced in tumultuous fashion when pole-sitter Jack Goff spun away his advantage in the opening race amidst greasy conditions.
 
Having the unenviable task of being the first driver to run on the damp surface through one of motorsport’s most daunting corners – Paddock Hill Bend – Goff lost control of his Eurotech Racing Honda and ended up in the barrier.
 
Aiden Moffat – the BTCC’s youngest ever driver – went on to produce a mature defensive masterclass to win the race, with Tom Ingram and Sutton finishing second and third respectively.
 
Race two will live long in the memory as Team BMW’s Turkington kept his title chances alive with a sensational victory.
 
The double BTCC champion surged from 15th on the grid – making incredible pass after pass – to eventually muscle his way by long-time leader Moffat to clinch an emotional win. Turkington also had to get past title rival Sutton during a quite sublime performance, leaving the title race tantalisingly poised going into the 30th and final round.
 
A pre-race rain shower ahead of the showdown saw the vast majority of the field switching to Dunlop BluResponse wet tyres on the grid – further adding to the tension – with Turkington and Sutton among those leaving it late to make the change.
 
Turkington made a clean getaway from tenth on the grid with Sutton following his title rival just behind. The duo made their way through the order in the early running, but disaster struck Team BMW's Turkington just as he looked to have broken away from his main competitor.
 
Ingram's Toyota touched the Ford of Mat Jackson through Graham Hill Bend on lap two, forcing the latter wide on the exit of the turn. As Jackson's Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo car returned to the track there was unfortunate contact made with the oncoming 1-Series of Turkington.
 
It was immediately clear that the rear-right upright on Turkington's car had broken and his title dream was over. Sutton nipped through into fourth, although his advances were merely academic as Turkington's inevitable retirement meant the young Subaru star had already secured a fantastic maiden BTCC title, also becoming the youngest champion in the modern era.
 
The race win went to Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin – the third of his BTCC career – as he pulled clear of the chasing pack in fine style. As rain continued to descend on the famous Grand Prix circuit and Jack Goff claimed a hard-earned second place, which was just reward for the pace shown by the Eurotech Racing driver over the course of the weekend.
 
The loudest cheer, however, went to Sutton as he completed the podium positions after a pass by pole-sitter Michael Epps. Sutton's season statistics of six race wins and a total of 14 podiums are testament to the speed and brilliance shown by the 23-year-old, and the huge crowd rose as one to welcome home the new BTCC champion.
 
Ingram eventually finished fourth as he took Independent Drivers' honours, whilst also securing the Independent Teams' title for his Speedworks Motorsport squad. Furthermore, Ingram claimed third in the overall standings after seeing off the challenge from reigning champion Gordon Shedden.
 
Whilst facing initial disappointment for missing out on the overall Drivers' crown there was still huge joy for Team BMW as it took both the Manufacturers' and Teams' championships.
 
Power Maxed Racing’s Senna Proctor enjoyed another hugely competitive day as he finished his rookie campaign by lifting the coveted Jack Sears Trophy.

With the final curtain falling on another incredible Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, we will be back once again when the 2018 season gets underway here in Kent at Brands Hatch on 7/8 April.

Ashley Sutton (Adrian Flux Subaru Racing – Drivers’ Champion) said: “Nothing can top this, nothing at all. I feel sick inside because of the buzz! I can’t thank everyone enough, Adrian Flux Subaru Racing have done me so proud this year. Whatever Colin (Turkington) was doing, I was just trying to match during the opening laps, so he didn’t get out of sight. There was a coming-together involving Colin (Turkington) and somebody else and I got a radio call with the team saying he was out, and they told me to go and enjoy myself.
 
“Obviously the first round here back in April wasn’t ideal and we induced the rollercoaster after what happened at Silverstone but the team kept picking me up when I needed them. I’ve always been one to set targets throughout my career so far. Every championship I’ve been a part of, I’ve achieved my target. I did it last year with the Jack Sears Trophy and now to do what we wanted to do this year, it’s an unreal feeling and it’ll take a long time to sink in. Since the end of 2014, Warren (Scott) has been the one that has taken me under his wing and he’s the one who’s given me this opportunity and got me here today. I did that for him.”
 
Colin Turkington (Team BMW – Drivers’ Runner-up, Manufacturers’ Champions, Teams’ Champions) said: “We gave it everything and we fought to the end. I’m just disappointed for everybody in the team, although it’s still a great achievement to win the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles. The guys made the right choice to go on wet tyres and we were making really good progress, but we were just unlucky with the way things unfolded. Mat (Jackson) wouldn’t even have known I was there. It was nobody’s fault – I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and the cards didn’t fall our way. What can I say? We gave it our best shot.”
 
Tom Ingram (Speedworks Motorsport – Independent Drivers’ Champion, Independent Teams’ Champions) said: “Absolutely remarkable. What we have achieved this season is huge. We are a little team running out of a chicken shed, but I have never seen so much passion and commitment to get the job done. The pressure was certainly on in race three when Gordon got behind me but there was no way he was going to take that place from me. I know it’s a cliché but this really is what dreams are made of and it has been an incredible year.”

Senna Proctor (Power Maxed Racing – Jack Sears Trophy Champion) said: “We sealed the Jack Sears Trophy which was the goal this year. Power Maxed Racing have done a great job for me and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it’s gone. We had a couple of races that were the ones that got away but I’m buzzing to be back next year after a great season. It doesn’t seem like two minutes ago that we were here testing the Vauxhall Astra for the first time.”
 
Aiden Moffat (Laser Tools Racing – Brands Hatch race winner) said: “It’s a great way to end the season and a nice belated birthday present. The Laser Tools guys and the Ciceley Motorsport mob gave me a great car – it’s felt brilliant all weekend. After getting that first win at Donington Park, we thought we'd cracked it but it turned out to be a bit of a frustrating mid-season for us. It didn’t amount to anything but to get that win today is a great result.”
 
Rob Austin (Handy Motorsport – Brands Hatch race winner) said: “I made some silly mistakes in races one and two earlier today. I lost my grandmother at Silverstone and she was my biggest fan – this one was for her. We’re already working hard on the Alfa Romeo for next year, and we’ve got some fantastic partners so we’ll see what we can do. Well done to Ash Sutton for winning the title.”

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 28 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 15 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.345s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.499s
4 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +14.474s
5 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +15.802s
6 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +16.195s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +19.140s
8 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +29.547s
9 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +31.577s
10 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +41.344s
11 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +47.480s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +47.708s
13 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +49.110s
14 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +50.241s
15 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +50.667s
16 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +50.891s
17 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1m05.495s
18 Michael EPPS (GBR) TAG Racing +1m08.822s
19 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1m14.046s
20 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1m14.698s
21 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1m24.787s
22 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1m26.364s
23 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1m38.336s
24 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1 lap
25 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1 lap
26 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1 lap
27 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1 lap
28 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1 lap
29 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1 lap
DNF Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +13 laps

 

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 29 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 15 laps
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.605s
3 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2.246s
4 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +3.756s
5 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +5.923s
6 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +6.486s
7 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +6.832s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +7.252s
9 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +7.854s
10 Michael EPPS (GBR) TAG Racing +8.001s
11 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +8.563s
12 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +8.691s
13 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +8.958s
14 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +11.420s
15 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +11.810s
16 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +15.016s
17 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +15.290s
18 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +15.480s
19 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +15.644s
20 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +16.411s
21 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +16.730s
22 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +17.066s
23 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +22.090s
24 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +29.816s
25 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +31.169s
26 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +41.809s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +49.980s
28 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1 lap
29 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +7 laps

 

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 30 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport 17 laps
2 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +3.185s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +4.741s
4 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +10.965s
5 Michael EPPS (GBR) TAG Racing +13.978s
6 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +15.024s
7 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +15.330s
8 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +16.008s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +22.924s
10 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +24.538s
11 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +25.254s
12 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +27.654s
13 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +29.191s
14 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +31.374s
15 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +31.757s
16 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +31.924s
17 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +32.385s
18 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +32.540s
19 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +35.108s
20 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +35.319s
21 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +35.649s
22 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +37.243s
23 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +40.577s
24 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +42.337s
25 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +45.225s
26 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +45.749s
27 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +8 laps
28 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +10 laps
29 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +15 laps
30 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +16 laps

Rob Austin claimed his third career BTCC win at Brands Hatch. The official BTCC website caught up with the Handy Motorsport man following a fantastic day of racing:

Ashley Sutton claimed his maiden BTCC title at Brands Hatch. The official BTCC website caught up with Ash following a fantastic day of racing:

Power Maxed Racing's Senna Proctor claimed the Jack Sears Trophy after a fantastic season for the young rookie. The official BTCC website caught up with Senna following an exciting day of racing at Brands Hatch:

Tom Ingram claimed the Independent Drivers' as well as powering his Speedworks Motorsport squad to the Independents Teams' title. The official BTCC website caught up with Tom and team boss Christian Dick following an exciting day of racing at Brands Hatch:

Team BMW's Colin Turkington kept his title chances alive with a sensational victory in the second Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship race at Brands Hatch.

The double BTCC champion surged from 15th on the grid – making incredible pass after pass – to eventually muscle his way by long-time leader Aiden Moffat to clinch an emotional win. Turkington also had to get past title rival Ash Sutton during a quite sublime performance, and the latter now holds just a six point advantage going into this afternoon's nail biting season finale.

Moffat's Laser Tools Racing Mercedes made a good getaway from pole position, as Tom Ingram's Toyota tucked in behind, but a nervy Sutton was being shuffled down to sixth in his Subaru Levorg.

Turkington was up to 12th at the end of the first tour and he was soon into the top ten following moves by Rob Austin and Jack Goff. More heroics followed before Turkington's BMW 125i M Sport was hauled onto the back of Sutton's machine, and he scythed his way through on the run up to Druids on lap eight.

Further manoeuvres by Matt Neal, Tom Ingram and Gordon Shedden left Turkington looking at the rear of Moffat's Mercedes and the moment of truth came late on. Slight contact into Paddock Hill Bend saw Turkington cement P1 and complete one of the most memorable drives in recent history.

"I’ve still got the fight!" said Turkington. "What an amazing race. I wasn’t expecting to make that much progress but the strategy was really good. Obviously, I missed out in race one but with the soft tyre here and no weight the 1 Series was blinding. I had the fire in my belly, there’s too much at stake not to. The grip was there in the warmer part of the day once you make a few places up, you get a bit of confidence and we were strong in the right areas, so I could make the cutback and we were strong on the brakes too.

"Aiden (Moffat) was carrying full weight and driving a very defensive race – I came with so much more pace and was able to brake so much deeper. The disparity between the two cars at that point was pretty obvious and there was too much at stake to follow him around, so I may have just kissed him. I’m just going to try. A cup of tea is required! I’ll reset and we’ve got to do the same again. I thought after race one that it was too much of an ask but there are always twists and turns and I’m just going to give it everything. I’ve fought from day one to now, so I’ll keep trying."

When the dust settled it was the Halfords Yuasa Racing pairing of Shedden and Neal completing the podium positions, ahead of Mat Jackson's Motorbase-run Ford Focus and the recovering Moffat.

Ingram claimed sixth to move into an unassailable lead in the Independent Drivers' standings – a fantastic achievement from the young Toyota star.

"All credit goes to Speedworks," enthused Ingram. "They’ve done a splendid job to pull all this together. Without them all, I wouldn’t be able to do what we do. I’m so, so pleased. It’s huge for us. People may look down on it but there are some proper teams in this paddock.

"You look down the Independents’ table and there’s some real class in there. For us to come out on top with a race to spare is just amazing. Hopefully we can get the Independent Teams’ wrapped up now too. Gordon (Shedden) had a very good run that time, and had the pace on me and he managed to sneak past. It’s really good for us to be in the mix for third in the overall standings, too."

Goff, Austin and Michael Epps completed the top ten order, with the latter receiving more joy post-race when Murray Walker picked out the #1o ball during the reverse grid draw, meaning the VW driver will start the final race of the season from pole position.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 29 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW 15 laps
2 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +1.605s
3 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +2.246s
4 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +3.756s
5 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +5.923s
6 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +6.486s
7 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +6.832s
8 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +7.252s
9 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +7.854s
10 Michael EPPS (GBR) TAG Racing +8.001s
11 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +8.563s
12 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +8.691s
13 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +8.958s
14 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +11.420s
15 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +11.810s
16 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +15.016s
17 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +15.290s
18 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +15.480s
19 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +15.644s
20 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +16.411s
21 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +16.730s
22 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +17.066s
23 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +22.090s
24 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +29.816s
25 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +31.169s
26 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +41.809s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +49.980s
28 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +1 lap
29 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +7 laps

Aiden Moffat – the BTCC's youngest ever driver – produced a mature defensive masterclass to win the opening BTCC race at Brands Hatch.

Tom Ingram and Ash Sutton finished second and third, edging them closer to the Independents' and overall Drivers' titles respectively.

Pole-sitter Jack Goff endured a dramatic start as his Honda Civic Type R slid wildly through Paddock Hill Bend on the greasy conditions. Having the unenviable task of being the first driver to run on the damp surface through one of motorsport's most daunting corners, Goff lost control and his Eurotech Racing car ended up in the barrier.

Moffat inherited the lead and maintained the position for the full race distance, but the flying Scotsman's came under intense pressure throughout from Ingram and Sutton.

Championship leader Sutton initially held second before Ingram's Toyota carved past on the exit of Clearways on lap five.

The trio remained inseparable for the remainder with the pace fluctuating between them. Several passing attempts were made but the positions remained the same until the finish, as Moffat impressively secured his second BTCC career victory. 

"It’s a great way to end the season and a nice belated birthday present," said 21-year-old Moffat. "The Laser Tools guys and the Ciceley Motorsport mob gave me a great car – it’s felt brilliant all weekend. It was hard in those conditions, getting into the lead and becoming the guinea pig. It’s about being cautious and not leaving yourself open to getting passed. I love those kind of conditions, though. I like the car moving and I’m comfortable with that.

"It was a frustrating mid-season for us after getting that first win at Donington Park we thought we’d cracked it. It didn’t amount to anything but to get that today is a great result. It’s a shame what happened to Jack (Goff), but it obviously helped us. We would have had a good battle though, I’m sure. There’s a party tonight and I’m half tempted to call it quits now! For the next one we’ve just got to hold our own with the ballast and then fight again in race three."

Mat Jackson claimed fourth for Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo as his race was made slightly easier when Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin spun out of contention behind him.

Vauxhall claimed manufacturer honours in the race as Tom Chilton held off Power Maxed Racing team-mate Senna Proctor to take fifth.

Outgoing BTCC champion Gordon Shedden grabbed seventh, from 16th on the grid, and also took an extra championship point for fastest lap. 

BTC Norlin Racing's Dave Newsham had some nervy moments in the early laps but the experienced racer still scored a very credible eighth, ahead of the recovering Austin, whilst Halfords Yuasa Racing's Matt Neal rounded out the top ten.

The overall championship picture took a turn for the worse for Team BMW's Colin Turkington as he could only manage 15th and a solitary point. The BMW 125i M Sport seemed to struggle for grip as the rain drizzled down and the Ulsterman even lost a place on the final lap as contact with Mat Simpson's Honda let the AmD Audi of Ollie Jackson through.

Adrian Flux Subaru Racing's Sutton now holds a 24 point advantage over Turkington in the overall standing with 44 still on offer over the remainder of the day. The action is LIVE now on ITV4 and will be throughout the day as the destiny of this year's title is decided.

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Round 28 – Brands Hatch GP

1 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing 15 laps
2 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.345s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.499s
4 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +14.474s
5 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +15.802s
6 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +16.195s
7 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +19.140s
8 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +29.547s
9 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +31.577s
10 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +41.344s
11 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +47.480s
12 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing +47.708s
13 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +49.110s
14 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +50.241s
15 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +50.667s
16 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +50.891s
17 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing +1m05.495s
18 Michael EPPS (GBR) TAG Racing +1m08.822s
19 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1m14.046s
20 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1m14.698s
21 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1m24.787s
22 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1m26.364s
23 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1m38.336s
24 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1 lap
25 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +1 lap
26 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +1 lap
27 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +1 lap
28 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1 lap
29 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1 lap
DNF Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +13 laps

Eurotech Racing's Jack Goff grabbed his third pole position of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship whilst drama struck the title fight in qualifying at Brands Hatch.

Rain and red flags interrupted the early running as Brett Smith and Josh Cook were among those to go off in the greasy conditions, but it was all eyes on Team BMW's Colin Turkington whose car failed to start in the pitlane.

An electrical problem struck Turkington's BMW 125i M Sport, and would plague his machine for much of the session, although his West Surrey Racing team were able to make some use of the delay to rectify the issue whilst Cook's stricken MG was retrieved from the gravel.

Fellow title contender and championship leader Ash Sutton suffered no such problems, as he clocked a sensational lap to go second in his ballast-laden Subaru Levorg following the restart. The young Adrian Flux Subaru Racing star would be relegated down to third late on after Laser Tools Racing's Aiden Moffat rounded off his own impressive day with a stellar effort.

Moffat's Mercedes had been a front-runner in an earlier practice session, and he produced the goods when it mattered to make the front row for the second time in his BTCC career. Sutton looked to respond on his final lap – setting the fastest first sector overall – but he eventually fell short.

Third still represents a huge success for Sutton as Turkington's struggles continued until deep in the session. The multiple championship winning WSR squad did a great job to eventually get the Ulsterman out on track, but with little time to make significant inroads he could only set a time quick enough for 17th on the grid.

Back up front and Handy Motorsport's Rob Austin and Power Maxed Racing's Tom Chilton performed well to line-up fourth and fifth respectively, ahead of triple BTCC champion Matt Neal.

Tom Ingram and Speedworks Motorsport are targeting both Independents' titles this weekend and the Toyota star is nicely poised to fulfil those ambitions from seventh on the grid.

Local light Jake Hill hauled his TAG Racing VW CC around the 2.43-mile Grand Prix circuit to clinch eighth ahead of Adam Morgan's Mercedes and Jason Plato's Subaru.

So it is on to tomorrow's season finale, with three thrilling BTCC races set to decide the destiny of Britain's most coveted motor sport crown. Sutton holds a ten point lead over rival Turkington, as well as a 14-place advantage on the grid for the opener, but anything can happen in the BTCC.

A huge crowd is expected to attend the legendary Kent circuit with many more watching the live and exclusive action on ITV4, which will get underway at 10:30am.

Jack Goff said: "These boys at Eurotech Racing have given me three poles and Jeff (Smith) one – that’s more than anybody else on the grid and the Honda Civic Type R was fantastic. Being where we were in practice, we knew we had a quick car in the dry and when the rain came down, we thought our hard work was going to go to waste. We’re fully aware of a fast-starting rear-wheel drive Subaru around us but we’ll see what we can do. I’ve got nothing to lose. We’ve got the Independents’ to fight for but to go for that title, I need to go out and try and get the win here."

Aiden Moffat said: "It’s a nice change to be up at the right end of the grid after the last few qualifying sessions! Some of that has been down to bad luck, some has been small issues and some has been the driver not performing! The car felt brilliant; the Mercedes is always amazing round here. I want to thank the Laser Tools boys and the Ciceley crew for giving me a great car as always at this event. I always feel confident coming to Brands GP and we managed to put the lap together."

Ash Sutton said: "That couldn’t have gone any better for us, especially with the 14 place deficit to Colin (Turkington). The team were making me aware of that gap but they came over the radio though and said I needed four more tenths! You can never leave anything on the table and I was pushing. The start of the session was a complete write off with the weather and changing tyres over so with less than half a session to go at, it wasn’t a bad result. The car and Adrian Flux Subaru Racing have done me proud and I owe a lot to Jason who was towing me around. The 75kgs of success ballast hinder us and having that draft counteracts the ballast at least. It’s going to be a hunt for points. I know Colin’s more than capable of pushing up the order but I’ll be concentrating on my own race – I don’t need to do anything silly."

Colin Turkington said: "Obviously it was a very difficult session for the whole team. Rob (Collard) unfortunately didn’t get out, and then we found a problem on my car on the very first lap which forced us back into the pits for a long time. Thankfully, the boys managed to resolve the problem, but it left me with very little opportunity to set a representative lap time. As usual, we improved the car throughout free practice and qualifying, but the most frustrating thing is there is so much more pace still sitting in it – we just needed a few more laps to release a bit more time. On the positive side, I’m 17^th instead of 30^th, so at least I’m halfway up the grid but it obviously isn’t where we should be. We just need to reset now. The points are handed out tomorrow, not today, so it’s better that this happens now and whilst it’s always tough to make progress through the field, this is far from over."

2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – Qualifying – Brands Hatch GP

1 Jack GOFF (GBR) Eurotech Racing 1m30.802s (96.47mph)
2 Aiden MOFFAT (GBR) Laser Tools Racing +0.357s
3 Ashley SUTTON (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.363s
4 Rob AUSTIN (GBR) Handy Motorsport +0.459s
5 Tom CHILTON (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.481s
6 Matt NEAL (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.487s
7 Tom INGRAM (GBR) Speedworks Motorsport +0.502s
8 Jake HILL (GBR) TAG Racing +0.505s
9 Adam MORGAN (GBR) Ciceley Motorsport +0.530s
10 Jason PLATO (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.543s
11 Dave NEWSHAM (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.612s
12 Rory BUTCHER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.615s
13 Senna PROCTOR (GBR) Power Maxed Racing +0.653s
14 Matt SIMPSON (GBR) Simpson Racing +0.699s
15 Mat JACKSON (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +0.699s
16 Gordon SHEDDEN (GBR) Halfords Yuasa Racing +0.790s
17 Colin TURKINGTON (GBR) Team BMW +0.796s
18 Andrew JORDAN (GBR) BMW Pirtek Racing +0.807s
19 Chris SMILEY (GBR) BTC Norlin Racing +0.834s
20 Michael EPPS (GBR) TAG Racing +0.871s
21 Aron TAYLOR-SMITH (IRL) MG Racing RCIB Insurance +0.891s
22 Ant WHORTON-EALES (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +0.891s
23 James COLE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +0.901s
24 Josh PRICE (GBR) Adrian Flux Subaru Racing +1.209s
25 Stephen JELLEY (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +1.406s
26 Ollie JACKSON (GBR) AmDtuning.com with Cobra Exhausts +1.429s
27 Martin DEPPER (GBR) Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Duo +1.638s
28 Stewart LINES (GBR) Team Parker with Maximum Motorsport +2.979s
29 Josh COOK (GBR) MG Racing RCIB Insurance NO TIME
30 Brett SMITH (GBR) Eurotech Racing NO TIME

Team BMW’s Rob Collard has unfortunately had to withdraw from this weekend’s final Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship event of 2017 on medical grounds.

The Hampshire driver, who was involved in a high-speed accident during the recent event at Silverstone, returned to action in free practice this morning.

However, since the session, he has taken medical advice not to contest the remainder of the weekend.

We would like to send our very best wishes to Rob.

The Eurotech Racing duo of Brett Smith and Jack Goff set the pace in FP2 at Brands Hatch, and the two drivers spoke with the official BTCC website following the action: