Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport
Photo by: JEP
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Jake Hill emerged as the 2024 British Touring Car champion after a thrilling showdown on a wet Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit.
Hill battled his West Surrey Racing-run BMW 330e M Sport through from sixth on the grid to defeat title rival and 2022 champion Tom Ingram, but it was Ash Sutton who took a stunning victory in the race by over 10 seconds.
The title was pretty much a case of who out of Hill and Ingram finished ahead, and it looked to be in the hands of the Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N Fastback star in the early knockings.
After a frantic first couple of laps, Ingram was fourth while Hill was sixth, but then the Laser Tools-liveried BMW finally got the better of its battle with the Alliance Racing Ford Focus ST of Dan Cammish to move up to fifth and into Ingram’s mirrors.
On the fifth lap, Hill went around the outside of Ingram at Surtees and, as they both pressed the hybrid button on the long back straight, he was able to claim the inside line for Hawthorn’s and grab fourth place.
Ingram attempted to fight back Westfield but had to give best to Hill.
Up front, Josh Cook had led from pole in his Speedworks Motorsport-run LKQ Toyota Corolla GR Sport, but Sutton was throwing moves in his mirrors in his NAPA-liveried Alliance Ford.
Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus ST
Photo by: JEP
On the sixth lap, Sutton threw the Ford down the inside of the Toyota into Graham Hill Bend. Aron Taylor-Smith, lying third in his Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra, then made contact with Cook, and the Irishman’s lost momentum allowed Hill up another spot into third.
Ingram was past Taylor-Smith a lap later, but the gap to Hill was now three seconds, and he was unable to erode it.
Hill, indeed, wasn’t finished, and on the ninth lap of 15 he took advantage of a slide from Cook at Graham Hill Bend to move up into second.
Up front, Sutton took the flag by a monstrous 10.269 seconds from the delirious Hill, while Cook completed the podium.
Ingram faded to drop behind Cammish and Colin Turkington to sixth.
The top 10 was rounded out by Sam Osborne, Andrew Watson, Aiden Moffat and Adam Morgan.
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Source: Autosport