Cammish Dominates BTCC Brands Hatch Opener as Ingram Extends Championship Lead





Dan Cammish secured a dominant victory in the initial race of the British Touring Car Championship season finale held at Brands Hatch. This triumph further bolstered Tom Ingram's points lead over his closest rival, Ash Sutton, in the overall standings.
Cammish's NAPA Ford Focus ST effectively inherited the top starting position following an unfortunate incident for pole-sitter Daryl DeLeon, whose West Racing BMW 330i M Sport was forced to withdraw into the pitlane at the conclusion of the formation lap, citing a critical engine issue caused by a bent valve. With Cammish converting this into an early advantage, the race quickly saw intense jockeying for positions among the front-runners. Tom Chilton, piloting his Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N Fastback, successfully outmaneuvered Dan Rowbottom early on to claim second place. Chilton's decisive move occurred at Druids on the third lap, where he aggressively seized the inside line. Rowbottom's challenges continued as another Excelr8 Hyundai, driven by Adam Morgan, forced him wide at Surtees, leading to a loss of further ground.
This sequence of events allowed Charles Rainford, in his WSR BMW, to briefly ascend to third place. However, Rainford's pursuit of the runner-up spot was cut short on the eleventh lap of the fifteen-lap race. The BMW became embroiled in a fierce contest with the Hyundais, culminating in contact from Adam Morgan's usually composed driving, which pushed Rainford onto the grass at Surtees. As Rainford fell out of contention, Chilton made an attempt to close the gap to Cammish. Yet, Cammish had strategically conserved his three allocated laps of TOCA Turbo Boost for the final three circuits, enabling him to maintain his lead.
Cammish ultimately crossed the finish line 1.260 seconds ahead of the closely contested Hyundais. This victory provided him with a comfortable margin in his personal battle for third place in the championship standings. Reflecting on his performance, Cammish stated, \"It was a satisfying win. On the opening lap, Dan [Rowbottom] got a bit too close and nudged me at Hawthorn's, but from then on, it was simply about leading the pack and managing the race's pace. I could observe the competitors behind me, gauge their advances, and control the situation effectively. I was aware of our boost advantage, and the car's performance was sufficient.\" Morgan, who had saved one lap of TTB for the concluding tour, was unable to fully capitalize, explaining, \"I was a touch too eager [on the button] and inadvertently locked myself out. Such is life!\" Rainford, despite his earlier setback, recorded the fastest lap of the race, bringing his BMW home in fourth place and thereby surpassing the unfortunate DeLeon in the Jack Sears Trophy standings.
Ingram began the race from seventh position, utilizing medium tires while nearly all other front-runners were on soft compounds. Jake Hill's initial attempt to gain positions in his WSR BMW resulted in side-by-side contact with Morgan, leading to a left-front puncture that sent him into the pits at the end of the first lap. Following this, Ingram experienced a relatively uneventful race, as tranquil as a championship leader in the BTCC could hope for, ultimately securing a fifth-place finish. Rowbottom's challenging race saw him defending against Gordon Shedden's medium-tyred Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla GR Sport in the closing stages, a task he successfully completed to claim sixth. Dan Lloyd further solidified his position in the Independents' championship with an eighth-place finish in his Restart Racing Hyundai. His teammate, Chris Smiley, significantly complicated matters for overall title contender Sutton. Both Restart Hyundais were on soft tires, while Sutton's Alliance Ford was on mediums. Smiley appeared poised to make a decisive move before an error at Graham Hill Bend on the penultimate lap sent him wide onto the grass. Consequently, Sutton finished ninth, just ahead of Smiley, but the points gap to Ingram expanded to 37, with only 44 points remaining available from the final two races.
Dan Cammish's dominant performance at Brands Hatch not only secured him a crucial victory but also significantly impacted the overall championship narrative. With Tom Ingram extending his lead and Ash Sutton facing mounting pressure, the remaining races promise an exciting conclusion to the BTCC season.