Damien Smith
Ash Sutton is a refreshingly uncomplicated chap. As the British Touring Car Championship fires back into life this weekend at Donington Park, the reigning champion has a singular target for 2024 that keeps him pumped: to become the first driver in the series’ long and storied history to stand alone as a five-time champion.
“The number five definitely motivates me,” says the cheerful 30-year-old, who currently shares the record with rival Colin Turkington and past legend Andy Rouse. “It’s a tricky one, though. Say Colin beats me to it, for example: my mindset would have to move from trying to be the only driver to have the most titles to then going back to matching the record again. So for me, to go out and become the first to get that fifth title this year would be mega and that really is what I’m chasing.”
Easier said than done, of course, considering the BTCC’s competitive intensity. But few would bet against Sutton after a stellar 2023 in which he claimed six pole positions and a record-equalling 12 wins from 30.
Bolstered by a new deal that will keep him with Alliance Racing at least until the end of 2026, into his third season racing its benchmark Ford Focus ST and still in harness with his trusted engineer and good friend Antonio Carrozza, he is the BTCC’s Max Verstappen – with much more charm.
PLENTY OF CHALLENGERS
The sharp end of the more compact 23-car field has a familiar razor-edge quality this season. Sutton lists 2022 champion Tom Ingram (Excelr8 Hyundai), Turkington and Jake Hill (WSR BMW) and Josh Cook (Speedworks Toyota), not to mention his Alliance Ford team-mates Dan Cammish and Dan Rowbottom, as usual-suspect rivals but is quick to namecheck unknown quantities too.
“You don’t know what homework they have done,” says Sutton. “For example, Andrew Watson could gel really well with the Toyota he’s now driving and suddenly he’s a threat. We all keep our cards close to our chest in the pre-season testing and no one shows their true hand. We won’t really know until that first qualifying session this weekend.”
A welcome addition is 44-year-old Rob Huff, the 2012 World Touring Car Champion who completes a strong Speedworks quartet for his first full BTCC campaign since 2004. He’s a great character with vast experience, and seeing where he fits in will be fascinating.
EXCITING RULE CHANGES
The BTCC is heading into the third year of its hybrid era with
