Ash Sutton: ‘It’s obvious there is time to find’

NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton had a frustrating weekend in the British Touring Car Championship at Croft, with the reigning champion now focused on finding more time in his car ahead of the next round of the championship.

With just one real flying lap in qualifying, Sutton put his Ford Focus in seventh on the grid for the opening encounter in Yorkshire, three tenths off pole.

He then gained a place at the start and held station to record a sixth-place finish, following that up in race two with another sixth.

Drawn to start seventh for the final race of the day, Sutton had just passed Tom Chilton for sixth when contact at the first corner between the pair broke Sutton’s rear suspension and forced him out of the race.

Although the Motorbase driver delivered a brace of consistent results, he admits that it was a trying weekend, as he focusses now on finding more speed in his car in search of a first win of the season.

“It’s been a similar weekend to Oulton Park where we’ve had two solid points finishes and then seen that hard work become undone in race three,” said Sutton.

“We only had one lap in qualifying, so I was happy to start off seventh and then in races one and two we just kept out of trouble to pick up solid points.

“To come away with nothing in race three is frustrating but we’ve just got to dust ourselves down and go again.

“Knockhill is next on the calendar but that isn’t the main focus for me or the team, the Snetterton tyre test is. It’s obvious we aren’t where we want to be at the moment and there is time to find.

“We’ve already begun putting a plan together of what we want to try during that test next month.

“Hopefully we can make some unlock a few things, make some progress and then be able to get back amongst the podium positions in Scotland.”