22 Apr Sutton ready to begin BTCC title defence at Donington Park
Ashley Sutton will begin his pursuit of a record-breaking fifth Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship title at Donington Park this weekend (April 27/28) and the reigning champion has stated that ‘confidence is high’ following a productive pre-season testing programme.
Continuing with NAPA Racing UK and the Ford Focus ST for a third consecutive year, the 30-year-old – who in the off-season signed a new deal which keeps him in blue and yellow until the end of 2026 – enters the new campaign with his sights firmly set on retaining his crown.
Sutton equalled the all-time title record in commanding fashion last year as he clinched the biggest prize in British motorsport for a fourth time by claiming the most wins, podiums, pole positions, fastest laps and laps led in a single season.
Despite the success of 2023, no stone has been left unturned by the BRDC Member and Alliance Racing – the team behind NAPA Racing UK – during the off-season with a number of improvements having been been made to the front-wheel-drive Focus.
Those improvements have been thoroughly tested too with Sutton and his team-mates clocking plenty of mileage at Snetterton, Brands Hatch, Croft and Donington Park in recent weeks – all of which has left him in a buoyant mood ahead of the 2024 curtain-raiser.
Ashley Sutton: “I’m excited for the new season and looking forward to the battle that lies ahead. The opportunity to become the first driver to win five BTCC titles is huge and something that I’m hungry to achieve – although it’ll be tough as we’re set for another competitive year.
“Last season is consigned to the history books and despite all of the success that we had, we’ve certainly not taken our foot off the gas when it comes to improving the car. In fact we’ve really focused on fine-tuning the overall package and the feedback we had in testing was positive.
“Everyone up and down the pit lane will have made a step forward over the winter but I’m remaining level-headed and dialled into the job that we are doing. Confidence is high within the team and I’m optimistic that we’ll be in the mix from the get-go.
“We have a new qualifying format to contend with, plus more power from the hybrid, this year and I think both those elements will play their part in making things even more interesting towards the front of the field.
“Heading into Donington Park this weekend the aim is to make sure that we have a solid showing in qualifying on Saturday and then put three strong points finishes on the board on race day. If we can pick up some silverware that will be even better!”
The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season commences at Donington Park on April 27/28, with all three races broadcast live across ITV4 and ITV Sport’s TikTok account.
