Ash Sutton ‘wants to go down as one of the greats’ of the BTCC

Ash Sutton is targeting a fourth British Touring Car Championship title this season, as the 28-year-old gears up for his first season back in a front-wheel drive touring car since 2016.

The reigning champion made a sensational switch to the Motorbase Performance-run NAPA Racing UK squad for 2022, in the biggest move on the driver market.

He will have a formidable team-mate in the Ford camp with Dan Cammish alongside him, as he returns to front-wheel drive machinery for the first time since making his début in a MG 6GT in 2016.

As well as a new team, car and team-mate, Sutton will also have to handle the challenges brought by the BTCC’s new hybrid energy management system in the coming season.

Sutton was recently fastest of all in the official pre-season media day test, showing that he has quickly adapted to his new environs.

“I’m really looking forward to finally kicking off the season at Donington Park,” said 24-time race winner Sutton. “We’ve had a really productive pre-season and whilst we have seen lap times being posted over recent weeks, nobody truly knows where they stand until qualifying on Saturday afternoon so I’m excited to see where we stack up compared to our rivals.

“I’ve been impressed with the hybrid system; we had a small issue in the beginning but it was fixed quickly and since then it has ran well, both in the pit lane and out on track.

“Although we’ve been using it during testing we don’t fully know how much of an impact it will have until we’re racing – strategy is going to be key with it.

“Making the switch back to front-wheel-drive has been fun too. The Motorbase Ford is already a well-sorted car but me and my engineer [Antonio Carrozza] have been trying a few things to see if we can unlock more from the package, with some bits working and a few not.

“Heading into the year the goal is the same as it always has been and that is to win the title. I’ve said before that I want to go down as one of the greats of the BTCC and clinching a fourth title will be a big part of that.

“I’ve got a great car and great team around me so there is no reason why we shouldn’t be in the mix from round one!”