Ash Sutton shrugs off boost deficit and rides his luck at Brands Hatch

NAPA Racing UK’s Ash Sutton has seen both ends of the British Touring Car Championship grid this season, but on Saturday at Brands Hatch, he was back at the sharp end with victory in the qualifying race.

Having crashed out of the qualifying race last time out at Donington Park, at Brands Hatch on Saturday the four-time champion scored an emphatic victory in the qualifying race to secure pole position for race one on Sunday.

The decisive moment came when Sutton lucked into the race lead, after WSR’s Daryl De Leon and Team VERTU’s Tom Ingram made contact ahead at Graham Hill Bend.

“I’ve definitely tested both ends of the grid sheet,” Sutton told TouringCars.Net. “I couldn’t really have asked for it to go much better today.”

It was a strong showing at a circuit that should, on paper, be difficult for him. As championship leader, Sutton arrived with the least TOCA Turbo Boost [TTB] of all drivers, a known handicap around the short, punchy Kent venue.

“This is one of the painful places to come with less boost,” he admitted. “So it’s been a solid day.”

Asked about the effectiveness of the boost in qualifying trim, Sutton was blunt.

“In terms of the boost, it doesn’t do anything. The one second is half a tenth versus not using it. So I’m still chasing a deficit of four tenths throughout a lap, but the car’s in a really good place.

“We’ve been quickest in sector one all weekend. That’s allowing us to stay ahead of the curve – it creates an offset element.

“You then get to the second sector where the BMWs especially are strong. We can counteract that. And what we’re gaining, we’re then losing. It’s a bit of a yo-yo effect.”

Race one required more than just speed, as it needed timing and, as Sutton admitted, a slice of fortune.

“There was a lot of luck that found my way. We had a blinding start. Then Lady Luck allowed us to get the clear air.

“After that, it was head down. Seventeen qualifying laps after that point, and bringing it home at the front.”

Looking ahead to race day, Sutton believes his TTB boost allocation (four laps of full 20 seconds of boost use, instead of just one second of boost per lap) will lead to a change of strategy in his favour.

“Let’s get lap one out of the way,” he said. “I’ll be shocked if the BMW [of De Leon] doesn’t beat me to turn one.

“It’s a different ball game now. We’ve got full deployment for four laps. rather than chasing one second for every lap.

“The goalposts move a little bit, which makes it a little bit easier for me.”