Ash Sutton set an impressive pace in his Ford Focus ST to lead the opening Free Practice session of the weekend on the Snetterton 300 circuit this morning (Saturday). The three-time champion was in impressive form during the first track action of the event to beat NAPA Racing UK teammate Dan Cammish by 0.666s around the 2.97-mile Norfolk circuit.
Sutton's table-topping effort came in bright conditions, with the iconic East Anglian venue bathed in sunshine. And the experienced campaigner's best effort was just two tenths shy of the Qualifying lap record ahead of this afternoon's grid setting session.
Behind Cammish, reigning champion Tom Ingram was mere thousandths of a second further back in third place with Jake Hill fourth. Aron Taylor-Smith rounded out the top-five after a strong showing in the first of the Power Maxed Racing prepared Vauxhall Astras. Taylor-Smith was the last runner to lap within a second of Sutton at a long circuit where the splits can be slightly wider.
Colin Turkington heads into the weekend fourth in the points table, behind Cammish, Ingram and Sutton, and he was sixth as he returned to the tarmac at a circuit where he was a double winner last year. Andrew Watson was seventh from Tom Chilton with Stephen Jelley and Daniel Rowbottom completing the top-10.
A second 35-minute Free Practice session will follow at 12:10 ahead of this weekend's Qualifying period at 15:40. Three BTCC races will headline the event on Sunday.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Snetterton, Free Practice 1
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, 1m54.952s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +0.666s
- Tom Ingram, Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8, Hyundai i30N, +0.677s
- Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, BMW 330e M Sport, +0.825s
- Aron Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +0.889s
- Colin Turkington, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +1.083s
- Andrew Watson, CarStore Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +1.111s
- Tom Chilton, Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8, Hyundai i30N, +1.424s
- Stephen Jelley, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +1.562s
- Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +1.573s
Click here for full timings from this weekend's event.