Dan Cammish inherited victory in the British Touring Car Championship’s Qualifying Race at Oulton Park after Árón Taylor-Smith was penalised for a safety car infringement in a dramatic opening contest to the weekend.
The NAPA Racing UK driver had initially crossed the line second but was elevated to the win when Taylor-Smith received a five-second time penalty for weaving behind the safety car after its lights had been extinguished, handing Cammish his first success in the BTCC’s Qualifying Race format.
The race was interrupted by incidents almost immediately. Team VERTU’s Tom Chilton was forced into a high-speed excursion on the approach to Island Bend as the field concertinaed on the opening lap, while contact involving Restart Racing’s James Dorlin, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s Gordon Shedden and Cataclean Plato Racing’s Dan Rowbottom left the latter two requiring attention in the pitlane.
Further drama followed on lap two when Team VERTU’s Nic Hamilton spun into the barriers at Island Bend, prompting a lengthy safety car intervention that would ultimately prove decisive in the outcome of the race.
Taylor-Smith had controlled proceedings at the front for much of the contest in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport Toyota Corolla, but race officials deemed his weaving after the safety car lights were extinguished to be a breach of the regulations. The resulting five-second penalty dropped him from first to fifth in the final classification.
That promoted Cammish to the victory, although the Ford Focus Titanium driver was forced to work hard throughout the closing stages as Speedworks Corolla Racing’s Josh Cook remained firmly within striking distance.
Behind the leading pair, the battle of the race involved championship protagonists Ash Sutton and Tom Ingram. The pair had already fought their way past Mikey Doble’s LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing Audi before becoming locked in a fierce contest that saw paint exchanged on several occasions.
The rivalry reached its peak on lap eight when Ingram made contact with Sutton at the final corner. The reigning champion immediately acknowledged responsibility by allowing Sutton back through, and the pair eventually crossed the line third and fourth respectively after one of the most entertaining duels of the afternoon.
Taylor-Smith’s penalty relegated him to fifth place ahead of Doble, while Adam Morgan produced an impressive recovery drive for Cataclean Plato Racing to finish seventh.
Dexter Patterson and Aiden Moffat ensured two Audis featured inside the top ten in eighth and ninth, while Chris Smiley climbed from 16th on the grid to secure the final points-paying position for Restart Racing.
The result means Cammish will start Sunday’s opening race from pole position, although the NAPA Racing UK driver acknowledged that carrying reduced turbo boost as a result of victory could present a challenge.
“A great way to start the weekend,” said Cammish. “The guys have given me a great car straight out of the box, I felt really confident and happy with the car. It’s a real shame what happened to Árón there but I could see him weaving, so I’ll take my opportunity and we get to start at the front tomorrow.
“It will be tough with the lack of boost but that’s the way it is. It’s the first win I’ve had in this new format and it’s nice to get this one. Let’s hope we can convert it tomorrow.”
The result sets up an intriguing day of racing at Oulton Park on Sunday, with the championship contenders already showing their hand in a fiercely contested Qualifying Race.
