NAPA Racing UK charge to victory at the home of British Motor Racing.

NAPA Racing UK will contend for title honours on three fronts at next month’s British Touring Car Championship finale after an action-packed weekend at Silverstone, culminated in Sam Osborne claiming a first-ever win in the series.

Sam Osborne produced the drive of his career in the final race of the weekend to clinch a sensational breakthrough victory, whilst four-time champion Ash Sutton dug deep to tally a brace of podium finishes. Meanwhile, both Dan Rowbottom and Dan Cammish endured their fair share of bad luck but produced some sensational drives through the pack to claim some valuable championship points.

Leaving the home of British motorsport, the squad now head to Brands Hatch in less than two weeks’ time, in contention for the Drivers’, Teams’ and Manufacturer/Constructors’ Championship.

BTCC Practice & Qualifying:

Saturday’s two free practice sessions were largely spent with all four drivers finding the sweet sport in their Ford Focus ST machines ahead of that afternoon’s all-important qualifying session.

In challenging weather conditions, Rowbottom led the line for the team as he comfortably progressed out of Q1, but then narrowly missed the cut on making it into the Quick Six – settling for seventh as a result.

Championship contender, Ash, meanwhile was another to advance from the first portion of qualifying, however with a lack of TOCA Turbo Boost at his disposal, he was left to qualify 12th for Sunday’s opening encounter.

Sam was 20th, whilst Cammish would be forced to start from the back of the grid after being excluded for failing post-session ride height tests.

BTCC Race 1:

Sunday’s opening contest saw all four drivers bolt on the medium compound tyre and it was Ash that led the line for the team as he fought his way forward to finish in eighth, one place ahead of Rowbottom who had become embroiled in several wheel-to-wheel battles early on.

Further down the order, Cammish showcased his overtaking prowess as he fought his way from the back of the grid to finish 12th.

In his 200th start in the BCC, Sam crossed the line of the fringed of the top-ten however, a ten-second time penalty for exceeding track limits saw him drop down the order.

BTCC Race 2:

Race two once again saw all four drivers select the medium tyre, with Ash maintaining his quest for a record-breaking fifth title as he valiantly charged onto the podium.

Making a sublime start, the four-time champion pulled off a number of late moves down the inside of his rivals at Brooklands to take third place before the safety car made an appearance at mid-distance. On the restart, Ash wasted little time finding a way past Jake Hill for second, however with limited deployment available to him, he ultimately settled into a groove and took the chequered flag in second place.

Further back, Sam progressed through the filed to finish 12th to secure the reverse grid pole position. Both Rowbottom and Cammish saw their races come to an unfortunate early end due to mechanical issues.

BTCC Race 3:

The weekend’s third and final bout at Silverstone saw Sam Osborne then become the latest driver to stand on the top step of the podium.

Starting from pole position, Sam enjoyed a perfect launch and quickly established a commanding lead at the head of the field. Utilising every ounce of performance that his soft tyre was giving him, the front-wheel-drive ace maintained his advantage out from for much of the race.

As the laps ticked by, Sam soon started to come under pressure from Josh Cook, however his defence remained resolute and not putting a wheel wrong, he held on to take a popular and emotional maiden win.

There was a further reason to celebrate for the team too, as Ash made the most of his soft tyre to charge onto the final step of the podium. Starting from the back of the field, after their race two dramas, Rowbotton and Cammish scythed through the field to ensure all four cars finished inside the points, claiming valuable points for the Team and Manufacturers championship standings.

BTCC Standings:

Leaving Silverstone, Sutton sits 33 points off the top of the Drivers’ Championship while Cammish and Rowbottom remain in the fight for third. Alliance/Ford head both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ Championship by a slender margin.