BTCC Preview: Croft
- Benjamin Crundwell
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
For the first time this year, the Championship leader, Ash Sutton, will approach a race weekend having not won a race in the previous round. Regardless of his absence from the top step, the four time Champion won't be concerned as he still picked up two second places and stretched his points lead to 98.
With Croft as the third to last round of the 2026 British Touring Car Championship (BTCC), Sutton now has a chance to mathematically win the Championship early if he outscores Tom Ingram by 54 points across the weekend. Although it's possible, it's unlikely to happen as it would require Ingram at the low end of the points.
While he may desire to keep his Championship hopes alive for an extra, Ingram is more likely to be looking over his shoulder, as the defending Champion only has a five point margin to Dan Cammish, who is having an excellent season.
The pair may also be cautious of a late charging Adam Morgan from fourth place in the standings. Only one round after civil turmoil in CPRL (formerly Plato Racing), Morgan dominated Donnington, taking pole, winning the qualifying race and then winning two of the three races on Sunday. This was the first time Morgan has ever won two BTCC races in one weekend.
Last year saw three different drivers win each race, Ingram won the first, Daniel Rowbottom the second and Sutton the third. Race one also featured a shock podium for Chris Smiley.
Daniel Rowbottom may be hoping that Croft will bring a turn of fortune, as he has not won a race since he crossed the line first last year. Sometimes droughts end on unique circuits, like this one, as it forces the driver to change their style.
The 2.127 mile (3.423km) Croft circuit consists of 11 corners, many of which are unconventional, such as Hawthorn's Bend, which require surgical precision by the driver. The nature of the circuit allows for overtaking opportunities, however the passing driver must be brave as the circuit is narrow.
The main overtaking opportunities will be at Clervaux and Tower Bend, but keep an eye out for hairpin divebombs, which are inevitable in a series as chaotic as the BTCC.
Qualifying will take place from 14:05 BST on Saturday, and last 35 minutes, but this order will not set the grid. The new-this-year Qualifying race be held 25 minutes later, it will be 11 laps. Sunday's three races will be another four laps longer than this, the first of which will be at 12:10, then the following two races will be at 14:30 and 17:15.
As always, the support series to the BTCC are second to none, including Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain, Porsche Sprint Challenge Great Britain, British Formula 4 and Mini Challenge.
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