Preview: BTCC Brands Hatch Indy
- Michael Williams
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) returns as the drivers head to the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit for Rounds 4, 5 and 6. Ashley Sutton and Tom Ingram looked to be the early pacesetters, but the field appears extremely competitive, making for an exciting weekend ahead.
Donington Park saw a successful debut for the all-new Qualifying Race, as well as impressive debuts for Plato Racing and the new Power Maxed Racing Audi. The main focus was, of course, on the turnaround weekend for Sutton, as he stormed to two Race wins, while Ingram had a disastrous opening weekend.
Now, the focus switches to the short and twisty Indy circuit at Brands Hatch this weekend.
The form table
Sutton and Ingram look set to battle it out for another championship; however, the field is very competitive, with many teams and drivers looking to enter championship contention.
WSR driver Charles Rainford made an impressive start to the year and heads into Brands Hatch second in the standings, but remains a sizeable 18 points behind Sutton. Team-mate Daryl DeLeon struggled in the opening weekend.
PMR driver Aiden Moffat enjoyed an incredible start to the season, as he sits third in the overall standings as well as the Independents' Trophy leader. His team-mates, Mikey Doble and Dexter Patterson, also enjoyed a strong start to the year, including a Race 1 win for Doble.
Dan Cammish looks set to have another competitive year for NAPA alongside Sutton, Lewis Selby and Sam Osborne. Both Toyota teams impressed and will certainly look to build on their performance this weekend.
Despite the clear raw pace from Ingram, VERTU and Restart on the whole struggled at Donington in the Hyundais compared to the front-runners. They will look to bounce back and return to the form of 2025.
Plato Racing, fielding a pair of Mercedes-AMG cars in the hands of both Daniel Rowbottom and Adam Morgan, enjoyed an expectation-breaking weekend for the team's debut; however, they have emphasised they still have a lot to do.
In terms of Brands Hatch Indy, it was a complete domination from BMW last year, with wins for Rainford, DeLeon and Jake Hill. It was clear from the opening weekend that the BMW has underlying pace, but it is difficult to determine whether they could dominate at Brands Hatch again this year. Undoubtedly, Sutton and Ingram will look to rise to the top once more.
The track
Despite being only 1.208 miles (1.944km) long, the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit still demands a lot from the drivers in order to provide the best possible Lap time on a track that delivers fine margins on the stopwatch.
The tricky downhill Paddock Hill Bend, along with the technical final section, are both vital for a good Lap time. The elevation changes and the narrow nature of the track make for exciting and close racing, especially in the BTCC. Expect Qualifying, as well as the qualifying Race, to be key, as it can be difficult to overtake on the Indy circuit.
Schedule
The weekend gets underway with a single 40-minute Free Practice session at 10:50 local time. The normal Qualifying session follows at 14:00 local time, which is quickly led into the qualifying Race, which will be 18 Laps due to the length of the track.
The usual three-Race showcase will take place on Sunday, with Race 1 at 11:30, Race 2 at 14:45 and Race 3 at 17:30. All three will be 24 Laps in length.
There will be support action from British Formula Four, Porsche Carrera Cup GB, the MINI Challenge and Caterhams.
Edited by Pranav Sharma
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