MATT JAMES
EDITOR
The final British Touring Car Championship meeting of the year is a pressure cooker, with the ultimate title usually to be decided. That generally sweeps all before it in terms of drama, and this year’s conclusion was no different.
Colin Turkington rather limped over the line to claim his third overall crown, but the BTCC saved up its best for last in 2018. There were a number of exceptional races over the course of the year – Senna Proctor’s gamble for a win on the drying track at Brands in April and Jack Goff’s narrow triumph in race one at Snetterton were two very strong contenders.
But the race of the year was the very last one where good chums Ash Sutton (Team BMR Subaru Levorg) and Josh Cook (Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra) went hammer and tongs at it. There was no quarter asked or given as each explored parts of the Brands Hatch Grand Prix track Tarmac not usually associated with overtaking.
The last eight laps were utterly absorbing, with the pair going side-by-side on numerous occasions. It was gloves off racing, with a mutual respect rarely seen and a dash to the line which gave deposed champion Sutton the perfect sign off to the campaign.