With a change in track meeting order for 2023, it meant an earlier than normal visit to Snetterton than we have been accustomed to in recent years. At Brands Hatch Indy, there were two wins and a second for a dominant Ash Sutton, but would his pace continue in Norfolk where all three tyre compounds had to be used?

Qualifying – Ash Sutton, Tom Ingram, Colin Turkington, Jake Hill, Ricky Collard, Adam Morgan

The medium tyre was used for qualifying and it was Sutton who stormed to pole, with Tom Ingram joining him at the front. BMW pair Colin Turkington and Jake Hill filled the second row, ahead of Ricky Collard’s Toyota and Adam Morgan in another of the WSR BMWs. However, championship leader, Dan Cammish, started 24th following a crash in qualifying that resulted in a red flag. As such, his best, and only time, was deleted.

Race One, 6/10 – Ash Sutton, Jake Hill, Colin Turkington

• Ingram was mugged on the start line by those around him and after being run out wide, he soon found himself in sixth, while Sutton built a gap of over two seconds on the opening lap. It was also an excellent start for his teammate Cammish, who rose to 16th.
• While Sutton continued to build his lead in the next couple of laps, Ingram set about reclaiming positions, which he did in successive laps on Morgan and Collard to be fourth.
• With Sutton nearly three seconds clear, it meant that Turkington, Hill and then Ingram were fighting to be second. Although Turkington defended well for several laps, Hill eventually found a way by on lap 9 in a move that left Turkington defending heavily from Ingram. 
• Hill put his soft tyres to good use and chased down Sutton, but despite being within a second of him starting the final lap, Sutton held on to taste victory once again.

Race Two, 4/10 – Ash Sutton, Jake Hill, Colin Turkington

• The top three all got away well as Ingram, this time on the slowest hard tyre, once again lost out at the start, this time to Morgan. Plus, just like the first race, Sutton had a gap of over two seconds by the end of lap one and then he doubled that by the end of the lap two.
• Dan Rowbottom, who had started seventh and on the soft tyre, soon found himself as a man on a mission as he moved up the order to fourth in a busy opening spell.
• The main action of the race was provided by the stout defence of track position by Árón Taylor-Smith and the huge train of cars that he managed to keep behind him for lap after lap, although the odd one did eventually find a way by. 
• Towards the end of the race, Rowbottom caught up with Turkington, but to no avail, as Sutton scampered away for an easy as it gets win in the BTCC.

Race Three, 8/10 – Tom Ingram, Dan Cammish*, Rory Butcher, Dan Rowbottom

• There was more joy for Sutton after the second race, as he drew ball 6 from the bowl to create the least possible position changes for the final grid of the day. As a result, BMW man Stephen Jelley lined up on pole ahead of Morgan, Rowbottom and Turkington. All of the BMWs were on the slowest hard tyres for the final race of the day.
• After a delayed start, Jelley and Morgan powered away from the line and although Turkington nearly made it a BMW 1-2-3, he was pushed out wide as he made his move on Rowbottom and skittled down the pack. There was similar bad luck for Hill, as he lost several positions on the first lap too. 
• Rowbottom and Ingram were making use of their better tyres and soon found themselves second and third, but Jelley soon became a cropper as he fell down the order to sixth.
• While Sutton was taking fourth, Ingram soon took the lead from Rowbottom with Rory Butcher following him through not long after. On lap 6, three NAPA Fords and all four BMWs ran line astern within the top ten.
• However, Cammish was let through by his teammates to second, but the BMWs were interrupted by Josh Cook, who’d started 26th, and Aiden Moffat, although Hill did later run into Morgan which allowed Turkington and Moffat through and up the order. 
• At the front, reigning champion, Ingram, won his first race of the season, but post-race Cammish was disqualified for failing the ride height checks.

The use of all three tyre compounds at Snetterton certainly helped to liven up the day’s racing. It appeared to have a greater effect than the use of hybrid, although it does appear that this season’s changes to the deployment speed and number of laps it is available for have also had a positive impact. Those on the soft tyres throughout the day were certainly in the box seat, but unfortunately at Thruxton next time, only the hard tyre will be available due to the circuit’s abrasive surface.

With a bit of luck, the use of all three tyre compounds will return again throughout the season as it was a welcome change. Although, it could be argued that the tyre and hybrid changes failed because the top three were in the same order for races one and two. 

The winner of those races, Sutton, appeared to be in a league of his own all weekend. Although Hill briefly challenged at the end of race one, Sutton had managed the gap throughout the race. Even in race three on the hard tyre, a tyre that everyone else had struggled on, Sutton still made positions and finished fourth.

With his race victory in the second race, it meant that Sutton had incredibly won four races in a row – something that is practically impossible in the BTCC. His car was around the middle of the field in the speed traps, yet he is just so quick throughout the lap as the car’s chassis must be impeccable. Even with just three meetings completed, anyone betting against Sutton to win the championship would be foolish [And people complain about F1 being boring – Ed].

Any real challenge to Sutton may come from within his own team, but Cammish lost his championship lead as he only added ten points to his total after a disaster in qualifying and a disqualification in the final race of the day. While the BMWs, most notably of Hill and Turkington look to be doing well, they are missing that extra step to really challenge Sutton at the moment. The other main contender, Ingram, is only six points behind Sutton, but again, will need to find something extra if he is to retain his crown. 

At the next circuit, Thruxton, it is a place that Cook has dominated in previous years, with him winning six of the last twelve contests there. He is currently ninth in the championship, 77 points behind Sutton, and not looking as competitive as previous years. Could he take the fight to Sutton or will the NAPA man, or men, continue their early season dominance?

2023 BTCC Standings after 9 races: 

1.	Ashley Sutton	135 points
2.	Tom Ingram	128
3.	Colin Turkington	109
4.	Dan Cammish	98
5.	Jake Hill	98
6.	Dan Rowbottom	69