Árón Taylor-Smith wins first BTCC race in 10 years at Brands Hatch

Árón Taylor-Smith delivered a sensational drive from P13 to claim his first British Touring Car Championship victory in 10 years at Round 5.

As the rain at Brands Hatch Indy got stronger, so did the pace of Taylor-Smith in his Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport car.

The Corolla looked excellent in the wet as it passed half the field and left behind Ashley Sutton and Ricky Collard to take the fifth victory of the Irish driver’s career.

Árón Taylor-Smith wins hectic wet-weather classic at Brands Hatch

Penalties shook up the grid for Race 2, with a handful issued during the interlude. Daniel Rowbottom saw himself promoted to P15, while Daryl De Leon dropped to P11 and Lewis Selby fell due to a 10-second contact-related penalty.

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Intermittent rain at Brands Hatch reappeared in time for the start of Race 2, though drivers opted for slicks on the greasy surface.

Ashley Sutton got away excellently once again, darting through Druids clear before a second first lap safety car of the weekend paused running.

It was Lewis Selby who caused it. The NAPA Racing Ford Focus found itself backwards in the gravel on the outside of Druids, having lost control off-line on exit.

Prior to the full-course yellow, Rowbottom and Charles Rainford both gained well through the first sector. The Plato Mercedes gained to P10, while Rainford guided his WSR BMW to P5.

The green flag flew on the seventh lap, with three laps added to the total running. Sutton held his lead upon resumption, as most drivers maintained order.

Rainford dispatched Dan Cammish at Druids with a smart move, before Ricky Collard got ahead of Sutton at Cooper Straight to take the lead.

Rowbottom had an excursion into the grass, undoing his hard work so far, but managed to keep his Mercedes out of the wall. He headed into the pits a few laps later to become the first to bolt on the wet tyres.

Chris Smiley had contact with Josh Cook at Druids, sending his Restart Racing Hyundai backwards into the barrier. But, it was only light contact and he could continue.

The BMW of Rainford then hit the back of Sutton down the main straight, with both having to collect near-sideways moments.

Adam Morgan and Gordon Shedden both joined Rowbottom in bolting on the wets on lap 13, as intermittent rain could officially be adjusted to constant.

As the frantic nature of the race continued, Cammish slid wide at Paddock Hill Bend and boxed for wets. Moments later, Tom Ingram nudged the back of Sutton on the exit of Clearways.

Between the chaos, Árón Taylor-Smith and Cook acted opportunely to slide into P2 and P4 respectively. Taylor-Smith continued his storming drive by catching Collard and passing him down the main straight.

Collard then dropped further by being passed by Sutton into Surtees a sector later. The pace of the race was frantic, and it felt like any driver’s race to win.

While the leaders continued on their slicks, Rowbottom set the race fastest lap of 52.568s. At the same time, Tom Chilton had an off into the grass of Paddock Hill Bend, forced to retire from the race.

Max Buxton joined those struggling by sliding into the grass at McLaren on lap 20, and also retired from the race.

Rainford’s excellent drive was brought to a close by contact with Ingram at Druids, while Sam Osborne also went off and ended up door-to-door with the BMW. The two stranded cars forced the stewards to issue the red flag, before declaring a chequered flag.

The close of running on lap 20 meant Taylor-Smith claimed victory for the first time since his 2016 victory at Rockingham, with Sutton second, and Collard third. Ingram followed behind with Aiden Moffat in P5, as Mikey Doble, Cook, James Dorlin, Dexter Patterson, and De Leon rounded out the top 10.

Nicolas Hamilton scored a strong P11, while Smiley, Rowbottom, Cammish, and Morgan rounded out the points.

BTCC Brands Hatch Indy Race 2 Results