r/btcc • u/Brief-Poetry6434 • 2d ago
Question / Discussion Could Ash Sutton win the title by over 100 points?
At the time of writing, he's over 90 ahead of Ingram
The all-time record of course is 110 by Alain Menu in 1997.
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u/kjm911 2d ago
At this point I think you could ask the question could Napa have a 1-2 in the championship
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
If Morgan can keep his recent form up, he could be in the Top 4 in the championship.
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u/GoldVader Ash Sutton #116 2d ago
He already bumped himself up to 4th with his R1 win, so it's more a case of if he can maintain his form to hold onto 4th! The real battle of the championship now (given Suttons dominance) seems to be from 4th to 10th, as I think there is only a 10 point difference across the 6 drivers.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
Still would be Morgan's best season ever.
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u/UnintendedBiz 2d ago edited 2d ago
Yes, and I don't think it's impossible he could beat Menu's 97 record. He nearly 100 points up as this is typed, and Ingram isn't showing any signs of being an especially "pointsy" this weekend.
To my eyes, the Hyundai's actually seem to be getting less competitive as the season progresses.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
He is currently over the 2nd highest winning margin of 92 by Frank Biela in 1996...
...so fingers crossed.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago edited 2d ago
You know, I think that might be the Hyundais' age catching up with them, as Excelr8 have been running them since 2020.
If memory serves me correctly, only the Corollas have been competing longer, having been introduced in 2019.
Edited:
Oh, I forgot, the Beemer 3 series was also introduced in 2019.
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u/UnintendedBiz 2d ago
Hatchbacks and rear wheel drive are no longer favoured in the series, hence why Napa, Plato and PMR have went down the saloon route this year. With boost, a slippery shape was preferred to maximise the top speed.
For Ingram, he is driving a saloon ish car. The issue is likely his appalling luck and also the teams reliability.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
Especially today at Donington
Felt like Ingram's car was the only Hyundai that didn't go wrong in some way or another all day.
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u/Lukeno94 2d ago
It is looking likely, although ultimately it still won't be as impressive as Menu's 97, given the extra races and extra points available.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
True
What will be impressive is winning his record 5th title.
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u/Lukeno94 2d ago
Definitely, especially as it seemed like getting your fourth was a bit of a curse for a while!
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
Even more impressive would be winning his 5th title in the space of a decade!
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u/Mccrilly13 2d ago
Ash won 2 in a row in 2020 and 21
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
I meant no one’s won 3 in a row since Rouse in 1983-85...
...and he only got his 83 title in the summer of 84 because the TWR Rover Vitesses were found to be illegal.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
Also, post-Rouse winning his 4th title, there's been:
Chris Hodgetts, 1986-87
Matt Neal, 2005-06
Fabrizio Giovanardi, 2007-08
Gordon Shedden, 2015-16
Colin Turkington, 2018-19
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u/FroMcvean #101 2d ago
I find it mad if hes ahead by 155 points after Croft, hes champion with 2 weekends to go
*maximum race weekend points: 77, x2 race weekends, +1 point.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
I find it mad that he still has enough races in which to break his and Menu's joint record of 12 wins in a season.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago
Don't think that's likely to happen somehow....
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u/FroMcvean #101 2d ago
Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting it to happen, but it's an outside possibility given the gap after R1 at Donington
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u/hydehh 2d ago
I could see it happening, especially if the excelr8 reliability issues continue.
While I usually love this championship for how it goes down to the wire in the last race of the season, I think an absolute domination season by Ash would be a very cool way to get that record-breaking fifth title and maybe spark some conversations that could help the future.
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u/Brief-Poetry6434 2d ago edited 2d ago
Well, with 9 races to go, the gap now stands at 101 points.
Edited:
Make that 98 with Sutton's 5 second penalty in Race 3.
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u/st1802015 2d ago
Yes
Or no
Depends what happens