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Ash Sutton has gone two from two for the third consecutive BTCC race weekend winning six out of the last seven races with only the reverse grid last time out at Snetterton not going his way with Race Two honors at Thruxton on Sunday afternoon.

Sutton pulled a gap of nearly a second to the likes of Tom Ingram, Josh Cook, and Jake Hill who again just were left to watch on as the NAPA Racing UK Ford Focus controlled the gap superbly taking it lights to flag.

An almost carbon copy race of sorts albeit with the gap being closed to less than a second momentarily, it highlights the ominous dominance of Sutton with Ingram also ahead of Cook by over a second between the podium places.

The fight for sixth provided the main entertainment with Rory Butcher and Colin Turkington battling with the former taking the spot before being pipped on the final lap. Aron Taylor-Smith, Ricky Collard, and Aiden Moffat completed the top ten.

Adam Morgan was picked out from 12th and with the full grid reversed, Sutton will need to come from 12th to produce what only Dan Eaves and Jason Plato have done before and that is a hat-trick.

Jake Dennis was a “lot happier” following the eleventh round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, as the Briton claimed a second podium at the Jakarta E-Prix for having finished second once again.

Dennis replicated his result from Saturday to mark a very successful weekend for the Avalanche Andretti Formula E driver, with him having now finished on the podium at four consecutive races. As a result, he’s now second in the Drivers’ Championship and is just a point behind leader Pascal Wehrlein, who reclaimed the lead as a result of Nick Cassidy failing to score any points.

The Briton was quick throughout the weekend in Jakarta, with him having been beaten by Maximilian Günther in the Final of the duels ahead of both races. He made a much better start to Sunday’s race though, and kept second place, before leading momentarily. He ultimately lost the lead to Günther whilst activating his second Attack Mode, something Dennis believes he timed incorrectly.

Regardless, Günther was simply too quick, with second having still kept Dennis very much in the title fight. Dennis’ strong performance moved Andretti into fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of the final five races.

Reflecting on Sunday’s race, Dennis believes he “maximised” everything and ultimately scored “really good points”, with him now switching his attention to the team’s home race in Portland.

Maserati MSG Racing will never forget the Jakarta E-Prix double-header, with the Italian manufacturer having claimed their first single-seater victory since Juan Manuel Fangio in 1957, thanks to ‘King of Jakarta’ Maximilian Günther.

Günther has been exceptional across the tenth and eleventh rounds of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with the German having topped every single session bar one. The only session Günther failed to top in the Indonesian capital was Saturday’s race, where he claimed third. He was hungry to convert his second pole of the weekend into victory though, something he did by just over two seconds.

The German’s pace was mesmeric, whilst team-mate Edoardo Mortara could only claim eighth. Regardless, it marked a weekend full of points for Maserati, who are now sixth in the Constructors’ Championship, a point ahead of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.

With the amount of bad luck Maserati have endured this season, Team Principal James Rossiter was quick to acknowledge that their win was proof “why you should never give up”, with the boss sharing how “proud” he was of the Monte-Carlo-based team.

“Today completes an incredible weekend, and our strongest performance as a team, being top in every session apart from Race One. The determination shown by the men and women in this team has been incredible. We’ve been through so many highs and lows this season, and seeing everyone pull together in the difficult times has made this victory so much sweeter.

Maximilian Günther was very much the ‘King of Jakarta’ on Sunday, with the German having claimed a sensational victory at the eleventh round of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

Günther isn’t going to forget the Jakarta E-Prix double-header anytime soon, with the Maserati MSG Racing driver having topped every single session bar Saturday’s race, where he finished third. Having missed out on victory Saturday, Günther wasn’t going to let the win get away from him again on Sunday, as proven by his clinical moves. He pulled off an exceptional move on Mitch Evans at Turns Nine and Ten which effectively won him the race, as he overtook Jake Dennis when the Briton activated his second Attack Mode.

The Maserati driver ended up building a two-second gap to Dennis and an eighteen-second advantage to Evans, highlighting his unbelievable pace in Southeast Asia. His remarkable weekend in Jakarta has incredibly elevated him into seventh in the Drivers’ Championship, whilst his win was astonishingly Maserati’s first in single-seater racing since 1957.

Understandably, Günther was “over the moon” with his first win of the season and has urged the team to keep “maximising our package”, which clearly has plenty of pace.

“I’m absolutely over the moon with this victory. It is a fantastic moment for us as a team, and a great milestone for Maserati. We have shown good progress over the past couple of races, and I felt really good from FP1 onwards, so I knew that the package was working well here. It was just a case of executing both races and continuing to head in the right direction.

Nico Hülkenberg felt it was his best Qualifying performance of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season so far, with the German set to start seventh on the grid for the Spanish Grand Prix.

The MoneyGram Haas F1 Team driver says track position is important at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and putting himself inside the top ten is a good result for everyone within the team.

“That’s our best qualifying of the season so far, clean and well executed by the team and myself,” said Hülkenberg.  “It’s positive and a very decent position to start the race from tomorrow.

“Track position is pretty valuable here in Barcelona, so we’ll take that and get ready for a tough fight.”

Hülkenberg knows it will not be an easy race on Sunday, especially with tyre degradation likely to be high, but he will be looking to break into the top ten to score points for only the second time this season.

Lance Stroll felt he had a solid Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, and the Canadian was rewarded with fifth place on the grid thanks to a penalty for Pierre Gasly.

After being overshadowed by team-mate Fernando Alonso so far during the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, Stroll was able to stay out of trouble unlike Alonso during Qualifying, and he secured a place on row three of the grid.

The Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team driver says there is potentially a ‘big opportunity’ on Sunday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to score good points, particularly as the AMR23 has shown good race pace all season long.

“We had a solid qualifying session today and found a strong rhythm on track,” said Stroll.  “The car was feeling good – a big improvement from yesterday – so I’m pleased with the set-up changes that we made overnight.

“The field was incredibly tight though and there are a few cars that are out of position across the grid which will make for an interesting race.

Ash Sutton continues to dominate the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) with the imperious NAPA Racing UK driver leaving others scratching their heads as to how to catch him with Race One at Thruxton completed.

Sutton qualified on pole and has been the case since his early blip at Donington Park, he surged up the road with no resistance from Tom Ingram and Josh Cook, even the latter with his King of Thruxton moniker had to surrender his dominance to Sutton.

Cook sealed the fastest lap and threatened to get past Ingram, but in the end, the top three remained unchanged and now the onus will be on the other drivers to attempt to unseat Sutton.

Further down the order, Jake Hill blasted past Mikey Doble into fourth who finished eighth in the end, with his teammate Andrew Watson unfortunately having to start from the back with a problem after qualifying his best since Donington Park.

Dan Cammish after his fracas with the tyre stack in Qualifying yesterday surged up to fifth, while Colin Turkington and Rory Butcher finished inside the top seven. Dan Rowbottom was running superbly inside the top ten but his charge was halted by more bad luck and a puncture.

Lewis Hamilton admitted to being surprised that he was able to fight towards the front of the field during Saturday’s Qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix.

For much of the day, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver looked to be Max Verstappen’s closest challenger for pole position at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but ultimately he ended up fifth fastest, although he will gain a position thanks to a penalty for Pierre Gasly.

Hamilton had been nowhere when it came to pace and performance during Friday’s free practice sessions, and he credited his team for their hard work overnight to extract more from the W14.

“I was a little bit surprised to see us so far up today and ultimately competing for the front-row of the grid,” said Hamilton.  “We did some great work overnight with our analysis of yesterday; we all did a lot of work trying to figure out where we could find more lap time.

“I knew when I woke up this morning that I was on a mission, although I didn’t expect we would be fighting for P2. On my final lap, I think I was on the front-row all the way until turn 10. I got on the power and the car just snapped into oversteer; I will have to check but I think that’s where I lost two tenths.

Pierre Gasly has been handed two three-place grid penalties for the Spanish Grand Prix after twice being found guilty of impeding during Saturday’s Qualifying session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The BWT Alpine F1 Team driver had starred during the Qualifying hour in Spain and had set the fourth fastest time during Q3, but he will now start tenth after being found guilty of impeding both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen.

Speaking ahead of his penalties, Gasly says he was able to find improvements throughout the session and was pleased to find his way onto the second row for the first time as an Alpine driver, although the penalties will move him down to row five.

“I’m very pleased to qualify in fourth place in Qualifying today, my best result with Alpine this season,” said Gasly.  “It was very close out there, very fine margins between many cars, and in the end we’re just less than one tenth of a second from being on the front row.

“We built up our session well, kept finding improvements and then we finished with a very good lap in Q3, which was really enjoyable I must say. It’s a real pity we will not start from the second row tomorrow after the penalty for impeding.

Lando Norris was superb during Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix on Saturday, with the British racer securing an amazing third place starting position for Sunday’s race.

The McLaren F1 Team driver was pleased that the Woking-based team were able to turn around their performance this weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya to give him a car capable of getting towards the front of the field.

Norris was less than a tenth of a second away from a front row start but he was delighted to end up so high up the grid after finding more and more confidence behind the wheel of the MCL60 throughout the Qualifying hour.

“Things have turned around this weekend from Friday’s running, when the car wasn’t feeling too good at all,” said Norris.  “I didn’t feel confident yesterday, but we went from lacking pace and car balance to doing our best quali by quite a long way this season.

“So, I’m very happy. Q1 wasn’t anything special but in Q2 and Q3, I just found a little bit more confidence in the car when things dried out a little bit more and it all came our way, and we ended up P3.

Carlos Sainz Jr. will start on the front row for his home Grand Prix on Sunday after putting in an excellent final Qualifying lap at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Saturday.

The Scuderia Ferrari driver felt he extracted everything he could from his SF-23 in the top ten shootout, although it was not enough to get close to taking pole position away from Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen.

“I’m happy with my qualifying today,” said Sainz. “The conditions were not at all easy out there, but we managed to put together some good laps and I think we extracted everything from the car.

“I left nothing on the table this afternoon.”

Looking forward to the race on Sunday, Sainz says it is now important for Ferrari to ‘execute the best race possible’ and close out the weekend with a trip to the podium.

Maximilian Günther destroyed the field to claim his first win of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, following a mesmeric performance at the eleventh round of the season in Jakarta. Rounding off the podium at the Jakarta E-Prix was Jake Dennis and Mitch Evans, whilst Pascal Wehrlein reclaimed the lead of the Drivers’ Championship after Nick Cassidy failed to score points.

Starting Grid

Günther claimed position for the second day in a row in the Indonesian capital, with the German having defeated Dennis in the Final in what was a replica of Saturday. Championship leader Cassidy had another nightmare, with the Kiwi having qualified tenth.

Günther and Dennis Hold Position

With Cassidy’s championship lead having been cut from twenty points to just two on Saturday, it was clear just how important the race on Sunday was, given that the season is rapidly approaching its close. There was drama even before the race had started though, as Sérgio Sette Câmara was wheeled off the grid and into the pits, due to a reported “intermittent electrical issue”. The Brazilian failed to start the race.

Astonishingly, it wasn’t just Sette Câmara suffering an issue, as Sam Bird was also wheeled off the grid moments before the start. With the duo having been set to start fourteenth and fifteenth, it left a huge gap on the grid.

Max Verstappen continued his dominant form this weekend during Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, with the Dutchman taking pole position.

The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver had topped each of the three free practice sessions on Friday and Saturday morning, with his RB19 seemingly set up well for the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Verstappen’s first flying lap in Q3 was over a second faster than anyone else, and although others closed up the gap across their second runs, he had the luxury of being able to back out of his final attempt knowing pole position was his.

“The weekend has been enjoyable so far,” said Verstappen. “The car has been really performing well but of course we always try to find improvements here and there.

“Qualifying started off tricky, you needed to be on the track at the right time, not making any mistakes. Going into Q3 I knew there was good potential left in the car so I could finally push it to the limit.

Sheldon Creed just cannot catch a break.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series sophomore was hoping to finally get to Victory Lane and appeared to be in prime position to do so when he won his first career pole for Saturday’s Portland International Raceway event, a track where he previously excelled in Stadium Super Trucks. Unfortunately for him, every other contender had the same idea.

After surviving a clash with John Hunter Nemechek in which the latter spun Creed at the end of Stage #2 before he returned the favour the next leg, he chased down Justin Allgaier before Riley Herbst‘s car caught fire in the final three laps to set up overtime. As Creed and Allgaier entered the first chicane on the ensuing restart, Parker Kligerman attempted to create a third line along the inside, but inadvertently caused the three to stack up together and send Allgaier and Creed off course.

“I went for it,” said Kligerman. “It was the correct move to make to win. Just mis-timed.”

Cole Custer, who was running behind the trio, snuck by to assume the lead. Allgaier tried to catch up, but could not find a clean overtaking opportunity as Custer beat him to the finish. The victory is Custer’s first since being demoted to the Xfinity Series from Cup.

Maximilian Günther will be asking to never leave the Jakarta E-Prix, as the German claimed pole position for the second day in a row in Indonesia after once again defeating Jake Dennis in the Final of the duels. Elsewhere, there was further disappointment for championship leader Nick Cassidy, who will start from the fifth row just like he did on Saturday.

Group A

Twenty-four hours after round ten of the 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, it was time for qualifying for round eleven to get underway, with standings leader Cassidy knowing he needed to qualify higher than tenth like he did on Saturday. Joining the Kiwi in the opening group was Saturday’s second-place finisher Dennis, Jaguar TCS Racing duo Mitch Evans and Sam Bird, both NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers, both Nissan Formula E Team drivers, Dan Ticktum, Robin Frijns and rookie David Beckmann.

Following the opening push laps and Cassidy was doing exactly what he needed, as the Kiwi topped the group with four minutes remaining. Prior to the final push laps, the Envision Racing driver was joined in the top four by Dennis, rookie Sacha Fenestraz and Evans. Ticktum was clearly pushing, with the Briton having spun at the final corner having run onto the dust off the racing line.

As the final push laps got underway, improvements were being made by several drivers. Fenestraz and Norman Nato were the first to improve with both Nissan drivers having momentarily been in the top four; however, Nato was dumped out by McLaren’s Jake Hughes. Dennis shot to the top of the group whilst Evans snatched third, to demote championship leader Cassidy. It meant Cassidy was again set for a fifth row start, putting his status as the championship leader at real threat.

Into the duels: Dennis, Fenestraz, Evans and Hughes.