History. Written. Done.
Ash Sutton is a five-time British Touring Car Champion. No one has ever done that before. Let it sink in properly because we just watched something that may never be repeated. He needed a single point from Round 26 to make it mathematically impossible for anyone to catch him. Did he settle for a quiet cruise to 15th and a safe championship? Did he hell. He started 12th on soft tyres with full TOCA Turbo Boost and carved through the entire field to win the race. Twelfth to first. On the day he clinched the title. That is not just a championship. That is a coronation carried out with a sledgehammer. The Alliance Racing Ford was sensational through Copse and Maggotts and Sutton's racecraft through traffic was breathtaking. "To be a five-time champion is phenomenal" he said afterwards. Phenomenal barely covers it.
Power Maxed Dominated Saturday and Sunday Morning
If anyone stole attention away from Sutton's title party it was the Power Maxed Audi squad. Mikey Doble set a new lap record in qualifying, won the qualifying race from pole and then converted that into another victory in Round 25 on Sunday morning. That is back-to-back qualifying race wins and the lad is driving with the swagger of someone who knows that car inside out at Silverstone. He lost the lead briefly to teammate Aiden Moffat at the start of Round 25 but clawed it back and controlled things from there. Two wins in one weekend at 22 years old. Power Maxed have built something special around Doble and it is showing every single time they roll into a circuit that suits rear grip and traction.
Moffat Finally Gets His Day After the Penalty Drama
Aiden Moffat's Round 25 result became a right mess before it became a celebration. He led every lap of the race and looked like a comfortable winner until a five-second track-limits penalty dropped him to fourth. That penalty was then rescinded after the race and Moffat was reinstated as the winner. His first victory of the 2026 season. You could argue the confusion took a little shine off it but Moffat will not care one bit. He has been quick all year without getting the results to match and this felt long overdue. The fact that Sutton fell just one point short of clinching the title in that race because Chris Smiley snatched 11th from him late on added a wonderful layer of tension. One position. One point. Sutton had to wait another hour before sealing it in Round 26.
Ingram Signs Off With a Splash
Tom Ingram won Round 27 in absolutely filthy conditions. The rain arrived for the reversed-grid finale and Ingram's EXCELR8 Hyundai was immense on the wet surface. He started on the front row with full Turbo Boost available and used every lap of it. That is his third win of 2026 and after weeks of crashes, penalties and sheer bad luck, Ingram finally got a clean run at the front when it mattered. He is now firmly in the fight for runner-up in the championship and after the frustrations of Croft this was the kind of reminder that the outgoing champion still has serious teeth. Sutton finished second in the wet behind him which tells you everything about those two. Even when the title is wrapped up, Sutton cannot help himself.
EXCELR8's Engine Swap on the Chilton Car
One story that flew slightly under the radar amid all the title celebrations was EXCELR8 switching engine suppliers on Tom Chilton's Hyundai for the remainder of the season. The team has used Swindon Powertrain-built engines since 2022 but has now gone a different direction on Chilton's car. That is a significant change this late in the year and suggests something was not working as it should. Whether this is a trial run for 2027 or a fix for a specific reliability concern remains to be seen. Chilton has had a solid if unspectacular season and any extra performance could push him into more regular points finishes across the final rounds.
WSR Looks Beyond 2026
WSR announced plans to enter the new PM Junior Championship. That is a proper statement of intent from a team that already runs three cars on the BTCC grid. The Junior series is designed to develop young talent in lower-cost touring car machinery and WSR getting involved from the outset shows they are thinking long-term about their driver pipeline. Charles Rainford and Daryl De Leon both came through development programmes and Lewis Gilbert is learning on the job right now. If WSR can identify and nurture the next generation through a junior programme they will have a serious competitive advantage when those drivers eventually step up. Smart move from Dick Bennetts and his team.
The Championship Picture With Five Races Left
The Drivers' title is done. Sutton is champion and nobody can catch him. But the battle for second, third and fourth is very much alive. Ingram's Silverstone win will have boosted his points total significantly with Tom Ingram, Dan Cammish and Adam Morgan all in the mix for a top-three finish in the final standings.
What the Fans Are Saying
The reaction across BTCC Hub and social media has been exactly what you would expect. Sutton's fifth title has split opinion between those who think he is the greatest touring car driver Britain has ever produced and those who feel the turbo boost regulations have made his car too quick. Honestly? Both things can be true at once. The regulations exist for everyone and Sutton has maximised every single opportunity the system gives him. Nobody else on that grid has won eight races this season. Nobody else has been as consistent on every tyre compound and in every weather condition. You can question the system but you cannot question the driver. Five titles. Remember where you were when it happened.