NAPA Racing UK’s Dan Cammish has opened his 2022 British Touring Car Championship race victory account after winning a chaotic opening race of the day at Thruxton.
Having secured his first pole position of the year in Saturday’s qualifying, Cammish converted that pole to his maiden win in Ford colours in superb fashion after leading every lap ahead of three-time champion Gordon Shedden in second.
Cammish produced a perfect launch off the line to initially lead the way ahead of the fast-starting BMW of Jake Hill in second. However, while the Ford driver enjoyed clear air at the head of the field, chaos ensued behind as the battle for second position immediately boiled over.
Looking to reclaim second as quickly as he lost it, BTC Racing Josh Cook’s race quickly unravelled after contact with defending champion Ash Sutton at Seagrave corner saw Cook fall down to 14th and out of contention.
With BMW’s Hill also caught up in the tangle, it was Shedden who picked his way through to second after starting the race from fifth on the grid.
The first lap also claimed another casualty with Tom Chilton flying across the circuit on the exit Church, relegating the Hyundai runner to a 28th place finish.
All the while, Cammish looked serene in the lead of the race and enjoyed a healthy margin between himself and the chasing Honda of Shedden following that dramatic opening lap.
Cammish was able to dictate his pace with no one around, while Shedden had to divide his attention between chasing the leading NAPA Racing UK Ford and defending from the sister Focus of Sutton behind him.
With Team Dynamics Honda’s Shedden unable to provide an answer, Cammish crossed the line for his first win of the year by just over a second.
Shedden and Sutton completed the podium order in second and third, while ROKiT MB Motorsport’s Hill was a distant fourth.
Power Maxed Racing’s Ash Hand posted a strong top-five result for the Vauxhall squad in fifth position ahead of Rory Butcher and Dan Rowbottom in sixth and seventh.
Michael Crees followed up his Vauxhall team mate’s impressive result in eighth, while title contenders Tom Ingram and Colin Turkington rounded out the top-ten order in ninth and tenth.
Following the opening race, just 17-points over the top-four title contenders. Team BMW’s Turkington still leads the way by 14-points ahead of Ingram, but Sutton and Hill have both closed the gap in third and fourth.