Ashley Sutton claimed win number five of the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season in the second race of the day at Knockhill, leading another Team BMR one-two.
The race was not without drama however, immediately red flagged after a multi-car pile-up at Duffus Dip. Andrew Jordan‘s fast-starting BMW 125i hit the back of Matt Neal‘s Honda under braking, resulting in contact with the Vauxhall Astra of Senna Proctor.
Cars scattered to avoid the spinning Power Maxed Racing car, which collected Jordan and was collected itself by the Ford Focus ST of Stephen Jelley at the bottom of the hill.
On the restart, race one winner Jason Plato held his advantage from pole position ahead of BMR team-mate Sutton, the West Surrey Racing BMWs maintaining a watching brief behind them as was the case in race one.
Sutton ramped up more intense pressure on his team-mate however, slotting up the inside of his Subaru stablemate following an attack heading into the final hairpin on lap 10.
The soft tyre-shod Levorg GT of Plato kept pace with Sutton as the duo made their break up front, but he would not attack his team-mate as Sutton claimed his fifth win of the season.
Colin Turkington again rounded out the podium ahead of WSR team-mate Rob Collard, while James Cole collected his second fifth place in as many races.
Gordon Shedden enjoyed a much more entertaining outing in sixth, while the battle at the bottom half of the top 10 became more fraught. Tom Ingram defended eighth place from Neal and Josh Price, Neal making his attack on the Toyota Avensis driver on lap 16 but allowing Price to stick his nose inside the Honda exiting the hairpin.
The pair made contact on the front straight, a second helping sending Neal’s Civic Type-R spearing into the gravel heading towards Duffus Dip.
Price continued and overpowered Dave Newsham‘s Chevrolet Cruze, Ingram ninth while Rory Butcher grabbed an impressive 10th place in only his second BTCC race.
