NAPA Racing UK's Dan Cammish completed a strong season opener at Donington Park with his second victory of the day in the final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race of the weekend.
The championship leader finished 12th in the second encounter, and when his number was drawn ahead of the final race, he lined up in pole position for the reverse grid contest.
He led every lap to clinch his second triumph, finishing over three seconds clear of Bristol Street Motors with Excelr8's reigning champion Tom Ingram, who took his second podium of the day after withstanding late pressure from Cammish's teammate Ash Sutton. Triple champion Sutton surged onto the podium from 15th on the grid.
Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport's Jake Hill almost pipped Sutton on the run to the line in his BMW 330, finishing just ahead of WSR teammate Colin Turkington. Ingram, Sutton, Hill and Turkington had been embroiled in battle for the entire contest, allowing Cammish to make good his escape.
Bobby Thompson took sixth in his Cupra Leon ahead of One Motorsport's Josh Cook in seventh, with race two winner Tom Chilton ending his weekend in eighth at the wheel of his Hyundai i30N.
Aron Taylor Smith (Vauxhall) and Daniel Rowbottom (Ford) completed the top-10, with Rowbottom having started second on the grid, but was shuffled down the order, especially after a slide into the gravel when going door handle to door handle with Dan Lloyd.
At the start, Cammish enjoyed a strong getaway while Ingram slotted into second from fourth on the grid. The race was neutralised under safety car though as Nick Halsted deposited his Hyundai into the gravel.
The race resumed on lap five and there was drama again as Adam Morgan in seventh and Sam Osbourne behind made contact exiting the Robert's Chicane, leaving Morgan to resume at the back of the field and Osbourne out of the race.
The safety car was deployed again, but just for a lap as Osbourne's car was quickly recovered, and teammate Cammish made another strong restart to establish a half second lead. With battles ongoing behind him, the Yorkshireman was able to stretch his advantage with regularity, and was more than two seconds up the road when Ingram, Turkington, Sutton and Hill found themselves almost occupying the same bit of track.
After following each other nose to tail for several laps, the moves began with a couple of laps remaining, as Sutton challenged at McLeans and Coppice before completing the move at Robert's with Hill following through and demoting Turkington to fifth.
While Cammish ran away with the win, Sutton looked to claim P2 but while challenging was very nearly pipped to second across the line, finishing just a tenth of a second clear of Hill.
The BTCC battles resume at Brands Hatch in two weeks' time, with Cammish heading the field to Kent.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Donington Park, race three result:
1. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, 21 laps
2. Tom Ingram, Bristol Street Motors with Excelr8, Hyundai i30N, +3.044s
3. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +3.884s
4. Jake Hill, Laster Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, BMW 330e M Sport, +3.884s
5. Colin Turkington, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +4.683s
6. Bobby Thompson, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils, Cupra Leon, +12.615s
7. Josh Cook, One Motorsport with Starline Racing, +14.883s
8. Tom Chilton, Bristol Street Motors with Excelr8, Hyundai i30N, +15.964s
9. Aron Taylor-Smith, CarStore Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +16.192s
10. Daniel Rowbottom, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +17.196s
Click here for full result.
The next major event at Donington Park is the Donington Historic Festival next weekend. Click here for full information.