Ashley Sutton completes successful Goodyear tyre test at Snetterton ahead of new Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season
Ashley Sutton stepped up his preparations for the start of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season next month by completing a successful two-day Goodyear tyre test at Snetterton with Laser Tools Racing.
The 24-year-old Infiniti Q50 driver joined the rest of the 2020 grid at the Norfolk venue to clock some much-welcomed mileage ahead of the rescheduled campaign opener at Leicestershire's Donington Park circuit on August 1 and 2.
The Bishop's Stortford racer, who went to Birchwood High School, set the seventh fastest time on the opening morning before wet weather hit the circuit.
Sutton then emerged as the driver to beat on the second day of running, topping the timesheets in both sessions in the unrelenting tricky conditions.
The 2017 champion ended the testing with a total of 74 laps under his belt and feeling buoyed by the progress made.
"It's been quite a long lay-off out of the car so it obviously felt great to be back behind the wheel and it felt like no time had passed," said Sutton. "I was straight back into the groove of things.
"Whilst it's great to come away with the fastest time in the wet conditions, you can't read too much into it as you don't know what everyone else up and down the pit lane is working on. That being said, we're very happy with how things have gone for us as a team.
"It's going to be a busy few months once racing gets under way at Donington Park but I'm more than up for the challenge and I'm excited to see what we can achieve.
"I have the best possible team around me and I'm confident we'll be firmly in the mix towards the front."