Five-time British Touring Car Championship title winner Ash Sutton is locked in for the long haul, committing to race in the series until at least the end of the 2031 season. As Autosport reports, the new five-year extension keeps the 32-year-old with the Alliance Racing-run NAPA Racing UK squad, a partnership that first kicked off back in the 2022 season.
That collaboration has been nothing short of a powerhouse. Since joining forces, Sutton has delivered the 2023 and 2026 drivers' championship titles, alongside playing a massive role in securing five consecutive teams' championships and two manufacturers' crowns. Along the way, he has racked up 32 full-points race wins with the team. According to the report, the deal itself was finalized at the penultimate round of the 2026 series at Silverstone, right where the drivers', manufacturers', and teams' crowns were all wrapped up with an entire race weekend to spare.
Over the past five years, alongside NAPA, we have built something incredibly special,
“I’m over the moon to agree a new contract to continue my journey in the British Touring Car Championship for the next five years,” said Sutton. He pointed straight to stability as the ultimate weapon in this championship, noting that having his future secured this early hands him the ideal platform for a rigorous winter program. “This championship doesn’t stand still, and I don’t plan to either.”
The machine under him has evolved constantly too. Sutton’s 2023 title came after a complete rework of the fourth-generation Ford Focus ST over the 2022-23 winter, producing a record-equalling 12 wins in a single season. Then, the hatchback STs made way for the booted, Titanium model, which let Sutton break the tie for the record number of BTCC titles that he previously shared with Andy Rouse and Colin Turkington.
Alliance chief Pete Osborne is equally thrilled to nail down the superstar's services for the long term. “Over the past five years, alongside NAPA, we have built something incredibly special,” Osborne said, praising Sutton as an integral driver of the team's relentless rise in performance.
With his future sorted well in advance, Sutton heads into the off-season with zero distractions. The rest of the British Touring Car Championship grid has been officially warned.
