Cammish Takes Control at Oulton Park After Dramatic Qualifying Saturday

British Touring Car Championship

The 2026 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship arrived at the picturesque Oulton Park circuit for Rounds 10, 11 and 12 of the season, with championship leader Ashley Sutton looking to extend his advantage over reigning champion Tom Ingram.

The Cheshire venue produced another action-packed Saturday as the championship's new-for-2026 qualifying format once again delivered drama, controversy and plenty of talking points before Sunday's trio of races.

Qualifying proved to be one of the closest sessions of the season. Driving for Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, Árón Taylor-Smith claimed the fastest combined time with a lap of 1:24.213, edging NAPA Racing UK's Dan Cammish by just nine thousandths of a second.

Behind the front-row pair, Mikey Doble secured third on the qualifying race grid, while Speedworks Corolla Racing's Josh Cook lined up fourth despite posting a quicker lap than Doble due to the championship's group qualifying format

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The top ten for the Qualifying Race featured:

1. Árón Taylor-Smith

2. Dan Cammish

3. Mikey Doble

4. Josh Cook

5. Dexter Patterson

6. Ashley Sutton

7. Tom Chilton

8. Tom Ingram

9. Adam Morgan

10. Aiden Moffat

Championship contenders Sutton and Ingram faced a tougher challenge from the third and fourth rows, while Taylor-Smith headed into the Qualifying Race chasing an important victory and pole position for Sunday's opening encounter.

Saturday afternoon's 13-lap Qualifying Race delivered plenty of drama from the opening lap. Early incidents involved several drivers, while a heavy accident for Nic Hamilton brought out the Safety Car and significantly altered the complexion of the race.

Taylor-Smith controlled proceedings at the front and looked set to convert pole into victory. However, during the Safety Car restart procedure, officials deemed that he had breached regulations by weaving after the Safety Car lights had been extinguished. A five-second penalty was subsequently applied.

That penalty promoted Dan Cammish to victory, giving the NAPA Racing UK driver his first Qualifying Race win under the championship's new format and ensuring pole position for Sunday's first race.

Josh Cook finished an impressive second after pressuring Cammish throughout the closing laps, while championship leader Ashley Sutton completed the podium after a fierce battle with Tom Ingram. The pair exchanged positions and bodywork several times in one of the standout fights of the race.

Qualifying Race Top 10

1. Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK)

2. Josh Cook (Speedworks Corolla Racing)

3. Ashley Sutton (NAPA Racing UK)

4. Tom Ingram (Team VERTU)

5. Árón Taylor-Smith (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport)

6. Mikey Doble

7. Adam Morgan

8. Dexter Patterson

9. Aiden Moffat

10. Chris Smiley

Taylor-Smith crossed the line first on the road but was classified fifth following the penalty, while Chris Smiley produced one of the drives of the race by climbing from 16th on the grid into the top ten.

Cammish's victory means he will start Race One from pole position on a circuit where overtaking opportunities are notoriously limited. Sutton remains the championship leader, but with Ingram, Cook and Taylor-Smith all showing strong pace, Sunday's three races promise another thrilling chapter in the 2026 BTCC season.

After a dramatic Saturday at Oulton Park, the battle for the championship remains wide open.

Written by Lauren Moore