BTCC champion Sutton eyes rallycross outing after test

BTCC champion Ash Sutton is eyeing an appearance in rallycross, following his maiden Supercar test at Lydden Hill on Saturday.

The Team BMR driver sampled a pair of LD Motorsports-run Citroen DS3 Supercars at the Kent venue and is keen for chance to race in the mixed-surface discipline.

“I’d definitely love to give racing in rallycross a go, it’s something I’ve always looked at doing on the side and we’ll wait and see, I’d definitely give it a shot,” Sutton told Motorsport.com.

“I was actually really, really shocked by the power. The touring car is just under 400 horsepower and that’s enough for when you’re racing up close, but to suddenly have another 200 plus [in the Supercar] was definitely an eye opener.”

Ash Sutton

Photo by: Ash Sutton

Sutton got behind the wheel of the DS3 that has won the British Rallycross Championship for the last two years in the hands of Dan Rooke and Nathan Heathcote, and then the World Championship-specification machine that BMR boss Warren Scott has campaigned in British RX this season.

“It would be nice to get at least half a day behind the wheel so you can nip away and see how you progress,” said Sutton, who experienced Lydden’s tarmac race circuit and the rallycross track.

“The gravel was a bit different to what I’m used to, you have to pre-empt what’s coming more. Obviously it’s loose so everything underneath you is moving around and you’ve got to add that into the inputs.

"You’ve got to turn a little bit earlier to allow that to all come into effect by the time you actually get to the corner. That was the biggest thing.”

The Subaru driver thinks his experience of close racing in touring cars would set him up well for adapting to rallycross.

“I’m used to the bumper-to-bumper, elbows-out racing, so it’s not going to be a million miles away from what I’ve witnessed this year, it’s just going to be happening a lot, lot quicker,” he said.

“On tarmac you can drive it as you would a race car and then it’s the transition, being able to switch your mind-set that as soon as you touch the loose, you’ve got to change your driving style completely, and then exactly the same when you get off the loose again.

"I like having that, I’ve been very quick at adapting to conditions and I feel that would play a big part if I ever got the chance to get behind the wheel in rallycross.”