JONATHAN HOGGARD CLAIMS INAUGURAL BRDC ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award winner Johnathan Hoggard claimed his third win in four races in the BRDC Esports Championship, with iZone, presented by HP Tuners, sealing the title in the process as his rivals faltered at Suzuka.

Qualifying third on the grid, just 0.009s behind pole-sitter Ash Sutton and 0.006s away from second-placed Sandy Mitchell, Johnathan swept into the lead on the opening lap as 2017 BTCC champion Ash spun in front of the pack, causing carnage behind.

Championship hopefuls Oliver Rowland and Enaam Ahmed were caught up in the melee, dropping them down the order, which meant victory for Johnathan would give him an unassailable lead in the standings, and, after a separate spin for Sandy, Johnathan duly delivered.

Fending off early pressure from British GT Championship racer Jordan Albert, the 19-year old BRDC SuperStar slowly increased his gap throughout the 25-minute contest to take the win, also picking up the HP Tuners Driver of the Day award in the process. 

Behind him, Jordan struggled in the latter stages as his rear tyres lost grip and he had to defend heavily against debutant and fellow BRDC Rising Star Charlie Fagg, who himself had enjoyed a race-long tussle with DTM racer Ed Jones, also making his first appearance in the championship.

However, with no points scored by Enaam or Oliver and Dan Harper having to miss the race as he was travelling to Germany to prepare for his duties as a BMW Junior Driver, a victory for Johnathan leaves him 26 points clear in the standings securing him the championship title.

Incredibly, the fundraising total for NHS Charities Together has now surpassed £15,000 with the totals from three unique auction items still to be added. These include an ultimate BTCC weekend at Silverstone, a trackday with either Dario Franchitti or Derek Warwick, and Andy Priaulx’s race suit worn in the 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours, where he finished in second place in LM GTE Pro.