The Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N benefited from being a type of to pit on the finish of the green-flag lap for wet-weather Goodyear tyres when rain made the going slippery.
Chilton was capable of defeat Adam Morgan – the West Surrey Racing BMW 330e M Sport newcomer was one other to pit on the similar time – by 7.394 seconds because the rain elevated, making it inconceivable for these on slick rubber.
The race started with first-race winner Dan Cammish holding Tom Ingram at bay for the lead, however when Ricky Collard parked his Toyota on the observe at McLeans with suspension harm that triggered the protection automobile, it gave these on grooved tyres much more of a bonus as they had been capable of shut the hole to the stricken slicks runners in entrance.
As soon as the sector was launched once more it took little time for Chilton after which Morgan to carve their methods to the entrance, and it was only a matter of time earlier than those that had began on slicks ultimately gave up the wrestle and pitted.
Because the race settled down, Chilton was main Morgan and Scottish BTCC debutant Ronan Pearson, who had additionally pitted his Excelr8 Hyundai on the finish of the green-flag lap.
In fourth spot was Nic Hamilton, along with his brother Lewis watching on from the pit storage and with rain tyres he’d had fitted to his Crew Laborious Cupra Leon earlier than the green-flag lap even started.
Hamilton quickly fell sufferer to the Motorbase Ford of Sam Osborne and Stephen Jelley’s WSR BMW, however he was nonetheless main the Independents class because the race went into its closing phases.
Nicolas Hamilton, Go-Repair with Autoaid Breakdown Cupra Leon
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Catching Hamilton was Energy Maxed Racing’s Mikey Doble, making his BTCC debut, and the Vauxhall Astra handed the Cupra into Redgate firstly of the penultimate lap, just for Hamilton to get again forward on the prime of the Craner Curves.
Hamilton’s bid for Independents victory turned the point of interest, but it surely was Doble who snatched it – and sixth total – into the chicane on the ultimate lap.
Doble and Hamilton had been amongst these to be promoted one place when Pearson was excluded after his Hyundai failed the post-race ride-height examine. That moved Osborne as much as his maiden podium in third from Jelley, Doble and Hamilton.
Nick Halstead (Excelr8 Hyundai) was a lonely seventh, whereas Colin Turkington was the best-placed of these to pit for wets after the protection automobile, bringing his WSR BMW residence in eighth.
Ninth was Ingram, who obtained forward of Bobby Thompson (Crew Laborious Cupra) and Rowbottom within the ultimate laps.
Rowbottom was labeled eleventh, the final driver on the lead lap, whereas late stoppers Cammish, Ash Sutton and Jake Hill had been amongst these to be lapped throughout their pitstops.
However with the quantity 12 being pulled out within the reversed-grid draw, Pearson’s exclusion handed a second pole of the day for the finale to Cammish, with Rowbottom alongside.
BTCC Donington Park – Race 2 outcomes (21 laps)
*Excluded for failing post-race ride-height examine