MV Commercial BTRA Championship Division 2 concludes 2019 season in style at Brands Hatch

Nov 07, 2019

Division 2 of the MV Commercial BTRA Championship concluded its 2019 season in action-packed fashion at Brands Hatch this past weekend (November 2/3) with Steven Powell and John Bowler both triumphing.

In front of a bumper trackside crowd at the famous Kent venue, the heavyweight behemoths of Division 2 served up a feast of entertainment across four enthralling races, signing off a campaign that will live long in the memory.

With the title having been decided at Pembrey by now two-time champion Garrett, there was still plenty to race for with an almighty scrap for second place in the standings still to be decided.

A majority of the weekend around the 1.2-mile Indy layout belonged to the MAN TGX of Powell, who reigned supreme in emphatic fashion.

Battling the deluge of rain that battered the circuit on Saturday morning, Powell laid down a marker for the day to come during qualifying – storming to pole position on what his home soil.

In the opening encounter, Powell translated his front row start into a lights-to-flag victory. Fending off the early advances of both Garrett and Bowler, the Wrotham Heath racer underlined his defensive skills late on to hold out the defending champion and add to his ever-growing win tally.

Behind, both Rivett and Adam Bint had fans on the edge of their seats as they went back-and-forth for fourth place, with the former Renault UK Clio Cup champion Rivett ultimately coming out on top.

Powell doubled his account in a truncated second race, strengthening his grip on claiming the mantel of vice-champion.

Lining up in eighth place, the Powells Motorsport driver scythed his way through the order in the opening stages before a red flag was thrown to recover the stricken Mercedes of Simon Cole.

Following a short break in proceedings the race restarted but the theme of the day continued as Powell notched his second win of the day ahead of Garrett and Paul Rivett.

With bright sunshine replacing the rain of the day before, WDE Motorsport’s Rivett came to the fore in race three, however he was unable to stop Powell from completing what was a hat-trick of race wins.

Charging past Bowler, Garrett and Powell into the lead, Rivett looked on course to triumph before making a slight mistake at the final corner on the last lap – leaving the door open for Powell to take advantage and triumph for a third time.

The final race of the weekend proved to be a fitting end to the season as Bowler bagged his third win of the year. Finding a way past Cole, who had lead the encounter from the get-go, the Foden driver was unchallenged out front and cantered to victory in style.

In the thick of action, Powell came narrowly close to completing a clean sweep but was forced to settle for second place with double champion Garrett signing off his championship-winning year with another podium finish.

Powell’s sensational weekend at Brands Hatch secured his second place overall, finishing the season hot on the heels of Garrett.

To view the full classification of results from all Division 2 sessions at Brands Hatch, click here.

The MV Commercial BTRA Championship will return in 2020 with the calendar for next year set to be announced in due course.