Tom Ingram graduates to the BTCC with Speedworks

Ginetta GT Supercup champion Tom Ingram is graduating to the BTCC with Speedworks Motorsport, behind the wheel of a Toyota Avensis.

The 20-year-old dominated proceedings in the BTCC-supporting Supercup in 2013, and says he is “elated” to have secured his spot on the grid after an uncertain winter.

He joins a grid which now features seven former BTCC champions, following the confirmation of Colin Turkington’s drive with West Surrey Racing yesterday.

He said: “I think it’s just about sunk in now. I’m hugely excited. To finally join the BTCC really is a dream come true for me – when I started out in karting more than 12 years ago, not for one second did I ever believe we would make it this far.

“It’s been a long winter trying to put everything together. The BTCC is a colossal leap financially – pretty much the cost of four years’ Ginetta racing all rolled into one. We had sponsorship leads that looked promising only to then fall through and there were times when I genuinely didn’t think it was going to happen, which was heart-breaking, to be truthful.

“Deadlines were getting closer-and-closer and not much headway was being made, but I’ve never given up on anything in my career before, and I wasn’t about to start now.

Thankfully, I have two loyal sponsors in particular – SKYCIG and Hansford Sensors – who have stuck by me throughout, and their enduring support has been absolutely key.”

Commenting on the challenge facing him in 2014, Ingram said: “I’ll be racing doorhandle-to-doorhandle with drivers I grew up watching on TV – heroes of mine.  There are some massive names in the championship, and that certainly won’t make for an easy year – but what a year it’s going to be.

“It will be a tremendous challenge and we need to remain realistic – it’s shaping up to be the toughest season in BTCC history, I’ll be up against a lot of seriously accomplished rivals and it will be my first year in a front-wheel-drive car.

“I’ve got a great team behind me in Speedworks. I went up to the factory last week and they seem like a really good bunch of guys, clearly very skilled and experienced and just as importantly, extremely passionate about what they do. There’s a real family atmosphere and they actually remind me a lot of JHR Developments, who I won the Ginetta GT Supercup with last year.”

Speedworks team principal Christian Dick said: “Tom has stood out as one of the brightest young talents rising up through the ranks for a few years now.  He’s won the title in every car racing championship he’s entered, and off the track, he is extremely professional and always presents himself very well. All of us at Speedworks are incredibly proud and excited to have him on-board, and we will give him as much assistance as we can and everything he needs to feel relaxed and comfortable inside the car and get up-to-speed as quickly as possible.

“We ended last season with quite a good package, so hopefully we can really hit the ground running straight away in the first round of 2014 at Brands Hatch. Obviously with the sheer number of high-quality drivers on the grid, it’s not going to be an easy season for anybody, but we are adopting a sensible approach and won’t be putting Tom under any pressure to go out there and deliver immediate results. We are looking forward with justifiable optimism, and confident in the knowledge that it’s truly a fantastic time to be a part of the BTCC.”

Ingram will drive the Avensis for the first time at Silverstone on Friday.