Tom Ingram returns with Speedworks Motorsport for 2015

Last season’s top rookie Tom Ingram will return for a second season in the British Touring Car Championship in 2015, once again teaming up with Speedworks Motorsport behind the wheel of its Toyota Avensis.

The former Ginetta Supercup champion has faced an anxious winter following the withdrawal of a sponsor, but has secured the budget to return with Christian Dick’s squad.

The 21-year-old racked up 19 points finishes from 30 starts in his maiden season, en route to 15th spot in the standings, signing off with a trio of top 10 finishes at the final round at Brands Hatch. It was in Kent that he took his best individual result of fifth in the second race.

“I’m over-the-moon to be returning to the BTCC this season, and thrilled to be doing so with Speedworks. It’s no great secret that we’ve had a long, tough winter trying to raise sufficient budget to stay in the championship – we thought we were sorted, but then there was a change in circumstances for one of our major sponsors and they were unfortunately unable to continue their support,” said Ingram.

“That meant it really was touch-and-go for a while, but we never gave up hope or stopped pushing and it’s extremely rewarding to see all of our hard work now pay off. The Speedworks guys are a fantastic bunch and I established a great relationship with them last year, and although we did talk to other teams over the off-season, they made a very compelling argument to stay.

“With so many drivers moving around and switching seats, being able to rely upon that prior knowledge and stability is unquestionably an advantage, and having seen the modifications that have been made to the Avensis, I can’t wait to get out there and put it through its paces.

“It’s too early to set any solid goals just yet, but with the experience of my rookie year under my belt, I definitely want to be moving forward and scoring some consistent top six finishes in 2015 – and if we can do that, hopefully our first BTCC podium won’t be too far away.”

Team principal Dick added: “We’re absolutely delighted to have Tom back on-board again. After his performance last year, he was always our first choice for 2015 – it’s probably fair to say he outperformed the car’s capabilities on a number of occasions, so hopefully the upgrades we have made to the Avensis for the forthcoming campaign will allow him to demonstrate his true talent and potential.”

Ingram will join forces with hugely respected engineer Geoff Kingston in 2015, following his move from Team BMR The team says it hopes Kingston’s vast experience will help the Avensis with its historical bugbear of tyre management.

“Geoff has wielded considerable influence and has been hard at work bringing improvements to the car in every area, and I think what we have now is a much leaner, meaner fighting machine. We always knew there was plenty of untapped potential in the Avensis and that it was just a question of finding the key to unlock it, which Geoff has helped us to do,” said Dick.