Stefan Hodgetts and Tom Ingram join Plato’s KX Akademy

Stefan Hodgetts and Tom Ingram have been confirmed as the 2012 interns for Jason Plato’s KX Akademy driver development programme today at Croft.

Jason Plato’s new driver development initiative, which was announced at the previous meeting at Oulton Park, aims to help teach young up-and-coming drivers how to build a career in motorsport, and is supported by Plato’s principal sponsor KX Energy.

Tom Ingram, 18, is the reigning Ginetta G50 Supercup champion and won the Ginetta Junior championship in 2010. Ingram races in this year’s Ginetta GT Supercup and is currently in second place in the championship.

Hodgetts, 30, is the son of two-time BTCC champion Chris Hodgetts, and currently races in the Renault Clio Cup with Scuderia Vittoria. Hodgetts also finished second in the Renault Clio Cup in 2007. Since then Hodgetts has been a regular in the BTCC’s various support series and has also raced in the British GT championship. Hodgetts also has some BTCC experience having raced in the 2004 season for Gary Ayles Motorsport in a Vauxhall Astra and an Alfa Romeo 156.

The support from KX Energy ensures both drivers have the funding to complete their 2012 campaigns.

“Selecting two candidates for the remainder of this season has been incredibly tough,” said Plato. “There were a fair few drivers that we were interested in but ultimately after some lengthy debates and rigorous interviews we decided upon these two.”

“Tom and Stefan are very different characters and each bring something unique to the KX Akademy but they both share one thing; namely talent. That said there is much for them to learn not just to improve their driving ability but more importantly their ability to create a paying-career and seamlessly move between racing-driver and commercial and astute businessmen.”