Tom Ingram fastest in second free practice session at Knockhill
Speedworks Toyota driver Tom Ingram was fastest of all in the final free practice session of the day, leading rival privateer Adam Morgan’s Ciceley Racing Mercedes A-Class in the 40-minute test, with West Surrey Racing BMW’s Jack Goff close behind in third.
Ingram knocked West Surrey Racing’s Sam Tordoff from the top of the time sheets just after the halfway mark of the session with a time of 52.083, which the 22-year-old would soon improve to 51.955, three-tenths from Andy Priaulx’s qualifying lap record from last season.
The session was red flagged just once with 23 minutes left on the clock when Dan Welch’s Proton stopped at the hairpin, requiring recovery from a unsafe position.
The potential for some last minute improvements was scuuppered with yellow flags deployed in sector two when Warren Scott’s Team BMR Subaru stopped at the chicane with just five minutes to go.
Ingram would end the session fastest ahead of his independents’ class rival Morgan by two-tenths of a second, with Goff third.
Hunter Abbott was fourth fastest in the Power Maxed Racing Chevrolet Cruze, ahead of the Eurotech Honda of Jeff Smith with Jason Plato the fastest of the Team BMR Subarus for the second session running in sixth.
West Surrey Racing’s Sam Tordoff, Honda’s Gordon Shedden, Motorbase Performance’s Andrew Jordan and championship leader Rob Collard in the WSR BMW completed the top ten.
Regular front-runners outside of the top ten including BMR Subaru driver Colin Turkington in 12th, with three-time champion Matt Neal in 17th and Motorbase Ford driver Mat Jackson in 21st.
Qualifying for the race follows at 15:40 BST.
