Tom Ingram: “Tyre changes are going to play a big role”

Tom Ingram admitted that changes to the BTCC tyre regulations are set to a play a big role in the outcome of the 2020 title after the opening rounds of the new season at Donington Park.

The Speedworks driver enjoyed a solid start to the campaign at the East Midlands circuit with a brace of top six finishes in his Toyota Corolla, showing strong pace both with and without ballast on the car.

Those results were enough to leave Ingram sitting fifth in the standings heading away from the opening meeting of the condensed 2020 schedule, although the former Independents’ champion admitted that he had expected to be higher given his results.

Instead, Ingram explained that changes to the tyre rules – introduced to aid teams in dealing with the impact of COVID-19 and the busy schedule – had instead played a role in how the weekend had panned out.

“We had a strong weekend with two fourths and a sixth, although I thought we would be a little bit higher than we are in the standings with that,” he said. “I think the fact that we are fifth shows how competitive it will be this season, but also shows how much of a difference the option tyre made in the past.

“If we’d had these results with the option tyre last year, then it would have been a big score but now we have the same tyre all weekend and that element of strategy is removed, then it isn’t quite enough – as we can see. Previously you knew there was a penalty of running the soft or the hard tyre at some point, but because we don’t have that this season, I think we might see someone win all three races in a weekend for the first time in a while.

“More than ever, three good races on a weekend will be important, rather than two good results and one that is okay.”

Ingram will now seek to challenge for his first silverware of the season when the series heads for Brands Hatch and he vowed to push hard around the famous Grand Prix circuit, which moves this season from its position as the final event of the year to host round two.

“I think we are in a positive place going to Brands Hatch and I’m feeling excited,” he said. “I love the ‘GP’ circuit – it’s a proper old-school challenge and we’ve usually gone well there.

“The aim is more of the same to keep ourselves in the hunt – and if a win or podium is there for the taking, we will of course grab it with both hands.”