Ingram leads the way as BTCC title fight heads for Scotland

After the traditional summer break, the fight for the 2022 BTCC title resumes this weekend as the series heads for Scotland and the annual visit to Knockhill.

Tom Ingram is the man to beat at the top of the championship standings after an impressive campaign to date at the wheel of his EXCELR8-run Hyundai, with three wins so far this year allowing him to hold a slender advantage at the top.

Ingram has been a front-runner at all five events so far, with Thruxton – where he was caught up in an incident on lap one of the opening race – being the only circuit where he hasn’t scored a podium finish.

Three points clear at the top, Ingram will hope to replicate the form he displayed at Knockhill last year, where he battled his way to a race win.

“Knockhill is a circuit where I’ve enjoyed strong results in the past, including last season, so I’m going there feeling confident about our chances,” he said. “There are various things that we were able to learn in the test at Snetterton that mean we head to Scotland in good shape, although I’m sure there will be other people who will say the same thing.

“Currently, it looks like it could be raining which would bring extra risks, but whether it is wet or dry, I’m confident we will be quick. I’m 100 per cent sure we can win for the second year in a row, but the focus is on maximising the weekend as a whole and putting as many points on the board as we can for the championship.”

Ingram’s closest challenger going into the second half of the season if Josh Cook, who has scored more wins so far – four – than any other driver.

Although he has scored points in every race, making him the only driver to do so at the half way stage, Cook has been hampered somewhat by straight line speed issues with the new TOCA engine that left him relying on the reverse grid final race to salvage results at both Oulton Park and Croft.

Cook will hope to fight towards the sharp end again this weekend at a circuit where the Honda FK8 has been strong in the past, even if he himself has endured his fair share of misfortune in the past – with more DNFs at Knockhill than at any other circuit on the calendar.

Nine points behind Cook sits Colin Turkington, who will once again be at the wheel of his 2019 title-winning car this weekend as work continues to repair the chassis damaged at Oulton Park.

The Northern Irishman is a multiple winner at Knockhill with three wins in the past and will be keen to replicate the strong form he showed at Croft prior to the summer break, where he secured a pair of podium finishes.

Now 100 per cent fit after the drama of Oulton, Turkington heads into the weekend confident about his chances on track.

“The four weeks since Croft have flown by, especially with the test at Snetterton, but it feels great to have had a little bit of rest,” he said. “I’m happy to report my neck has taken a huge step forward and I honestly don’t see it being an issue from here onwards.

“It’s been refreshing to focus on my preparation for Knockhill and not have a mountain to climb just to be fit enough to drive. I know the team feel the same and being ready for Croft was a big push for everyone. Knockhill is one of my favourite four circuits on the calendar. It’s non-stop from start to finish and provides plenty of opportunities to overtake. I’m eager to start the second half of the season.”

Defending champion Ash Sutton has yet to take a win since his move to Motorbase Performance over the winter, but a consistent campaign – which at one stage yielded five successive podium finishes – has allowed him to build a title challenge once again.

Sutton was the man to beat during the two day Snetterton test held over the summer and will be eager to try and benefit from the work carried out on the Ford Focus to try and make it onto the top step of the podium.

“We’re heading to Scotland with some good data under our belts from the tyre test and the whole NAPA Racing UK team is feeling positive we’ve made some good steps forward,” he said. “None of us know what to truly expect from Knockhill, but we’ll all be working as hard as ever to deliver the best weekend we can.”

Jake Hill, who grabbed his maiden BTCC win at Knockhill, holds fifth in the standings in his ROKiT-backed BMW, with the top six rounded out by Rory Butcher – who will hope to make home experience at the wheel of his Speedworks Toyota as he bids to open his account for the campaign and close in on the drivers ahead.

It’s a similar story for brother-in-law Gordon Shedden, who is five points behind Butcher in seventh spot for Team Dynamics.

A four-time winner at his home circuit, Shedden could secure a place in BTCC history this weekend if he secures a second win of the campaign, which would give him the most wins with a single team; a record he currently shares with former team-mate Matt Neal.

The Scottish pair have Dan Lloyd breathing down their necks however, with his double win at Croft being the ideal way to recover from the incident with Turkington at Oulton Park.

Lloyd has been hard at work over the summer break trying to attract additional backing to help cover the extensive cost of the repairs to his Hyundai – which has seen one new sponsor come onboard – and will target more success on track as he continues his quest to keep his campaign on track.

Adam Morgan and Dan Rowbottom round out the top ten, with both drivers having endured mixed results in the season to date.

Morgan heads for Scotland on a tough run of form that has seen him take just two top ten finishes in the last six races whilst Rowbottom’s pace hasn’t been reflected in his results so far in 2022 – with a third place at Croft being his first podium of the year.

Elsewhere, the likes of Dan Cammish, Tom Chilton and Jason Plato will be eager to fight for improved results, with Cammish in particular left to rue a difficult start to the campaign that saw him fail to score in five of the first nine races.

Sunday’s race action kicks off at 12:08 local time, with race two scheduled for 14:15. Both races will be featured on the main ITV channel after a change to the originally planned broadcast schedule, with race three at 17:10 rounding out the action on ITV4.