Tom Ingram in the box seat heading into BTCC finale
Tom Ingram will take a 33-point lead into the final rounds of the British Touring Car Championship season at Brands Hatch in less than two weeks’ time after a sublime showing at Silverstone.
On what proved to be a pivotal penultimate weekend of the season at the Home of British Motor Racing, the EXCELR8 Motorsport driver kept his cool to ensure he goes into the final three races with a healthy advantage over four-time champion Ash Sutton.
Ingram – who lifted the title in 2022 – could only muster 14th in a wet-dry qualifying session on Saturday however he bounced back in style on Sunday as he charged up to seventh in a frenetic opening encounter.
Choosing to run the soft tyre in race two, the Hyundai i30 N racer comfortably charged to a sixth victory of the season before ending his day with a fifth place finish in the reverse grid finale.
“It was a really good weekend – we did everything we needed to do and a little bit more besides,” said Ingram.
“It was important to win race two. When you’ve got the soft tyre and an advantage in terms of boost – which hasn’t been the case for us very often this year – you’ve got to exploit that.
“It’s nice to be going into the final weekend with a little bit of a points cushion, but by no means is it signed-and-sealed – far from it. We certainly can’t afford to just cruise and collect – just one bad result could throw it wide open.”
Elsewhere, Alliance Racing/Ford hold a two-point lead in the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ over EXCELR8 Motorsport/Hyundai, whilst the same two outfits under their NAPA Racing UK and Team VERTU names are separated by three points in the Teams’ Championship standings.
Restart Racing have secured an unassailable lead in the Independent Teams’ Championship however the battle for the Drivers’ crown will be a three-way shootout between Daniel Lloyd, Mikey Doble and Chris Smiley.
In the Jack Sears Trophy, just a handful of points separate West Surrey Racing team-mates Daryl DeLeon and Charles Rainford.
