Tom Ingram: “The ultimate goal is to take the title again”

Tom Ingram has admitted that the pressure is off ahead 2026 British Touring Car Championship curtain-raiser at Donington Park this weekend.

The EXCELR8 Motorsport driver swept aside the opposition last year to clinch a second Drivers’ title and now, he’s looking to join an exclusive club of three-time champions as he bids to retain his crown.

Remaining behind the wheel of the Hyundai i30 Fastback N, the 32-year-old enters the new campaign as the driver to beat and he has been left encouraged by the pace that’s been shown during pre-season testing.

“I think we’re in good shape,” said Ingram. “Pre-season preparations have gone well. We were quick at Croft, and then in the second group test at Brands Hatch last week, we focussed on following our own programme – I don’t think I pressed the ‘boost’ button all day and we certainly didn’t chase any lap times.

“The package feels really strong; given how fast the Hyundai was last year, we’ve deliberately not made any major changes or tried to reinvent the wheel.

“You can never sit still, of course, because by doing that you go backwards, but it’s also all-too-easy to go backwards by interfering too much so you need to be sure the changes you make will have a positive effect.”

With the introduction of a new Qualifying Race and with rivals wheeling out new cars too, Ingram is quick to admit that it won’t be until Saturday that the true pecking order is revealed.

He explained: “The level of competition looks super-high – we know the Fords will be strong and the BMWs are always there-or-thereabouts, and then there is the unknown of the new Mercedes and Audis – but we’ll get our first indication of where everybody is in the pecking-order in just a few days’ time.

“None of us really know quite how the new regulations will play out, but our aim as ever will be to get through the first weekend relatively unscathed and score as many points as possible to set ourselves up for a successful season.

“It goes without saying that the ultimate goal is to take the title again. Having now proved that we can win it more than once, I don’t feel the same pressure or emotion as I did heading into my first championship defence in 2023, which means we can go out there and really enjoy it – and then we’ll see where we end up come Brands Hatch in October.”