Tom Ingram charges to victory in Brands Hatch GP opener

Tom Ingram produced a virtuoso performance to claim his fourth win of the season in the British Touring Car Championship ahead of Josh Cook and Ricky Collard.

Power Maxed Racing’s Aiden Moffat had pushed Ingram all the way however the pole-sitter fell foul of track limits late on and dropped to fourth after receiving a time penalty.

Remarkably, only Ingram and Moffat opted to run the soft tyre for the day’s opener, with the rest of the field electing to get the less preferable medium compound out of the way.

As the lights went out, outgoing champion Ingram made the better start from the front row and took the lead as he and Moffat charged into Paddock Hill Bend.

Behind, the likes of Gordon Shedden, Aron Taylor-Smith and Charles Rainford all encountered troubles – with Shedden and Taylor-Smith eventually retiring.

Back at the front, Moffat utilised his superior TOCA Turbo Boost to regain the lead on lap three as they plunged down the hill on the Grand Prix circuit. Despite losing the position, Ingram remained within touching distance of the Scotsman.

As the race wore on Ingram continued to fill the mirrors of the Audi driver and he made his move with a bold overtake down the start-straight, completing the change of lead upon entry into Paddock Hill Bend.

From there, Ingram streaked clear and Moffat looked on course to finish second until he was penalised late on. His demise promoted Cook and Collard, who had enjoyed relatively low-key races respectively.

Moffat slotted in ahead of his team-mate Mikey Doble, with newly crowned five-time champion Ash Sutton completing the top-six.

WSR’s Daryl De Leon scored valuable points in seventh after starving off the late advances of Dan Cammish, Adam Morgan and Dexter Patterson who rounded out the top-ten.