Ingram leads BTCC standings after winning start to 2018
Following an outstanding start to the season at Brands Hatch, Hansford Sensors-sponsored British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) driver Tom Ingram has leapt to an amazing first place in the driver’s standings.
Tom qualified in ninth for Race 1 at Brands Hatch on Saturday. Once the race got underway, he avoided an incident ahead of him between Sam Tordoff, Matt Simpson and Matt Neal to jump up to fourth on lap 15. He was charging for third with a closing gap to Andrew Jordan, but he was unable to catch him with two laps to go. Overall five places were gained, setting up a great opportunity for Race 2.
The conditions of Race 2 made for an astonishing race. It commenced in wet conditions, with Tom enjoying a fantastic battle for the first ten laps with Jordan and Jack Goff. On lap 9, Tom snatched the lead, but that fell back as the track started to dry. By now his wet tyres were beginning to work against him, and Tom eventually finished in 11th place.
The weekend looked like it wouldn’t be the same as the opening race for the 2017 season, where Tom beat Gordon Shedden to win Race 1, but Tom left his best performance until last in Race 3. Starting on the grid in 11th, Tom charged to seventh on the opening lap. By lap 3 he was up to fourth and continued his momentum each lap, a safety car period slowed the momentum down though, but meant Tom could start closing the door on third place man Aiden Moffat.
Shortly after the restart, Tom was able to get ahead of Moffat. A win was looking on the cards for Tom as he was soon into second after passing Ollie Jackson. To claim his first win of 2018, he had to pass pole-sitter Rob Austin. He began his hunt on the Alfa Romeo and made his move for the lead on lap 13 on the run down to Paddock Hill Bend.
Tom never looked back after passing Austin, with his mind now focused on looking after the tyres to get his Toyota Avensis to the chequered flag. He powered clear to an untroubled victory, his first win of the season for Speedworks Motorsport and with it the early championship lead, three points clear from Race 1 winner Goff.
The next three rounds of the season are at Donington Park on 28-29 April 2018. You can watch all the action on ITV4 or live stream at www.ITV.com/BTCC. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for special updates on Tom’s performances (@HansfordSensors).
