Weekend to forget for Ingram at Thruxton
Hansford Sensors-sponsored British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) driver Tom Ingram was awarded the #ForeverForward award at Thruxton and set a brand-new lap record in the finale.
Tom qualified in 6th for Race 1 at Thruxton on Saturday, however, was later adjudged to have exceeded track limits. Tom had his fastest lap time removed post-qualifying, meaning he started tenth on the grid. Once the race got underway, things were looking good for Tom as he started to climb up the grid, but trouble was on the horizon, he was forced out of the race with an electrical issue following contact with Josh Cook’s Astra.
For Race 2, Tom started from the back of the grid in 32nd, but by lap 5, had fought his way up to 16th. With just four laps remaining, Tom was sitting comfortably in 14th eventually finishing in 12th. In total, Tom gained an impressive 20 places from the back of the grid, despite Thruxton being a notoriously tough circuit to overtake. Tom was awarded the #ForeverForward award from Dunlop for the most overtakes in Race 2.
With his impressive performance in Race 2, Tom set up a good position for Race 3, he started from 12th, and wasted no time in moving up through the order. He spent most of the race stuck in the battle behind Chris Smiley, racing alongside Matt Simpson. Tom proved that despite having problems in Race 1, he could put that all behind him and push his Toyota. In the final stages of the race, Tom pushed past Chris to take seventh, ahead of race one winner Matt Neal.
Tom now sits third in the Drivers’ Standings, eleven points behind the new championship leader Adam Morgan. Despite enduring a challenging day, Tom provided some respite by setting a brand-new lap record in the finale. Yvan Muller’s 2002 Thruxton benchmark was the longest standing lap record on the BTCC calendar, but it was beaten a number of times on Sunday. Eventually it was Tom who earned the ultimate accolade – his 1:17.060s setting a new marker.
The next three rounds of the season are at Oulton Park on 9-10 June 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).
