TOM Ingram secured his third race victory of the season in the latest round of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Oulton Park.
Coventry racer Ingram held off the challenge of defending champion and title rival Ash Sutton to claim his 30th win in the BTCC.
The Team Bristol Street Motors driver won the first of three races at Oulton Park before finishing second in race two and fourth in race three.
Ingram said: “We would have loved some air conditioning in the car, it gets very spicy in there. We are about 25 degrees above ambient temperature so it’s pretty warm to say the least.
“Ash (Sutton) is obviously quick, so is Dan (Cammish), plus I could see Jake (Hill) coming too. There was a lot to try and manage but it’s good to get the win.”
Ingram and Sutton touched on a couple of occasions as the pivotal moment saw the former straightline a chicane following a nudge from the latter’s Ford Focus.
The pair resumed their battle only for Ingram to race away in his Hyundai i30N and win the opening race of the weekend.
That came after Ingram smashed the existing BTCC qualifying lap record at Oulton Park in the lead up to the race.
Ingram crossed the line in 1:24.194 seconds, taking well over a second off the previous 2023 benchmark, to also claim his third pole position of the season which he converted into a victory.
Ingram added: “It felt pretty special if I’m honest, absolutely amazing. The car has just felt so alive this weekend, it has felt superb. Everyone at Team Bristol Street Motors has done something remarkable with this car, it feels so special to drive, it’s just an absolute pleasure.
“This circuit is about hooking everything up so it’s really confidence inspiring. So much about this game is about staying headstrong, so if the car is feeling good and we’re not having to chase things, we’re in a really good place.”
Ingram sits second in the drivers’ standings on 207 points, just four points behind Championship leader Jake Hill with Sutton third on 187 points.
The next round of the BTCC takes place at Croft Circuit on the weekend of July 27 and 28.
