TOM Ingram lost the lead in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) drivers’ standings despite a race three podium at Donington Park.
Ingram drove superbly from the back of the grid to finish second in the final race after a DNF in race two and a fifth-place finish in race one driving for Droitwich-based Team Bristol Street Motors.
However, Ingram trails new BTCC leader Jake Hill by just nine points after the latter driver secured two podium finishes.
Ingram said: “It was hard. After that second race we knew it would be a bit of a struggle to get back into the mix.
“The work that went on in-between races two and three was nothing short of amazing. It’s races like that that really mean a lot to you, and yeah, emotional.”
Ingram was in contention for a podium in race two until a stone punctured through the radiator of his Hyundai which led to a rising engine temperature.
He eventually retired to the pit lane as the Team Bristol Street Motors crew worked frantically to replace the engine in time for the start of the final race of the weekend.
And the team’s hard work paid off as Ingram produced a sensational drive to rise from 19th on the grid to second in one of the best drives of his career.
The BTCC continues at Silverstone on the weekend of September 21 and 22 next month.
