COVENTRY-based driver Tom Ingram has been crowned British Touring Car champion for the first time in his career after a masterful display of racing in a thrilling season finale at Brands Hatch.
Ingram has been in title contention for six successive seasons and finally succeeded in claiming an elusive British Touring Car Championship title with two race wins and a top-five finish over the Grand Prix circuit in Kent.
The 29-year-old was one of four drivers vying for the title with reigning champion Ash Sutton leading the way from Jake Hill, Ingram and four-time champion Colin Turkington heading into the final weekend.
Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com’s Ingram obliterated the lap record during qualifying and duly converted pole position into a commanding double in the first two contests on race day.
This propelled Ingram into an 11-point lead over his rivals at the end of race two as a thrilling finale ensued.
Ingram’s teammate Daniel Lloyd won the final race, with none of the title contenders on the podium, as Sutton, Hill and Ingram ran nose-to-tail in the closing laps of an enthralling season
And Ingram passed Hill on the inside on the final lap, after the latter made one final lunge on the inside of Sutton, which forced Hill out wide and out of contention.
Ingram shadowed Sutton home to take his maiden BTCC title and lifted the prestigious trophy having cried tears of joy during his live interview on ITV4.
And Ingram scored a total of six race victories during the first year of the hybrid era – more than any other driver – to underline his deserved success.
Ingram said: “I’ve thought about this moment for literally my entire life. This is what I wanted to do. This is what I wanted to win. Never did I think it was going to come.
“We’ve had a few years of coming into this weekend and it not quite working out; I cannot put into words how much of a fantastic team I have around me to have made this happen. It’s just incredible.
“From Chris and Leslie to everyone associated with Bristol Street Motors, Anthony, Justina, my amazing girlfriend Laura, my parents. To every single person that’s helped me along the way. I cannot put into words just how much it means.
“I felt like I needed an adult with me [during the race]. Somebody to come in the passenger seat and say ‘it’s okay, just chill! It will all be fine.’ I was talking to Spencer (race engineer), he was constant.
“All the way through on the radio, every lap, more information. Knowing what was going on, knowing the gap, knowing who was around me..
“I’m not going to do anything else [but race], why would I do anything else? It’s a racing car, it’s in the best championship in the entire world. Why would I sit there, you’ve got to go for it!
“When we’ve devoted our life to it, as we have done, and you have all the sacrifices, everything from meeting Matt Neal when I was five years old at the Autosport Show, falling in love with the British Touring Car Championship and over the years, coming through all the support series, all the Ginettas, getting into touring cars with Speedworks [Motorsport], it’s been absolutely amazing.
“I owe absolutely everything to my amazing team who have put everything behind me because they’ve just worked tirelessly this year. It’s just been incredible. This isn’t going to sink in, I’m going to have sore cheeks for at least a week.”
The British Touring Car Championship will return in 2023 with the opening rounds taking place in April at Donington Park.
