Tom Ingram secures a brace of top ten finishes on thrilling BTCC debut
Tom Ingram, the young Speedworks Motorsport driver sponsored by vibration monitoring specialist Hansford Sensors, made an extraordinary debut last weekend in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Brands Hatch. He secured two top ten finishes in a remarkable performance for a rookie.
Driving the Speedworks Motorsport’s Toyota Avensis, Tom had a stunning qualifying round and secured sixth place on the grid, ahead of two previous champions. In round one he finished in 9th place, picking up 7 points, and pushed on to secure 8th place in round two by fending off multiple European touring car champion Fabrizio Giovanardi, earning 8 points. In the final round of racing Tom looked likely to earn a third top ten finish, before two-time champion Alain Menu made contact with the rear quarter of the Speedworks Toyota and forced the young driver into the barrier, ending any hopes for a hat-trick of top ten finishes.
Speaking about his first British Touring Car Championship experience shortly after the race, Tom said, “It was tremendously encouraging to be so close to the front on my debut, and I absolutely loved the whole BTCC experience. We’ve laid down a marker for the future – and we’re only going to get better from here.”
“We are absolutely delighted for Tom to have performed so well on his debut,” said Chris Hansford, Managing Director, Hansford Sensors. “He proved himself a champion in the last few seasons in the Ginetta GT Supercup and I’m thrilled his skill and talent is shining through at such a fierce and competitive level of racing.”
After the first BTCC race weekend of the year, Tom is currently in 11th place in the drivers standings, with 15 points and is the only rookie on the grid to have scored more than 1 point at Brands Hatch.
Britain’s most exciting racing championship now rolls on to Donnington Park where Tom will be looking to continue in his fine form and push for more top ten finishes.
For more information on the extensive range of Hansford Sensors products, please visit www.hansfordsensors.com.
