Tom Ingram: “Our only target is the top prize”

Tom Ingram insists that his only target in the 2020 BTCC is the “top prize” as the Speedworks driver looks to build on a promising debut season for the Toyota Corolla.

Ingram, twice the Independents’ champion and a former series runner-up, secured four wins with the all-new car last year en-route to sixth in the standings and has shown strong pace in pre-season testing to date.

The 26-year-old topped the times during the season launch test at Silverstone back in March and was inside the top three during the two-day tyre test at Snetterton earlier this month – both indications of the fact that a strong campaign could lie ahead.

“We were quick in all conditions at the Snetterton tyre test, particularly in the rain, which was encouraging,” he said. “I’m no weather expert, but with the season running later into the year, I reckon we could see more wet races than usual!

“It was a really useful couple of days in general, and I’m feeling very comfortable in the Corolla. We’ve done a huge amount of work with it since the end of last season and have improved it in every area, which has been corroborated during testing. We’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made, and we have a much better overall understanding of the car now, which immediately puts us in a stronger position.

“It’s almost as if we’re coming out of a second winter at the moment. From being ready to race back in March following a positive build-up to the start of the campaign, all of a sudden the brakes were applied and we had to go through what felt like another off-season. I’m just really excited now – so, so pumped for this and eager to make up for lost time and put on a great show!

“This is a big season for us, and we go into it with a completely different mindset. Last year, we didn’t really know what to expect with the new car, but this time around, there is no question that we are targeting the top prize – that’s the sole focus.

“It’s clearly going to be an intense few months given the compressed nature of the revised schedule, which will make it even more important than usual to maintain momentum – experience and consistency will be key factors, and I think we’re in a really good place.”

Team boss Christian Dick admitted that the condensed nature of the calendar would make experience key and tipped Ingram to shine.

“This season is clearly going to be a tricky one due to the quick-fire nature of the calendar and the short turnarounds between events – even so much as a single slip could prove very costly and leave you on the back foot for several races,” he said. “That means there will be a balance to strike between aggression and caution, and experience will definitely come into play.

“Although he is still only 26, Tom is now approaching his seventh campaign in the BTCC and has a very wise head on such young shoulders. He has been in title fights before, and his racing instinct has always been strong.

“The focus is very much on a championship challenge, so maximising our points score [at Donington] with a rock solid weekend will be the primary objective – and if that happens to yield some silverware, all the better…”