Tom Ingram wraps up race three at Knockhill

Tom Ingram battled to victory in the final race of the weekend at Knockhill to keep pace with BTCC points leader Ash Sutton.

Stephen Jelley started the race on pole in his BMW with Jason Plato’s Vauxhall alongside, and it was Jelley who got the best start to lead the field into turn one, with Tom Ingram jumping up into third when he slid down the inside of Senna Proctor into turn three.

Proctor’s team-mate Josh Cook however suddenly slowed as the field went through the opening few corners with an apparent mechanical issue; his car being hit by Jack Goff’s Cupra as he tried to take avoiding action before coming to a halt on the exit of the Chjicane to bring out the safety car.

On the restart, Jelley retained the lead from Plato who was under pressure from Ingram, and that pressure told on lap ten when Plato was late on the brakes into the Hairpin and Ingram nipped ahead – being followed quickly by Senna Proctor’s Honda.

The Vauxhall would be run wide through turn three and dropped back down into the chasing pack, with Jake Hill and Gordon Shedden both getting ahead.

Ingram chased down Jelley at the front and saw his chance to dive down the inside with a late lunge at the Hairpin on lap 17 to hit the front, with Proctor again following him through when he passed the BMW into turn one.

Once out front however, Ingram was able to control the race from the front as he secured his third victory of the campaign for EXCELR8.

Proctor’s strong form continued as he took the flag in second spot, with Jelley under huge pressure from home hero Shedden, who has cleared Hill’s Focus at Clarks.

Ash Sutton, who followed Shedden past the Focus, would cross the line in fifth spot having earlier been part of a huge fight with Colin Turkington and Infiniti team-mates Aiden Moffat and Carl Boardley.

Chris Smiley took a battling sixth having started in 13th thanks a number of strong overtaking moves, one of which ended with a side-by-side run into turn one with Hill, who ran off track and was forced to retire.

Moffat and Turkington followed behind, with Plato and Dan Rowbottom rounding out the top ten.