Ronan Pearson: Race three ‘hard to take but the right call’

Ronan Pearson admitted it was the right call to cede position to team-mate Tom Ingram in the final BTCC race of the weekend at Knockhill, despite missing out on a maiden podium finish as a result.

The Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 driver enjoyed his best weekend by far at his home circuit to bring his Hyundai i30 Fastback N home inside the top ten in all three races.

The young Scot had qualified 14th after overcoming a power steering issue before a call to pit early for wet tyres in race one allowed him to climb up the order – finishing in fifth place after various penalties ahead.

Pearson then scored seventh place in race two and was drawn on pole for race three, leading the early stages in torrential rain before a safety car backed up the field.

Having been overhauled by Ash Sutton and Josh Cook to drop back to third, Pearson was well set for a podium finish before he allowed Ingram to take the place on the final lap to secure additional championship points.

Pearson would still make it onto the podium at the end of the weekend as the winner of the Jack Sears Trophy.

“The first two races went really well, and taking my place on pole for race three in front of my friends, family and sponsors was an epic feeling,” the Macklin Motors-backed racer said. “Leading my first BTCC race on home soil was just an awesome experience and in the early stages, I felt a win could be on the cards as I’d been able to build a small lead and I felt comfortable.

“After the restart, I started to lose front-end grip and dropped back to third, and when I then had Tom behind me, I got the call from the team asking me to let him through.

“Although it’s hard to take as a driver, it was the right decision to swap positions when he has the championship to think about, and I know that I would have come away from the race with a top-three finish had he not been running behind me on track. However, those few extra points could be the difference between first and second in the championship when we get to the end of the season.

“To join Tom on the podium as the Jack Sears Trophy winner was a real bucket list moment and to see so many fans there cheering me on is a feeling that I can’t really put into words. This was the weekend where all of the hard work that has gone in alongside the team really paid off, and I’ve shown what I can do in the most difficult conditions we’ve had all year.”