Tom Ingram: “We’re in the strongest position possible”

EXCLER8 Motorsport’s Tom Ingram believes he is in the strongest position possible going into this weekend’s British Touring Car Championship finale at Brands Hatch, where he’ll fight to try and win the coveted crown for the second time in his career.

Ingram heads to the Kent venue as the form driver having tallied a brace of wins at Silverstone last time out which in-turn allowed him to draw level with Jake Hill at the top of the standings going into the final three races of the year on Sunday.

Boasting a total of five wins and a further eight podium finishes this term, the Hyundai i30 N driver goes into the last round brimming with confidence – not least because the Grand Prix layout has been a happy hunting ground for the 2022 title winner in years gone by.

“I’m feeling confident, relaxed and mentally very strong,” said Ingram. “Historically, we’ve gone really well at Brands ‘GP’, and it’s a circuit I always enjoy so I think we’ll be in good shape. The advantage has ebbed-and-flowed all year, and there’s obviously a fairly unique dynamic this weekend going in level on points. It feels like a one-shot shootout for glory, which is exciting for the drivers, the teams and the fans.

“Jake [Hill] and I will share the same hybrid allocation in qualifying and race one, while Ash [Sutton] will have a little bit more and he certainly isn’t far enough behind just to be forgotten about. He might not be an immediate threat as things stand, but you can never discount him; Jake and I only need to have a coming-together in race one and fail to score, and if Ash wins, he would be right back in contention. I’m very mindful of that, but as we have done throughout the season, we will be focussing solely on ourselves.

“Ultimately, what we all want is for it to be a fair fight and not come down to luck. Brands ‘GP’ doesn’t really favour either front wheel-drive or rear wheel-drive, so it’s a fairly neutral venue in that respect – although the weather is one aspect that clearly has the potential not to be neutral and could play a big part. That said, with the way the Hyundai is performing at the moment, I’m happy in all conditions.

“We’ve been competitive everywhere this season, and ultra-consistent with it – if we haven’t won, we’ve been there-or-thereabouts. I see no reason at all why we can’t finish the job this weekend. This is my eighth consecutive year of going into the BTCC finale still in with a shout, and having the experience of coming out on top before means I know what is required. I genuinely believe we’re in the strongest position possible.”