Top two for Tom in BTCC opening weekend
Tom Ingram roared to a second place finish in the final Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race at Leicestershire's Donington Park last weekend, but in truth the Vale-based racer suffered a difficult start to the defence of his BTCC Drivers' Title.
Driving for EXCELR8 Team Vertu in a Hyundai i30 Fastback N Performance car, Ingram started his weekend by finishing second in the new for 2026 Qualifying Race on Saturday afternoon, before racing to victory in the opening championship race of the weekend.
However, shortly after the race concluded, Ingram's car was fell foul of a post event technical inspection with his Hyundai suffering from an overboost issue - handing race victory to Mikey Doble (Audi).
Ingram's second event was over before it started when he was back in the pits with an alternator issue at the end of the warm-up lap. The issue preventing his car's power steering and other mechanical functions working as they should. Forced to sit and watch rival Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing) score a dominant victory, Ingram was though back on-track for the weekend finale where he showed great pace.
Carving his way through from the rear of the field, Ingram was in the thick of the action throughout to finish the race in second position and follow double race winner Sutton across the line.
Speaking afterwards, Ingram said: "This was quite a weekend. High and lows across throughout. It wasn't quite the start I was looking for, but the final race of the weekend shows that the car has great pace and the new format of BTCC racing is very exciting."
* Winslow's Lewis Fox was in action at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex last weekend, driving a 1913 Peugeot-Indianapolis in the S.F. Edge Trophy at the track's annual Goodwood Members' Meeting. Fox finished fifth in the first leg of the trophy race on the opening day of the early season motoring festival in a race won by Julian Mazjub (Sunbeam), but improved in race two to finish on the podium in third position behind winner Archie Bullett (Pic Pic Sturtevant Aero) and Mazjub.
Dario Franchitti teamed with Gregor Fisken to win the Protheroe Cup in a Jaguar E Type, while Michael O'Brien was also seen driving a Titan Mk3 1-litre F3 car in the Derek Bell Cup.
*Ross Gunn finished ninth in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday driving for The Heart of Racing Aston Martin team with Roman De Angelis in a V12-powered Aston Martin Valkyrie in the latest round of the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in California. Gunn now switches focus and a return to the British GT Championship that starts at Silverstone this weekend. Gunn will race an Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo for the Vale-based Beechdean AMR squad alongside Andrew Howard in the 3-hour Silverstone 500 race that takes place around the track's Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday.