Tom Ingram put in a terrific drive to take victory from third on the grid within the second race of the British Touring Automobile Championship finale at Manufacturers Hatch.
The 2022 champion pulled off excellent manoeuvres on the BMWs of Colin Turkington and Jake Hill over the primary two laps, and is now only a level adrift of Hill heading into the ultimate race of the season.
Ingram’s front-wheel-drive Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N Fastback had no likelihood towards the front-row sitting, rear-wheel-drive West Surrey Racing BMW 330e M Sports activities in the beginning.
However he wasted no time in pulling off a peach of a transfer across the outdoors of Turkington at Hawthorn’s on the opening lap.
Half a lap later, Ingram dived down the within of Hill at Paddock Hill Bend for the lead, however crucially Hill had gained a bonus level for main a lap.
Ingram, in fact, additionally acquired this as a result of he led the remaining 14 laps, and he gained the quickest lap level into the cut price.
When Ingram did this, on lap 5, his Hyundai was 1.954 seconds in entrance, however then the BMWs started eroding the benefit.
The main runners have been on medium tyres on this race, and the BMWs historically take longer to fireplace these up – particularly in cool circumstances with a touch of drizzle within the air.
Tom Ingram, Bristol Avenue Motors Hyundai i30 N Fastback
Picture by: JEP / Motorsport Photos
Hill took up the problem and, utilizing his sole lap of hybrid, acquired the hole right down to 1.127s with 5 excursions remaining, earlier than Ingram stabilised the margin and took the flag 1.421s in entrance.
“Wonderful – it’s on. It’s on!” exclaimed Ingram. “I’m super-pumped for that.
“This automotive is simply so good, and I can’t say sufficient about what the group has performed.
“The great factor once you’re racing Colin and Jake is you recognize precisely what you’ve acquired. The transfer on Colin was main excessive threat, however wanted doing. After which Jakey left simply sufficient house down the within at Paddock Hill.”
Behind the dutiful Turkington, clearly defending Hill’s championship possibilities, there was a niche to the 2 main Alliance Racing-run NAPA Ford Focus STs.
The sensational Sutton sliced his manner from nineteenth on the grid to fifth in simply 4 laps, after which set in regards to the activity of reeling in team-mate Dan Cammish.
With each drivers out of the title image they have been free to race, and on the twelfth lap of 15 Sutton dived down the within of Cammish on the Westfield right-hander. However he ran large, and Cammish speared again forward at Sheene Curve earlier than preserving the place to the end.
One other on a cost from the again was Josh Cook in his Speedworks Motorsport-run LKQ Toyota Corolla GR Sport. Prepare dinner ultimately acquired as much as seventh, however couldn’t shortly crack the defences of sixth-placed Aron Taylor-Smith (Energy Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra).
Aiden Moffat used the delicate tyres on this race to cost his Speedworks LKQ Toyota as much as eighth forward of Tom Chilton (Excelr8 Hyundai) and Sam Osborne (Alliance Ford).