Ingram Claims Second Title with Victory at BTCC Brands Hatch

Tom Ingram Secures Second BTCC Title in Dramatic Race at Brands Hatch

Tom Ingram has solidified his place as the king of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for the second time after a thrilling victory in the second race of the Brands Hatch finale. The Excelr8 Motorsport driver, starting from fifth on the grid, made bold strategic choices that ultimately led to his triumph.

Ingram was the only driver among the top six to start the race on soft tyres, driving his Hyundai i30 N Fastback. This decision proved crucial when he overtook his team-mate Tom Chilton at Surtees on the third lap. At that point, it seemed like the race was all but won, with Ingram leading the pack. However, two safety car periods disrupted the momentum and brought the field back together.

During the second safety car period, Chilton’s sister Hyundai suffered an alternator failure, allowing Ash Sutton, the title rival, to close in on Ingram. Sutton, who had started ninth on the grid, was on medium tyres, which proved no match for Ingram’s soft-shod Hyundai over the final five laps of green-flag racing.

Ingram finished 2.4 seconds ahead of Sutton with one lap remaining, and then sealed his victory by setting the fastest lap of the race on the final tour. He used the TOCA Turbo Boost for the first and only time in the race, despite having five laps of TTB available.

Emotional Victory and Strategic Mastery

Ingram expressed his emotions after the win, stating, “The car was, as it has been at every single round this year, on another planet of perfect.” He added, “What we’ve put together has been nothing short of unreal. I’ve had the best year’s racing of my life – I’ve had a laugh, I’ve had a smile all the way through. To get it done in race two with one to go, I’m proper chuffed.”

Reflecting on the title-clinching drive, he said, “It was heavy going. Ash got a rocket start, and when he was there it was, ‘What are you doing here, man!’ They really kept us on our toes.”

Senna Proctor Adds to Excelr8’s Success

Senna Proctor further highlighted Excelr8’s dominance by securing third place. Starting from 13th on the grid, Proctor used the soft tyres to make a strong charge through the field. He overtook Dan Cammish into Surtees on the 16th lap of 18, showcasing his skill and determination.

Dan Cammish, the poleman and first-race winner, struggled to maintain his position. He lost out at the start to Chilton and allowed Sutton to pass him. On the penultimate lap, Cammish also lost fourth place to Gordon Shedden’s Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla GR Sport.

Cammish finished behind Dan Rowbottom in an Alliance Ford 5-6, with Jake Hill and Josh Cook closely following them at the chequered flag. Hill, starting from the back of the grid, narrowly beat Cook to seventh place. Aiden Moffat’s ninth-place finish secured him pole position for the reversed-grid race.

Impact of Safety Car Incidents

The first safety car incident had significant implications for the minor title fights. Charles Rainford, running third on lap three, lost several positions after a slide at Hawthorn’s. He attempted to close the door on Aron Taylor-Smith, but the collision sent both cars into the barriers. This incident helped lift Daryl DeLeon, who had a disaster in race one, back into the Jack Sears Trophy leadership.

Taylor-Smith was also involved in the second safety car period. He moved over on team-mate Cook at Druids, resulting in a crash that ended his race.

Final Standings and Key Moments

The Independents title fight is now between three drivers going into the finale: Dan Lloyd, Chris Smiley, and Mikey Doble. The results of the second race showed how close the competition remains.

Here are the final standings:

BTCC Brands Hatch – Race 2 Results

Position	Driver	Team	Car	Laps	Time	Interval	km/h
1	T. Ingram	Team Vertu	Hyundai i30 Fastback N	18	30’53.730	85.05	20
2	A. Sutton	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	18	+3.387	30’57.117	84.90
3	S. Proctor	Team Vertu	Hyundai i30 Fastback N	18	+5.016	30’58.746	84.82
4	G. Shedden	Toyota Gazoo Racing UK	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	18	+7.700	31’01.430	84.70
5	D. Cammish	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	18	+8.890	31’02.620	84.65
6	D. Rowbottom	NAPA Racing UK	Ford Focus ST	18	+9.574	31’03.304	84.62
7	J. Hill	Laser Tools Racing	BMW 330i M Sport	18	+9.798	31’03.528	84.61
8	J. Cook	Toyota Gazoo Racing UK	Toyota Corolla GR Sport	18	+9.905	31’03.635	84.60
9	A. Moffat	LKQ Euro Car Parts Racing	BMW 330i M Sport	18	+10.491	31’04.221	84.58
10	A. Morgan	Team Vertu	Hyundai i30 Fastback N	18	+11.042	31’04.772	84.55