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Tom Ingram Shines in BTCC Free Practice at Donington Park
Tom Ingram showcased his dominance in the opening round of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Donington Park, leading free practice sessions ahead of fellow champion Ash Sutton.
Ingram, who clinched the 2022 title, set a commanding pace in the initial practice session early in the morning while driving his Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai i30 N Fastback. His performance outclassed the competition, as all four of his push laps averaged significantly faster than the best times achieved by others, concluding the session with a lead of 0.565 seconds over teammate Tom Chilton.
In the second session, although the overall times slipped slightly, four-time champion Ash Sutton improved his performance, finishing second in his Alliance Racing-run NAPA Ford Focus ST. Sutton was 0.360 seconds behind Ingram’s best in FP2 and 0.425 seconds off his FP1 pace.
“It’s feeling nice, very good,” Ingram remarked about his car’s performance. “We’ve all been working on achieving the right balance with the weight changes. It’s like starting again to some extent, but the car is meeting all my expectations.”
Interestingly, despite the significant weight reduction of 55 kg due to the removal of hybrid elements, coupled with an increased power boost from the turbo engine, Ingram was the only driver to exceed the qualifying lap record, albeit narrowly.
“With the drop in weight and the turbo boost increase, we anticipated quicker times during qualifying,” Ingram elaborated. “I believe there’s more speed to unlock from our team and from others as well.”
Several drivers faced penalties for multiple track-limit violations during free practice, including Ronan Pearson, Nic Hamilton, Adam Morgan, Michael Crees, Max Hall, and Dan Cammish. In response to these infractions, BTCC organizers TOCA have implemented four new video cameras at strategic track locations, including Redgate and Old Hairpin, to enhance monitoring capabilities. This technology allowed for the removal of the large tire barriers at the Esses, although plans are in place to reinstall them for the qualifying sessions.
Chilton’s FP1 performance secured him a comfortable third overall, while Adam Morgan completed the top four, making it three Excelr8 Hyundais in the upper echelon of the standings. Alliance Ford drivers Dan Cammish and Dan Rowbottom followed closely behind.
Reigning champion Jake Hill stood out among the top 10, being the only driver to improve in FP2 as he elevated his West Surrey Racing BMW 330i M Sport to seventh position, finishing sixth in the session. Hill’s delayed start in FP2 was due to ongoing setup modifications aimed at improving speed.
Mikey Doble rounded off the top eight in his Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra, followed by BTCC newcomers Charles Rainford (WSR BMW) and James Dorlin (Speedworks Motorsport Toyota Corolla).
On a challenging morning for launch day test-topper Josh Cook, his One Motorsport Honda Civic Type R required an engine change prior to FP2 due to an oil pressure issue, while Aiden Moffat faced troubles of his own, missing most of FP1 because of a power concern in his WSR BMW.
BTCC Donington Park – Practice Results
FP2 Results
FP1 Results
Source
www.autosport.com