Last gasp drama in BTCC qualifying at Silverstone
Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS’ Tom Ingram was left celebrating at Silverstone earlier today (21 September) as the title contender snatched pole position for Round 25 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.
Despite his #80 car carrying minimal hybrid deployment by virtue of his second-place position in the overall Drivers’ standings, Ingram mastered the wet conditions to initially end up second at the conclusion of the final ‘Quick Six’ qualifying segment.
Drama followed, however, as no fewer than three cars were subsequently excluded from the result after their respective cars failed post-session ride height checks.
The Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing duo of Aron Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble lost first and third on the grid due to the failure, whilst rookie Dan Zelos was also relegated to the rear of the grid after his Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai suffered the same fate.
When the results eventually filtered through it was Team BMW’s Colin Turkington lining up second and LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ’s Josh Cook in third.
Dan Cammish (NAPA Racing UK), Andrew Watson (TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK) and Jake Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport) were subsequently promoted into the top six, although Watson also faces his own three-place grid penalty following a previous incident at Donington Park.
The shocks had already begun when reigning champion and NAPA Racing UK star Ashley Sutton exited at the Part 1 stage of qualifying for the first time this season.
The penultimate race day of the 2024 BTCC campaign takes place tomorrow with an incredible six contenders still gunning for the title.
The leading half dozen are blanketed by just 54 points as Hill, Ingram, Sutton, Cammish, Turkington and Cook all still hold a genuine hope of claiming the most coveted prize in British motorsport.
ITV4’s all-day race day broadcast gets underway at 1045 tomorrow while every race will be streamed live across the globe via ITV Sport’s TikTok channel.
Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, said: “Really good result. If I’m honest I didn’t expect to line-up on the front row this weekend. Just goes to show what a bit of weather can do.
“We’ve got the pace, but we haven't got the hybrid, that’s a contributing factor here. I was confident enough of our speed in the dry, which would have just about got us in the top eight realistically. When it rained it was kind of a reset for everybody, we all had to get on with the job. The tyre only gives you a lap so for us all it was a bit of a, close your eyes, hope for the best, guess your braking zones, hope they were there or thereabouts and go from there. I’m really pleased, and Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS did really well.
“I don’t know where Jake [Hill] or Ash [Sutton] are on the grid, we have been focusing so much on ourselves. Tomorrow’s another day, we’ve gathered two of every animal we can find, we’ve gathered all the wood we can find to make a massive boat because it looks like that is going to be needed tomorrow.”
