Tom Ingram claimed victory in the first Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship race of the season at Donington Park this afternoon.
The pole sitter held the lead as the field streamed into Redgate for the first time as the race got underway in damp but drying conditions following a delayed start to proceedings. The fast starting BMW of Colin Turkington did draw alongside, however Ingram held firm on the inside line to maintain his position on the inside.
As the pack flowed into Craner Curves it was Jake Hill in the Laser Tools branded BMW that moved into second, slipping past Turkington before the race was brought to a halt behind the Safety Car following an impact with the barriers for Sam Osborne.
With the barriers undergoing repairs, the drivers were forced to wait until lap 16 before full speed competition could resume, with the race distance extended from 18 to 21 laps. Ingram immediately picked up where he left off though, moving clear of the chasing pack into a position he would never lose.
Behind that it was reigning champion Ashley Sutton who was a key mover, leaving the Team BMW machine of Turkington in his wake before passing Hill on lap 18 to take second. Sutton’s NAPA Racing UK Ford was able to edge to within 2.5s of Ingram, but there was nothing he could do about the race leader.
The BMWs were forced to settle for third and fourth, unable to respond to the pace set by Ingram and Sutton, with Hill eventually claiming the final podium spot just under four seconds clear of Turkington. Ronan Pearson rounded out the top-five after following up his strong qualifying showing with a composed drive to fifth place.
Josh Cook in sixth and Aron Taylor Smith, seventh, negotiated the tricky conditions to bag a healthy points tally, ahead of three of the race’s biggest movers. Adam Morgan, Dan Cammish and Aiden Moffat all started the race down the order, but each of them climbed into the top-10 despite a reduced amount of running at racing speed. Moffat snuck in right at the close with a pass on Andrew Watson during the race’s final moments.
Former World Touring Car Champion rob Huff endured a tough return to the BTCC after being classified 18th. The Toyota ace started at the back after not setting a time in qualifying and was unfortunate to be tagged off from 12th at the Old Hairpin in a chain reaction after Daniel Rowbottom made contact with Mike Doble who was unable to avoid Huff.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Donington Park, Race 1
- Tom Ingram, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, Hyundai i30N
- Ashley Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +2.485s
- Jake Hill, Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport, +4.239s
- Colin Turkington, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +8.148s
- Ronan Pearson, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS, Hyundai i30N, +9.153s
- Josh Cook, LKQ Car Parts with SYNETIQ, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +11.511s
- Aron Taylor-Smith, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +13.249s
- Adam Morgan, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +13.876s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +14.382s
- Aiden Moffat, LKQ Car Parts with SYNETIQ, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +19.036s
Click here to view full times from this weekend's event.