Tom Ingram claimed his fourth victory of the 2026 British Touring Car Championship season on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. The result improved the outgoing champion's chances of securing second place in the final standings in his Excelr8 Hyundai.
Ingram made his intent clear from the outside of the front row, swooping past pole-sitter Aiden Moffat to take an early lead at Paddock Hill Bend. But Moffat fought back quickly in his Power Maxed Racing Audi, producing a strong run out of Hawthorn before slipping up the inside to move into first at Westfield on lap three.
From there, the race developed into a tense game of cat and mouse between Moffat and Ingram, the only two drivers to start on the softer Goodyear tyre. Ingram could often close up during the opening sector but Moffat, benefitting from a greater allowance of TOCA Turbo Boost (TTB), would often extend the gap slightly on the woodland Grand Prix section of the lap.
On lap 11 of 15, Ingram made his decisive move, producing a strong run out of Stirlings as Moffat defended, to move alongside on the outside at Clark Curve. Deploying his TTB, he shot past Moffat to lead across the line and claim a lead he would never lose. Moffat attempted to fight back, but received a five-second penalty shortly afterwards for track limits, effectively transforming his race into a battle against those behind to stay on the podium.
Josh Cook, who had driven a solitary race third on the road, was ultimately classified second as a result of Moffat's penalty. Moffat narrowly missed out on third, classified fourth, with Ricky Collard benefitting on his return to the grid in an Excelr8 Hyundai.
Recently crowned five-time champion Ash Sutton completed the top five. It was a signature charge from the Alliance Racing Ford Focus Titanium racer, who rose rapidly from the sixth row of the grid to seal another strong result. He was one place ahead of Mikey Doble in the second Power Maxed Audi, with Daryl De Leon and Dan Cammish crossing the line seventh and eighth after running in the lower reaches of the top 10 throughout.
Adam Morgan's CPRL Mercedes was ninth after he made short work of rising through the order from 18th on the grid. He was one place ahead of Dexter Patterson in the last of the Audis to cross the line.
Just outside the top 10, Dan Lloyd fended off Daniel Rowbottom, who had lost ground from seventh on the grid, while Lewis Gilbert was 13th. Tom Chilton was classified one spot ahead of Sam Osborne in a race-long private battle between the two drivers, who confirmed their respective retirements from the series ahead of the weekend.
Chilton survived an early scare when he was hit by Gordon Shedden's Toyota on the first lap. This resulted in Shedden returning to the pits with his bonnet blocking his windscreen. There was also drama for the other Laser Tools-liveried Toyota on the opening lap, with Aron Taylor-Smith making contact with Charles Rainford on the run towards Sheene. Rainford’s WSR BMW continued slowly to the pits, but was effectively out of contention.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Race 1, Brands Hatch
- Tom Ingram, Team VERTU, Hyundai i30N
- Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +3.269s
- Ricky Collard, Team VERTU, Hyundai i30N, +5.782s
- Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing, +5.876s
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus Titanium, +7.497s
- Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing, Audi A3 Saloon, +9.305s
- Daryl De Leon, WSR, BMW 330i M Sport, +10.479s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus Titanium, +17.257s
- Adam Morgan, CPRL, Mercedes A35 Saloon, +20.016s
- Dexter Patterson, Steel Seal with Power Maxed Racing, Audi A3 Saloon, +22.950s