BTCC: Tom Ingram takes victory in final race of the day at Brands Hatch

Reigning champion Tom Ingram claims his first victory of the season at Brands Hatch in final race of the day.

James Dorlin would start on pole from Josh Cook and Mikey Doble while Ash Sutton, Ricky Collard and Tom Ingram were looking to charge back through in race three.

All drivers would get away well, but Sutton got an extraordinary start from seventh on the grid, as everyone defended to the inside he swooped round the outside of almost everyone to be alongside Dorlin on the run to Druids where the Restart Racing Hyundai defended as hard as possible just to maintain the lead as they almost got collected by the Audi’s which were sideways. The pair would continue on neck and neck through Graham Hill Bend and on the run down the Cooper Straight. Ingram would make his mark diving passed Sutton at the first opportunity into Clearways managing to pass the NAPA driver and then starts going after Dorlin for the race lead. He would choose the outside line as they head onto lap two as he manages to get the better run on the exit of Paddock Hill Bend to take the lead.

Drama for Collard who had got to fourth by this point was pushed wide and end up dropping a couple of places before being pushed off again at Clearways picking up a ton of grass which would end up ruining his race as the car overheated and he had to come into retire.

On lap six, Doble would make his move passing Sutton on the run to turn one before trying to make his way passed Dorlin who manages to defend from both the Audi and the Ford for the time being. He would have to continue to defend hard against his rival in the Independents class but the speed of Doble was too much as he makes his way passed a few laps later. Sutton would be unable to follow the Audi passed as he would continue to look for a way passed the Hyundai in which he finds one on the way into Clearways temporarily before the boost from Dorlin drew him level. The inside line for Sutton was enough into Paddock Hill bend to give him the position. Daryl De Leon and Cook would also find there way passed the Hyundai on the medium tyres who was struggling as the race went on to keep cars behind.

Despite a difficult opening two races of the weekend, the Plato Racing pair were finally making inroads with some great pace in the two Mercedes who found their way into the top ten by the halfway point of the race and with Adam Morgan moving up another position to sixth passing Dorlin into Surtees.

Sutton was on a charge to get passed Doble in the second half of the race looking to maximise an already excellent weekend with the least amount of boost on average across the weekend. He made inroads on the Audi before finally having an opportunity on lap twenty, using the boost to place his car on the outside for Paddock Hill Bend before cutting back to the inside on the exit to have the position advantage entering Druids to claim second place.

However, up front it would be Ingram who goes on to claim race victory in race three of the weekend in a great drive to finish the weekend. Sutton would finish in second ahead of Doble in third while DeLeon and Cook completed the top five. Morgan would finish sixth ahead of while the Laser Tools Racing Toyota of Gordon Shedden who just got passed Dorlin at the final corner and on the run to the line. Árón Taylor-Smith and Aiden Moffat complete the top ten in an excellent final race of the day.

The championship standings would see Sutton leading by 44 points over Ingram. Doble would sit in third in the standings ahead of Collard by just a single point while Dan Cammish sits only six points further back.

The Independents championship would see Doble lead his teammate of Moffat by just five points taking the championship lead away from him at the end of the weekend. DeLeon would sit eleven points further back while Taylor-Smith and Shedden sit within twenty points of the championship leading Doble.