Tom Ingram says that he has ‘nothing to lose’ as he heads into this weekend’s British Touring Car Championship season finale, with the Hyundai driver sitting third in the drivers’ standings, 38 points adrift of leader Ash Sutton.
Ingram fell further adrift in the title race last time out at Donington Park, the 28-year-old having struggled with carrying success ballast in qualifying, before then having a win taken away in race two.
As a result, with only 67 points up for grabs this weekend, although mathematically still in title contention, Ingram faces a tall order to overcome Sutton’s championship advantage.
Ingram could still claim the runner-up spot for the second time in his career, being just six points behind Colin Turkington.
The Excelr8 Motorsport driver admits that he has already achieved one of his main objectives for 2021, which was to remain in title contention until the very end of the year.
“At the start of the season, one of our goals was to be in contention for the championship when we got to the final rounds, and that is the position we now find ourselves in as we return to Brands Hatch,” said Ingram.
“It’s clear to see that Ash is the overwhelming favourite given the lead he has in the standings, but as we’ve seen in the past, anything can happen in the BTCC – particularly on the final weekend.
“The only way we can approach this weekend is to focus on doing the best job that we can do, try to score as many points as possible and just see what happens.
“As has been the case for most of the year, carrying weight into the weekend is going to hurt us in qualifying and race one.
“I’ve got nothing to lose and will be giving all I can to end the season on a high and hopefully fight for some more silverware.”
Justina Williams, Excelr8 Team Owner, is proud of the team’s achievement in being in overall title contention at the season finale, having only entered the BTCC in 2019.
“To be going into the final rounds of the season in contention for the championship in our third year in the BTCC is a fantastic achievement,” added Williams.
“Regardless of the outcome, I’m hugely proud of the progress we have made as a team this year.”