Tom Ingram admits he is ‘quite okay’ with ‘going under the radar a little bit’ in terms of outright victories in this year’s British Touring Car Championship, as the EXCELR8 driver is still in touch in the overall drivers’ championship battle.
Reigning champion Ingram has only scored one victory so far in 2023, but finishing every race so far inside the top ten – including seven podiums – has kept him just 14 points adrift of championship leader Ash Sutton.
Until last year, Ingram had never won at Oulton Park, but he duly went on to score not only EXCELR8 Motorsport’s first outright pole, but also the team’s first double win in the BTCC.
Ingram also heads to the Cheshire circuit much closer to the top of the drivers’ standings than last year, when his points deficit was twice as big as it is this season.
With those facts in mind, Ingram is relaxed about having only scored one win so far in 2023, although he is targeting adding to that tally with ‘maximum attack’ as the championship nears the half-way point.
“I’d never really had a good record at Oulton Park until last season when we scored pole and a double win – so it would be great if we can get a repeat this weekend,” said Ingram.
“So far this season, we haven’t been grabbing all the headlines with loads of victories, but what we have been doing is consistently putting big scores on the board to stay in contention at the front.
“I’m quite okay with the fact that we’ve been going under the radar a little bit and we’re in a good position as a result, as consistently scoring those big points is what is important in a series like that.
“Saying that, I plan maximum attack this weekend as I want to push for pole position and wins to ensure that we can head into the summer break on a positive note.”
Team Principal Justina Williams is targeting going into the six-week summer break on a high.
“We secured some really strong results at Oulton Park last season and head into the weekend confident about ending the first half of the campaign on a high,” said Williams.
“All four drivers have displayed solid speed so far in what is proving to be another hugely competitive season, and if they can replicate that pace in the three races to come, then we’ll be in a good position going into the summer break.”