![Tom Ingram, BRISTOL STREET MOTORS [EXCELR8 Motorsport], Hyundai i30 N Fastback NGTC](https://www.touringcars.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Tom-Ingram-Hyundai-wins-1.jpg "Photo: Pat Cranham")
Tom Ingram put in a scintillating opening two laps to claim victory in the penultimate British Touring Car Championship race of the season at Brands Hatch, finishing ahead of title rival Jake Hill.
Whilst the front-row BMWs made a good start, it only took until Druids corner for EXCLER8 Motorsport’s Ingram to be hounding Colin Turkington for second.
Ingram was all over the rear of the Northern Irishman into Surtees, and on the run up to Hawthorns Bend he scythed around the outside for second.
The Hyundai was almost instantly all over Hill for the lead, and he made a late dive inside at Paddock Hill bend on the second lap to move ahead of his title rival.
Ingram then went on to post fastest laps on consecutive tours to gain the crucial additional point, and even though Hill clawed back some time later in the race, Ingram went on to score his sixth win of the season by 1.4 seconds.
By finishing in second, Hill limited the loss of points to his rival, with his advantage reduced to just one point ahead of the final race of the season.
Turkington completed the podium in third, once again acting as rear gunner to Hill, although once Ingram was past on the opening lap there was little more he could do to benefit his WSR stable-mate.
NAPA Racing UK’s Dan Cammish saw off a challenge from team-mate Ash Sutton to claim fourth, although Sutton tried hard on several laps to get the upper hand on his colleague.
Sutton was fifth, having gained six places on the opening lap before gaining another four places on each of the next two laps to quickly assume fifth behind Cammish.
Power Maxed Racing’s Árón Taylor-Smith claimed sixth, his challenge fading over the course of the race such that he brought his Vauxhall home almost ten seconds behind the car ahead.
Speedworks Motorsport’s Josh Cook battled through to seventh making him the top Toyota driver for the 20th time this season, the result crucially giving the Toyota driver the reverse-grid pole for the final race of the season after Series Director Alan Gow drew the number seven ball.
Cook’s team-mate Aiden Moffat was eighth, having followed him through past EXCELR8’s Tom Chilton at Surtees on the ninth lap.
Chilton and NAPA’s Sam Osborne completed the top ten, the latter moving up when EXCELR8’s Dan Zelos went wide through the gravel at Paddock Hill on lap 11 and dropped seven places.
Three laps from the finish, NAPA’s Daniel Rowbottom had looked likely to claim 11th, but he went wide at Paddock Hill with a suspected puncture and dropped out of the race.
Toyota’s Andrew Watson was thus 11th, ahead of the leading CUPRA of Chris smiley in 12th. After a strong showing in the opening race, Daryl DeLeon slipped backwards and took the finish in 13th, ahead of Zelos in 14th. Restart Racing’s Scott Sumpton pipped Toyota’s Rob Huff to the final points-paying position at the finish line on the last lap.
Mikey Doble was running in seventh when he had to limp to the pits with a sparkplug issue causing a misfire in his car’s M-Sport engine, although he managed to rejoin the race late on for some reconnaissance laps.
BMW’s Adam Morgan failed to take the start as his WSR team were continuing to work on replacing the front subframe and engine following his race one crash.
The final race of the season is scheduled to get underway at 17:35 BST.
Race result
| POS | NO | CL | NAT | DRIVER | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 80 | M |  |
Tom INGRAM | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 15 | 22:59.111 | 1:30.326 | 3 |
| 2 | 24 | M | |
Jake HILL | Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport | BMW 330e M Sport | 15 | 1.421 | 1:30.966 | 1 |
| 3 | 20 | M | |
Colin TURKINGTON | Team BMW | BMW 330e M Sport | 15 | 1.763 | 1:30.941 | 2 |
| 4 | 27 | M | |
Dan CAMMISH | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 15 | 6.016 | 1:31.114 | 5 |
| 5 | 1 | M | |
Ashley SUTTON | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 15 | 7.708 | 1:30.508 | 19 |
| 6 | 40 | I |  |
Árón TAYLOR-SMITH | Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall Astra | 15 | 16.292 | 1:31.654 | 6 |
| 7 | 66 | M | |
Josh COOK | LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ | Toyota Corolla GR Sport | 15 | 16.646 | 1:31.433 | 18 |
| 8 | 16 | M | |
Aiden MOFFAT | LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ | Toyota Corolla GR Sport | 15 | 16.920 | 1:31.855 | 16 |
| 9 | 3 | M | |
Tom CHILTON | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 15 | 17.763 | 1:31.596 | 9 |
| 10 | 77 | M | |
Sam OSBORNE | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 15 | 19.285 | 1:31.705 | 12 |
| 11 | 11 | M | |
Andrew WATSON | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | Toyota Corolla GR Sport | 15 | 22.127 | 1:31.995 | 10 |
| 12 | 222 | I | |
Chris SMILEY | Restart Racing | CUPRA Leon | 15 | 23.387 | 1:31.584 | 13 |
| 13 | 18 | I |  |
Daryl DELEON | Duckhams Racing with Bartercard | CUPRA Leon | 15 | 24.409 | 1:32.120 | 7 |
| 14 | 45 | M | |
Dan ZELOS | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 15 | 24.693 | 1:31.640 | 11 |
| 15 | 29 | I | |
Scott SUMPTON | Restart Racing | CUPRA Leon | 15 | 27.912 | 1:31.867 | 15 |
| 16 | 12 | M | |
Rob HUFF | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK | Toyota Corolla GR Sport | 15 | 27.930 | 1:31.788 | 17 |
| 17 | 22 | M | |
Nick HALSTEAD | BRISTOL STREET MOTORS | Hyundai i30 N Fastback | 15 | 40.370 | 1:32.808 | 14 |
| R | 32 | M | |
Daniel ROWBOTTOM | NAPA Racing UK | Ford Focus ST | 12 | DNF | 1:31.559 | 8 |
| NC | 88 | I | |
Mikey DOBLE | Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing | Vauxhall Astra | 9 | NCF | 1:31.762 | 4 |
| NS | 33 | M | |
Adam MORGAN | Team BMW | BMW 330e M Sport | – | DNS | N/A | 20 |