Tom Ingram wins Race 1 at BTCC Brands Hatch

The Team VERTU man took a convincing British Touring Car Championship victory at Brands Hatch GP, as he chases P2 in the Drivers’ Championship.

Starting on pole for the second time of his career after Race to Pole success, Aiden Moffat started poorly and lost his lead to Tom Ingram through Paddock Hill.

While the field would get through the first turn peacefully, the rest of the opening tour would not go so well.

Gordon Shedden shunted Tom Chilton at Druids, seeing the retiring Team VERTU man wide as the Laser Tools with MB Motorsport driver’s bonnet flew up and remained stuck for the rest of the lap.

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Charles Rainford would also be aggrieved, sent spinning into the wall at Dingle Dell before pitting as LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing’s challengers fell to the wayside.

Moffat would get his lead back on lap three, passing Ingram around the outside at Westfield as the pair battled and allowed Josh Cook, Ricky Collard, and Daryl De Leon to close in.

And, as if the weekend is destined to go the way of Power Maxed, Árón Taylor-Smith was also forced to box and retire with grass blocking his radiator.

But, the race would calm and the only soft runners – Moffat and Ingram – held a solid lead out front, leaving Cook behind and Collard in a perfect position to hunt for his elusive BTCC victory in Race 2 should it hold.

Having reserved his boost for the later stages, Ingram started to use his two-lap allocation to burst into the lead as lap 12 began and extend it. And, in great help to Ingram’s cause, Moffat would be handed a five-second track limit penalty – seeing Cook, Collard, and Ash Sutton in position to take advantage.

Track limits continued to be involved as the retirees – Sam Osborne and Chilton – would both be given a five-second deduction as they sat in P13 and P14.

And, at the flag, Ingram would keep his pace to win by over three seconds, as Cook and Collard rounded out the podium. Moffat’s penalty saw him to P4, as Sutton, Doble, De Leon and Dan Cammish followed. Adam Morgan followed after an excellent recovery drive after a poor Saturday, as Dexter Patterson completed the top 10.

Dan Lloyd was able to climb to P11, as Dan Rowbottom, Lewis Gilbert, Tom Chilton, and Sam Osborne finished in the final points-paying positions.

View the BTCC Brands Hatch Race 1 results here!

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