Tom Ingram bounced back from his massive start-line shunt at Knockhill in perfect style, securing a sensational double win during Rounds 21 and 22 of the Michelin Ginetta GT Supercup.
The incident in Scotland had left Ingram hospitalised with badly bruised and swollen legs, perforated ligaments and damaged tendons, but four weeks of hard work saw him regain both the physical fitness and psychological readiness required to return to the track, with the JHR Developments team also working wonders to rebuild his Ginetta G55.
Ingram paid the team back with pole position in qualifying, the fourth of the season for the KX Akademy member, before going on to secure a superb pair of wins, though both saw him lose the lead at the start after poor getaways.
The opening race saw him fall to third at the start, but after a short safety car period, he snuck past Andrew Richardson at Tarzan for second, before chasing down a sizeable gap to leader Carl Breeze and passing him on the final lap for victory, setting a new lap record in the process.
The 19 year old slipped to third at the start once again in race two, but managed to get back second into the first hairpin. Pressuring the leader, he gained the lead briefly at one stage, before making it stick on lap eleven to cement his double victory.
“It felt so good to win again – it seemed like it had been ages since we had last stood on the top step of the podium – and to do so after Knockhill just made it even more special. This one was for the JHR boys – the perfect way to pay them back for all their efforts,” said Ingram.
The double win has seen Ingram cut the gap separating him from the championship lead from 77 to 44 points, with 182 still up for grabs, keeping his quest for a hat-trick of Ginetta titles up for grab.
“The victories at Rockingham were amongst the most satisfying I’ve ever achieved as we had to work so hard for them,” he concluded. “I’d say it was one of the best weekends of my career. I don’t think anybody really expected us to come back and win straightaway, but we’ve put a lot of those doubts to bed now. Knockhill is just a distant memory. We’re still in contention – this isn’t over yet.”
