Tom Ingram claimed his second win of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season in a hectic second race of the day at Donington Park.
The Speedworks Motorsport man forged a way through pole-sitter Aiden Moffat‘s defences in the opening laps of the race, sealing the championship lead also with his second win of the season.
A winner in BTCC for the first time in the day’s opening race, Moffat meanwhile found himself defending hard to hold onto the top spot in the second race of the day.
While Moffat lead the way on lap one, the fast-starting Team BMW entries of Colin Turkington and Rob Collard made a rapid start to challenge second place man, Rob Austin, Collard moving up to second after contact with Austin at Old Hairpin.
Moffat – carrying 75kg success ballast – soon came under heavy pressure and surrendered the lead to Ingram’s Toyota Avensis at Craner Curves, the latter pulling away for a comfortable second win of the season to claim the championship lead in the process.
Moffat’s race began to unravel as drivers swarmed around him for the remainder of the 16-lapper, Collard next to make his way by Moffat into second spot. Behind them, Josh Cook and Ashley Sutton produced superb charges from 10th and 13th place on the grid to bring themselves into the fray, Cook’s Ford Focus ST moving up to as high as fourth place.
The Subaru Levorg GT of Sutton meanwhile rounded Turkington’s BMW at Coppice before lunging inside Matt Neal‘s Honda Civic Type-R, taking Cook and then Gordon Shedden‘s third place. Taking up the chase of Collard, a last-corner attack for second by Sutton was denied by yellow flags at the final corner, Matt Simpson‘s Honda having spun at the exit of the chicane.
Reigning champion Shedden himself hit dramas, dropping to fifth spot behind Cook after a wide moment at Coppice that left him embroiled in a dice with fellow BTCC champion Turkington. Turkington made his move stick, demoting the Team Dynamics man to sixth overall.
Neal was next up in seventh spot, Dave Newsham an impressive eighth for BTC Norlin Racing while Jack Goff recovered to ninth and Tom Chilton climbed to 10th, the latter from a lowly 27th on the grid.
Ant Whorton-Eales was best of the Jack Sears Trophy runners in 12th place, Moffat slipping down to 14th after a mid-race shuffle.
Former team-mates Andrew Jordan and Mat Jackson hit trouble on lap one heading up towards Mcleans, Jackson’s Ford Focus spearing into the barriers while Jordan recovered to 15th after a spin through the grass.
Photo: BTCC Media
