Tom Ingram claimed victory in the final race of the opening round of the 2018 British Touring Car Championship.
The Speedworks Motorsport driver managed changing conditions to take his third win at the track, ahead of Adam Morgan and pole-sitter Rob Austin.
Ingram started outside the top 10, but managed to climb up to fourth before a safety car neutralised the field on the third lap. Immediately on the move after the restart, he passed Aiden Moffat and Ollie Jackson before catching race leader Austin.
Austin defended well, allowing Brisky Racing’s Mike Bushell to catch up with the lead battle. Ingram eventually found a way through and began to pull away from the Alfa Romeo, eventually finishing three second clear of the rest of the field.
Adam Morgan took Bushell in the closing stages of the race to move onto the podium, and passed Austin at the start of the final lap to finish second. Austin tried to fight back but couldn’t find a way past the Mercedes and had to settle for third.
Reigning champion Ashley Sutton wasted no time in climbing up through the field. The Subaru picked off driver after driver and was running fifth, behind Bushell in the closing stages of the race, with AmD Tuning’s Rory Butcher right behind him.
Sutton swept down the inside of Bushell to take the position, with Butcher following through, though the reigning Clio Cup champion managed to fight back and retake the position from Butcher.
The trio finished fourth, fifth, and sixth, ahead of Matt Simpson and Jack Goff, who dropped down the field after a strong start.
Colin Turkington and Josh Cook completed the top 10.
A number of drivers ran into trouble at the start of the race. Rob Collard and James Cole came together in the opening laps, sending Collard’s BMW into the gravel and triggering the safety car. Cole was able to limp back to the pits, where he retired.
After taking his maiden podium in race two, Jake Hill was set to start the final race of the weekend from fifth but contact with another car on the green flag lap forced him to start the race from the pits. Brisky Racing managed to get him back out, but he started three laps down and was the final man to take the chequered flag.
BTC Norlin’s James Nash was the only other man not to finish, having pulled to a stop in the closing stages of the race.
