Team Toyota GB with Ginsters driver Tom Ingram is heading to the first weekend of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in a confident mood following an intensive pre-season testing programme in his new Toyota Corolla GT.
With Brands Hatch coming up this weekend, the Buckinghamshire driver has had the opportunity to cover all bases in the development of the Corolla and he is positive that despite the initial few races being a learning curve, there could be the opportunity to hit the ground running.
Coincidentally the return of the Corolla to the BTCC grid at Brands Hatch ties in with the road car launch in Britain.
At the media day test last week, Tom finished sixth in the combined times with seventy-two laps completed. Whilst outright pace may not have been the main goal, consistency and reliability are two of the most important factors when developing a brand new racing car.
Ingram is looking forward to the challenges he is going to face this year. Saying, “After driving the same car for five years, it inevitably takes a little bit of time to adjust to a new one but the feeling in the Corolla is already very good.
“The BTCC is a tremendously competitive series – if you stand still, you go backwards – and with five former champions not to mention an ex-Formula 1 driver and Le Mans winner on the grid this year, 2019 will be no different.
“I think we’re all feeling pretty positive – we’ve adopted a sensible approach to testing and are moving in the right direction with the car, and there is still plenty of untapped potential.
“Ultimately, I think we need to treat this first year with the Corolla as a bit of a learning curve, and acknowledge that the opening half of the season is likely to be spent getting to grips with it – before we truly come out fighting over the final five weekends.”
