A flawless reverse grid race win for Tom Ingram at Donington Park gave Team Toyota GB with Ginsters their first win with the brand new Toyota Corolla GT in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship and it was to be an emotional experience for the reigning independent champion.
With 4500 employees from the nearby Toyota plant in attendance, now was a good a time as any to get his first victory of the 2019 season and his team and guests weren’t going to be disappointed.
With fifth in the first race and tenth in the second following a difficult stint on the hard tyres, Tom was rewarded with reverse grid pole for his determined drive. With the best rubber to be on and a car not lacking in pace, Tom was a shoe-in for race three victory.
With an early advantage and keeping a perfect gap between himself and Rob Collard in second, Tom took a lights to flag victory which was also Speedworks Motorsport’s tenth in the BTCC. The win was dedicated by an emotional Ingram post race to his late grandmother who recently passed away.
This victory truly meant something to Tom and he wanted to make sure that he paid tribute to his team, “Every win is special, but this one more than most.
“All the hard work, all the expectations when you bring out a new car, the added pressure now of being an official manufacturer-backed entry – to repay all of that with the Corolla’s first victory in only its sixth race and be able to share the moment with 4,500 team fans at our new ‘home’ track, well, it really doesn’t get much better than that, does it?
“The Corolla was an absolute pleasure to drive in race three – just fantastic – and a wave of emotion came over me when the chequered flag fell. This win means so much to us as a team and to me personally after a difficult week.
“Everybody at Speedworks has put in so much effort over the winter and start of the season, and I honestly can’t thank the Team Toyota GB with Ginsters crew enough – they’ve been out of this world. What a weekend to score the new Corolla’s first BTCC win – hopefully the first of many.”
