Tom Ingram and Speedworks Motorsport have parted ways from the 2021 season ending a seven year partnership due to ‘conflicting commercial considerations’.
Ingram made his debut in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 2014 with the team back in 2014 and has since gone onto take 16 wins, two Independents’ titles and has long been a title challenger finishing a best of second.
While he has failed to confirm his plans yet for next season, he has revealed that he will be part of the 2021 grid with his plans set to be revealed in the coming weeks.
“Speedworks was obviously my first team in the BTCC, and they quickly became like a family,” Ingram reflected. “I have a lot of very special memories from our time together. We’ve been on an amazing journey and have both done ourselves proud. It’s been such a fairytale story in a lot of respects, with so many milestones simultaneously achieved along the way – first podium, first pole position, first race win, first fastest lap, first title.
“I’m sad to be leaving, of course, but there’s no ill-feeling and I owe everybody at Speedworks a massive ‘thank you’ for our seven years together. We’ll still be good friends moving forward; we’ll just be wearing different team jackets.
“I can 100 per cent assure you that I will still be in the BTCC next year, and I have an exciting new project that I will be able to announce soon – so stay tuned!”
Speedworks similarly who are set to expand to a two-car programme will announce their line-up in due course and for Team Principal, Christian Dick, he will remain a ‘life-long friend’ and that similar to Ingram’s side, there are no hard feelings behind the split.
“Looking back over the past seven years, it’s been quite the ride, hasn’t it?” he said. “There’s a great deal of pride in what we’ve accomplished, with a lot of mutual goals reached together. In the early years, we consistently punched above our weight as an Independent team, and that of course secured us Manufacturer backing which has enabled us to take the next step and truly fight for the overall championship.
“Seven years is a long partnership by BTCC standards, and we grew together. It was an excellent relationship – Tom swiftly became part of the Speedworks family – and I look back now with nothing but very fond memories. We had a lot of great times together both on and off-track and Tom will remain a lifelong friend. We all wish him the very best in his new challenge, and I have absolutely no doubt that he will do a superb job wherever he ends up.”
