Stockport’s Speedworks Motorsport, and driver Tom Ingram, were in buoyant mood at Croft this weekend following three successive Independent podiums last time out at Oulton Park.
Ingram clawed his way in to the top ten in Race One. As the Subarus of Turkington and Jason Plato set away up front, a Safety Car strewn Race saw Ingram cross the line just two-tenths of a second behind the Ford Focus of Mat Jackson.
The second encounter was another Race blighted by Safety Car periods, but Ingram continued his march up the order, claiming seventh at the flag, even after a ‘tap’ into the final corner from the BMW of Sam Tordoff, the pair crossing the line just two-tenths apart.
With Race Three just moments away, the heavens opened. With a few brave souls risking staying on slick tyres, hoping the rain would die away, Speedworks plucked for ‘wets’, like most of the grid, the first time the BTCC has had a wet race since Brands Hatch in 2014, some forty-four Races ago.
Tom had been drawn second on the grid for the final Race of the day, and started well, hanging on to the coat-tails of Tordoff. But it was an unexpected hero that made the move, Ash Sutton in his MG claimed second from Ingram, and went on to snatch the lead from Tordoff with two laps to go, winning his maiden BTCC race. But Ingram hung on, claiming yet another podium for the Bredbury based team, and another Independents win along with it.
As they head in to the summer break, with the next round at Snetterton in Norfolk on the 31st July, Ingram sits second in the Independents Trophy, with Speedworks Motorsport also claiming second spot in the Independents Team Trophy.
Words and pics by Mike Petch www.mphotographic.co.uk