Stockport’s top race team, Hughes/Speedworks Motorsport, had an exciting season ahead of them at the start of 2014, as they hired the hand of multiple Ginetta Championship winning driver Tom Ingram, who was to embark on his first season in the UK’s premier racing category; the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Left: Hughes/Speedworks’ Tom Ingram
The opening round of the series, at Brands Hatch in Kent, couldn’t have started much better for the Independent outfit from Bredbury. Tom qualifying the teams Toyota Avensis 6th on the bumper twenty-nine car grid, just a little over one-tenth of a second off the pole time of 2013 Champion; Andrew Jordan [Honda].
Team boss Christian Dick recalls this moment as his highlight of the year,
“With everyone on an equal footing [no penalty weights/boost adjustments had been applied for round one] it was extremely satisfying to see Tom perform so well.
The first trio of races saw the BTCC rookie take two solid top-tens, and although race three ended with the teams Avensis in the barrier, Tom was more than enthused with his first foray in the Championship; “To have qualified sixth and then come away with two top-10 finishes in the first two races was well beyond our anticipations before the weekend”.
Next, on to Donington and it was again a tale of top-tens. With the weather determined to play its part in proceedings, most of raceday was wet and miserable, a climb from 12th on the grid to clinch a duo of 10th placings, though a clash with the Audi of Rob Austin in race three saw Ingram disqualified from race three.
Remarked Ingram:
“The weather was tricky, making it a battle all of its own simply to stay on the track. What happened in the final race was a shame – it felt like a constant fight back, and the truth was, we should never have been down the order like we were had it not been for being harpooned behind the safety car – but overall, I’m very happy.”
The BTCC then moved south-west to Thruxton, in Hampshire, where Tom set a blistering qualifying time just four tenths of a second off the pole lap of Andrew Jordan and, notably, out-qualified both the ‘works’ MGs of Jason Plato and Sam Tordoff to take his place on the 3rd row of the grid. It was definitely a tale-of-two-halves weekend though, as an uncharacteristically slow start from the BRDC Superstar saw the Avensis swallowed up by the chasing pack, running as low as 14th in a car hampered by a technical problem. 13th , 12th and 13th places were the outcome.
“It’s just turned into what I can only describe as a decidedly-beige weekend” concluded a disappointed Ingram, “we were on fire here in qualifying and I genuinely thought we had a shot at a podium place. Then race day comes around, and nothing goes our way.
On to the team’s local circuit; Oulton Park, (left) where we were to witness the biggest points haul of a weekend to date in front of a record crowd at the beautiful Cheshire track.
Qualifying a modest 9th on the grid, Ingram held on to the place at the flag, then climbed to 7th in race two, only to see his chances of glory scuppered in race three.
Explained Ingram:
“Starting from P2 on the grid it was our best chance so far to have a good result, but unfortunately we got 3 corners in and a fuel pressure sensor let go. One of those things that you can never expect or prepare for. A great weekend, and one that we learned a lot from.”
Croft, North Yorkshire, saw the Toyota line up 14th on the grid on another rain-affected British ‘Summers’ day. Though Ingram, comfortably fastest of the Avensis drivers, was determined to make the most of it and went into race day in positive mood.
It didn’t quite go to plan as a 15th place in race one showed, though the former Ginetta Champ showed his mettle in race two, dragging the team’s Toyota up to 8th, and was rewarded with the ‘reverse-grid’ draw placing him 3rd on the grid for race three.
The curse of race three was to strike again! Having taken the lead of the race, contact from another car damaged the Avensis’ steering, forcing Tom to retire. Not a great way to enter the mid-season break, but good timing to regroup and come back fighting.
Snetterton in Norfolk saw the BTCC circus rumble in to town following the half-term lay-off. And Ingram was determined to show everyone what he was made of, setting quick times through Free-Practice, and backing them up by qualifying on the third row of the grid. Lady luck, however, had other thoughts. After running as high as 4th, it was on the final lap that the left/front stub-axle of Ingram’s Toyota sheared, forcing him to retire. The resulting recovery of the Toyota Avensis coupled with the short turnaround for race two left the Hughes/Speedworks team with their backs to the wall and, despite all best efforts, they couldn’t quite get the car ready to take the start, leaving them with a second DNF of the day. Ingram’s ‘consolation goal’ was a climb from 29th to 17th, though unfortunately shy of the points.
“I’m really disappointed” admitted Tom, “If we didn’t have bad luck at the moment, I don’t think we’d have any luck at all. I just don’t know what we need to do to turn our fortunes”.
An engine drama and grid penalty meant a tough opening day at Knockhill in Scotland. Though a pair of 7th’s and a 9th were just reward for Tom on race day, pushing as high as third overall in race three. “A mega weekend!”
Commented Ingram,
“A mega weekend! three top ten finishes and I could just sniff a podium in that final race. Unfortunately we had massive tyre drop off and I just couldn’t keep it going any longer. Still, to be sitting on the edge of a podium was a great feeling!”
Rockingham was the first of two stops in Northants, and the Hughes/Speedworks team celebrated starting its one hundredth BTCC start at the South Midlands Speedway. Ingram qualified 12th, less than a second off pole, amongst the ultra-competitive grid including no less than seven former BTCC Champions.
A solid start saw Tom finish in the points and 13th on the road. It was race two that put paid to any ambitions of finishing higher, when a race long tussle with former Champion Matt Neal [Honda] led to contact from the Honda causing a puncture. The resulting damage meant Ingram had to retire with just two laps of the race remaining.
Tom lined up 24th on the final grid of the day, and proved what the Team’s Avensis is capable of. An almighty charge saw Ingram finish 11th overall.
“Race three was good!” Tom replied when asked about his day, “I’m a bit disappointed overall, but it’s just shown what we’re capable of at the end there”.
Lady luck simply ‘did a runner’ as the Hughes/Speedworks Motorsport team descended on the ‘Home of British Motorsport’, Silverstone. Qualifying was tough, with no less than twenty-three cars covered by less than one second, Ingram had saved his best for last, qualifying 7th on the thirty-one car grid, just two tenths of a second off the pole lap of former Champion Jason Plato.
Race one saw a puncture pretty much ruin the rest of Tom and the Team’s day, as the hard-charging rookie climbed to 19th in race two but was issued with a drive-through-penalty for exceeding track limits, dropping him back to 27th place. Ingram, once again, gave it everything he had in race three, fighting his way up to 19th place at the flag.
Brands Hatch in Kent hosted the final rounds of the 2014 season, and Ingram finished the year on a high, converting 11th on the grid into 8th, 5th & 9th overall under gloomy wet skies.
Confirmed team boss Christian:
“That’s the best all-round day we’ve seen of Tom all season. He’s been a proper Touring Car racer today. He’s been robust when he’s needed to, and he’s taken it easy when necessary.
“That’s the worst conditions he’s had to drive [in race three] in a front-wheel drive car – he’s driven professionally and brought the car home in yet another top ten position”.
In a very much rollercoaster season Ingram finished as ‘Top Rookie’ – 14th in the overall title race, and 11th in the Independents Championship, with the Hughes/Speedworks Motorsport team claiming 9th in the overall Teams standings and 7th of the Independents outfits.
Explained Christian:
“Tom has done a stunning job for us; it’s no secret we would love to keep him next season. We’ve lots of improvements to come in the car and on a staffing level too.”
Dick went on to explain,
“Continuity is important for being 100% prepared, Tom will know what to expect from both the series and the car, we want to worry the front runners on a more regular basis [with podiums being the target] so we’ll be throwing everything we have at it- whether that be finance, man-hours or whatever…”