Champion! Tom Ingram secures British Touring Car Championship crown

Tom Ingram of Bristol Street Motors Hyundai celebrates with the winner's trophy after clinching the 2022 British Touring Car Championship. (Photo by Ker Robertson/Getty Images)

The 29-year-old Vale-based racer secured the most coveted prize in British motorsport with two victories and a top-five finish during the final three races around the legendary Grand Prix circuit in Kent.

Four drivers arrived at Brands Hatch in contention to win the title, with the 2021 champion, Ash Sutton (Ford) leading the way from Jake Hill (BMW), Ingram and former multiple champion, Colin Turkington (BMW) but after three races viewed by thousands of trackside spectators, it was Ingram's day.

Driving a Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com’s Hyundai, Ingram laid down an early weekend marker when he broke the track's lap record during qualifying on Saturday to claim pole position for Sunday's opening race - which he duly converted into a race victory. Another win in the day's second race moved Ingram to within touching distance of the title with just the final race remaining.

Tom Ingram on his way to clinching the 2022 British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch. Photo: Getty Images.

As the light began to fade at the end of an action-packed day, Ingram crossed the line fifth in the final race - the fall of the chequered flag rewarding him with the title. An emotional Ingram commented afterwards: "I’ve thought about this moment for literally my entire life. This is what I wanted to do. This is what I wanted to win. Never did I think it was going to come.

"We’ve had a few years of coming into this weekend and it not quite working out; I cannot put into words how much of a fantastic team I have around me to have made this happen. It’s just incredible. I felt like I needed an adult with me [during the race]. Somebody to come in the passenger seat and say ‘it’s okay, just chill! It will all be fine.’

"I was talking to Spencer (race engineer), he was constant. All the way through on the radio, every lap, more information. Knowing what was going on, knowing the gap, knowing who was around me."

Ingram has been one of the stars of the BTCC for several years, and throughout the 2022 season has been constantly at the sharp end . Victory at Silverstone in the penultimate event of the season was the perfect way to arrive at Brands Hatch for the championship finals meeting, and Ingram's delight was clear for all to see.

He said: “It’s been absolutely amazing. I owe absolutely everything to my amazing team who have put everything behind me because they’ve just worked tirelessly this year. It’s just been incredible. This isn’t going to sink in, I’m going to have sore cheeks for at least a week!"

*The British GT Championship season rounds at at Donington Park this weekend, with the Leicestershire track hosting a two-hour race on Sunday.

Great Horwood's Newbridge Motorsport currently lead the GT4 class with their Aston Martin Vantage driven by Matt Topham and Darren Turner, while the Beechdean Aston Martin team are set to return to the championship with a Vantage GT3 car driven by Andrew Howard and Lewis Proctor.