TEAM BRISTOL STREET MOTORS PREPARES FOR RACING RETURN AT CROFT

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS returns to action in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship this weekend at Croft, with confidence high heading into the second half of the 2024 season.

The EXCELR8 Motorsport-run squad sits well placed in the title standings at the half-way stage of the season, with Tom Ingram and Ronan Pearson in contention for the overall title and Jack Sears Trophy respectively, and the Hyundai outfit firmly in the mix for the Teams’ Trophy.

Ingram holds second spot as he looks to reclaim the title he won in 2022 and is just four points behind current leader Jake Hill in the standings heading to a circuit where he has scored six podium finishes in the past.

With his Hyundai performing better than ever before, Ingram makes the trip to North Yorkshire in confident mood and with his focus firmly on maximising his results across the three races to strengthen his challenge.

Experienced team-mate Tom Chilton is on-track for his best season to date with the team after a productive opening half of the season, despite an unfortunate run of misfortune in the two events prior to the summer break.

Having already scored a podium finish this year at Brands Hatch, Chilton will bid to add to his impressive tally of silverware, with the ultimate goal being to push for a return to the top step for the first time since the opening meeting of 2023.

Second-year racer Ronan Pearson has also endured an up-and-down season to date, with the undoubted high coming in the second meeting of the campaign where he scored his maiden BTCC win.

The Scottish racer topped the times in pre-season testing at Croft and will look to carry that kind of form into the race meeting itself as he bids to challenge for three strong races to make up ground in the standings.

Nick Halstead meanwhile is also hoping for three strong races on the back of a difficult run of weekends that saw him battling illness and injury prior to the break.

Now fully fit and raring to go, Halstead has his sights set on trying to fight for a second points finish of the campaign at the circuit where he made his BTCC debut.

Tom Chilton, #3 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“At the start of the season, Barry [Plowman – engineer] said we’d be finding our feet early in the year and would get quicker as we went on and I certainly feel like we could make a real step forwards this weekend and be in the mix for some silverware.

“My issue in the past with the car has been in qualifying but for the last two events, we have been able to make it to the final stage of the session – and could arguably have been on pole at Oulton Park without a mistake in the final sector. Where we have been unlucky has been in the races and it’s largely been down to factors outside our control, which is something we hopefully won’t have to deal with again.

“We know that the pace is there in the car and I see no reason why we can’t hope to be in contention for a win during the weekend ahead. I’m feeling refreshed from the summer break and with maximum hybrid to take into qualifying and race one, we have to try and make the most of it to get ourselves in the fight near the front.”

Ronan Pearson, #14 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I can’t wait to get back out on track this weekend and kick off the second half of the season as I know from last season that the circuits we have to come should all play to my strengths.

“Since the win at Brands Hatch, we’ve had a tricky run of results where things haven’t quite gone our way and I’m hoping that Croft can see us return to the kind of form we displayed in the opening two rounds.

“Pre-season testing at the circuit went well as we topped the times so we know we have a strong package underneath us, and I want to try and get the best result possible in qualifying to set us up for three strong results on race day.”

Nick Halstead, #22 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“After the illness I had at Snetterton and then incident at Thruxton that left me with a bad back for Oulton Park, I feeling much better physically as we head to Croft which is going to be a massive bonus for me.

“Although it isn’t what I would class as one of my strong circuits, it is one that I enjoy and I’m going there keen to try and return to the form we showed at Brands Hatch where we broke into the points for the first time this season.

“We had a productive pre-season test at Croft where I felt I made progress at the wheel, and it will be good to see how it translates into performance during the weekend ahead. The goal remains to try and break into the points, and three solid results would be the ideal way to get the season back underway.”

Tom Ingram, #80 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I think we’re in a very good place going into the second half of the season. We’ve been strong up to this point and I feel that I have the best car on the grid underneath me as it is doing everything that I ask it to do when I go on track and is really allowing me to push.

“The grid may have fewer cars but it is proving to be very competitive this season and if we want to make sure we remain in contention at the very front, we have to keep pushing hard as a team over the remaining five meeting – starting this weekend at Croft.

“It’s a circuit that I enjoy and where I’ve had positive results in the past, and I see no reason why we can’t be in the mix for podium finishes again this time around to keep the points ticking along.

“From this point onwards, it’s maximum attack as my focus is firmly fixed on reclaiming the title by the time we get to the end at Brands Hatch.”

Justina Williams, Team Owner, said:
“We’ve had a strong season to this point and we return to action after the summer break feeling refreshed and ready to push in the title race.

“Croft is a circuit where we’ve had good results previously and also where we showed strong pace during pre-season so we can head there in confident mood as we chase a positive start to the second half of the campaign.”