TEAM BRISTOL STREET MOTORS LEADS THE WAY AT CROFT

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS enjoyed a fine start to the second half of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season, with a fifth win of the campaign and Teams’ Trophy to take away from the weekend at Croft.

The EXCELR8 Motorsport-run squad headed into the weekend looking to maintain its challenge for championship honours, with the Hyundai outfit well placed in the standings as racing resumed following the summer break.

The weekend started in positive fashion during free practice as Tom Ingram led the way in FP1 before finishing third in FP2, just behind team-mate Tom Chilton. Both Ronan Pearson and Nick Halstead also gained time between the two sessions, despite the latter being held in changeable conditions.

The first phase of qualifying saw Ingram and Chilton top the two groups, with Chilton posting what would prove to be the fastest BTCC lap seen at the circuit. That saw the pair progress to Q2, although both Pearson and Halstead would fail to make it through to leave them 18th and 20th on the grid for race one.

Whilst Ingram then topped Q2 to make the Quick Six battle for pole, Chilton was unable to replicate his earlier pace as he qualified in eighth spot, with Ingram then going on to qualify in third spot.

Race day brought with it sweltering weather conditions and kicked off with the team splitting its strategy on tyres, with Ingram and Halstead on softs but Chilton and Pearson electing to get rid of the slower hard tyre at the first opportunity.

Ingram made a solid start to get ahead of the Ford of Dan Cammish on the opening lap, but he was unable to find a way past Colin Turkington’s BMW as he chased the former champion throughout en-route to second spot.

Despite not being entirely happy with his car, Chilton battled well on the hard tyre to minimise his losses as he crossed the line in ninth spot, with Pearson managing to make up ground to end up just outside the points in 16th.

Halstead meanwhile enjoyed a solid race at one of his least favoured circuits, dicing on track with both Scott Sumpton and Sam Osborne before taking the flag in 20th spot.

Forced to run the hard compound tyre in race two, Ingram battled his way ahead of Turkington on the opening lap to grab the lead but would ultimately be powerless to keep a number of soft-shod cars at bay as they came through the field, which resulted in him taking the flag in fourth.

Still battling some gremlins with his car, Chilton was unable to benefit from the switch to soft tyres as he took eighth but it would be a race to forget for both Pearson and Halstead as they were forced to bring their cars back into the pits to retire.

The reverse grid draw put Chilton on pole for the weekend finale, and he made the most of the opportunity with a fine drive at the front, nailing the start and quickly building a lead over the field behind that he was able to maintain to the flag for his first win since Donington Park last season.

Lining up in P5, Ingram also got away well to overhaul Ash Sutton and Dan Cammish on the opening lap before a side-by-side battle with Aron Taylor-Smith on lap two saw him get ahead of the Vauxhall driver – albeit with Cammish nipping back ahead to leave Ingram still running in third.

Surviving a frenetic battle with Turkington’s BMW, Ingram took the flag in third spot whilst behind, Pearson showed what might have been with his best result of the weekend as he charged from dead last on the grid to cross the line in tenth spot. Halstead meanwhile would battle to 18th place at the finish as the only driver on the hard tyre.

The weekend results leave Ingram now leading the championship standings by 21 points, whilst Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS has closed the gap to top spot in the Teams’ Championship having outscored all of its rivals across the weekend.

Tom Chilton, #3 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said
“The team has done a great job and the car was so quick on Saturday where we set the fastest BTCC lap around Croft in Q1. We didn’t get the best from the tyres in Q2 which was a real shame, and then in races one and two we had a few little issues with the car that again meant we couldn’t maximise the potential in the Hyundai.

“Having finally benefitted from the reverse grid, I was so pleased that we managed to fix the gremlins because wow – the car was mega. I got the start of my life when the lights went out and from that point on, I was able to control things from the front. The only time Cammish was able to close in was when he was on the hybrid, but I was able to use it to then pull away again and manage the gap.

“No-one had an answer for us and it’s great for me personally because I’ve had a bit of a dry spell and you wonder sometimes if its a case of the older you are, the faster you were. We really deserved the victory and having scored three podiums and taken the Teams’ Trophy, it’s been a great way for us to kick off the second half of the year.”

Ronan Pearson, #14 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“The final race was a good way to end a tricky weekend, which goes back to qualifying where we should have been higher up the order. Race one was all about just getting rid of the hard tyre and I didn’t expect much in terms of the result, but then in race two I had to bring the car in to retire with a damaged wheel that was causing a really bad vibration.

“Race three showed what we can do when it all comes together and we had so much pace. I think that with a few more laps we could have got even higher, so it shows what might have been if we’d started race day where we should have done.”

Nick Halstead, #22 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“It’s been a tough weekend, particularly with the heat on race day. I was happy with the opening race on a circuit where I’ve not got much experience, and was able to race with the pack and get involved.

“However, in race two, I’m not sure if I’d eaten the wrong thing beforehand as I was feeling really lethargic and couldn’t benefit from deciding to run the soft tyre again – even before I had to come in with a problem.

“In race three, I was the only driver on the hard tyre and whilst that meant I was never going to be able to really battle with the cars ahead, I was lapped almost as quickly as in race two – which showed the problems I’d faced earlier on. I’ll take the positives of race one away from this weekend, and look ahead to Knockhill.”

Tom Ingram, #80 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said
“I think this weekend has gone better than I expected it to in terms of the points, and it shows how strong our car is. I don’t think we have maybe extracted enough from it at every weekend so far, and that’s because the performance here has been staggering. Every time we bolt a tyre on, soft or hard, it’s been great, and it has been beyond a joy to drive. We could maybe have done with a little more performance on the hard tyre in race two, but we’ve been able to get the big points we needed.

“I’m happy all round, particularly when you consider how our rivals have performed. Jake didn’t have the best of times in qualifying and Ash had ground to make up, so it was nice to get some headway in the points but I’m not too fussed at the moment where we are. I’m just ticking the weekends off and am focused on us doing the best job we can – and that is the way we’ll keep working.”

Justina Williams, Team Owner, said
“This has been a great weekend to kick off the second half of the season and to get our fifth win of the season at a circuit where we have been strong in recent years was fantastic. We’ve seen some good drives across the board that have allowed us to strengthen our position in the championship and it gives us a good platform to now build on in the final four meetings.”