TOM Ingram stormed to his second British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) title at Brands Hatch driving for Droitwich-based Team Vertu.
Ingram went into the final weekend of the season with a 33-point lead at the top of the drivers’ standings ahead of closest rival Ash Sutton.
And Ingram clinched the title with a seventh victory of the season in race two – a result which gave the Coventry driver an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
He extended his lead in the first race after finishing fifth with Sutton only able to cross the line in ninth place.
Ingram then secured his second BTCC title in race two as he topped the podium ahead of closest rival Sutton.
And Ingram ended the season with a sixth-place finish while Sutton finished second.
Ingram is now a double BTCC champion after first lifting the title in 2022.
He finished 34 points clear of Sutton in the drivers’ standings after finishing on 462 points.
Ingram said: “I cannot put into words just how special this feeling is after everything that’s gone on this year.
“I’ve had the best season’s racing I’ve had in my life – Team Vertu have completely smashed it.
“I’ve put absolutely everything into this. It’s been incredibly full-on both physically and emotionally, and the hard work that has gone in behind-the-scenes has been unmatched.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, quite honestly.
“The BTCC has always been my lifelong dream – it’s my passion, my hobby, my everything – and I never wanted to be a one-hit wonder.
“This one feels more special than in 2022. Then, it felt like we came into the weekend as underdogs and pulled it off, but this year we have left nothing on the table.
“The teamwork, the emotion and the sheer will to win have been nothing short of unreal.
“From the bottom of my heart, a huge thank you to everyone.”
Ingram won more races than any other driver this season and also achieved more podium finishes (18) than the rest of the field.
His success also helped EXCELR8 Motorsport/Hyundai finish top of the manufacturers/constructors standings.
However, Team Vertu could only finish second in the teams standings, just two points behind NAPA Racing UK.
That was despite securing a double podium in race one as Tom Chilton finished second with Adam Morgan in third.
And Team Vertu achieved a second double podium in race two after Senna Proctor finished third to back up Ingram’s race win.
However, the Droitwich team failed to secure a podium place in race three with Ingram sixth, Morgan seventh and Proctor eighth.
