22 SEPTEMBER: BTCC SILVERSTONE.
The final dramas of the season began to unfold on the short National circuit at a very cold and wet Silverstone.
Tom Ingram had proved fastest in qualifying and lined up next to Colin Turkington on the front row of the grid, with Ingram’s main rival and Championship leader Jake Hill qualifying sixth.
Ingram had a flying start, taking the lead from the lights – a position that, with the benefit of clear visibility, he held on to the flag. His 4th win of the season.
Hill moved up to third and was then allowed to take second by his WSR teammate Turkington who had hybrid issues which eventually saw him drop down to fifth by the end of the race.
Turkington again had his say in the possible destination of the Championship in race two.
When Jake Hill passed Ingram by bravely out braking him at Brooklands to take the lead, Turkington took up the cudgels on behalf of his WSR teammate by putting pressure on - and then overtaking - Ingram. It was a move which not only secured Turkington second place at the flag but, with Cook also getting past Ingram to relegate him to fourth, ensured that, for now at least, the Championship lead was moving in Hill’s favour.
By race three the heavens had opened and it was marginal as to whether the race would or should go ahead.
When the lights did go out Ingram – with so much to lose - showed nerves of steel to get into an early lead and as the only driver with any visibility at all, began to pull away from the field.
As the conditions got progressively worse, aquaplaning became a real problem – especially for the rear-wheel-drive cars - so it was perhaps not surprising that Turkington was the first to hit zero traction and get stuck in the gravel. Inevitably the race was red flagged, but at too short a race distance for points to be awarded.
At that point Ingram’s heart must have been in his mouth – if the race wasn’t to resume his race lead would count for nothing.
When the race was eventually resumed, in marginally drier conditions, Ingram may have been relieved, but he still had to keep the car on the black stuff to turn his position into points and close the gap on Hill.
In true BTCC style, whether he would hold onto first was in doubt until the very last corner of the last lap when Ash Sutton – still with his eyes on the crown – challenged for the lead, tapped Ingram who went sideways before saving the slide and crossing the line first, just ahead of the Ford with Josh Cook taking His second third of the day.
Amazingly Jake Hill’s fifth position means that as we approach the season finale at Brands Hatch, Hill and Ingram are equal on points with Jake Hill topping the table by virtue of his 7 race wins to Ingram’s 5.
