Tom Ingram tops qualifying ahead of inaugural BTCC qualifying race
- Michael Williams
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The grid was split into two separate groups for qualifying, with Tom Ingram topping group A and Ash Sutton topping group B. The group with the quickest overall time was awarded pole position and therefore sets the odd numbers on the grid, with the other group completing the even numbers.
The traditional tyre warming laps took place as group A took to the track, with some drivers opting to pit after their initial out lap. Charles Rainford was the early pace setter, deciding to set a lap time as the session reached ten minutes to go.
Daniel Rowbottom set the first representative time, completing a lap time of 1:07.983. Ingram, who topped Free Practice on Saturday morning, was narrowly behind Rowbottom, before going quickest with a lap time of 1:07.818. His VERTU teammate, Tom Chilton, was third as the session approached the final minutes. Charles Rainford sat fifth as he ran wide mid way through the lap, after suffering a sizeable lock up. Ingram then improved to a 1:07.647.
Group A ended with no one managing to beat Ingram’s lap time, as Aiden Moffat climbed to second in the final stages, but later lost his lap due to a track limits infringement. He would go onto finish fourth, with Rowbottom and Chilton remaining in second and third. Rainford completed the top five in the first session.
The remaining ten cars then took to the track for group B. Sutton set an impressive early lap time of 1:07.852, before improving to a 1:07.707 the following lap. Mikey Doble was the closest to Sutton mid way through the session, about three and half tenths behind. Sutton then improved marginally to a 1:07.655.
Dan Cammish improved to second as the session headed into the final minutes. The session would end with Sutton and Cammish in first and second, with Josh Cook third and Doble and Adam Morgan in fourth and fifth respectively.
Ingram will therefore start the qualifying race from pole position, with Sutton alongside him. Rowbottom and Cammish will be on row two, with Chilton and Cook on the third row. Moffat, Doble, Rainford and Morgan complete the top ten after qualifying.
The qualifying race is due to get underway at 15:05 local time.
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