23/09/2024 14:22
The EXCELR8-run team headed to the Home of British Motorsport looking to maintain its challenge for the most prestigious title in the country, with driver Tom Ingram sitting second in the championship standings; just nine points off leader Jake Hill.
The Silverstone weekend started in positive fashion on Saturday when Tom Chilton put the #3 Hyundai i30 Fastback N onto top spot in both free practice sessions, with Ingram and Dan Zelos also lapping in the top ten and Nick Halstead getting himself to within a second of the quickest time.
All four drivers would be drawn in the first group for qualifying as the weather began to take a turn for the worse, and whilst Zelos and Ingram were both able to make it through to Q2, Chilton and Halstead both missed out - ultimately leaving them tenth and 17th on the grid for race one.
Ingram and Zelos would progress through to Q3, which would prove to be a session of mixed emotions as Ingram inherited pole - and a vital extra point - after the provisional pole sitter failed the ride height test.
Unfortunately for Zelos, his car also failed the post-session checks following a suspension problem, which saw him demoted to the back of the grid.
Weather conditions had worsened considerably going into race day, with Ingram making the most of having clear track in front of him to vault into the lead at the start of race one. Despite the set-up on his car not being ideal, Ingram was able to establish a handy advantage at the front which he could then keep a charging Hill at bay in the closing stages for a fourth win of the year.
Behind, Chilton was in fighting mood as he battled his way up into sixth in the closing stages of the race before a post-race penalty for contact with Josh Cook whilst fighting for position saw him demoted back a spot to seventh.
Arguably the strongest drive of the race came from Zelos as he made light of his grid demotion to charge his way through the field from the back of pack to take an impressive tenth place, with Halstead falling just short of the points in 16th.
Ingram maintained his lead at the start of race two, but would ultimately slip back down to fourth as he once again found the set-up of the car not to his liking, but there was more progress for Zelos who maintained his earlier impressive form to climb up two further spots to take the flag in eighth - securing a new personal best result for the third successive race.
Halstead was on fine form as he raced his way into the points scoring positions before being knocked back to 16th late on when multiple champion Ash Sutton was able to fight his way ahead. An unfortunate penalty for being out of position at the start would drop him down to 18th in the final result, whilst there was disappointment for Chilton when a throttle body issue put him into retirement.
With the top six reversed for the final race, Ingram lined up on the second row of the grid but a demon start saw him rocket into the lead at turn one in what was now torrential weather conditions, with Zelos, Chilton and Halstead all finding themselves struggling to see anything in the spray within the chasing the pack.
The conditions would ultimately lead to the race being halted for nearly half an hour before it was deemed safe to resume and Ingram was able to retain his position at the front through to the finish, despite a last corner scare when he was accidentally hit by the chasing Ash Sutton.
Zelos once again starred as he fought his way ahead of former World Champion Rob Huff to climb as high as fifth place before ultimately taking the flag in sixth place. Although he was then docked two places post-race for an incident on track, eighth place was still more than enough to give him the weekend victory in the Jack Sears Trophy in just his second weekend in the series.
Chilton was able to battle his way through to twelfth from the back of the grid, with Halstead taking 18th spot but finishing up just a handful of seconds away from the points on what was one of his strongest weekend showings to date.
With just the Brands Hatch season finale left to run, Ingram is now second in the championship standings only by virtue of the fact that title rival Hill has scored seven wins to his five, with the pair dead level in terms of points.
Tom Chilton, #3 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I think this weekend displayed the highs and lows of motorsport! I don’t think I’ve ever had a weekend where I have been P1 in both free practice sessions before - unless it was so long ago that I can’t remember - and I felt really confident going into qualifying. The way the car felt, I reckon we could have got pole on the medium tyre rather than the soft, but then the weather turned...
“The track conditions changed for qualifying and we didn’t manage to make it into Q2 although with hindsight, it was a good thing for the team as it would have meant Tom [Ingram] didn’t make it through and then he wouldn’t have been able to get pole and fight for the wins.
“My weekend didn’t go to plan and the throttle body failure, which is totally out of our control, didn’t help. Despite that, I got two decent points finishes, overtook loads of cars and had some fun.
“Tom was certainly the man to beat in the wet this weekend and did a great job. In terms of the championship, I’ll be doing as much as I can to help him when we get to Brands Hatch.”
Nick Halstead, #22 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I’d hoped to qualify slightly better with some changes we’d made to the car, but was pleased with the progress we made in the races. In race two in particular, the pace was really strong and I was able to get involved in some good battles on track. The only shame was being slightly out of position at the start, which cost me places.
“Race three was a terrifying experience before the red flag with the visibility and the aquaplaning from standing water, but after the restart, I was really pleased with the pace I was able to show and the fact I was keeping up with some really quick drivers. It makes me feel proud at how much I’ve come on as a driver.”
Dan Zelos, #45 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I wanted to try and progress from where I was at Donington Park, but to make so much progression and take home a trophy is more than I hoped for. The Macklin Motors car has been unstoppable this weekend, and we were right in the mix despite the disappointment of qualifying.
“The British weather did its worst again this weekend but it was easier to go from a dry circuit to a wet circuit as I’d been able to find the limits of the car before the conditions turned.
“To win the Jack Sears Trophy and bring the car home in the top ten in all three races has been fantastic but I think the thing that makes me most proud is that I’ve shown everyone else in the paddock that you can step up from a series like the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE into the BTCC and make an impression.
“I’ve raced there for six years against the best people in the championship who have given me a real run for my money, but not many get the opportunity to then step into a touring car. I’ve shown what I can do, and know I could do more going forwards, which is not only great for me but also for the whole paddock as it shows what is possible.”
Tom Ingram, #80 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I think we’ve done really well this weekend. We lucked into pole which was a bonus for us and then we’ve been strong in the three races. We went the wrong way on set-up for race one and two a bit but we still managed to get a first and a fourth, which was was pleasing. Getting a gap in the first race at the start helped, but in race two the circuit changed quite a bit and we just didn’t have the pace to stay our front.
“We went back on things for race three, which perhaps we should have done a bit earlier, but you live and learn and we’ve not had a bad weekend when we then added another win in the final race. It was so difficult early on with the conditions as the circuit can flood so quickly at Silverstone and when a driver like Colin Turkington is sliding off, it shows how treacherous it was.
“I have no criticism at all of the officials for making the call to stop the race as they did the right thing to stop it when they did - and then to restart it again! We’re in the best place possible for Brands Hatch as the car feels phenomenal and we’ve been quick at Brands Hatch before, and I know we’ll only be faster there than we have been previously. I feel chilled and up for the fight, and I’m ready to go.”
Justina Williams, Team Owner, said:
“It’s been a fantastic weekend for the team and just what we needed at this stage of the season. To have the top two in the championship level with just three races left means it is all to play for when we go to Brands Hatch, and we need to try and make sure we carry the momentum we have generate this weekend.
“In very difficult conditions, we have come away from the weekend with three trophies which is credit to the whole team for the effort that has gone in to put is into the position we are now in ahead of the final round.”