Team Bristol Street Motors Bids To Retain Advantage On Scottish Sojourn

09/08/2024 09:16 Share

Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS will look to retain its advantage at the head of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship standings this weekend when the series heads for Knockhill for the seventh meeting of the campaign.

Two podium finishes from three races at Croft a fortnight ago when the season resumed after the summer break saw 2022 title winner Tom Ingram move to the top of the standings, whilst team-mate Tom Chilton strengthened his place inside the top ten with his first victory of the campaign.

An impressive charge through the field from the back of the grid for a top ten finish from Ronan Pearson, and an encouraging showing from Nick Halstead, capped a solid weekend for the EXCELR8-run team, which also closed the gap to top spot in the Teams’ Championship race.

Ingram’s 21 point lead in the title race is the largest of the season to date, but he makes the trip to Scotland well aware of the need to keep pushing to retain his advantage against a highly-competitive field.

A two-time winner at Knockhill in the past, Ingram will be chasing his fourth victory of the campaign during the weekend ahead, whilst a repeat of the double podium finish he picked up at Croft would see him move onto 90 career podiums.

As championship leader, Ingram will carry less hybrid power into qualifying and race one, but remains optimistic of being in contention for three solid results on track.

Chilton is also a previous Knockhill winner, having scored two wins himself at the Scottish venue during his career to date.

The victory at Croft marked his return to the top step of the podium for the first time since the 2023 opener at Donington Park, and allowed Chilton to move into seventh place in the standings - having already scored more points this year than in the previous three seasons.

With strong qualifying and race pace across the season to date, Chilton will aim to strengthen his championship position during the weekend ahead and fight for three front-running results to draw closer to the top six.

Pearson will be able to count on plenty of support at his home circuit, with the Scottish racer set to make his 50th series start over the course of the weekend.

The second-year racer grabbed his first win of the campaign at Brands Hatch earlier in the season and heads to Knockhill in confident mood as he bids to move up the championship standings, whilst also strengthening his bid for the Jack Sears Trophy title.

With extensive experience of the circuit under his belt, including three top-seven finishes last season, Ronan will bid to challenge at the sharp end of the grid with his ultimate goal being to take the Scottish Saltire onto the podium.

Halstead will also make his 50th BTCC start during the weekend ahead as he returns to a circuit where he enjoyed one of his best drives of his rookie campaign twelve months ago – battling through to 15th in challenging weather conditions.

After a tough run of form earlier in the campaign, Halstead produced one of his most competitive races of the season in the Croft opener a fortnight ago, and will look to build on that performance to try and push his forwards into the points scoring positions for the second time this season.

Tom Chilton, #3 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Knockhill is always one of the highlights of the season because of the fact that the circuit is so unique; it’s unlike anywhere else on the calendar. With all the undulations and the blind corners, it’s particularly satisfying when you nail a lap - and a BTCC race is like spending half an hour riding on a rollercoaster!

“Our pace this season has been strong from the very start, and it all came together with the victory at Croft last time out. That was a huge boost to my confidence, and it means I’m heading into the weekend in a really good place at a circuit where I know the Hyundai will be strong.

“With the hybrid allocation I have going into the weekend, I’m confident we can be in the mix for the Quick Six in qualifying and fully expect us to be fighting for more silverware in the three races.”

Ronan Pearson, #14 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“As ever, I’m really excited heading into the Knockhill weekend as the opportunity to race at my home circuit in front of family, friends and a lot of my sponsors is always particularly special. It’s the highlight of the year for me, and there aren’t really any other drivers – aside from my fellow Scot Aiden Moffat – who get to experience a home round like this.

“The extra support from the fans gives you a real spring in your step, like the ‘twelfth man’ in football, and I’m hoping I can make the most of that support to push for some strong results on the track to reward everyone who has backed me to this point.

“Since the win at Brands Hatch earlier in the season, I seem to have had more than my fair share of misfortune and I’m keen to put that behind me and try to at least replicate the results I enjoyed last season. If I can do that then I’ll be more than happy, with the ultimate goal being to get back onto the top step in front of the Scottish fans.”

Nick Halstead, #22 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Although it was a tricky weekend on the whole, there were a lot of positives for me to take away from the opening race at Croft were I was able to get stuck in and battle with the pack despite the fact it isn’t a circuit where I have a lot of experience in the past.

“The second half of the season is where we visit the circuits where I feel most confident of trying to push towards the points, including this weekend at Knockhill. Last season we could have scored a top ten in difficult weather conditions but we picked up some points and I felt I raced really well, despite the fact I lost track time in practice with a gearbox issue.

“This time around we can hopefully have a more straightforward Saturday, and the ultimate goal is to try and get three strong finishes from the weekend and add to the points we scored earlier in the season.”

Tom Ingram, #80 Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Knockhill is a circuit where hybrid can have a big impact, and even more so this season given the revisions that have been made compared to last year. Saying that, even though we have the least amount of hybrid going into the weekend, the car in a fantastic place and I make the trip feeling confident that we can maintain the strong form we have shown throughout the season so far.

“Having an advantage in the standings is obviously a positive thing but the title isn’t won with four rounds still to go, so we need to maintain the same approach of maximising every session on track and scoring big points.

“Knockhill is a circuit where the car has gone well in the past and where I personally have picked up some positive results, and I see no reason why we can’t look for more of the same during the weekend ahead.”

Justina Williams, Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS Team Owner, said:
“Croft was a big weekend in terms of the championship for us, and we head to Knockhill looking to try and build on the results we gained a fortnight ago to strengthen our challenge. As the only time we visit Scotland, we know we’re going to get a lot of support from the fans who will be cheering Ronan on, and we are confident that he will be right in contention towards the front alongside Tom and Tom, and also that Nick can fight to get back into the points.”