Team Bristol Street Motors Readies For Critical Silverstone Weekend

19/09/2024 17:00 Share

Team Bristol Street Motors will hope to return to the top step of the podium this weekend when the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship heads for Silverstone for the penultimate weekend of the campaign.

The weekend is set to be a pivotal one in the battle for the 2024 title with Tom Ingram currently sitting just nine points away from the championship lead with six races left to play.

Ingram has been in contention at the front of the field from the opening meeting of the season at Donington Park, where he kicked off his challenge with two race wins. A further win followed at Oulton Park, and eleven podium finishes in total - including last time out at Donington Park from the back of the grid - leave him firmly in the mix for what would be a second championship title.

Silverstone has been a happy hunting ground for Ingram in the past with no fewer than six previous wins, whilst it was the scene of one of the drives of the season twelve months ago when he came from 22nd on the grid in race two to secure a podium finish.

With the high-speed circuit set to play to the strengths of the Hyundai i30 Fastback N, confidence is high for a strong weekend on track to ensure that Ingram is able to maintain his title challenge heading to the Brands Hatch season finale.

Tom Chilton heads for Silverstone keen to try and return to form after a difficult weekend at Donington Park last time out yielded just one points finish from the three races.

That came after the experienced racer had taken a win at Croft and a podium at Knockhill in the previous two meetings in what has been his strongest season yet with the EXCELR8-run team.

Like Ingram, Chilton has a strong past record at Silverstone and has taken more wins at the Northamptonshire circuit than any other on the calendar, including the first of his 16 BTCC career wins back in 2004.

Currently just outside the top ten in the standings, Chilton will seek to make up ground with three strong results and has his eyes firmly fixed on the podium.

Triple MINI CHALLENGE champion Dan Zelos returns for a second weekend after a promising debut at Donington Park saw him bring home points in all three races.

With a weekend of experience at the wheel of the Hyundai now under his belt, and the potential for improved weather conditions, Zelos will look to try and build on his promising debut and push towards the top ten positions whilst also fighting for honours in the Jack Sears Trophy for drivers without an overall BTCC finish.

Nick Halstead meanwhile arrives at Silverstone chasing his third points scoring result of the campaign after a promising weekend at Donington Park that saw him pick up his best qualifying result in the series to date.

Silverstone is a circuit where Halstead remains confident of putting on a strong performance and his focus remains on maximising the track time available on Saturday to put him in the best possible position going into Sunday’s three races.

Tom Chilton, #3 Team Bristol Street Motors Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“After two really strong weekends at Croft and Knockhill, Donington Park was really frustrating for me and a combination of issues on Saturday and then the changing weather conditions meant we never got the car in the sweet spot.

“I’m hoping that this weekend we’ll be able to return to the kind of form we were showing prior to Donington, and the fact that the weather is looking more stable will certainly help us on Saturday to get the car where we want it to be.

“Silverstone is a circuit that really suits the Hyundai and I fully expect us to be in contention towards the front, particularly when I have maximum hybrid to take into the weekend. Getting back onto the podium is certainly the goal.”

Nick Halstead, #22 Team Bristol Street Motors Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Silverstone is one of the circuits I have been looking forward to and I’m going there feeling confident given the work that has gone in with the car in recent events. We’ve shown improved pace in the second half of the season, even though the races at Donington proved to be a challenge, and I feel in a good place going into the weekend as a result.

“Given the level of competition in the field this season, breaking into the points is always going to be tough but I feel it’s a realistic target this weekend and hopefully we can qualify well as we did at Donington Park and hopefully will have a bit more luck on our side come race day.”

Dan Zelos, #45 Team Bristol Street Motors Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“After a good first outing at Donington, I feel very prepared and ready to build upon that this weekend. Silverstone can obviously be a difficult circuit – putting your car in the right place at the right time is crucial, and qualifying is particularly important – but I know the areas where I need to improve both mentally and physically and have been working hard on them, so that I can go out there and do the best job possible.

“I need to take on-board as much as I can, learn from my team-mates and soak up all the advice they give me. After coming so close at Donington, the ultimate goal is to break into the top ten – and I don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility to fight for a Jack Sears Trophy win as well. Bringing back some silverware would be a great way to thank Team Bristol Street Motors and all of my partners for the opportunity I’ve been given.”

Tom Ingram, #80 Team Bristol Street Motors Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Silverstone has always been a strong circuit for me in the past and I’m going there in confident mood despite a tricky weekend at Donington Park last time out. The fact that we were able to battle back as we did to finish on the podium showed how well the car is performing at the moment, and we have to try and make the most of it this time around.

“We know that the Hyundai is a strong package at Silverstone and we are at that stage of the season now where every point counts, so we have to maximise each session. Hybrid is going to have an impact on Saturday in qualifying, so the first goal is to try and make sure we are as high up the grid as possible. Come race day, we’ll be going on the attack to score as many points as we can and I’m looking to try and get onto the top step of the podium.”

Justina Williams, Team Owner, said:
"Ahead of such a big weekend, we are firmly focused on the job at hand and trying to deliver the best results that we can on track. We have shown this season that the Hyundai has taken a step forwards and having run strongly at Silverstone last year, we go into the weekend confident that all four drivers will be in contention for some good results to maintain our title challenge."