BTCC: Ingram clinches maiden BTCC title as team-mate Lloyd wins finale
Tom Ingram has secured his first ever British Touring Car Championship drivers' title after finishing ahead of Jake Hill in race three, as Ingram's EXCELR8 Motorsport team mate Dan Lloyd wins the Brands Hatch finale.
Ingram started the final round of the season from tenth on the grid with an 11-point cushion ahead of WSR's Jake Hill.
With the pair starting alongside each other during the finale, Ingram immediately went on the offensive and moved ahead of his rival after the pair spent the near entirety of the opening lap side-by-side.
However, it was never destined to be completely straightforward for the Hyundai driver as Hill moved back ahead of Ingram on the tenth lap of the race.
The battle for fourth position, which was led by fellow championship contender Ash Sutton, caused a certain amount of jeopardy for Ingram with the three leading championship runners all lying astern in fourth, fifth and sixth.
Indeed, Ingram almost saw himself swiped out of contention after contact between Adam Morgan and Dan Cammish saw the latter of the duo come within inches of collecting the soon to be champion.
With laps running out for Hill and Sutton, Hill attempted to seize the initiative on lap 12 of the race. The BMW driver finally looked to have made his way past Sutton. However, in doing so, Hill slipped off the road at Paddock Hill to all but hand Ingram the 2022 crown.
Ingram eventually crossed the line in fifth position behind the outgoing champion Sutton to record his first ever overall drivers' crown.
All the while, Dan Lloyd took his third win of the 2022 campaign ahead of BTC Racing's Josh Cook, while Toyota's Rory Butcher completed the podium order in third.
