BTCC: Ingram sets stunning marker in second Brands practice
EXCELR8 Motorsport's Tom Ingram goes into the final British Touring Car Championship qualifying session of 2022 as the driver to beat after setting a stunning marker top FP2 at the Brands Hatch finale.
Having been narrowly pipped to the top-spot by Dan Cammish in FP1, Ingram subsequently dipped below the existing pole position lap record in FP2 after setting a 1'30.213s lap in the final minutes of the session.
Ingram bolted to the top of the times ahead of fellow title contender Colin Turkington during the final third of the running and went even faster towards the end of the session to enjoy a near 0.4s margin ahead of the rest of the field.
Team HARD's Bobby Thompson was a surprise addition in second position after the Cupra Leon driver denied the EXCELR8 Hyundai squad a 1-2 practice result as the flag fell.
Dan Lloyd ended the 40-minute running with the third fastest time, while four-time champion Turkington eventually fell to fourth aboard his Team BMW 3 Series machine.
FP1 pacesetter Cammish was fifth fastest for the NAPA Racing UK Ford outfit ahead of two-time champion Jason Plato in sixth.
This weekend could be Plato's final act in the BTCC after a glittering career in the series. The 97-time race winner rolled back the years by setting an impressive pace during the second free-practice, aboard his BTC Racing Honda Civic Type-R.
George Gamble was seventh fastest for the Car Gods with Ciceley Motorsport squad ahead of Team Dynamics Honda's Dan Rowbottom in eighth.
The top-two title contenders Ash Sutton and Jake Hill completed the remainder of the top-ten practice order, with Hill marginally outpacing Ford runner Sutton.
