Tom Ingram was delighted with a ‘faultless’ test in his new Excelr8 with Trade Price Cars racing Hyundai i30 Fastback N at Croft this week, where he drove his brand new car.
Ingram is switching to the Suffolk-based team for 2021 after a long stint at Speedworks Motorsport, marking the first time in his career in the British Touring Car Championship that he has had to get to grips with both a new car and a new team at the same time.
Entering into his eighth season in the BTCC, Ingram was pleased to carry out testing at the North Yorkshire circuit, which is a less common haunt for BTCC teams than other venues in the south.
“It was good to go back to Croft,” said Ingram. “It’s a circuit where we don’t tend to do an enormous amount of running and it’s a real all-round test for a car since the lap has a little bit of everything.
“It was also useful to get a proper full day’s uninterrupted track time, because the two days at Snetterton had been split into a series of sessions that made it difficult to settle into much of a rhythm.
“I’ve got to say, all the guys and girls at Excelr8 with TradePriceCars.com have put in a truly phenomenal effort over the winter.
“Building two completely new cars while simultaneously re-prepping the existing two Hyundais was a monumental task, but it was one to which the entire team responded magnificently.
“To then rock up to the first test with my car and not encounter any issues at all was incredible. The i30N ran faultlessly – so much so that I almost forgot it was a brand new car.
“We managed to complete a lot of laps and it felt fantastic, really strong. The upgrades have had a positive impact in a lot of areas, and there’s still room for improvement, too – we’ve definitely got more performance up our sleeve, which is really encouraging.
“It’s been great to welcome GKR Scaffolding and Third Millennium on-board, and I’m already feeling very comfortable both in the car and in the team.
“Even though we didn’t throw new tyres at it or go for any ‘hero’ runs at Croft, we were bang on the money pace-wise, so I see no reason at all why we shouldn’t be right in the mix come Thruxton next month – and that’s immensely exciting.”
Justina Williams, Team Owner, was pleased to see Ingram get behind the wheel of his new car for the first time, having previously sampled one of the team’s 2020 cars at Snetterton last month.
“It was fantastic to see Tom take to the track in his Hyundai for the first time,” said Williams, “and for the whole day to run so smoothly was testament to the first-class team we have assembled here, and the stellar work everybody has put in behind-the-scenes over the winter to get us to this stage.
“To be going into only our third season in the BTCC with four potentially race-winning cars is an extraordinary achievement.
“As somebody who clearly knows how to win in the BTCC and put together a committed title bid, I have no doubt that Tom will help to drive us to even greater heights.
“We are also proud to add GKR Scaffolding and Third Millennium to our growing roster of high-profile partners – they are joining us at such an exciting time and will both add tremendous value to the team.
“All of us at Ginsters EXCELR8 with TradePriceCars.com are feeling hugely energised and motivated for the challenge ahead. We can’t wait to go racing!”
