Reigning champion, Tom Ingram, topped the opening Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship session of the season, with a free practice lap of 1m07.842s on the Donington Park National circuit this morning (Saturday).

On a bright and breezy day at the East Midlands venue, Ingram was the only driver to lap faster than 1m08s, and wound up just over two-tenths clear of the next car. This came in the only practice session of the weekend, with the series debuting its new format and the qualifying ‘Race to Pole’ later this afternoon.

Josh Cook was Ingram’s nearest challenger in his Speedworks Toyota, ahead of the two impressive Cataclean Plato Racing Mercedes on their first weekend in the series. Daniel Rowbottom was the first of the new German cars, with teammate Adam Morgan following him in fourth.

Ingram’s stablemate, Tom Chilton, was fifth in the second Team VERTU Hyundai, narrowly ahead of Dan Cammish in the first of the new Ford Focus Titanium saloons. The next of those was eighth, in the hands of four-time title winner Ash Sutton, with the Fords being split by Aiden Moffat’s Audi in seventh.

Charles Rainford and Mikey Doble completed the top-10.  

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Free Practice, Donington Park

1. Tom Ingram, Team VERTU, Hyundai i30N, 1m07.842s
2. Josh Cook, Speedworks Corolla Racing, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +0.206s
3. Daniel Rowbottom, Cataclean Plato Racing, Mercedes A35 Saloon, +0.234s
4. Adam Morgan, Cataclean Plato Racing, Mercedes A35 Saloon, +0.312s
5. Tom Chilton, Team VERTU, Hyundai i30N, +0.399s
6. Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus Titanium, +0.446s
7. Aiden Moffat, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing, Audi A3 Saloon, +0.477s
8. Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus Titanium, +0.571s
9. Charles Rainford, WSR, BMW 330i M Sport, +0.585s
10. Mikey Doble, LKQ Euro Car Parts with Power Maxed Racing, Audi A3 Saloon, +0.609s

Click here to view full results and standings from this event.