TEAM VERTU CHASES DONINGTON PARK VICTORY
Team VERTU will seek to add to its winning record around the Donington Park GP circuit this weekend when the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns to the East Midlands circuit for the seventh round of the season.
The EXCELR8-run team has enjoyed plenty of success since the full GP layout returned to the calendar in 2024 having picked up three victories, including a double success last year where Tom Ingram and Tom Chilton both made it onto the top step of the podium.
Ingram is currently the best placed of the four Team VERTU drivers in the standings but faces a huge challenge across the final four meetings of the year if he is to defend the title he won last year.
A difficult weekend in Scotland last time out saw Ingram lose ground to title rival Ash Sutton in the standings, with the gap between the two drivers currently standing at more than 80 points.
With that in mind, Ingram has no option but to go on the attack this weekend with nothing to lose in terms of the championship, with his focus firmly on adding to his win tally to strengthen his hold on second in the standings.
Ricky Collard made the most of his extended deal with the team with a sixth podium finish of the campaign at Knockhill to move up to fourth in the championship.
The former British GT Championship was one of the stars of the weekend on the shorter National layout at the start of the season when he bagged a top three finish on his return to the series for the first time since 2022.
Having been a revelation since his last minute return to the championship this season, Collard is fully focused on trying to challenge for his maiden BTCC win and will hope to make the most of the pace in the Hyundai i30 Fastback N to fight for the top step this weekend.
Tom Chilton, the most experienced driver on the grid this season, ended a difficult run of form two weeks ago at Knockhill when he battled hard to score his first win of the year.
Currently sitting in twelfth spot, Chilton continues to push for a place in the top ten of the championship standings and will hope to build on the result he scored in Scotland at a circuit where he won from pole last year.
In fact, Chilton is something of a Donington Park specialist, with three of his Team VERTU wins having come at the circuit across both layouts.
Nicolas Hamilton came close to adding to his points tally at Knockhill, picking up a best result of 16th in the final race of the weekend.
Hamilton has already scored more points this season than in any other BTCC campaign and has made encouraging progress at the wheel of the Hyundai to become a regular challenger for top 15 results.
Heading to Donington Park, Hamilton will hope to challenge for more overall points whilst also maintaining his solid position inside the Jack Sears Trophy standings.
Qualifying and the qualifying race will air live on YouTube this weekend, starting from 14:05 on Saturday. Sunday’s three races on ITV4 are scheduled for 11:45, 14:45 and 17:30.
Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“It’s been a difficult season for me but the win at Knockhill was a big boost in confidence, and it came at just the right time as we now head to a circuit where I’ve gone well in recent seasons!
“Our pace at Donington GP last year was really strong, and we go there this weekend knowing that we have a package that is capable of repeating that success.
“With four rounds still to go, there is every possibility that I could make a late surge up into the top six in the championship given how close the standings are, so my focus is on trying to maximise every race – starting this weekend.
“Hopefully I can challenge for some more silverware and build on the victory last time out.”
Ricky Collard, #11 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Donington GP isn’t a circuit that I’ve raced at much in my career although I have had positive results there in the past – with a hat-trick of top six finishes on my last BTCC visit and a win in British GT that almost clinched the title.
“Given it’s been three years since my last visit in a touring car, it’s difficult to make any firm predictions but the results from the last few years for the team have been really strong.
“That makes me feel confident that we can have another strong weekend this time around to maintain our championship position.”
Nicolas Hamilton, #28 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Last year was the first year that I have raced at Donington Park GP and I really enjoyed it. The track is amazing with a lot of history and heritage, and I’m looking forward to returning this weekend with the Hyundai.
“Every time I have gone to a circuit this season, it has been new for me with this car and I’ve been excited to see what we can achieve. When we visited Donington at the start of the year, I was a bit like a deer in headlights as everything was new, but I feel like a totally different driver heading back there.
“I’ve learned a huge amount over the six rounds so far and my expectations have risen quite a lot since round one with the points we’ve scored and the Jack Sears Trophy win.
“I’m taking a really positive mindset into the weekend and am hoping to push for some strong results.”
Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Knockhill was another difficult weekend that has cost us in the title race, and there is no doubt that we have a huge challenge on our hands over the last four rounds.
“The reality is that we have more points than we did at this stage when I won my first title in 2022 and aren’t too far behind where we were last year. However, Ash has had a particularly strong season so far, and when you add in the misfortune we’ve suffered, he’s been able to build the lead he has.
“All we can do is focus on the things that we can control, make sure that we maximise every race and what will be will be when it comes to the championship.
“Having been strong around Donington GP since it returned to the calendar, this weekend provides us with a real opportunity to push for a big haul of points, and that is my goal to try to close the gap at the top.”
Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said:
“We head to Donington Park this weekend in a confident mood given the results we have enjoyed around the Grand Prix circuit in recent years.
“In terms of the championship, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so the only aim is to work hard as a team to make sure we maximise every session and push for the best results possible.”
