TEAM VERTU RETURNS TO THE TOP STEP AT SILVERSTONE

Team VERTU returned to the top step of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship podium with a fourth win of the season at Silverstone.

The EXCELR8-run team headed into the penultimate weekend of the campaign hoping to challenge for silverware after a tricky meeting at Croft, with Tom Ingram looking to regain second in the championship standings ahead of the season finale.

Ingram was hampered however by a lack of TOCA Turbo Boost [TTB] across Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions, where it was instead Tom Chilton who led the Team VERTU challenge.

Chilton was a solid sixth in the sole free practice session, with Ingram just outside the top ten, whilst Nicolas Hamilton ended up little over a second off the pace in 21st and debutant Osamu Kawashima rounded out the times after a trouble-free run that saw him gain valuable seat time.

Ingram, Hamilton and Kawashima all went out in the first stage of qualifying, with Chilton running alone in Q2, and it was Chilton who ended up with the best starting slot for the qualifying race in third, with Ingram in 14th, and Hamilton and Kawashima back in 22nd and 23rd.

Although he was demoted to fourth early on, Chilton battled back ahead of the BMW of Daryl DeLeon late on to secure a podium finish, with Ingram fighting against his lack of TTB to gain two places and take twelfth.

Hamilton also gained ground despite a track limits penalty to finish 22nd, although there was disappointment for Kawashima who was improving his pace when he got a wheel on the grass going into Maggotts and suffered a spin into the gravel.

Sunday’s opening race kicked off with the threat of rain in the air, with all four drivers electing to run the soft compound tyre.

Although he lost out to DeLeon at the start, Chilton quickly reclaimed third place and would run in the podium positions throughout to kick off race day with another third place finish, although there was frustration for Ingram when contact at Brooklands on lap two saw him forced off track.

That dropped him to the back of the field although he recovered to 13th before the finish despite his limited TTB, with Hamilton just missing out on the points after a strong race that saw him lap quicker than some of the drivers inside the top ten.

Kawashima would successfully make it to the finish despite not being comfortable with the balance of his car, taking the flag in 22nd place.

Both Chilton and Ingram went with the medium tyre for the second race, and this time it was Chilton who found himself hampered by the lack of TTB as he slipped down the order to finish in 11th.

Although on the slower tyre, the additional boost enabled Ingram to rise through to eighth at the finish, whilst Hamilton was able to build on the solid pace he displayed in race one to fight his way into the points in 15th.

Kawashima improved his pace from race one to again bring his car to the finish in 22nd spot.

The reverse grid draw put Ingram on the front row for the weekend finale, with heavy rain falling before the start to put the full field onto wet tyres.

Although he slipped back to fourth at the start, Ingram was soon into his groove and battled back through to second place before overhauling the Audi of Aiden Moffat to hit the front, easing clear to take victory by more than four seconds in what was the 750th BTCC for Team VERTU’s experienced team manager Marvin Humphries.

Chilton also mastered the conditions well to recover from his starting position to end the weekend with a sixth place finish, although Hamilton missed out on potentially adding to his points tally when he got bogged down at the start and slipped down the order.

Hamilton recovered to finish the weekend with a 20th place finish, although Kawashima would be forced to watch on from the sidelines as a result of electrical gremlins on his car.

Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“We made some big changes to the car this weekend and they have made a big difference for me in terms of getting it to do what I want it to do. We weren’t in the window with it going into the weekend but we did a lot of work on the set-up and were able to hit the sweet spot.

“We should really have been on pole but we raced really well, I’ve had a huge amount of fun and we’ve scored some really good points with third, eleventh and sixth. To be fair, had the final race been dry then I think we’d have been able to go even higher on slicks.

“I felt like I was able to be the old Tom this weekend and to come away with a fourth podium of the season is great. Hopefully we can carry the momentum from here into Brands Hatch and end the season on a high.”

Nicolas Hamilton, #28 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:“We struggled a bit for pace on Saturday but we had a reset for race day and I’m really pleased with how it went. In the first race, we had really good pace on the soft tyre and I was able to get stuck in because the modifications we made to the car to help with braking were really helping me maximise the life of the tyre.

“Race two I got a good start which isn’t always the case as the clutch system we’re using on the car due to be disability can be hit and miss, but we got off the line well and I was able to battle my way into the points and finish in the top three of the Jack Sears Trophy.

“I felt confident for race three as I love the wet but I couldn’t get the car off the line and dropped to the back before turn one which was a shame but it just shows how tough this series is. Overall though, I’m happy.”

Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“It’s been a challenging season and we’ve had a lot of misfortune, so when you have a result like this you appreciate it a little but more. We’ve only had three wins this season when we expected more but that final race was really good in what were very challenging conditions with the rain. It’s just a shame we didn’t predict the rain coming like that as we could have run the soft tyre in race two – although then we maybe wouldn’t have benefitted from the reverse grid.

“It was a good way to end the weekend considering how difficult Saturday was with the lack of TTB in qualifying and the qualifying race, which has a particularly big impact round here. However, we had a plan for Sunday and although we weren’t able to really benefit from it in race one, we got the victory we wanted from the weekend at a circuit where we’ve always gone well.

“It was also nice that the win came in race three because of the fact it was Marvin’s 750th BTCC race. He’s such a legend of the paddock and a big part of Team VERTU, so that one was for him.”

Osamu Kawashima, #81 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N said:
“So many people have supported me to be on the grid this weekend and I’m so thankful to EXCELR8 and Team VERTU for giving me the opportunity.

“Everyone has been so welcoming to me and my wife and I’ve really enjoyed the experience. On Saturday, I was happy with my pace in practice and qualifying but the races were more of a challenge as I think I needed more time to really understand the balance of the car.

“I’m very grateful to have fulfilled a lifelong dream this weekend, and so happy to be able to say that I have competed in the BTCC and represented Japan on the grid.”

Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said:
“First of all, congratulations to Ash Sutton and NAPA Racing this season as they have had an amazing year. From our side, we’ve had a strong weekend and to come away from Silverstone with another win is important at this stage of the season as we look to wrap up second place.

“Both Tom, Tom and Nic have shown strong pace on track across the weekend and have secured some strong results, whilst Osamu faced a huge challenge on his debut but made a lot of progress behind the wheel.

“We’ll now go to Brands Hatch hoping to end the season on a high, and then our full focus will turn to reclaiming the title in 2027.”