Wycombe race ace Tom Ingram reduced the points deficit on BTCC leader Colin Turkington at Silverstone on a gripping weekend for racing fans.

Standings leader Turkington also scored well, but Ingram reduced the overall points deficit to 34 ahead of the Brands Hatch showdown in two weeks’ time. 

Speedworks Motorsport’s Ingram produced one of his trademark drives through the field to win the second race. 

The Toyota star has previously displayed his fighting spirit with efforts from the back of the grid to the podium at both Snetterton and Rockingham, and this one will also live long in the memory as he blasted from 15th to first in the blink of an eye. A ballast-free Avensis running of the softer Dunlop SportMaxx tyre compound is often a lethal combination, and so it proved around the 1.64-mile National circuit.

Having already seen off a number of rivals, Ingram made a breathtaking move for second spot as he passed both Chilton’s Ford and Adam Morgan’s Mercedes in one go. He reeled in Tordoff’s Team GardX Racing with Motorbase Ford Focus and nipped by with relative ease before pulling away to take his third win of the year. Morgan and Tordoff completed the podium.

With the penultimate event of the BTCC campaign now complete, Turkington, Ingram and Chilton will head into the season finale challenging for one of the most famous trophies in motorsport.

BMW maintained its lead in the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ standings, whilst Ingram and his Speedworks squad boast a slender advantage in the Independents’ categories.

Round 28, 29 and 30 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Championship will conclude the season at Brands Hatch on September 29/30.

Ingram said: “I was mindful of not putting myself in a vulnerable position. I knew Aiden (Moffat) was desperate for a win and rightly so. The only place I could have a little look at him was going down into Brooklands. I was trying to put myself into a position but if I went to the inside, Colin (Turkington) was going to do the opposite.

"I had to go to the outside and put Colin into the gap. Aiden started to go back and I was hoping he wouldn’t back me into the rest. It was a hugely important day for us. We’ve closed the gap down and it’s onto Brands Hatch now. I knew Colin was going to come at me. We had our elbows out! We’re in the best shape possible.

"You’d say we’ve got the strongest car. We’re lighter on weight and we’re in the driving seat. Colin’s got it all to lose and we’ve got it all to gain.

"We’ve gone well at Brands in the past. We took 42 points out of Colin in the last two races. We can do it, it’s just a case of putting it all together next time out.”