High Wycombe’s Tom Ingram has been rated as the best driver in the British Touring Car Championship for the second year in a row.

Ingram won the award after a vote by team bosses in a poll conducted by leading British publication Motorsport News.

He said: “It’s obviously immensely rewarding to see our performance recognised again in this way, and an absolute honour to be rated as the best driver in what is widely regarded as the world’s best touring car series.

“The BTCC has been my passion and my dream virtually since I was in nappies, and I still have to pinch myself sometimes to believe I’m actually competing in it now and going wheel-to-wheel with some of the racing heroes I grew up watching on TV.

‘’We had an amazing season this year and came incredibly close to claiming the biggest prize of all – so looking ahead to 2019, there can be only one goal.’’

Ingram came within a whisker of winning the overall title in only his fifth season in the BTCC in 2018.

As well as successfully defending his hard-won independent crown, he also clinched Dunlop’s #ForeverForward award for his outstanding overtaking prowess.

This latest award marks another milestone for Ingram who has a habit of making progress in every BTCC season he contests.

After a maiden win in 2016, he took multiple victories on his way to third overall in the points and the Independents’ Trophy in 2017.

Ingram was in the title race all year, however, there were several mechanical gremlins which crept into the system to rob him of vital points.

These necessitated climbs through the pack and that is where he made his mark, performing beautiful overtaking moves to rescue what he could.

Now he has the experience of a title showdown, there is another building block in his BTCC education.

Ingram will certainly be hoping to gain his revenge on Colin Turkington next time around.

With Ingram and Jack Goff competing so well in the BTCC over the past few campaigns, hopes are certainly high that south Bucks can produce a winner of one of the most coveted title in the world of motorsport.