TOM Ingram arrived at Silverstone as the most successful driver there in recent years in the British Touring Car Championship and a sublime double victory behind the wheel extended that run in style on a landmark weekend for Team Toyota.

After featuring at the sharp end throughout free practice, Ingram made light of the 24kg of success ballast to line up fourth on the grid in qualifying amongst the 30 high-calibre contenders, a scant 0.092 seconds shy of pole position.

Despite the extra weight making his car the heaviest amongst the top five, he immediately went on the attack, putting on a stellar show for the hardy spectators braving the distinctly inclement conditions.

Morning rain meant Ingram’s side of the grid was less grippy at the start of race one, but the Bucks-born ace shrugged off that disadvantage to advance to third when the lights went out.

He then muscled his way past three-time champion Matt Neal for second at the end of the opening tour.

He rapidly reduced the deficit to double title-holder Jason Plato in the lead, prising the door open going onto lap four and toughing it out along the straight to boldly seize the initiative.

Effortlessly edging clear as the race progressed, Ingram ultimately took the chequered flag more than four seconds ahead of Plato, prompting his pursuer to admit that he simply did nt have an answer to the star’s prodigious pace.

With his success ballast increased to the maximum 54kg for race two, the reigning two-time Independents’ champion knew he faced a tougher task.

He confidently held sway at the front of the field for the first nine laps until a tag from Plato sent him into a wild sideways slide that he did well to control.

The delay allowed Tom Oliphant past into the lead, but as the rain intensified, Ingram refused to let his namesake get away and, following a late safety car intervention to recover a car stuck in the gravel, he immediately pounced on cold slick tyres at the re-start to reclaim the top spot.

Revelling in the challenge on an increasingly greasy and slippery track surface, he was more than a second ahead when the action was red-flagged on safety grounds with four laps left to run, cementing his 13th career victory, fifth at Silverstone in the last four years and first touring car double.

From 11th on the partially-reversed grid for race three and carrying maximum ballast once again, the 26-year-old progressed to seventh on the opening lap before a knock from a rival broke the rear suspension toe link, necessitating a pit-stop for repairs and leaving him two laps down.

Thereafter, the Toyota man lapped consistently amongst the fastest drivers on the track in evidence of what might have been.

Despite the non-score, Ingram’s earlier results were enough to elevate him to fifth in the Drivers’ standings, and for the third consecutive year, he will travel to the Brands Hatch season finale on October 12-13 still in the title fight.