NEW HORIZONS FOR TOM INGRAM IN 2021

The announcement that Tom Ingram was to leave Speedworks was arguably one of the biggest surprises of what has proved to be a busy winter period for the BTCC paddock.

News of a split broke just before New Year, with the announcement being one that few would have seen coming – given the fact that it was a relationship that had been ongoing from the moment Ingram moved up into the series in 2014.

Driver and team had appeared to be the closest thing to being a family team without actually being a family team for a number of years, with the 27-year-old having helped Speedworks progress from being a solid midfield outfit to one more than capable of challenging for the championship title.

But having become part of the furniture with Speedworks, how does he now feel about moving on to pastures new?

“I’ve been with Speedworks for my whole career in the BTCC so far, so I have never known any different,” he reflects.

“The situation we found ourselves in was a bit like one Andrew Jordan faced in the past with his Pirtek backing, and I had to put my sponsors first.

“Any deal I did was one that had to work commercially for them, and unfortunately that just wasn’t possible with Speedworks for 2021.

“There were no hard feelings from anyone about it, and when it became clear that we wouldn’t be able to agree a deal, there were a lot of offers on the table.

“I’d say probably 90 per cent of the grid were interested in doing something but in the end, moving to EXCELR8 was an easy to decision to make.”

You can read the feature in full in the February edition of the eMagazine, which is on sale here for £2.49.