Tom Ingram topped the opening Free Practice session of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship weekend at Oulton Park this morning (Saturday).
The reigning champion lapped the Cheshire circuit's Island layout in 1m25.507s to lead the way in his Hyundai i30N, with series leader Ash Sutton following just 0.022s adrift in second. The NAPA Racing UK driver has been the man to beat during the early stages of the 2023 season, but Ingram has been in hot pursuit and the early time suggest the table topping duo will once again figure towards the sharp end this weekend.
The top-three was completed by Bobby Thompson who continued what has been a solidly impressive campaign so far. Thompson's Team HARD prepared Cupra Leon was less than a tenth of a second off the pace, indicating Thompson could be a driver to watch out for this weekend.
Josh Cook was fourth quickest for One Motorsport with Starline Racing, ahead of Sutton's teammate Dan Cammish who completed the top-five. Others towards the front end during the opening session included four-time champion Colin Turkington who placed sixth, Ricky Collard in seventh, and Dan Lloyd in eighth.
Rory Butcher and Andrew Watson rounded out the top-10 ahead of the second Free Practice session and Qualifying later in the day.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Free Practice 1, Oulton Park
- Tom Ingram, Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8, Hyundai i30 N, 1m25.507s
- Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +0.022s
- Bobby Thompson, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils, Cupra Leon, +0.070s
- Josh Cook, One Motorsport with Starline Racing, Honda Civic Type R, +0.137s
- Dan Cammish, NAPA Racing UK, Ford Focus ST, +0.186s
- Colin Turkington, Team BMW, BMW 330e M Sport, +0.214s
- Ricky Collard, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +0.506s
- Dan Lloyd, Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils, Cupra Leon, +0.653s
- Rory Butcher, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +0.675s
- Andrew Watson, CarStore Power Maxed Racing, Vauxhall Astra, +0.737s
Click here to view full race and session results from this weekend's event.