<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Team&nbsp;VERTU&nbsp;enjoyed a successful end to the first phase of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season with a total of four podium finishes from the most recent rounds of the campaign at Oulton Park.</strong></p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The EXCELR8-run team headed into the final event before the summer break keen to try and add to an impressive record at the Cheshire venue, and with all four drivers full of confidence after trips to the podium two weeks earlier at Snetterton.<br><br>Tom Ingram had seen his championship challenge grow as the season carried on, after two no scores in the opening two rounds. The reigning champion would then go on to take the joint-most podiums since then, whilst also being the most-scoring driver across all four new-for-2026 Qualifying Races.<br><br>Ricky Collard has returned to the series in a rich vein of form, taking five podiums across the first four weekends, giving him over double the podiums of any driver who is yet to take victory this season.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Heading into the most recent event, Tom Chilton was the best-placed Team&nbsp;VERTU&nbsp;driver on the grid for the Qualifying Race in seventh, with Ingram directly alongside on the grid.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Nic Hamilton and Collard would line up in 19th and 20th positions, with both aiming to make up ground when the qualifying race kicked off.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ingram made a solid start when the race kicked off to climb to sixth on the opening lap, although there was disappointment for Chilton who went off track on the run down to the hairpin and dropped to the rear of the field.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">An off for Hamilton at the same place a lap later saw the safety car deployed, and after the restart, Ingram went on the attack, going wheel-to-wheel with title rival Ash Sutton before having to settle for fifth place - which then became fourth due to a penalty for Árón Taylor-Smith.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The safety car had helped Chilton to catch up with the field and he used the pace of his Hyundai to recover to eleventh, one spot head of Collard who gained eight spots - more than anyone else - to finish in twelfth.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Gaining a spot on the opening lap of race one, Ingram ran in the top three throughout to grab a podium finish, taking points out of Sutton who was back in seventh after a moment on the opening lap.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Chilton continued his fight back from the ‘Race to Pole’ dramas as he climbed up into eighth, with Collard and Hamilton in 14th and 19th having both elected to run the hard tyre at the first possible opportunity.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ingram’s podium finish meant he was obliged to take the hard tyre for race two, with a solid start seeing him grab second spot on the run through turn one. Shuffled back to third spot as Sutton charged forwards on the soft tyre, Ingram produced an astonishing run on the slower tyre to retain a podium position, and grabbed second spot on lap twelve when he dived down the inside of Dan Cammish at Lodge.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Chilton also made a solid start to the race having stuck with the soft tyre, climbing up into fifth spot by the end of lap two. Heading into Cascades on lap four, Chilton was on the grass and suffered a spin that dropped him to the back of the field and left him outside the points in 17th.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">It meant Collard would end the race as the second-best of the Team&nbsp;VERTU&nbsp;cars as he raced his way through to a strong seventh place, with Hamilton taking the flag in 20th spot.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">With the top eleven reversed on the grid for race three - and three of the Team&nbsp;VERTU&nbsp;cars on the soft tyre - hopes were high of a positive end to the weekend, with Collard the best placed of the four drivers in fifth spot.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Gaining a spot on lap one, Collard then went on the attack after an early caution period, overhauling Sam Osborne and Chris Smiley to move into second spot. Behind, Ingram was also on a charge in the early stages and by the end of lap six, had worked his way from tenth into third behind Collard - with the pair going on to bag a double podium finish.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A tough weekend for Chilton ended in disappointment when a clash with Lewis Selby at Cascades saw him go off into the barriers, but Hamilton’s decision to run the hard tyre early on paid dividends as he raced his way through to finish inside the points in twelfth place.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:</strong> “Oulton Park pretty much summed up the way the first part of the season has gone for me, as we’ve had the pace but absolutely no luck. Things started well but being on the grass in the qualifying race put me on the back foot for race day, particularly at a circuit where it is so difficult to overtake.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Despite that, we gained ground in race one to put us back in the mix inside the top ten but that was as good as it got, with the incident in race two being really frustrating as we could have been on the podium there. The other driver got a penalty, but that doesn’t give me the result back.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“The final race was always going to be difficult on the hard tyre and it was unfortunate that things ended as they did, as I just got a wheel onto the kerb going side-by-side through Cascades which unsettled the car and that was that.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I’m using this break to reset ready to come out fighting at Thruxton, which is a circuit I love, when racing resumes.”</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Ricky Collard, #11 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:</strong> “I’d not driven this car before at Oulton Park and I think that was reflected in qualifying where I didn’t really get the most out of it, and it meant starting the qualifying race back in Manchester! However, I got my elbows out when we got racing and making up eight spots on Saturday afternoon gave us a chance to get into the mix on Sunday.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Ultimately I think we made the right call to run the hard tyre first and get it out of the way, particularly when we also had limited boost in the first race, and it was a case of minimising the losses. The fact we were first car home on the hard tyre meant it was mission accomplished and I could focus on fighting forwards in the final two races.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Race two was really positive to rise to seventh, and then race three was where our tyre strategy really paid off and we could fight for podium number five of the season - keeping our record of some silverware from every weekend.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“It’s no secret that I haven’t had the budget for the full season, and I’m doing everything I can during this break to try and make sure that we can continue beyond Thruxton. A huge thank you to those who have helped me so far, and if anyone else wants to get involved then please get in touch!”</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Nicolas Hamilton, #28 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:</strong> “The final race was a great way to end a tricky weekend and bookend the first half of the season, and I’m pleased to have been able to put some more points on the board at the end of it. Although Saturday proved to be challenging with the way the qualifying race ended, I was nearly a second quicker than I had been last season in the earlier session, which was a sign of the continued progress I’m making.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“With such a big difference between the hard tyre and the soft tyre, it made sense to run the hard tyre in race one, and it was the right decision because it meant when we got to race three, we had the soft tyre when a lot of others didn’t.&nbsp;</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“There was a bit of a scare at the start with some spinning cars, and then after the second safety car period when I was going wheel-to-wheel up Clay Hill, but I feel I drove well and it was great to not only score points, but also be second driver home in the Jack Sears Trophy.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I’m using the break now before Thruxton to reflect on what has been a positive start to the year, and aim to keep progressing when we return to action.”</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:</strong> “I think we got as much from Oulton Park as we could do really, as the goal was to try and score as many points as we could. We managed to get a pretty decent haul and closed the gap slightly to Ash at the top, so I’m pleased.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“We could maybe have done a slightly better job in qualifying on Saturday but it was always going to be a challenge with the amount of TOCA Turbo Boost we were carrying. However, on Sunday, the car was just unreal and we are able to show our true pace.&nbsp;</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“If anything, that’s perhaps the disappointing thing about this first part of the season as we’ve had that car at all four events but we’ve also had a huge amount of bad luck. When we remove that bad luck, we’ve come away from the weekend with three podium finishes to our name and couldn’t have asked for much more.</p>

<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“There are a few things we’re looking at with the car over this break that we haven’t had time to do so far, and I’m looking forward to getting back out at Thruxton for the second half of the year, where I feel we’ll be even stronger.”</p>