Team VERTU Adds To Oulton Park Win Tally

23/06/2025 16:10 Share

Team VERTU Adds To Oulton Park Win Tally

Team VERTU secured a third win of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season on another strong weekend of competition at Oulton Park.

The EXCELR8-run squad had secured a first win at Thruxton two weeks earlier and made the trip to the famous Cheshire circuit keen to try and maintain the impressive form displayed across the the four meetings of the year.

The first free practice session of the weekend would prove to be productive for the Hyundai squad, with Tom Chilton, Tom Ingram and Adam Morgan all lapping inside the top six, and Senna Proctor in P20 as he prepared for his second weekend back in the series.

That would prove to be the more productive of the two sessions after rain prior to FP2 limited the amount of dry running, although Ingram would end up third on the times with Morgan also lapping inside the top five.

All four drivers were able to make it through their respective groups in Q1 when qualifying came around, although Chilton and Proctor would both be knocked out in the second part of the session - with Chilton ending up seventh on the grid and Proctor in tenth.

Ingram and Morgan progressed through to Q3 where Ingram produced an astonishing lap to smash the lap record and secure pole by nearly half a second, with Morgan overcoming a spin to qualify in sixth.

An equally impressive performance from Ingram in the opening race saw him dominate from the front of the field to secure his second win of the year, taking the flag more than five seconds clear of anyone else.

In a strong race all round, Morgan, Chilton and Proctor spent much of the race running together, with Chilton eventually taking fifth having nipped ahead of Morgan at Hislops mid-way through the race. Morgan took sixth, with Proctor eventually crossing the line in eighth.

Ingram’s win forced him to run the hard compound tyre in race two, with Chilton, Morgan and Proctor all sticking with the softer option.

Although Ingram led the opening lap, he was soon under pressure from quicker cars behind, with Morgan and Chilton amongst those to get ahead before an early safety car period.

After the restart, Morgan and Chilton ran together in second and third through to the finish, with Ingram able to hold on behind in fourth. Proctor meanwhile replicated his race one result with another eighth place finish and was then drawn on the front row of the reverse grid finale.

Heavy rain prior to the start resulted in all four drivers being forced on to wet tyres for race three, which would be a messy affair affected by two safety car periods.

Despite struggling with his car in the early stages and dropping down outside the top ten, Ingram recovered as conditions improved to take the flag in fourth place, with Proctor recovering from a poor start that dropped him down the order to take fifth.

It would be a more challenging race for Morgan and Chilton however, with the former ending up two laps down in 15th having forced to pit to have damage repaired after lap one and Chilton forced out after contact at Hislops with the Vauxhall of Mikey Doble caused heavy front end damage to his car.

Ingram goes into the summer break ten points off the championship lead in second spot, with Morgan and Chilton in sixth and seventh. Despite missing the first three meetings, Proctor lies 15th and within striking distance of the top ten ahead of round six at Croft.

Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“The pace we showed in the first two races was really encouraging once again, and it’s great to have picked up another podium finish on what was a pretty strong weekend all round for Team VERTU.

“Sadly race three didn’t go my way, and rather than coming away with three top results, it’s two good results and a DNF which is a real shame. I’m sorry for Mikey as I just locked up in tricky conditions and hit him firmly up the backside, which ended the race for us both.

“Even with that, the results for others mean I’m still seventh in the standings and it’s crazy how close the points are, so it’s all to play for after the summer break.”

Senna Proctor, #18 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“It’s been another solid weekend where I’ve been able to pick up more decent points, and it’s good to have these two meetings under my belt before heading to Croft and my home circuit after the summer break.

“On the other hand, I do feel mixed emotions a bit in the final race as starting from second place, I wanted to be higher up than fifth and feel I wasn’t able to reward everyone at Team VERTU for their efforts in giving me such a fantastic car.

“I know its just down to a bit of rustiness on my part having been out of a car for so long, but with some good track time now under my belt, I’m ready to come out fighting in the second half of the season.”

Adam Morgan, #33 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Overall I’d say it’s been a pretty good weekend and from opening practice through to the end of race two, it was all going well. The pace was there in the car and we scored strong points in the first two races, but then it went wrong at the start of race three.

“A bit of contact at the hairpin broke a rear toe link which is just one of those things that can happen in those conditions, and it was then a case of just going back out and circulating to see if we could manage to salvage a point, which is what we did.

“Considering this season is my return to front-wheel drive, I feel there have been a lot of positives so far and I’ve got up to speed quickly. Now the aim is to get onto the top step in the second half of the season.”

Tom Ingram, #80 Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Yet again this weekend the car has been absolutely fantastic and I can’t be annoyed in any way with the pace we have shown. In qualifying, it was just outrageous to grab pole and we were able to build on that in race one to score a second win of the season. To then take fourth on the hard tyre in race two was a big bonus but we got unlucky with the conditions in race three.

“We went for a more intermediate set-up on the car but the circuit didn’t dry as quickly as we expected and it was hard going in the early stages. We were vulnerable and when I dropped down the order it looked like it could be a disastrous end to the weekend, but we came back strong late on to climb back up the order.

“It’s bizarre that we’ve had such a strong weekend but have lost a point to Ash in the standings, which once again shows how tight it is at the top. We’ll be ready to come out fighting when battle continues after the summer break.”

Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said:
“It’s been another great weekend for the team and to come away from Oulton Park with a win and two further podiums is fantastic. It means we are in a strong position in the standings at the half-way stage but a busy summer period lies ahead to make sure we can maintain our form when we go back racing again at Croft.”