Team VERTU will hope to kickstart the second half of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in style this weekend when the series heads for Croft - the home circuit for Gateshead-based title sponsor Vertu - for the sixth meeting of the campaign.
The EXCELR8-run team has scored 16 podium finishes so far this year - including wins at Donington Park, Thruxton and Oulton Park - in what is proving to be another hugely successful campaign, with Tom Ingram currently just ten points off the championship lead.
Adam Morgan and Tom Chilton also sit inside the top ten in the standings, with Senna Proctor currently 15th despite the fact that he only joined the line-up ahead of round four at Thruxton in early June.
Ingram has been one of the form drivers at Croft in recent seasons and has only finished lower than sixth on two occasions since joining forces with the team back in 2021, with four podium finishes on his last three visits.
So far this season, Ingram has been a model of consistency with top four finishes in all bar two races and he will be keen to replicate that form in North Yorkshire to maintain his challenge for a second championship title.
Morgan sits second amongst the Team VERTU drivers in sixth place overall having impressed on his return to front-wheel drive following a four-year stint in BMW machinery.
Having scored three podium finishes so far, Morgan will look to strengthen his position in the standings with more silverware this weekend at the only circuit on the schedule where he has yet to stand on the BTCC podium.
Chilton sits just six points further back in the title race having also bagged three podium finishes in the first half of the season, including a win at Donington Park during round one.
The most experienced driver on the grid is a winner at Croft in the past and set a new BTCC lap record in qualifying last season, showing he has the pace to challenge for top honours again this time round.
Proctor meanwhile had only been set to join the line-up at Croft before a change in plans saw him step into a race seat ahead of schedule, with the multiple race winner picking up six successive top ten finishes on his return to action for the first time since 2021.
On home soil, Proctor will seek to maintain that run of results with his ultimate focus being to try to join his team-mates in making it onto the podium to secure his first silverware of the year.
Qualifying this weekend is scheduled to take place at 15:30 on Saturday and will air live on YouTube, with Sunday’s three races set for 12:10, 14:30 and 17:10.
All three races will be shown on ITV4 and ITVX in the UK and will be available to a global audience on YouTube.
Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Croft was a strong circuit for me last season and I’m hoping for more of the same when we return this weekend to kick off the second half of the campaign. It is a real driver’s circuit and one where you need a good car underneath you if you want to be successful.
“The first half of the season had its highs and its lows, but we’re still well placed inside the top ten and I’m looking for three strong results to try and strengthen my position in the standings. A repeat of the win from 2024 is the ultimate target, and I’m confident that we will be in the mix for silverware.”
Senna Proctor, #18 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Thruxton and Oulton Park proved to be really productive weekends for me before the summer break, and it means I’m in a stronger position than I expected to be going into my home event.
“I’ve had the opportunity to get back up to speed after spending so long away from the series, and I’m pleased with the results we’ve been able to pick up so far - particularly when you consider I’d not tested prior to my first race back.
“The last time I raced a touring car at Croft back in 2021, I managed to finish on the podium and having already gone close in the last two rounds, my target is to try and grab a trophy on home soil.”
Adam Morgan, #33 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Croft is the only circuit on the BTCC calendar where I’ve not finished on the podium, so it would be great if I could break my duck this weekend. It’s certainly something that is realistic given the pace we have shown so far this season, and I’m heading over to Yorkshire in confident mood.
“From the first meeting of the year I’ve felt comfortable in the Hyundai and we’ve only got stronger as the season has gone on. The car has gone well at Croft with three wins in the last two years, and I see no reason why we can’t hope to show that kind of form again this weekend.”
Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“It’s been a fantastic season for us so far and we head into the second half of the year in a really strong position, but we can’t afford to rest on our laurels. We have to keep pushing hard as the margins at the front are so tight, and it’s vital that we maximise every race in order to maintain our title challenge.
“Croft this weekend promises to be an interesting place to get things back underway as it’s a circuit where we’ve gone well in the past, having only finished outside the top six twice in four years with the Hyundai.
“The car now is the best it has ever been and I’m confident that we can have a really strong weekend, with my focus firmly on fighting for more trophies - ideally on the top step of the podium.”
Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said:
“Croft has been a strong for us in recent seasons and is a great place to kick off the second half of the campaign. All of our drivers have shown that they are able to run at the front of the field and we can go into the weekend feeling confident about our chances on track.
“It’s a particularly important weekend for us given its the home event for Vertu, so it would be good to come away from it with some silverware.”
- BTCC