Triple Podium For Team VERTU At Snetterton

27/05/2025 08:24 Share

Triple Podium For Team VERTU At Snetterton

Team VERTU secured a further three podium finishes on another strong weekend on track as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship headed for Snetterton for the third meeting of the season.

The EXCELR8-run team went into the weekend looking to maintain an impressive run of form in the 2025 campaign, with podium finishes in each of the six races run across the opening two meetings of the year.

The downside to that success was that Tom Ingram, Tom Chilton and Adam Morgan all arrived at Snetterton with limited turbo boost available, with team newcomer Ryan Bensley facing the challenge of only getting behind the wheel of his Hyundai i30 Fastback N for the first time during Saturday practice.

After a wet opening practice where times counted for little, Ingram made light of his lack of boost to top the times in FP2, with Morgan fifth and Chilton just outside the top ten, whilst Bensley stayed out of trouble to gain much needed mileage in his car.

Although Bensley would then depart qualifying in the first stage, Ingram, Morgan and Chilton all progressed through to Q2, where Chilton would end up securing ninth on the grid. Ingram and Morgan both earned spots in the Quick Six battle for pole, with Ingram securing a spot on the front row of the grid, and Morgan taking fifth.

All four drivers elected to run the soft compound tyre in the opening race, with Ingram retaining position at the start and fending off Ash Sutton in a cat-and-mouse battle for second place that raged throughout despite a minor issue with the brakes on his car - marking his 100th BTCC podium.

From his position on the third row of the grid, Morgan ran fourth in the early stages before slipping back to sixth by the finish, taking the flag just ahead of Chilton as he climbed two spots to finish in seventh. Bensley meanwhile was able to stay out of trouble and was helped by issues ahead for some of his rivals as he climbed his way to 16th - missing out on a points finish by just 0.299s.

Ingram was forced onto the hard tyre for the second race as a result of his podium finish, but his hopes of trying to add more points to his tally was ended early on when a rare error saw him spin at turn one and clip the barriers, forcing him to pit with a broken toe link on the rear of the car.

Instead it was Morgan and Chilton who would fly the flag for the team as they made the most of once again being on the soft tyre to charge through to the podium. Up into third by the fourth lap, Morgan battled his way ahead of Dan Lloyd with three laps to go to secure second spot - pushing hard for the win before a small error on the final lap left him unable to challenge leader Dan Rowbottom.

Chilton would also fight his way ahead of Lloyd before the finish of the race as he made it a double podium finish in third, with Bensley producing another encouraging performance on track as he diced with the midfield pack, going wheel-to-wheel with a number of BTCC race winners before taking the flag in 18th spot.

Ingram was back on the soft tyre for the weekend finale and, with more boost than usual, took full advantage with a storming drive from the back of the grid - despite an early scare when he was hit by the spinning car of Stephen Jelley.

Having gained eleven spots on the opening lap alone, Ingram charged his way through to fourth spot by the finish to retain second in the championship standings ahead of round four at Thruxton.

The other three drivers were on the hard tyre, making the final race a case of damage limitation in terms of results. Morgan would be the best of the drivers on the hard tyre as he grabbed the final point in 15th, with Chilton in 18th having been forced wide early on - leaving him nursing dirty tyres for much of the race.

Bensley would lap quicker than Chilton during the race as he wrapped up his weekend with a 20th place finish, achieving his pre-weekend goal of three solid results having gained invaluable knowledge and experience to take forwards.

As well as Ingram retaining second in the standings, Morgan and Chilton sit sixth and seventh, with Team VERTU extending its lead in the Teams’ Championship.

Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Although we missed out on Q3, we had a good run in qualifying on Saturday and the first two races were great. We were able to make the most of the pace in the car to race forwards and I really enjoyed picking up some strong points for the championship.

“Race three was a different matter on the hard tyre, and whilst it’s fine at Thruxton as it’s what it is designed for, it was horrible here. Being forced wide early on didn’t help as the tyres got covered in dirt and just didn’t clean, but by the finish, the only guys ahead were those I’d battled for the podium in race two. That showed we did what we could.”

Adam Morgan, #33 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“Overall I’d say that we have maximised the weekend as much as we could. The first goal was to make Q3 which we did, and then we picked up decent points on the soft tyre in the first two races. It was a bit frustrating that I made an error on the final lap when chasing the win in race two, but I can’t be disappointed with second.

“Once we bolted the hard tyre on, it was a case of picking my battles and racing to the car I had. There was no point trying to defend against those on the soft and to be first car home on the hard tyre meant we grabbed a point - and I had to work hard for it!”

Ryan Bensley, #54 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“I’ll admit that I was nervous coming in about the potential of being at the back, and I’d prepared myself for the fact that it was possible given how late the deal was and the fact that I’d had no time in the car. I just wanted to have fun and see what I could do in this championship, and I feel the only thing I was really lacking was seat time.

“When I look at the data, I can see that I’m losing time in the high-speed sections of the track where it’s all about confidence and that comes with time in the car. However, I can’t thank Team VERTU enough as everyone has been so welcoming and has really helped me learn as much as possible.

“In the final race when it was all kicking off in front of me, I just wanted to get my elbows out and get involved as the racing around me was just bonkers. The whole experience has been brilliant.”

Tom Ingram, #80 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said:
“In the end it’s been alright, but I’m kicking myself over race two as that one was down to me. Despite that, we’ve scored decent points from a second and a fourth, and it could certainly have been a lot worse than it was.

“Even though the car wasn’t perfect in race one, I really enjoyed the battle with Ash before taking second, and then in the final race, having more hybrid and being able to deploy it at a lower speed made a massive difference. It was really enjoyable and it could have been even better if we’d not picked up a bit of damage from the incident with Jelley.

“Hitting 100 podiums this weekend is something I probably didn’t expect when I joined the BTCC grid and whilst I want to add more wins and more championships to it, it’s a nice number to reach.”

Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said:
“We’ve had another strong weekend on track and to come away from Snetterton with three more trophies and an extended lead in the Teams’ Championship is very satisfying. All four drivers have impressed with their pace this weekend, we’ll look to maintain our strong form when we head to Thruxton for the next meeting.”