Matt James – Editor
When: October 9 Where: Brands Hatch Perhaps predictably, my moment of the year came at Brands Hatch when Tom Ingram finally fulfilled his potential and snatched the British Touring Car Championship trophy.
I have reported on the series each year since he joined in 2014 and had the inside steer on his climb to the summit but, in truth, he was on my radar way before that.
It is very self-serving to think that I have had anything to do with Ingram’s journey and success, but I do have a certain element of pride that now-Autosport chief editor Kevin Turner, Jason Plato and I were the panel to select the first inductees of the KX Akademy back in 2012. Ingram immediately leapt to our attention.
And he paid attention too. As well as a funding leg-up, the scheme was devised to equip Ingram with some of the skills he would need to maintain a top-level career, all with insight from tin-top king Plato himself.
And look at him now. At 29 years old, he has established himself as a top-flight touring car driver but there is so much more beyond that. He has built up a successful (and vital) partnership with engine Spencer Aldridge, spun plates with sponsors, is on top of all the marketing and is very protective of his brand, and has put down roots strong enough to ensure he can be in the series for many more years to come.
But there is another aspect to him that makes him stand out among the others on the grid and that is his personality. That is something us three judges could never have known about when we first spoke to the then-teenager. He is a highly popular driver with lots of support from the spectator banks and the paddock. He will be a truly great champion.