Reigning champion Tom Ingram topped the times in an official Goodyear tyre test for the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship test on the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit on Tuesday.
The series will race on the full 2.5-mile circuit for the first time in over 20 years in August, and the test served as an opportunity for drivers and teams to familiarise themselves with the extended layout, last used by the series in 2002.
Hyundai driver Ingram posted the fastest time inside the final hour of the day’s running, with his 1m33.197s being 0.064s faster than the Vauxhall Astra of Aron Taylor Smith.
Toyota’s Ricky Collard was next up, 0.087s further back and half a tenth clear of BMW’s Colin Turkington, one of only two drivers on the grid to have raced in the BTCC on the full circuit.
Championship leader Ash Sutton ensured five different manufacturers were represented inside the top-10, with the Ford Focus contender less than a tenth clear of the second BMW 330e M Sport of Jake Hill.
Ingram’s teammate Tom Chilton, the second driver on the grid to have raced in the BTCC on the Grand Prix circuit, was seventh, 0.002s away from Hill and 0.030s clear of the second Ford of Dan Rowbottom.
Adam Morgan (BMW) and Andrew Watson (Vauxhall) completed the top-10, which was covered by 0.444 seconds.
The Donington Park Grand Prix circuit has been modified only slightly since the BTCC last raced on the layout, with the Fogarty Esses opened up slightly in the years in between and the circuit completely resurfaced last winter. Lap times for the contemporary machines were over seven seconds quicker than the best times recorded back in 2002 as a result.
Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Donington Park GP Goodyear official test result:
1. Tom Ingram, Hyundai i30N, 1m33.197s
2. Aron Taylor-Smith, Vauxhall Astra, +0.064s
3. Ricky Collard, Toyota Corolla GR Sport, +0.151s
4. Colin Turkington, BMW 330e M Sport, +0.204s
5. Ashley Sutton, Ford Focus ST, +0.291s
6. Jake Hill, BMW 330e M Sport, +0.385s
7. Tom Chilton, Hyundai i30N, +0.387s
8. Daniel Rowbottom, Ford Focus ST, +0.417s
9. Adam Morgan, BMW 330e M Sport, +0.432s
10. Andrew Watson, Vauxhall Astra, +0.444s
Click here for full times.
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns to Donington Park on 26-27 August, and tickets are available in advance priced at £34 for adults on the main Sunday race day, with additional savings for teenagers aged 13-15 and free entry for children under-13. For more information and to book, click here.