As he prepares for the fourth meeting in the British Touring Car Championship-supporting Ginetta GT Supercup at Oulton Park this weekend, Tom Ingram is fired-up to ‘smoke’ his rivals – after inking a high-profile sponsorship deal with pioneering electronic cigarette brand SKYCIG.
Tom arrives at Oulton – scene of his first pole position in car racing three years ago – lying second in the Ginetta GT Supercup points standings in his maiden campaign in one of the Yorkshire marque’s state-of-the-art G55s, having tallied six podium finishes from the opening nine outings including a superb breakthrough victory at Donington Park in April.
Electronic cigarettes are regarded as the nation’s most popular healthier smoking alternative, with none of the harmful chemicals that are found in regular tobacco cigarettes and no second-hand smoke.
As Britain’s largest and most trusted electronic cigarette brand – voted ‘Best Electronic Cigarette in the UK’ in 2011 by Smoking.com – SKYCIG is keen to further broaden its appeal, and UK Commercial Director Damien Scott explains that the company’s move into motor racing with Tom offers the perfect platform for mutual progress.
“When meeting Tom for the first time, we could tell immediately that he was someone we wanted to be associated with our brand,” he reveals. “SKYCIG directors think very highly of him, and I would compare his rise through motorsport to the rise of our brand within our own industry. We expect to grow even more throughout our agreement with Tom and cannot wait to commit to him for the remainder of this season and be a part of many more successful race campaigns.”
A former British Karting Champion and currently a British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star and MSA Academy member, Tom is targeting a hat-trick of national titles in 2012 after clinching the Ginetta Junior crown in 2010 and Ginetta G50 Cup laurels 12 months later. The talented young High Wycombe-based speed demon admits he is delighted to have SKYCIG on-board as he takes on the challenge.
“I’m thrilled to have secured the backing of SKYCIG as I chase the Ginetta GT Supercup spoils,” enthuses the 18-year-old. “We’ve had an encouraging start to the season with JHR Developments, but to now have the support of the country’s leading electronic cigarette brand can only strengthen our bid for glory. It’s a really exciting boost for me, and I hope we can go on to enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship for many years to come.”
You can follow Tom’s races at Oulton Park by tuning into ITV4 from 11:30am on Sunday, 10 June
