– now all he needs is the funding
Reigning Ginetta Junior Champion Tom Ingram has been given his first taste of the car he hopes to be racing this year at a wet Silverstone – and so rapidly did he get onto the front-running pace following three months out of the cockpit, that his performance was labelled ‘phenomenal’ by a leading team principal and his rivals were left under no illusions whatsoever as to his title-challenging credentials.
Having swept to Ginetta Junior glory in 2010 – incredibly, only his second season out-of-karts – Tom is seeking to take the next step up the motor racing ladder in 2011. The opportunity to try out the G50 – the big brother to the G40 that the highly-rated High Wycombe speed demon campaigned last year – with championship-winning outfit Century Motorsport around Silverstone’s National Circuit was one that was too good to miss.
Acknowledging that for the time being, at least, he is on a learning curve, the 17-year-old pointed to subtle differences between the two models in terms of the gearbox and brakes – but on a day when the elements threatened to make it something of a baptism of fire, he handled his graduation with admirable composure, consummate ease...and a healthy dose of outstanding raw pace.
“The track was mega greasy all day, and with the G50 being such a powerful car, they weren’t the best conditions to be going out in!” quipped Tom, who has just been offered a job as an expert instructor at Bedford Autodrome, another feather in his overflowing cap. “I love those kinds of conditions, though, and they always seem to suit my driving style quite well.
“The G50 is a lot bigger, heavier and quicker than the G40, but the handling characteristics – in the wet, at least – are actually very similar from the point-of-view of how it turns in, and I was straight into it after only about five or six laps, to be honest.
“It was so much fun to drive, just awesome! One of the mechanics asked me afterwards when the last time I had been out in a G50 was – and he didn’t believe me when I told him never! I hadn’t even sat in any kind of racing car since November
“It was great to be back out in a car again – especially at Silverstone – and I absolutely loved the G50! I was on-track for 40 minutes straight to begin with, and I just didn’t want to get out of the car at the end of it – I wanted to be able to drive it all day!”
Tom was also quick to praise Century Motorsport – G50 Champions in 2009 and runners-up in 2010 – as well as the man at the helm of the team, Nathan Freke, an ex-driver himself and a former British title-winner in both sportscars and single-seaters.
“The couple of years’ experience that the team has in the championship certainly told when we looked through the data,” he explained, “as they were able to show me near enough immediately where there was room for me to improve. It was great to work with a previous champion, too – Nathan really knows all the ins-and-outs of the car, and exactly what is needed. I’ve known him for years, and we get on really well.”
Having palpably whetted his appetite to race the car this season, it remains unlikely that the recently-appointed British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star will make the starting grid, however, unless funding is found – and fast. Tom is working hard with Conquest Talent Management to attract sponsors to back his cause via the Thames Valley Business Support Scheme – but time is running out.
“I’d do anything to be on the grid this year – I want it so badly!” he confessed. “After winning the Ginetta Junior Championship last year, I think it would be a real travesty if I can’t carry on. I know how much I learned and how much my driving improved through working with Hillspeed in 2010, so I’m confident I could pretty much jump into the G50 and be on the pace straightaway.”
That conviction is one that is shared by Freke, whose tremendous pedigree and success in the sport makes him well-qualified indeed to judge Tom’s potential to follow in his wheeltracks. Highlighting the ex-British Karting Champion’s extraordinary turn-of-speed straight out-of-the-box on his G50 debut as well as his keen analytical feedback, he appraised his young protégé as a sure-fire contender for the crown in his maiden campaign in the championship – provided, of course, that he finds the money to be able to race.
“From seeing how he had got on in a touring car back in November, I thought Tom would adapt to the G50 fairly quickly – and he didn’t disappoint,” Freke confirmed. “He is clearly very good and extremely quick, and if you give him the equipment he will get to grips with it.
“Conditions were less-than-ideal – it was very cold and very wet, and the track was just like ice. If it had been a nice, sunny day the car would have been confidence-inspiring, but it was just the opposite! Despite that, Tom went out for a couple of half-hour sessions and after just 20 laps he had got to within half-a-second of a very experienced racer who we had out in our other car, which I thought was phenomenal.
“He has simply got natural talent inside a racing car; he doesn’t have any fear of getting it out-of-shape or taking it to the limit, which is quite a nice change. To get down to the kind of lap times that he did in such a short space of time is really promising, and as long as he can compete this year, he will be up at the front, no doubt about that. We’ve got the set-up and he’s got the talent, so he’ll be in the title fight. Tom definitely has the pace to win the championship.”
If you would like a sponsorship pack or more information about the Thames Valley Business Support Scheme and the benefits of getting involved with Tom, please call him on 07817 883469
