Brome-based EXCELR8 Motorsport team celebrate winning the British Touring Car Championship for the first time

Justina Williams hailed her Suffolk-based team at Bristol Street Motors with EXCELR8 TradePriceCars.com after winning the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) title at Brands Hatch on Sunday.

The Brome-based outfit went into the final weekend of the season as part of a four-way battle for the drivers’ championship, with Tom Ingram just seven points behind leader Ashley Sutton.

And it was a dream weekend for Ingram who, after topping the qualifying times with a lap record on Saturday, won Sunday’s first two races and finished fifth in the last one, which was won by his team-mate Daniel Lloyd, to clinch his and the EXCELR8 team’s first title in the UK's premier motorsport series.

“It’s hard to find the words to describe how I feel at the end of the weekend as things couldn’t really have gone any better,” Williams, the team owner, said.

“To win all three races and wrap up the biggest championship title in British motorsport is absolutely fantastic and an astonishing way to end what has been a brilliant season.

“I’m extremely proud of the way we have performed this year, which was a big step into the unknown with the introduction of the hybrid systems, and the fact that we were running our own engine for the first time.

“A huge thank you has to go to Swindon Powertrain for the work they have put in throughout the season to help us optimize our package.

“The drivers have done a fantastic job on track but everyone behind the scenes has played their part, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Title contender Ingram gave an indication of what was to come in free practice as he finished top of the times, before producing an astonishing performance in qualifying, setting four lap times which were good enough for pole position and also broke the lap record at Brands Hatch.

After winning Sunday’s first race, which handed him a lead in the championship, Ingram repeated the feat in the second race to land consecutive wins and strengthen his grip on top spot.

Ingram’s team-mate Lloyd started on pole in the reverse grid draw for the final race and led from start to finish to win his third race of the season, which clinched a top 10 finish for him in the final standings.

Meanwhile, Ingram came home in fifth which was enough to wrap up the championship title for the first time, as well as a first BTCC crown for the EXCELR8 team.

“It’s absolutely bonkers to be able to stand here and say that I’m the BTCC champion,” Ingram said.

“This is a moment that I have dreamed about and that I’ve chased for my whole career, but I never envisaged that I would feel as emotional as I did when I crossed the line.

“To qualify on pole and then win two races with a fastest lap was just remarkable, and then we had a good battle in race three to finish things off.

“This has been a stressful weekend and a stressful season, but we’ve come out on top at the end and I’ve loved every minute of it.

“The fact that I had such a perfect car this weekend is down to all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes and whilst it is fantastic to take my place alongside all of the famous names on the trophy, and to realise a dream I’ve had since I was 10-years-old, this isn’t just a win for me.

“This is for every single person here who has worked so hard all season; we’ve only gone and won the bloody thing!”

Ingram finished top of the drivers’ championship standings with 394 points, with Sutton (382 points) 12 points behind, and Jake Hill (381) a further point back.

Elsewhere, Lloyd’s victory in the final race was enough to clinch him 10th spot in the final standings, with his team-mates Tom Chilton (15th) and Jack Butel (26th) also completing their campaigns at the weekend.

In the final teams' standings, EXCELR8 (497) ended up in third behind champions NAPA Racing UK (582) and Team BMW (525).