Thomas Ingram Hill is in confident mood ahead of this weekend’s Brands Hatch finale, as the Fortec Motorsports driver looks to end the season with a strong performance.
The 17-year-old can still mathematically win the drivers’ championship but begins the weekend fifth and 96 points behind championship leader Alex O’Grady with 102 still to play for.
“A slim chance of the title, but you never say never,” he said. “We could definitely have been better off in the championship.”
Ingram Hill will be a favourite for race victories this weekend, as the Briton topped the overall classification during the in-season test at Brands Hatch two weeks ago. The Fortec driver was more than two tenths of a second quicker than his nearest challengers: title protagonists Fred Green and O’Grady.
“We knew we had the pace all day, it was just extracting it,” said Ingram Hill. “We had some traffic and made some silly mistakes, so I knew, in the last session, I had to get it done.”
During pre-season, Ingram Hill was just as comfortable around the Kent-based venue, topping two out of the three test sessions.
“Brands Hatch is one of my strongest tracks,” he said. “Last year was a bit annoying as we had a bad qualifying, but I think we can end the year with a good weekend and that’d be just what I need.”
Ingram Hill has been a consistent top-10 finisher this season and heads to Brands Hatch having finished in the top-eight in his last eight races. However, a tough weekend at Donington Park in June, followed by an opening race collision with championship contender Green at Silverstone, pushed him out of realistic championship contention.
“Not what I wanted [this season],” reflected Ingram Hill. “I’ve been taken out about three times, then I’ve had multiple things that have gone against me, like Donington with the track limits.
“It’s been a really questionable year so far. We could have been up for the title and now we are only scrapping for third in the championship.”
The teenager secured three top-eight finishes at Donington Park but was disappointed not to finish any on the podium. He is confident of a “bounce back” weekend at Brands Hatch to end the season strongly.
“I’m really confident,” he said. “I've got a great team behind me and great management group, so I just can't wait for the weekend.”
