EXCELR8 Motorsport's Tom Ingram has emཧerged from the opening British Touring Car Championship free practice of the weekend fastest of all after setting a b𓃲listering pace at Thruxton.

The Hyundai i30N driver arrives at Thruxton firmly in the BTCC title hunt, just 15-points adrift of current series leader and four-time ☂champion Colin Turkington.

Keen to regain the points lead he once held earlier in the season, Ing🧸ram produced a sensational lap in FP1 to top the session by almost 0.5s ahead of his nearest challenger Jake Hill in second position.

Unsurprisingly, Thruxton specialist 🐓Josh Cook ended the session at the sharp end of the table after setting the third fastest time aboar⛦d his BTC Racing prepared Honda Civic Type-R.

Having led the championship standings earlier in the year, Cook will be hoping for a renaissance in form this weekend after falling 72-points adಌrift of the points lead in recent rounds.

Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall's Ash Hand was a surprise entry to the top-five with ๊fourth fastest time ahead of defending champion Ash Sutton in fifth position.

Stephen Jelley led his Team BMW stablemate Colin Turkington in sixth and seventh. Turkington has rece✱ntly taken control of the title race following a superb double win last time out at Snetterton.

With the remainder of his 2022 BTCC campaign now secured with new Bristol Str🌳eet Motors backing, Dan Lloyd set🦂 the eighth fastest time aboard his Hyundai i30N.

Three-time champion🍸 Gordon Shedden was ninth ahead of NAPA Racing UK's Dan Cammish in tenth.