TOM Ingram’s latest podium finish leaves Speedworks second in the standings for independent teams in the British Touring Car Championship at the campaign’s halfway mark.

After crossing the line third in the final race at Croft last week, the Northwich team’s driver has now stood on the rostrum at four of five meetings to date.

“That was a great way to finish, and it’s helped us to move a fair distance up the table,” said the 22-year-old.

“Our confidence is high and we take momentum now into the summer break.”

Ingram himself has risen to sixth in the overall drivers’ standings.

He narrowly missed out on topping the timesheets during free practice at the North Yorkshire circuit, and his Toyota Avensis was third fastest during qualifying when a red flag stopped the session.

A tyre vibration prevented him from improving on the restart, and he slipped down the order to 12th - the first time in the 2016 season that Speedworks have failed to secure a top-five grid position.

Ingram was ninth when the chequered flag fell in race one, setting the third quickest lap time in a 32-strong field.

That progress continued in the second sprint, during which a highlight was his move on 2013 champion Andrew Jordan en route to a seventh-place finish.

Ingram started the finale from the front row following a favourable reversed grid draw, and was overtaken by eventual race-winner Ashley Sutton’s MG6 on a track made slippery by heavy rain.

However he defended third place until the end to move to within eight points of the top four drivers.

“We can be very satisfied indeed with the opening half of the season,” said team principal Christian Dick.

“We didn’t manage to fulfil our potential in qualifying, which left us further down the grid than we should have been, but Tom fought back well.

“He drove brilliantly, and didn’t put a foot wrong.

“He was criticised earlier in the year by people who said he couldn’t string together three results at a race meeting. Well, he’s gone and done that twice on the bounce now.”

Matt Simpson, racing at Croft for the first time behind the wheel of Speedworks’ Honda Civic Type-R, classified 22nd and then 16th in the first two races - rising up the order from his starting position on both occasions.

He was on course for a points-scoring finish in the finale before a CV joint failed.

“Considering I’d not competed at the circuit before, I was happy to move forward in every race,” he said afterwards.