TOM Ingram will start today’s first British Touring Car Championship race at Thruxton from pole position in Speedworks’ Toyota Avensis.

The Northwich team’s driver broke a lap record during qualifying on Saturday when he traded fast times with Matt Neal, the series’ points-leader after nine rounds, in the half-hour session.

He secured a second pole from three attempts this term the hard way after his first two flying lap times were scrapped by officials for not respecting the track’s limits.

“It was pretty sketchy early on, because I kept getting told over the radio ‘you’re quickest’ followed swiftly by ‘no, your lap time’s been removed’,” said Ingram.

“I knew I needed to calm down a bit; we had no ballast, which obviously was to our advantage and everything just hooked up perfectly.

“You’re never really sure where everybody is during practice, but we knew we had some good pace in the car.

“Pole position is one thing, though, and it’s vital we go on to score some points from here.”

Ingram, who took a maiden pole in the season’s curtain-raiser at Brands Hatch, topped the time-sheet with a best of 1.16.161.

The 22-year-old had been quickest on track in Saturday’s second practice session too, clocking 1.16.542 – more than half-a-second faster than the rest of the pack.

Teammate Matt Simpson, in Speedworks’ new-for-2016 Honda Civic, was 23rd in qualifying with 1.17.697.

Meanwhile Scottish teenager Aiden Moffat pipped Neal (Team Dynamics Honda Civic Type-R) to a front-row place on the grid in his Ciceley Racing Mercedes-Benz A-Class.

The first of Sunday’s three sprints, which will all be broadcast live on terrestrial television by ITV Sport, is scheduled to start shortly after 12.10pm.