4 MOTORSPORT: Speedworks celebrate maiden BTCC race win

What? Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship opener

When? April 02-03

Where? Brands Hatch Indy

Northwich outfit Speedworks, who made their debut in the British Touring Car Championship in 2010, ended a wait to celebrate a first race win in a new campaign’s curtain-raiser.

After setting the fastest lap during qualifying the previous day, driver Tom Ingram steered their Toyota Avensis to a dominant victory the following morning.

He also registered their first pole position on a weekend to remember.

“I don’t think the magnitude of what we’ve achieved has fully sunk in yet,” said team principal Christian Dick afterwards.

Ingram himself was similarly effusive.

He said: “If somebody had told us that we’d be leading the championship after the first race, I’d have thought it was an April Fool.”

How we reported it:

Northwich Guardian:

How they Tweeted it:

Our sports writer remembers:

“There can rarely have been a more popular maiden victory in the pit-lane of the UK’s premier car-racing series.

“Speedworks had been threatening a breakthrough for a while, and the signing of Tom Ingram as their main driver two years earlier was a signal of their intent.

“That, coupled with exhaustive development of their car during the winter, earned them a deserved reward on a new season’s first day at Brands Hatch.

“For an independently-run team to achieve what they did is not easy; much wealthier, and more experienced, rivals should have an advantage.

“Speedworks, run by Christian and Amy Dick – a husband and wife from Great Budworth – realised their dream in the best possible way; by making incremental, but continuing, progress year by year.”