Team VERTU will look to maintain its quest for the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship title when the series heads for Knockhill this weekend for the seventh event of the campaign.
The EXCELR8-run team was in fine form last time out at Croft, picking up a total of five podium finishes - including a fourth victory of the campaign.
It means that Tom Ingram, Tom Chilton, Adam Morgan and Senna Proctor have now combined to score 21 podium finishes so far this year; a total that surpasses the full season record for any year since the team joined the BTCC grid back in 2019.
Ingram’s victory in the opening race of the weekend at Croft allowed him to move into the championship lead as he looks to reclaim the title he won in 2022, with an eight-point advantage at the top ahead of closest rival Ash Sutton.
The 31-year-old - who will celebrate his birthday next week - has been 'Mr Consistent' so far this season with a dozen podium finishes to his name, and will look to maintain his impressive form to strengthen his title challenge.
Chilton picked up his fourth podium finish of the year at Croft to climb up to fifth in the standings, as he remains well on course for his best championship finish since taking third place back in 2018.
Like Ingram, the BTCC’s most experienced driver has won twice at Knockhill in the past and was on the podium in Scotland twelve months ago; a result he will seek to at least replicate this time around.
Morgan sits level on points with Chilton going into the weekend as he prepares for a landmark moment in his BTCC career - with the opening race set to mark his 400th start in the series.
Having only failed to score twice this season, Morgan has been a regular fixture towards the front of the field and will hope to better his three second place finishes to push for firs victory of the campaign.
Proctor meanwhile heads into the fourth meeting of his partial campaign on a high following a brace of podium finishes last time out at Croft left him on the fringes of the top ten in the championship.
As is the case with his team-mates, Proctor has experience of what it takes to make it onto the Knockhill podium having scored a pair of second place finishes on his last visit back in 2021. That came twelve months after scoring a podium finish with the Hyundai at the same circuit in his first stint with the team.
As well as looking to retain the lead of the Drivers’ Championship, Team VERTU will look to move into the lead of the Teams’ Trophy, where it currently sits three points off top spot.
Qualifying this weekend is scheduled for 15:00 on Saturday and will air on YouTube, with Sunday’s three races on ITV4 and ITVX at 11:25, 13:40 and 17:25.
Tom Chilton, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said: "I love Knockhill as a circuit and head there this weekend feeling really confident about pushing for some big points. We’ve been consistently quick across the season so far and having moved into the top five in the standings, my focus is to try and bridge the gap to the drivers ahead and close in on the top three.
"I know that won’t be easy given the high level of competition at the front, but the Team VERTU Hyundai is the best that it has ever been and I’ve got to try and make the most of it this weekend and beyond.
"I’ve been successful at Knockhill in the past and my full focus this weekend is on pushing for the top step of the podium and a second win of the year."
Senna Proctor, #18 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said: "It’s a while since I’ve been to Knockhill but I’m looking forward to returning this weekend, particularly off the back of such a strong performance at Croft.
"My goal coming back this season was to show I still have the pace to run at the front of the field and having done that, the focus now is on fighting for more silverware.
"Knockhill has been a kind circuit to me in the past, including the first time I raced there with the Hyundai, and I see no reason why we can’t hope to be in the mix for a trophy or two this weekend. If I could get back onto the top step, it would be fantastic."
Adam Morgan, #33 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said: "Knockhill hasn’t always been the kindest circuit to me in the past but I’ve had some positive results through the years and am returning this weekend feeling optimistic about what we can achieve.
"So far this year the car has been quick at every circuit and it has allowed me to get into a strong position in the standings as we head towards the business end of the season. To be in the top six at this stage is great but like any racing driver, I still want more so we have to keep pushing if I want to try and close the gap to those ahead.
"I’ve not won at Knockhill in the past, so this would be the perfect time to put that right!"
Tom Ingram, #3 Team VERTU Hyundai i30 Fastback N, said: "We came out fighting at Croft two weeks ago and it was great to be able to maintain the strong form we had shown prior to the summer break. We’re operating at a really high level as a team at the moment, and that leaves me feeling confident about what we can achieve when we arrive at Knockhill.
"It’s a tricky circuit where track position is key so we’ll look to maximise the performance of the car to qualify towards the front and then focus on doing the best job we can across the three races.
"We saw at Croft that things can change quickly, so it’s vital that we continue to push hard to score as many points as we can from each weekend."
