Tom Ingram stays with Speedworks Toyota for 2015 BTCC season
Tom Ingram will continue in the British Touring Car Championship in 2015 after renewing his partnership with Speedworks Motorsport
The 2013 Ginetta GT Supercup champion made his BTCC debut last year with Christian Dick's Toyota Avensis team, finishing 14th in the points with a best finish of fifth.
Ingram, 21, qualified sixth on his debut and was a regular top 10 runner throughout his inaugural season but said it had been a "massively difficult winter" trying to remain on the grid for 2015.
"It's been three or four months trying to find the money and we've somehow managed it," he told AUTOSPORT.
"There was a good reason to stay with Speedworks. A lot of work has been done to the car and getting Geoff [Kingston, former Team BMR engineer] on board is a huge step forward.
"Qualifying was our strongest point before, I think we outqualified where we should have been really. All the changes that are coming are going to improve the race pace.
"I want to be the guy that can do the business in the second year. I know it's not going to be easy to get podiums but we weren't far away last year."
Speedworks has rebuilt its Avensis around a new chassis for the coming season and while that build process has stopped the team from starting testing, Dick believes it will allow the team to push on in the long-term.
"For us to be kicking off with a new chassis and a lot of development work over the winter, I think we'll finally squeeze onto the podium," he added.
"Tom definitely turned a few heads, he was the stand-out rookie in 2014. It's fantastic for us to have him back.
"He'll make progress from the mistakes he made last year and they'll have more respect for him.
"He knows the game a lot better; I don't think it will be the same story.
"If we can get a win on pace, that would be brilliant. There's no reason on paper we can't. We're not naive but that's certainly the goal."
2015 BTCC LINE-UP SO FAR
MG
Andrew Jordan, Jack Goff
Honda (yet to confirm)
Matt Neal, Gordon Shedden
Infiniti
Richard Hawken, Derek Palmer Jr
WSR BMW
Andy Priaulx, Sam Tordoff, Rob Collard
Motorbase Ford
Alex Martin, tba, tba
Team BMR VW
Colin Turkington, Jason Plato, Aron Smith, Warren Scott
Ciceley Racing Mercedes
Adam Morgan
Eurotech Honda
Jeff Smith, Martin Depper
Rob Austin Racing Audi
Rob Austin, Hunter Abbott
Aiden Moffat Racing Mercedes
Aiden Moffat
AmD Ford
Mike Bushell, tba
Welch Motorsport Proton
Andy Wilmot
Speedworks Motorsport Toyota
Tom Ingram, Simon Belcher (Handy Motorsport)
Team Hard Toyota
Kieran Gallagher
Power Maxed Chevrolet
Dave Newsham, tba
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