When Kirsty met Team Bristol Street Motors
Preparations for the new BTCC season were ramped up for Team Bristol Street Motors last week, when the covers came off three of the four cars during a special event at Caffeine & Machine.
The launch gave a number of invited guests, and over 100 passionate BTCC fans, the opportunity to see the special anniversary livery that will adorn the cars of Tom Ingram, Tom Chilton and Ronan Pearson this year, with the trio also meeting and greeting fans over the course of the day.
They were also joined by experienced sports presenter Kirsty Gallacher for a special Q&A session that covered all manner of different topics ahead of racing getting underway at Donington Park next month...
Kirsty Gallacher:
A good place to start is to see how you all are ahead of the new season, so Tom Ingram, let’s start with you...
Tom Ingram:
I’m very good thank you, and what a brilliant day it has been revealing the cars. They look awesome and are so, so cool...
Kirsty Gallacher:
I was honoured to be there when you revealed them and as for Tom Chilton’s comment about the back end...
Tom Chilton:
Rear of the Year everyone!
Kirsty Gallacher:
That gave me an insight into how you think about your car, but I’d agree that they are gorgeous.
Tom Chilton:
They are, and people don’t realise all the effort that goes in behind the scenes to get to this stage. It’s not a case of ‘we’ll just get all the sponsor logos and stick them on the car’, they all have to have their own space, and have to stand out on camera as you need to be able to see them and not just be a blur. It take a lot of preparation and everyone has worked really hard to make that happen – and they look cool.
Kirsty Gallacher:
Do you like yours Ronan?
Ronan Pearson:
I saw the proofs and thought OK but nothing does them justice until you see them in the flesh. The guys and girls have done a fantastic job.
Kirsty Gallacher:
What about the break you’ve had over the winter? What did you get up to? Did you have a good rest?
Ronan Pearson:
Nope! You always have a mad few weeks over Christmas, but on the whole it’s been chaos and really busy, and I don’t feel rested at all. But I quite like that because to be able to do what we do, you have to put in a huge amount of work behind the scenes.
I’d say 90 per cent of what we do is built on the business side of things to allow us to sit here and to entertain the fans across ten weekends. There is a lot people don’t see or appreciate but the hard work is worth it in the end. I wouldn’t change it in order to live the dream.
Kirsty Gallacher:
Tom Ingram, what about you?
Tom Ingram:
To echo what Ronan has said, you almost feel a bit like a seasonal worker because from March to October, it’s full on with events like Goodwood and taking part in race weekends, and the year soon flies by.
When the racing stops, you think there is going to be nothing to do until March when it kicks off again, but that is when the hard work really starts to make sure that when you do get to the season, you can focus on the job at hand and are in the right place both physically and mentally.
All of the fun stuff is done in the summer, but to do the fun stuff, you have to do all the hard graft in the winter.
Kirsty Gallacher:
How exciting is a day like today?
Tom Chilton:
It’s great as it gets us all excited to start another year. I’ve been in this sport for so long, but this is the coolest livery launch I’ve been involved in. It’s very Grand Tour-esque and it great to not only have the cars here, but also have the fans as it’s not the same without them.
This adds more depth, and it’s great to not see the reaction of fans and let them become a part of what we are doing. Well done to Bristol Street Motors, and the team and sponsors, for making it happen.
Getting those sponsors on board is like another race during the winter and it has allowed us to go out and be the first on track for testing, which is a good sign as it means we are working on developments on our car before anyone else. We can put our full focus on beating NAPA Racing, and winning that title.
Kirsty Gallacher:
It’s a big year for Bristol Street Motors with the centenary celebrations and we must take about the flashes of pink on two of the cars. What do you make of it?
Tom Chilton:
People said that with it being 100 years of Bristol Street Motors, and me being as old as I am, that they were going for a look I might like with the pink - and it really pops. Plus I have the pink wing mirrors as well, which really stand out.
It’s all linked to Co-Op Live, which Bristol Street Motors also supports and which is the largest music venue in the UK. It’s going to have the longest bar in Europe – which is known as MeetAtTheStreet. Last year we used that hashtag and it all links to this new arena and we’ll be there pulling pints!
Kirsty Gallacher:
And that all opens next month in Manchester...
Tom Ingram:
It’s interesting to hear you have a new job pulling pints...
Tom Chilton:
I’ve done it before! I poured milk before as we had to do that when I was sponsored by Shredded Wheat – I’d have to ask if people preferred semi or whole, pull the pint and fill the bowl.
Kirsty Gallacher:
Let’s leave that there and talk more about the cars, and a few changes for this season – one of which is more power from the hybrid system.
How will that extra power affect the action?
Tom Ingram:
I don’t know is the simple answer, and it’s one of those where we will only really see when we get to the first round of the season.
The hybrid power has never been as big of a change as when we had success ballast a few years ago, and I think the championship has been working to refine that balance of performance, if you were to call it that.
When we deploy the hybrid now, the power is going to be greater – around 80hp – so it will be a real kick in the back when it is deployed. The only caveat to that is if Tom is using at the same time as Ronan is using it, and Ronan is using it at the same time as me, then that advantage is negated, but I think it is good to see that things are being changed season-by-season to try and improve it, which is important for the racing.
Tom Chilton:
I’d agree. To put it into context, when we had 75kg of success ballast, it was worth about seven and a half tenths of a second a lap and when hybrid came in, it was about 2.6 tenths – so not much of a difference.
Now it will be around half a second a lap, which is a lot closer to what we had before, and it will make a big difference depending on where you finish a race, and how many laps of hybrid you have.
When you have it, and the car in front doesn’t, you will be able to make an overtake and it will be more exciting that in F1 with DRS because it will come down to who has laps left when they need it - and it will shake it up.
There is also a big difference with the soft and the medium tyre, which were previously quite similar in terms of lap time and it was more a case of when the performance came in.
Now there will be more of a lap time difference, so a mix of different tyres and more power will make the racing more exciting for us in our office.
Kirsty Gallacher:
And there is the new quick six qualifying format – what happens there Ronan? Is it a good thing?
Ronan Pearson:
I’m going to say I don’t know! It’s a bit of a cross between Indycar and F1, and will take some getting your head round. We have the split Q1 groups based on free practice, so you don’t know which you will be in, and then you can go to Q2 and Q3 for the fast six. We just want to get into the fast six!
Tom Ingram:
As racing drivers, we have all built solid careers on excuses, so what you’ll find is if we aren’t on pole, then we got put into the wrong qualifying group. That’s an excuse we can get in there early!
Kirsty Gallacher:
Tom, you came close last year before being pipped by Ash Sutton, so how determined are you to take the title back from him?
Tom Ingram:
We don’t mention his name – he’s like Voldemort! For us, I think you learn more sometimes from not winning than you do from winning, and that is something that is important to consider. Last year was tough to take as we didn’t quite have the last little bit each weekend...
Kirsty Gallacher:
Why was that?
Tom Ingram:
I think it was circumstantial, and it comes back full circle to this time last year.
At the end of 2022, we did a lot of development work with the car but when we started testing in 2023, the weather was horrendous. See, driver excuses there - it wasn’t me...
We never really got any meaningful pre-season testing as a result, so we were on the back foot a little going into round one and then you are trying to play catch-up.
In this game, there isn’t one golden bullet, or one single thing that give you the lap time, there is a combination of a lot of little things – a little of a lot. That is why you dig deep over the winter, and I learnt more from not winning than winning.
I feel more determined than ever to get it back and genuinely feel excited for the season, and the challenge of trying to get the title back.
Kirsty Gallacher:
Apart from the one we don’t name then, who do you see as the main rivals?
Tom Ingram:
You can’t rule anyone out, and that is the beauty of the BTCC. You only need someone to have has a good winter of development, and suddenly there is a new name in the mix.
The level is so tight now, and Silverstone last year is a great example as we had the whole grid covered by half a second or something. People will that say is Ash the man to beat, and he is as the champion, but you can’t rule out the BMWs, you can’t rule out the Toyotas...
There will be a lot of fast people on the grid this season and it will be tough. I think it will be won and lost on consistency, and you have to be there all the way through.
Kirsty Gallacher:
It’s ten years since your debut. How different do you think you are as driver now compared to that man who debuted in 2014?
Tom Ingram:
It’s difficult to say. So much in this game, as Tom can vouch for because he’s been here forever, is based on experience and that impacts on how you manage a weekend whether it’s going well or not – and it’s a lot easier when going well.
When it isn’t quite going as you want, they are the difficult weekends, but that is when you draw on your experience and realise that you don’t need to panic just because things might not have gone to plan.
It’s like any performance sport, 90 per cent of it is in your head, and if you can manage that then you’ll be fine. I have learned the power of the psychological approach is huge, and it can work both for and against you. That is something you only build with years of experience.
Kirsty Gallacher
What you Tom – don’t you have your 500th race this year?
Tom Chilton:
I do because I’m old now, really old! But I’m still going strong, and I’d like to think I’ll be here for another ten years at least. It has been a while since my debut though, back in 2002...
Kirsty Gallacher:
How different does it feel now?
Tom Chilton:
It’s crazy. Back then, my first race at Brands Hatch was on a circuit I’d never been to before but I finished in third, and when I did that race, I still hadn’t driven on the roads. Now I’m driving my Hyundai Santa Fe from Bristol Street Motors with my four kids in the back – so I’ve gone from not being able to drive to a people carrier!
It’s amazing to be here all these years later with the same passion and need for speed, and I won’t stop until that goes.
Kirsty Gallacher:
You’ve raced for some of the top teams in the series so how does Team Bristol Street Motors compare?
Tom Chilton:
The fact I have stayed for a third year says it all, as there has only been one other team from more than two decades of racing where I have stayed longer, which was Arena Motorsport. Other than that, I’ve moved around because the cars were changing or sponsors were changing and they wanted me.
Here, I feel I’m in the best team as the people involved and all the sponsors are like a big family, and I feel I’m part of something bigger. Justina and Antony (who own EXCELR8) are so proactive and their work ethic is fantastic; they just want to move the team forwards.
Relocating the team from Suffolk to Droitwich and into a bigger facility is a prime example, because they want the best people to be involved, and a central location makes it easier to get those people.
We have a car that has been developed and that ticks every box, and I know we have something that is capable of fighting for a championship – and I’m sure Tom is sat there thinking the same thing.
We’ve still got four more days of testing, so I’m very excited.
Kirsty Gallacher:
You’re not the only Chilton that races, so how much would you like to go head-to-head with Max in a touring car?
Tm Chilton:
I’d love it! He’d probably think we are all nut cases because he’s used to wings and not being able to touch anyone, but rubbing is racing in the BTCC and if we’ve still got mirrors at the end of a race, you weren’t trying hard enough!
I think he’d be nervous when he first got on track racing, but he’d love it.
Of course he is used to downforce, his McMurty for example is ridiculously fast, but he’d soon realise that the BTCC is all about the racing and is a huge amount of fun.
Kirsty Gallacher:
But who would win?
Tom Chilton:
Without downforce, me. With downforce, him.
Kirsty Gallacher:
Ronan, this is the season where you hoped to be joining the BTCC grid because for you, it all came a year early...
Ronan Pearson:
We had a plan and a vision that I wanted to follow. We were in the MINI CHALLENGE with EXCELR8 and had a good year in 2022, which shows how good the team is as it was the first season where I’d been able to have a really good crack at it.
We came close to the championship and planned to go again in 2023 and fight for the title, but then is all changed around 14 months again when the fourth BTCC seat will still vacant.
What happened there over the course of a few weeks was a total whirlwind and a life-changing moment – and here I am now having completed my rookie season a year ahead of plan.
Kirsty Gallacher:
And you love it...
Ronan Pearson:
I still sit here with a big smile on my face, because I’m still a fan who loves to see a touring car in the flesh. We’ve not had a lot of action over the winter so being stood alongside my 2024 car in front of the fans is cool, and is what gets you out of your bed in the morning.
My motivation levels have never been higher than they are now, and I’m living the dream that I’ve worked so hard to get to.
Kirsty Gallacher:
At what stage last year did you think you’d arrived in the BTCC? Did it help having these two alongside you?
Ronan Pearson:
It’s such a close knit family feel within the team, and these two have so much experience and really helped. The proud moments for me were near the end of the year, and in qualifying at Brands Hatch, I was half a second off Tom [Ingram]. When you look back over the winter, you realise you’ve done a good job, and sometimes it motivates me to read some of the forum comments...
Kirsty Gallacher:
Do you do that?
Ronan Pearson:
I do but I’ve got broad shoulders and when I came into this, I found it quite funny to see what some of the armchair critics had to say.
I got a lot of criticism, and I feel me and Nick got a lot of unfair comments, but I think I proved people wrong and now have to just motor on and move the benchmark higher.
Obviously, if we can wrap up the Jack Sears Trophy and fight for podiums then it would be a good season, but I don’t think I’d be at the level I am now in a different team without these two to help me along.
Kirsty Gallacher:
And you two would agree it’s good to have Ronan in the team?
Tom Ingram:
Absolutely, and I was proud to see how he handled himself last year. There were a few moments where we had to put an arm around him, but Tom and I were happy to help – and Ronan did a great job.
This is a tough championship to come into as a rookie, particularly when you are alongside proven names, and you don’t want to be intimidated. I remember when I started, going out on track and being all ‘Oh my god, it’s Matt Neal’, but they soon become just another driver and you just get on with it.
Ronan acquitted himself well and when it matters, he was able to shut the visor, tighten the belts and deliver.
Tom Chilton:
It’s like seeing a younger version of myself! Ronan came to watch me with his dad when he was two years old as I’ve seen the photographs, and it’s much harder for him now with the grid as it is.
When I came into the BTCC, my team-mate was Aaron Slight who was from World Superbikes and new to touring cars, so it was easier to beat him. Ronan has two team-mates who have won a lot of races and taken titles, so he has had to deal with a lot and has handled it very well.
Ronan Pearson:
Coming in as a rookie was tough as I only had four test days in pre-season and two of them had shocking weather – including Knockhill, which was a surprise. I only had that limited running to prepare whereas these guys have done it for years and can get in the car and be on it from FP1. I had to play catch-up a bit but this time around, I’ll be on it from the moment we leave the pits and won’t be learning everything for the first time.
Kirsty Gallacher:
So mentally, will this year be slightly easier or could it be more tricky because the rookie adrenaline isn’t there?
Ronan Pearson:
It doesn’t take a weak man to say that come round one last year, I was very nervous and my clutch leg was shaking – but if you don’t get nerves then you shouldn’t be doing it. Going into this year with so much more experience, I feel more rounded as a person - not just a driver – and it’s for me to deal with any extra pressure there may be and deliver the results. But I feel in a good place.
Fan Question:
A defining moment for me was the ride height issue last year. Lessons learned?
Ronan Pearson:
Well every cloud has a silver lining and at least I can still go for the Jack Sears Trophy this year...
Tom Chilton:
It was tough because Tom won at Knockhill and I took third, and then we didn’t - and it’s the didn’t part that hurts as you try your hardest to get up there and fight at the front.
When I was out there, I knew Tom was set-up on slick tyres and I thought he might fail but my car had been set up on the flat patch on wet tyres and I expected to pass.
The roller went half under my car but just scraped, and when it does that, you can’t pass. I was also sat there longer in the cold waiting for my turn and my pressures dropped but it won’t happen again as we’ll just raise the car a few mm extra in those conditions. You certainly don’t plan to fail though, because it hurts.
Ronan Pearson:
We win and lose as a team, and mishaps do happen. You have to not point the finger, take in on the chin and get on with it.
Fan Question:
Of all the circuits, do you have a favourite?
Tom Ingram:
I’ve always liked Knockhill just because it’s a bit stupid. It’s the only place where you turn up and feel you need a few extra laps as even after FP1, you feel you aren’t quite on it.
As a driver, it’s almost a case of 'shall we got for a qualifying run?' and you’re like 'we’ll just do a few more laps'. Thruxton is very similar, so one of those two.
Ronan Pearson:
For me it’s Donington Park, so the fact we go there twice is good for me. I had my best qualifying result there and a podium that got taken away, but I’ve always had strong results during my career.
Tom Chilton:
I love anywhere I can go flat out – so M25, M5, Brands Hatch, Silverstone...
My local is Brands Hatch as it’s 25 mins from home, and I love it so much that it’s in my declaration that I want some of my ashes to be spread there.
Tom Ingram:
I have to ask whereabouts?
Tom Chilton:
I haven’t actually said, but I want a third at Brands Hatch, a third on my favourite walk in North Cornwall where we have a holiday home, and a third in Barbados for an excuse for a real holiday.
Ronan Pearson:
There’s a pot hole at Graham Hill Bend that needs filling in...
Tom Chilton:
I could fill that – and you might still be racing when I pop my clogs...
Fan Question:
We’ve lost a few cars this year – is that a concern?
Tom Chilton:
Not at all. If you can get the top bit of the grid together then the racing is so insanely close and in qualifying, you won’t get the traffic. It’s frustrating when you are on a short circuit when there are 30 cars as you have one lap and that’s it.
The new rule with qualifying makes it feel like got less tyres, so we have to make the most of them and we’ll be able to maximise our chance with less opportunity for red flag or traffic. I don’t think it’s something to worry about in terms of championship.
Kirsty Gallacher:
So Donington Park is first. What happens before then?
Tom Ingram:
We’ve still got a few days left of testing and now is the time to get into the nitty-gritty and make sure everything is good and ready to go. There are still some bits and pieces to run through, and I’m always on to my engineer with suggestions in the run-up to the first round.
This is when you start to get the butterflies and it will soon come around and we’ll be lining up on the grid. There is a lot still to do, but our attention is focused on the start.
Ronan Pearson:
The livery reveal is a box ticked and it will soon be media day and then round one. It can’t come quick enough.
Tom Chilton:
We had a good test at Anglesey and have more to come. I’ve got a new engineer in Barry Plowman, who I worked with back in 2007 and who has won titles with Matt Neal, so we’ll be working to build our relationship back up as its one that is key to success. The next few days will be all about me and Barry getting used to each other again, and then we can go racing.