Pace and Podiums for Vansdirect-backed Team VERTU at Snetterton BTCC
Vansdirect-backed Team VERTU continued to rack up podiums during Round 3 of the 2026 British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton.
Though the top step would elude the team during a scorchingly hot weekend in Norfolk, three of the team’s four drivers – Tom Ingram, Tom Chilton and Ricky Collard – did notch up at least a podium each.
Defending champion Ingram consolidated his second position in the standings, despite a mixed event that saw him on the podium in the qualifying race with second and again in Race 1 with another second place.
However, his hopes of more silverware and points were hampered by technical issues that led to a DNF in race two before a scintillating charge to third in Race 3 from the back-of-the-grid was dampened by a ten-second post-race penalty.
Elsewhere, Chilton showed strong performance en route to pole position in the qualifying race, only to have his hopes of a similarly good result nixed by contact with a rival that dropped him back.
However, he recovered for a second-place finish in Race 2 for his first podium of the year, while Ricky Collard joined him on the rostrum in third.
There was also huge emotion for the team’s fourth driver, Nicolas Hamilton, who secured the Jack Sears Trophy for the first time.
The trophy can be claimed by any driver in the field who hasn’t won a BTCC podium yet and is handed out to the driver who scores the most points over the course of the weekend.
It’s an accolade Hamilton hadn’t yet won since starting in BTCC, but on Sunday he broke that duck to scenes of much emotion as he climbed the podium to claim his reward.
Round 4 of the 2026 BTCC takes place at Oulton Park.
