Speedworks Motorsport's Tom Ingram says he'll come back a stronger driver in 2019 after claiming the runner-up spot in thisꦰ season's British Touring Car Championship.

The Toyota Avensis driver pushed eventual champion Colin Turkington virtually all the way in this season's title b🌺attle and ended the year just 12-points shy of the newly-crowned triple champion's points tally in second ཧposition.

Ingram once again outscored his main rival Turkington during the final weekend of the season and very nearly too🌌k the championship fight to a deciding final race after Turkington registered a 22nd place finish in race two following a trip through the gravel trap.

"It’s been anﷺ incredible weekend to look back on. It’s been an incredible year as well. Coming into it, we had our sights on trying to go for it for the overall," said Ingram.

"It was a little bit ‘tongue and cheek’ really. We never really thought it would be genuinely possible to fight aga♉inst these🤡 guys and put it on weekend by weekend.

"We k🉐now we’ve got single weekend pace. We know we’ve got a fantastic race car. But to put a championship campaign together is bloody hard work.

"So to com💎e out the back of it with Independent teams’, drivers’ and second overall is absolutely superb."

Despite winning more races than Turkington - 3 victories to 1 in the Toyota driver's favour - Ingram outlined consiste🃏ncy as one of the areas he and his Speedworks Motorsport outfit must improve on for next season.

"Credit to him [Turkington], he’s put a fantastic💛 championship campaign to꧅gether. Ultimately he’s been the best out of all of us.

"We’ve not been able to beat him. We’ve been able to match his pace and beat his pace. But we haven’t been 🧔able to match his consistency and that’s where we need to improve on next season.

"We’ve had one hell of a race all season. We can look back🌳 at it and think what could haꦦve been and what should have been. But you just can’t.

"It's cliché, but the knockbacks and setbacks are the things you learn from and makes you cꦰome back a𒆙 stronger driver for next season."

Aside from taking secon🔯d overall inﷺ the drivers' table, Ingram and Speedworks successfully defended their Independents driver and team crowns.

"The work that the bꦚoys have put in has been utterly incredible. Not just on the weekends but the work that goes on away from the track is second to none," he continued.

"As much as I come here with a very good car, you need a good bunch of lads around you to make iไt happen. Credit to those guys."