Nicolas Hamilton won the Jack Sears Trophy at Snetterton after a breakthrough weekend in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship that also delivered three podium finishes for Team VERTU. Hamilton scored overall points in Saturday’s Qualifying Race, then followed it with three strong results on Sunday to seal his first ever Jack Sears Trophy success at the BTCC’s third meeting of the season.
The emotional podium scene at Snetterton was shared by Ash Sutton, Tom Ingram and Gordon Shedden, while Team VERTU collected silverware through Tom Ingram, Tom Chilton and Ricky Collard. For Hamilton, the result marked another step forward after he had already scored overall points this season at Brands Hatch last time out, but this weekend put his name on the trophy for the first time.
Hamilton said he could hardly believe what had happened and that he never expected to leave Snetterton as the Jack Sears Trophy winner. He said the team and the car had helped, but that his own hard work had made the difference, adding that he had been quicker at Snetterton than ever before and was proud of how he drove. He also said he could happily hang his boots, gloves and helmet up after the weekend knowing he had achieved the dream of a little boy who was told he would never walk.
The win carried extra weight because Hamilton had already shown he could score points in the overall championship earlier this season, yet Snetterton was the first time his pace converted into a trophy. Justina Williams said the weekend showed what being part of the BTCC is all about, and said the team was massively proud to help Hamilton realise his childhood dream, noting that people do not see the effort and work he puts in behind the scenes.
That support mattered in a paddock that backed him strongly throughout the event, and Hamilton made clear he intended the result to mean more than one trophy. He said the weekend was for everyone who had stuck by him and supported him, and even for those who had doubted him, because that had only fuelled his drive to reach his goal. He added that he hoped the result would offer further inspiration to people in the disabled community by showing what is possible. For Hamilton, the Snetterton weekend did not just end in a win. It ended with the first Jack Sears Trophy of his career and a message he wanted the whole championship to hear.
