It’s been less than two months since the 2016 BTCC season finished but already teams have been announcing drivers and cars for the 2017 season.
We already told you about Team Hard’s plans to run three VW Cc’s, a car they introduced to the championship in 2013. They’ve now announced the first of their drivers, Will Burns, runner up in the 2016 Ginetta GT4 Supercup.
Tony Gillham spoke about the team’s first 2017 signing;
“We have been talking to Will and his family for a few months now and have already formed a great relationship,” said Gilham. “We share the same drive and ambition and Will is an amazing up-and-coming talent.”
“We are genuinely excited about 2017 for a number of reasons and that includes the potential that Will has shown in the last few years and in his first ever taste of front-wheel drive machinery at the recent Snetterton test.
“We’ve every confidence that we have a very competitive package for the year ahead and look forward to working with Will both on and off track as he continues his development and rise to the very top.”
Burns is just as enthusiastic as his new boss;
“I am absolutely delighted to be stepping up to the British Touring Car Championship,” said Burns.
“I’ve watched the BTCC since I was a child, and when I started racing back in 2011 I could have never imagined I’d be on the grid.
“I’m under no illusions as to the size of the challenge ahead. It’s the pinnacle of British motorsport and it’s going to be a steep learning curve for me, but I really can’t wait to get the season started at Brands Hatch in April.”
The competitiveness that should be exuded by the Volkswagen package is something highlighted by the new recruit, as well as by his new Team Principal.
“I’m excited to be part of Team HARD’s plans for the 2017 season. I really enjoyed my first test with them last month and they are a really talented, professional team – it’s going to be great to work with them next season.
“The Passat CC is a proven race-winning car in the series and I’m confident that we will have a strong package heading into next season. I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the new car as soon as possible.
“Thank you to all my sponsors for their continued support, to Tony Gilham and Team HARD for the opportunity, and also to Douglas Motorsport and Ginetta for giving me the platform to show what I could do this year, which helped me get to this exciting next stage of my career.”
Meanwhile Laser Tools Racing and Aiden Moffat announced today that Moffat will continue in the 2017 BTCC with his Mercedes A Class that he has run in for the past two season. Built by Ciceley Motorsport (Wix Racing) the A class has taken Moffat to his best finish of second at the end of the 2016 season.
Moffat is happy to continue with things how they are;
“We developed our Mercedes a lot over the 2016 season and we’ve got further progress planned before the 2017 season starts too. I’ve had a full year now with race engineer Federico Turrata and we have a definite bond; we know how each other thinks and this has shown in the race results. At the closing rounds at Brands the car just felt right, I had great pace and I could place it wherever I wanted. With this confidence and the new TOCA engine, we’re in a great position going into the 2017 season.”
Moffat also spoke about continuing his relationship with his loyal sponsors;
“I’ve really enjoyed my time in the BTCC so far and the podium at the end of the year was just reward for everyone involved. Laser Tools Racing fully appreciates that our partners have committed again for next year, and this puts us in a very strong position. So for their continued support I would personally like to thank Car Shop, Spence Insurance, Brown Brothers, Colin A Renton Transporter Maintenance, Smart Fleet Solutions, EnjoyCarLife, Secure Airparks, AST Signs Ltd and Butler’s Vehicle Solutions.”
“What a team!”
Lastly in this update but certainly not least, the 2013 champion Andrew Jordan has announced he’ll take his Pirtek sponsorship to drive for the WSR team in one of their BMW 1 series in 2017 and 2018.
WSR boss Dick Bennetts is pleased to see Jordan join his successful team;
“It’s great to welcome Andrew Jordan and Pirtek Racing to WSR. Andrew is one of the fastest and most successful drivers in the BTCC and crucially knows how to win a championship. Being able to announce this exciting news in November enables us to make the best possible use of the time available between now and the start of the 2017 season and kick off our winter testing programme with Andrew before the end of the month. The team have been working hard on the development of the BMW to make sure we’re title contenders again next year.”
The team are expected to announce their other drivers shortly and will likely be a three car team once again in 2017.
Jordan is joining his fourth team in as many seasons (Eurotech, MG/888, Motorbase and now WSR) but he is looking forward to the stability of his two year deal;
“I’m incredibly excited about joining WSR, who have been one of the outstanding teams in the BTCC for the past 20 years and achieved so much success in single-seater racing before that with legends like Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell and Mika Hakkinen. To have signed a multi-year deal is fantastic as it gives myself and Pirtek the continuity to build something really special with WSR over the next two seasons. I’ve been very impressed by what I’ve seen of the way WSR operate and am sure that we can be right at the sharp end throughout the 2017 season. I’ve never raced a rear-wheel-drive car in the BTCC, but the BMW has proven to be one of the best cars on the grid and I’m looking forward to learning plenty over the winter.”
We’ll bring you further BTCC news as it’s announced over the winter off season. By Marc Waller
