More BTCC runners for TCR UK
TCR UK
Team BMR is set to field two cars in TCR UK from the next round at Castle Combe in July after plans for team boss Warren Scott to join the series at Brands Hatch last weekend fell through.
The squad has run British Touring Car Championship driver Josh Price in a first-generation Honda Civic since round two at Knockhill, and Scott now intends to join him for the rest of the season. After missing out on one of the similar Fk2shape Civics, another option was for Scott to use the car vacated by championship frontrunner Ollie Taylor, who has upgraded to a newer FK7 model. But it could not be prepared in time for Brands.
“The first car never materialised, and then I was going to borrow a car from
Mark [Hunt] at Pyro and unfortunately he couldn’t get it ready in time,” said Scott.
“I think I should go well at Castle Combe. From my days on motorcycles, I’ve done a lot of laps round Castle Combe.
“We should be running with Josh and myself for the rest of the year and then looking at a proper challenge next year.”
Former BTCC runner-up Sam Tordoff had also attempted to get on the grid at Brands, and was initially looking at the series in conjunction with Motorbase Performance, with which he is racing in the BTCC this season. Motorbase shelved its TCR plans earlier this year, but Tordoff still wanted to tackle the round before running out of time to get a drive.
“I had forgotten that [the Brands Hatch rounds] were coming up so quickly,” said Tordoff. “I tried to get something organised with a new team, but we just couldn’t make it happen. I wanted to sample TCR just to see what they are like – I’ve never driven one but they look like good fun. The only problem is that with my work, BTCC and historic racing commitments, I won’t have the time to do any rounds.”
DPE Motorsport was forced to withdraw its two Alfa Romeo Giuliettas from both races – leaving just 12 cars on the grid – after both suffered unrelated engine problems in qualifying.
Debutant Robert Gilmour – who was driving the Alfa vacated by Aiden Moffat after the BTCC driver quit the series – was able to set the eighth-fastest time before his car blew a valve, while the sister car of Derek Palmer Jr had a head gasket fail.