Ricky Collard working on BTCC comeback in Laser Tools Infiniti
Former BMW junior Ricky Collard is targeting a full-time season in the British Touring Car Championship in 2022, and it could be in a Laser Tools Racing Infiniti.
The 25-year-old son of BTCC veteran Rob Collard made his debut in the series in 2018 when he stood in for his father, who was ruled out on medical grounds following a concussion, for the final four rounds of that season.
At the wheel of a West Surrey Racing-run BMW 125i M Sport, Collard qualified on the front row third time out at Silverstone, and took a best finish of third.
Collard finished runner-up to Lando Norris in the 2015 MSA Formula standings, before claiming second place in the 2016 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship and joining the BMW junior programme.
He was a race winner on his ADAC GT Masters debut in 2017 at the wheel of a BMW M6 GT3, and also claimed a victory during a campaign with the R-Motorsport Aston Martin squad in the 2019 Blancpain GT Series.
But Collard told Autosport that pursuing a BTCC career and following in the footsteps of his father is his favoured option.
“I loved the little bit of touring cars that I’ve done,” said Collard, whose most recent outings came alongside his 2020 British GT title-winning father in a RAM Mercedes at last year's Spa 24 Hours.
“[The BTCC is] the only championship I’ve competed in that I haven’t won in, and there’s a family legacy there which would be good to continue.
“People have got to have respect for touring cars – they see a touring car driver jump into a GT and they’re not on the pace, but I guarantee you that a GT driver wouldn’t be on the pace in a touring car.
“If I do it with Laser Tools and the Infiniti or whichever team, people would expect me to be on the pace but it’s going to be hard – I’ve got massive respect for all those boys.”
Collard replaced his father aboard WSR BMW for latter rounds of 2018 BTCC
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Laser Tools has already confirmed Aiden Moffat, son of team principal Bob Moffat, plus single-seater graduate Dexter Patterson for the 2022 season, having parted ways with its Motorbase-bound double champion Ash Sutton and his BMR Racing crew.
Moffat Sr hinted to Autosport last month that contenders for the third Infiniti Q50 seat included Collard and 2020 Jack Sears Trophy winner Michael Crees, but speculation is now linking Crees with a berth alongside Adam Morgan in the Ciceley Motorsport BMW line-up.
When asked this week about the situation, Moffat Sr told Autosport: “We’re speaking to a couple of people. We would love to have Ricky on board.
“Watching him previously, I think he’s a very special young driver – he would fit in fantastically.”
Collard added: “I’d really like to be on the touring car grid and the Infiniti guys – Bob and Tony [Gilham, of sister squad Team Hard] have been spot-on with me.
“They’re doing everything they can, and I’ve got to say a big thank you to them.
“I’m trying my best, they’re trying their best, but if I’m going to do it I want to do it properly.
“If I can win in the BTCC, it would mean more to me than any other accomplishment – it’s a big emotional, family attachment.”
Regarding Crees, Ciceley commercial chief Ash Gallagher admitted that he is one of the drivers in contention, while the Kentish racer said that the Lancastrian operation is one of four squads with which he is in negotiation for 2022.
Related video
What could have been: A BTCC great's forgotten sportscar chance
The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star
NASCAR bans Chastain Martinsville wall-ride manoeuvre
NASCAR has decided to ban the wall-ride manoeuvre made famous by Ross Chastain at Martinsville that secured him a place in the Championship 4.
Gasly: Mindset for Alpine is "completely different" to Red Bull F1 move
Pierre Gasly says he has a "completely different" mindset for his Alpine Formula 1 move thanks to lessons taken from his failed stint at Red Bull in 2019.
GTD Pro win a “proper send-off” for retiring IMSA stalwart MacNeil
Winning the GTD Pro class at the Daytona 24 Hours was a fitting way for Cooper MacNeil to retire from racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, says team-mate Jules Gounon.
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
Autosport writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022
How the BTCC's new hybrid era aced its first test
Expectations were high for the start of the British Touring Car Championship’s hybrid power era, and despite nerves and problems to solve prior to its debut the new rules gained widespread approval. Here’s how the first test at Donington Park was passed and the thorough examinations that are to follow
The Ford BTCC superteam combining two reigning TOCA champions
Reigning BTCC champion Ash Sutton and Porsche Carrera Cup GB victor Dan Cammish form a potent line-up at the Motorbase-run NAPA Racing team as the series adopts hybrid power. With Sutton bringing the key components of his title-winning Laser Tools Racing set-up, and Cammish eager to prove a point on his return, their dynamic is set to be one of the season's major talking points
The stalwart tin-top boss still shaping careers more than 40 years on
Veteran team manager Marvin Humphries and former Tech-Speed team boss has worked not only with stars of the British Touring Car Championship, but legends including Gil de Ferran, Hans Stuck and Tom Sneva in a long and varied career that has spanned five decades across tin-tops, single-seaters and sportscars
The grassroots rise that shaped an understated BTCC star
Having started out in club-level competitions alongside his own university engineering studies, Josh Cook's journey to becoming an established frontrunner in the British Touring Car Championship is atypical. But it's these experiences that have moulded the 30-year-old into a humble star, respected throughout the paddock
Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021
A refresh in equipment and some returning faces helped contribute to a supremely competitive 2021 British Touring Car Championship campaign. Ash Sutton was crowned a three-time champion, successfully defending his 2020 title, but faced stiff competition in the final year before the switch to hybrid. Autosport picks out the best performers
Why the BTCC's ballast increase couldn't stop champion Sutton
Ballast will be gone from the BTCC next year as hybrid power enters the scene, but for its final season the maximum was increased from 60kg to 75kg. Despite having to carry that nearly all season, Ash Sutton was always the favourite to pocket a third title - the 27-year-old getting his reward for a season of speed tempered by savvy to nail his opportunities
The much-loved tin-top superstar bowing out at 59
OPINION: It's not often that a driver achieves widespread affection for their personality, as well as their on-track performances. One such individual is Gabriele Tarquini, who will soon bring the curtain down on a remarkable career that has yielded touring car titles on the European and global stage - and, famously, in Britain too
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.