Team Hard's Bushell first driver to sign up for 2019 BTCC season
Team Hard British Touring Car Championship racer Mike Bushell has become the first driver to commit to the 2019 season, and will remain with the outfit in a Volkswagen CC
Bushell, the 2017 Renault UK Clio Cup champion, stepped back into the BTCC at the beginning of this year with Team Hard, and has raced to two sixth placed finishes so far this season.
He is currently 22nd in the points. The 29-year-old said: "After the struggles early on this year, hard work and the determination to not give up has rewarded us with strong pace and several great points finishes.
"Topping the timesheets at Silverstone in free practice was a real highlight, not to mention achieving the team's best ever qualifying with fourth place at Rockingham.
"The key to success in the BTCC is consistency. I always look up to the likes of Tom Ingram and Speedworks who stick together, keep making progress and are now fighting for the overall driver's title.
"I see Team Hard as the perfect place to further my racing career.
"We've had some real flashes of speed this year and we have a great winter testing plan lined up to build on the solid package we have now."
Team boss Tony Gilham said he was pleased to have secured a driver before the end of the current campaign, and thinks Bushell has helped push the programme forward.
"Mike is an unbelievable talent and I have never met a more driven and ambitious driver in my life," said Gilham.
"He has extensive knowledge about the car and has been a real asset for the team in the engineering department.
"He is the complete package and one that we wanted to hold on to in our quest to be a top team in the best championship in the world.
"It is amazing for the team to have a deal in place already for 2019 and will enable us to improve in all the areas where we feel we can really work on over the winter."
Previous article
Silverstone BTCC: Moffat resists Ingram and Turkington for win
Next article
The final hurdle in a champion's hunt for a third title
About this article
| Series | BTCC |
| Drivers | Mike Bushell |
| Teams | BTC Racing |
| Author | Matt James |
The rollercoaster ride of West Surrey Racing's 40 years
It’s four decades since one of UK motorsport’s most successful teams made its debut at Silverstone in British Formula 3. Now it’s top dog in the BTCC, time to blow out some candles with boss Dick Bennetts
Why the BTCC elite should fear Shedden's return
OPINION: The British Touring Car Championship Lord taketh away Dan Cammish, then giveth Gordon Shedden. That means substituting what would have been a future champion with an all-time series great with a point to prove on his return
The tin-top veteran turned policeman hangs up his helmet
Jeff Allam had a long and successful touring car career, and was a highly regarded works driver for Rover and Vauxhall. Then he spent his weekends policing his successors… Time to look back at a BTCC life spanning almost 45 years
The BTCC Brexit that's thrived for a decade
It won't be long until the current BTCC rules become the longest-lasting the series has ever had. The NGTC regulations are due to celebrate their tenth birthday this year and while not totally perfect for everyone, have been a huge success
The top 10 BTCC drivers of 2020
The 2020 British Touring Car Championship will go down as a classic in which new winners graced the top step of the podium and an unloved chassis was resurrected into a champion. But who were the year's top performers?
The Villeneuve-esque 'engineer's dream' who lit up BTCC 2020
The Infiniti Q50 was completely redesigned, redeveloped and revamped by BMR and Laser Tools Racing for 2020. And the flamboyant brilliance of the driver behind the wheel was enough to snatch the title at the last gasp
The BMW game-changer that monopolised the tin-top world
The rival Ford RS500 was more spectacular and almost claimed its place as Autosport's greatest touring car. But the original BMW M3 E30 was too good and too important to be ignored, as its drivers explain
Turkington meets Rouse: The BTCC's greatest in conversation
The two four-time British Touring Car champions discovered they had far more in common than they realised when Autosport brought them together to discuss all things tin-top for its 70th anniversary special earlier this year
