West Surrey Racing will run three turbo-powered BMW 320si’s in the 2012 British Touring Car Championship to be driven by Tom Onslow-Cole, Rob Collard and Nick Foster.
For 24-year-old Onslow-Cole it means a return to the team which gave him his BTCC début back in 2007 and it is also a return to the rear-wheel drive BMW that powered him to his first win in that very season. With a step-up to a three car assault for the full season the team will also be fully rebranded as the eBay Motors team.
“I’m excited to be joining eBay Motors for the 2012 season and again to be part of the WSR team with such a history of success. This season I am looking to challenge for regular podiums as we certainly have the car to be at the front of the grid. I am counting down the days until the new season and can’t wait to get started at Brands Hatch’s opening round on the 1st April.”
The team have invested in BMW turbo engines prepared by Neil Brown Engineering, who also prepare the engines used by the works Honda team. The team, who won the 2009 title with Colin Turkington, are hoping the addition of Onslow-Cole and NGTc engines will take it back to the top step of the podium in 2012. The team have not won a race for the past two seasons, despite coming close numerous times with Collard.
Commenting on the news, WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts added: “I believe eBay Motors has a very strong driver line-up for this year’s championship. We have worked with Rob, Nick and Tom in the past and together they make a fantastic team.
“We have been busy developing the cars over the winter, which will have new BMW turbocharged engines developed by Neil Brown Engineering. With the prospect of added horsepower and torque alongside our in-depth understanding of the BMW chassis we are expecting a very competitive season.”