Tony Hughes concluded his second campaign in the British Touring Car Championship with another points paying result before announcing that he is to step down from driving.
The Hughes Safety Showers owner joined the grid for the 2011 BTCC campaign and the Speedworks Motorsport team were the first team to announce their intentions to join the grid with an NGTC car.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I could cut it amongst some of the best drivers in the country” explains Tony, “following a tough first season of development we got some proper mileage under our belts and worked on the set-up on the car. Add to that the experience that I’ve gained [having never raced front-wheel drive before] and my pace has developed as a result”
A trio of finishes in the wet at Brands Hatch meant that Hughes finished the season with a total of 23 race finishes from 24 race starts – his only non finish came at Donington Park after contact with team-mate Adam Morgan.
At the end of the season, Hughes finished 18th overall in the Independents’ Championship with 72 points while the Speedworks Motorsport team finished 6th overall in the Independent Teams’ Championship.
During the two years the former Ginetta racer has been in the BTCC, he has been bowled over by the followers of the series.
“The fans have been amazing, I can’t thank them enough for the support they’ve shown throughout my time in the Championship, be it at the circuits, or through Facebook and Twitter”.
Looking back over his time in the BTCC, Hughes is disappointed never to have made it into the top ten.
“It’s a shame I never quite made it into the top ten” remarked Hughes, “I’ve always said it would have been like getting on the podium for me. I set out on this journey wanting to prove to myself that I could compete at the highest level of British motorsport, and I reckon in the end I’ve done ok.”