WSR has confirmed that it will field an unchanged driver line-up in the 2014 British Touring Car Championship, with Colin Turkington driving alongside Rob Collard and Nick Foster.
Turkington’s presence on the grid means that a total of seven former champions will be present, with the Northern Irishman lining up alongside fellow former champions Andrew Jordan, Gordon Shedden, Jason Plato, Matt Neal, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Alain Menu.
The eBay Motors team have opted for continuity as they enter their second season with the NGTC-spec BMW 125i M Sport. The team took five wins in 2013 on their way to third in the team’s championship and fifth in the driver’s standings with Turkington, who was in championship contention until the final meeting of the year.
WSR boss Dick Bennetts says that he has opted for continuity after having been pleased with progress during the 2013 season.
“It was a very new look team and a brand new car last season and I was pleased with our progress,” said Bennetts. “Considering the other top teams had run NGTC cars for at least a year, five wins was something that everyone should be proud of.
“This season is all about building and the guys at the factory have done a lot of R&D work this winter. We are thrilled to have Colin, Rob and Nick back on-board in our pursuit of winning the BTCC.”
Turkington enters his ninth season with the team for whom he made his BTCC début back in 2002. The former WTCC race winner is aiming to once again challenge for the title against an increasingly competitive field in 2014.
“I have a long relationship with WSR and we’ve experienced some great successes together in both the BTCC and WTCC,” said Turkington. “Last season was a real transitional period for me with the new car and returning to the BTCC, but hopefully it’s made me a better driver and I am confident I can go even better with the eBay Motors team this season.”
Also continuing with the team are Collard and Foster, who enter their fourth year as team-mates.
“We’re a close knit group here in the eBay Motors team and we really value each other as drivers,” said Collard, who has previously taken five wins for the team in 2005 and 2012. “We’ve all got a great understanding of the car and with it looking even better this season, we can’t wait to get back out there.”
Foster enters his fourth year in the team and added: “We were pretty happy with how the season went in 2013 and it ignited a real ambition to push on. You can only really be competitive at the highest level with the best people around you and that is what the eBay Motors team offers me.”
Also continuing with the team are title sponsors eBay, who first partnered with WSR in 2010 and became title sponsors in 2012.