Andy Priaulx has confirmed that he will miss the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) races at Rockingham in September, with the WSR driver instead racing in the European Le Mans Series at Circuit Paul Ricard due to clashing commitments.
The Team IHG Rewards Club driver has been dovetailing his BTCC season with commitments as a works BMW driver in the ELMS, where he is fourth overall and still in contention for the overall title.
It was always known that Priaulx would have to miss one of the events in September, although until now it was not 100% certain which event he would be forced to skip.
As a result, Priaulx will not contest the Rockingham meeting on the 5th and 6th September. The Guernseyman is currently sixth overall in the BTCC drivers’ standings, 41 points adrift of the lead. Whilst still in title contention, Priaulx’s higher position in the ELMS and his works contract have taken priority.
“Whilst gut wrenching to miss any racing, my works programme was defined long before we committed to BTCC,” explained Priaulx. “Naturally we would want to win both championships for BMW and we still can, however I will be racing at Paul Ricard continuing my commitment to bring home the ELMS trophy.
“This does not mean a lack of commitment to BTCC and even missing Rockingham we will have a suitable replacement to help us in our challenge for the manufacturers’ trophy. I have always been loyal to my contracts with BMW and my sponsors IHG Rewards Club and it’s great challenging for two championships, it’s a nice problem to have.”
WSR and sponsor IHR Rewards Club are due to announce Priaulx’s replacement in the coming days.