Buckinghamshire’s Jack Goff will start his 2016 British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) campaign with a new team, as the 24-year-old has now been confirmed to race with Team IHG® Rewards Club, having spent last year at Triple Eight Racing.
Goff, who finished ninth overall last year with 233 points to his credit, has shown his pace and potential as a rising star within the BTCC ranks. With a win at Snetterton and consistent top ten finishes in 2015, he has improved into a contender that will be able to fight at the sharp end of the grid.
His car will be unveiled this morning (14th January) at the Autosport International Show at Birmingham’s NEC, sporting the customary IHG livery that Andy Priaulx raced in last season.
“I am extremely proud and honoured to have been selected to drive for Team IHG® Rewards Club,” explained Goff, who made his full-time BTCC debut in 2013 with Team HARD.
“Representing such a well-known brand, with a clear history of supporting racing talent, is fantastic and I hope to ‘reward’ the faith shown in me. Similarly the prestige of driving a BMW for a legendary team like West Surrey Racing represents a real dream come true for me.
“I’ve experienced BTCC podiums and took my first victory last season, so now I am looking at stepping up another level. Ultimately I want to become BTCC champion and challenging for the title is my immediate goal – I can’t wait to get started with WSR and Team IHG® Rewards Club.”
“We are very excited with IHG® Rewards Club’s decision to take Jack onboard, as we have watched him develop into a top BTCC driver over the last couple of years,” said WSR Team Principal, Dick Bennetts.
“The 2016 Dunlop MSA BTCC championship is shaping up to be another great season, so with Jack joining WSR it will further strengthen our already strong line-up in our BMW 125i M Sports, which are currently undergoing an extensive development programme.
“We have a lot of pre-season testing planned, so that will be good for Jack to have time to adjust to our RWD BMW’s and study all the data we have from 2015.”
IHG’s Director of Brand Partnerships, Adrian White, expressed that the brand have been “proud to have had a close association with the BTCC for the past 10 years,” through both IHG and the Holiday Inn brand, which initially started their involvement.
“In 2016 we are excited to welcome Jack Goff to Team IHG® Rewards Club as our new driver. Jack is an exciting young talent who is already a fans’ favourite in the TOCA paddock. We look forward to supporting Jack throughout the season, giving our guests the inside track with updates, competitions and experiences as well as seeing Jack and WSR on the podium this year.”