Josh Caygill has been unveiled as Glynn Geddie’s replacement in the second AmD-run MG6 for the final two events of the 2018 British Touring Car Championship season.
The 29-year old has enjoyed a varied career on two wheels and four, most recently in the Blancpain Sprint Series alongside ex-BTCC racer Aron Taylor-Smith in a Team Parker Racing-run Bentley Continental GT, with the pair victorious in the Silver Cup at Brands Hatch back in May.
He will partner Rory Butcher in the #54 MG after a successful recent test at Snetterton with Shaun Hollamby’s outfit.
“I’m over the moon to have agreed a deal to join the team for the final two rounds of the season,” said Caygill.
“The BTCC is a series that I have wanted to compete in for a long time but the right opportunity has never come along before. When this chance arrived, I grabbed it with both hands.
“Having had chance to sample the MG last week, the car felt really nice, even though the rear end was a bit lively, and it was good to be back in front-wheel drive having spent the last few years in GT machinery.
“I’m open minded about the weekend ahead and my only aim is to go out there and do my best. I want to enjoy myself and if we come away from Silverstone with a good result on the board, then I’ll view it as a bonus at this stage
“For me, these two rounds are an opportunity to see what the BTCC is all about and if it works for both me and my sponsors, then it is certainly something I’d look at for 2019.”
“We head to Silverstone on a high after our results in the last two rounds and I’m looking forward to the weekend as Silverstone is a circuit I really enjoy,” said Butcher. “It’s also one that I think should suit the MG, which leaves me feeling confident about picking up more strong results.
“We know we still need to try and extract more from the car in qualifying but whatever happens on Saturday, we have shown we have a strong race car that we can use to push forwards on a Sunday.
“We are scoring good points at the moment and are approaching 100 in the overall standings, which will be a great achievement for us. We have to keep being consistent and see where we can end up after these final two rounds.”
Team Principal Hollamby was delighted with the acquisition of Caygill and hopes Butcher can continue his strong vein of form heading to Silverstone and then the season finale at Brands Hatch in the next three weeks.
“We’re delighted to welcome Josh into the team for the final two rounds of the year,” he commented.
“He has shown himself to be a very capable driver in everything he has done in his career so far, and brings a wealth of experience having competed at a high level in Blancpain GT and also on the DTM support bill.
“He drove very well in the test last week given that he was running on old tyres and it was his first time in the MG, and we certainly feel he is a driver who is capable of bringing home some solid results. The additional weight as a new driver will be a challenge this weekend, but all we are looking for from him is to stay out of trouble and learn as much as he can.
“Rory heads to Silverstone in a rich vein of form after his strong results at Rockingham and Knockhill and we are hopeful he can maintain that kind of form this weekend. It’s clear to see that we have a strong race car, so we need to focus on trying to get more from it in qualifying to give him the best possible opportunity to pick up a big haul of points this weekend.”