West Surrey Racing has unveiled a brand-new livery for two of their BMW 125i M-Sport cars, as well as confirming that both Sam Tordoff and Rob Collard will return once again to help spearhead its 2016 British Touring Car Championship campaign.
The two drivers will once again race under the banner of Team JCT600 with GardX, whilst the final WSR entrant, Jack Goff, will continue where Andy Priaulx left off by running under the Team IHG Rewards Club banner.
Tordoff, who claimed a brace of race wins last season, returns to the famous outfit for a second season, whilst his more experienced team-mate Collard renews his partnership with Dick Bennett’s squad for a seventh consecutive year. The latter also added to his win tally on three occasions in 2015, most notably at the opening round at Brands Hatch in April.
The new livery retains much of last years design, but the blue and orange highlights now contrast with a silver base, whereas last season the base color of the BMW 125i M-Sport was white.
In addition to their new livery, both cars have also undergone an extensive development programme during the off-season as they search for the incremental gains to close to the gap at the front to Team BMR and Honda.
Commenting on the news, Collard expressed his delight at re-signing for Dick Bennett’s squad and, whilst acknowledging that last season was a little inconsistent from a personal perspective, believes he is well-equipped to make a championship challenge alongside Tordoff again this campaign.
“I am delighted to be continuing with Team JCT600 with GardX and extending my long relationship with WSR.” he said. “I enjoyed a fast but sometimes inconsistent season in 2015, but there’s little doubting that we have the ingredients to fight for championships again this season.
“The whole team works well together and I have a good relationship with Sam, so we’re really looking forward to another successful season in the BTCC.”
His team-mate also emphasized his enjoyment of last season, and paid tribute to the vast array of talents, both on the driving and engineering front, that West Surrey Racing has to offer.
“I really enjoyed my first season with Team JCT600 with GardX and I can’t wait to get going in 2016,” added Tordoff. “Everyone at WSR is so friendly, experienced and hugely talented, which is why I know this is the best place for my career.”
“It was fantastic to score some wins last year but now we need to do so on a consistent basis in order to challenge for the championship. We’re all focussed and driven to achieve our goals so bring it on!”
WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts also believes that Tordoff will be a force to be reckoned with in this years series, and points to his impressive finishes thus far despite limited running in the rear-wheel drive BMW.
“It is great to have both Sam and Rob continue in the Team JCT600 with GardX WSR BMWs this year,” said Bennetts. “Considering that Sam has only done three years in the BTCC and only one in the RWD BMW, I reckon he’ll really shine this season.
“Rob really lifted his game in 2015, to the point where three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx acknowledged his pace on race day. The guys have been working really hard through the winter to move the 125i M Sports on to a new level, as we all know just how competitive the BTCC is!”
Sam Tordoff has also confirmed to TouringCars.Net that both he and West Surrey Racing will be in attendance at Thruxton next week for both general testing days as they look to clock some valuable pre-season mileage.