Bobby Thompson will contest his third season in the British Touring Car Championship at the wheel of an Audi S3 run by Trade Price Cars Racing next year, it has been confirmed.
Thompson spent the past two years racing a Volkswagen CC for Team HARD, during which time he claimed four top ten finishes, with a career best of sixth at the 2019 season opener at Brands Hatch.
The 23-year-old will change teams for next season, as he has now signed with Trade Price Cars for the coming campaign as their first confirmed driver.
“It’s great to have signed a deal with Trade Price Cars Racing and I’m really looking forward to the new season,” said Thompson, who spent three years racing in the Volkswagen Cup from 2015.
“As a new team, they had a fantastic year with plenty of success on track, and my goal is to help them build on that in 2020 and fight for more trophies.
“I’ve been able to learn a lot during the two seasons that I’ve spent in the BTCC so far, and I think I’ve shown I have the pace to run inside the top ten.
“The goal now is to do that on a regular basis and I think it’s something that we can do with ease based on how the car performed this year with Jake [Hill].
“If I can get onto the podium during the season then it would be fantastic, and the Jack Sears Trophy has to be my aim for the year as a whole. I was third in the standings this year, and I’m confident that I can build on that and fight for the title.”
Dan Kirby, Trade Price Cars Racing team owner, added that the team had tried to secure the services of the 2017 VW Cup champion for its first season in 2019, before Thompson ended up with Team HARD.
“We’re delighted to confirm Bobby as our first driver for the 2020 season,” said Kirby. “When we announced that we were going to join the BTCC grid twelve months ago, he was a driver who we tried to get onboard, and although it was close, we weren’t quite able to get the deal done.
“He is someone who we have kept a close eye on throughout the year and it’s fantastic that we’ve now been able to get a deal sorted to bring him onboard.
“He is a driver who has shown real potential during his time in touring cars and I’m confident that when he gets behind the wheel of our Audi, he will be able to take a step forward and regularly fight inside the top ten.
“He certainly has the talent to make it onto the podium and I think that is a realistic goal for him to aim for.
“With Bobby as part of our new-look driver pairing for 2020, I think another good season lies ahead.”
Thompson will take part in pre-season testing in the outfit’s Audi S3 before the season gets underway at Donington Park on 28 / 29 March.