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With the 2018 BTCC season about to roar in to life once more, it’s time to introduce the roster of drivers that Cobra Seats will be supporting - literally and metaphorically - for the 30-race series which is undoubtedly the pinnacle of the domestic motorsport calendar. The list of drivers choosing to use Cobra Seats this year is a mixture of familiar names and exciting new talent – not to mention some old friends making a welcome return to the British Touring Car Championship.
But first we would like to wish good luck to an old friend who you won’t be seeing in the BTCC this year: Three-time champion Gordon Shedden, has parted ways with Team Dynamics choosing instead to drive an Audi RS3 LMS in the new World Touring Car Cup this year.
Gordon has spent the last eleven seasons driving for Halfords Yuasa Racing in the BTCC and has won 48 races over that period, putting his faith in Cobra seats. We thank him for his support and wish him well in his quest to conquer the world!
Gordon’s (Cobra) seat in the Halfords Yuasa Racing team has been taken by newcomer Dan Cammish who’ll be driving alongside long time Cobra ambassador – not to mention three times BTCC Champion – Matt Neal.
West Surrey Racing will once again be running a trio of BMW 125i M Sports with double BTCC Champion Colin Turkington and BTCC stalwart Rob Collard racing as Team BMW, while 2013 BTCC Champion Andrew Jordan and will be driving for BMW Pirtek Racing.
Tom Ingram will once again be sitting pretty (usually towards the front of the grid) in his Speedworks Motorsport Avensis. Tom’s looking to improve on his four victories last year which, combined with other excellent results rocketed him to third in the overall standings, and top of the tree in the Independents’ championships for both driver and team.
The mention of Alfa Romeo’s returning to the BTCC grid is bound to set more than a few pulses racing – and it’s great to know that Cobra Seats will be very much part of the adventure when Rob Austin takes to the track in his Duo Motorsport Alfa.
AmD with AutoAid/RCIB Insurance Racing is a new (and possibly the longest) name on the grid this year and we’re delighted to say one of their MG6 GT’s will feature Cobra Seats. It’s a partnership that sees Cobra rekindle our relationship with Tom Boardman who is back in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after a seven-year gap during which Tom competed in the World Touring Car Championships.
You’ll see Cobra Seats in the Volkswagen CC’s of Team Hard: Bobby Thompson joins the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship after graduating as champion from the Volkswagen Racing Cup, while Mike Bushell makes his BTCC return fresh off the back of securing a second Renault UK Clio Cup title and Jake Hill is determined to build on his 2017 BTCC season when he was a regular visitor to the points-paying positions.
Team Parker Racing’s BMW 125i M Sports is yet another car to feature a Cobra seat: This one will be graced by Stephen Jelly who returned to the BTCC in 2017 after stints in Porsche Carrera Cup GB, British GT and Blancpain.
The final “Cobra debutant” is Matt Simpson who already has an impressive trophy cabinet: Simpson won back-to-back Quaife Intermarque titles in a Vauxhall Tigra in 2013 and 2014. Prior to that, he was a leading protagonist on the Hot-Rod scene, clinching the European laurels in 2009 and 2011 and finishing runner-up in the World Championship in 2008 and 2009, and third in 2012. Driving a Simpson Racing Honda Civic, Matt is intent on building on his promising first two seasons in BTCC.
It’s an exciting line-up – and one that promises to maintain Cobra’s wonderful record as the seat of choice for the BTCC’s most successful teams and drivers. Good luck to all of them.
