Photo: PSP Images

Paul O’Neill returns to BTCC with Tony Gilham Racing

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Paul O’Neill returns to the British Touring Car Championship with Tony Gilham Racing for the race weekend at Knockhill later this month.
“I am delighted to be back in a Touring Car and to be invited to do so is even more flattering. My ITV commitments come first this season but they’ve been really supportive about this opportunity. We all feel it should provide an insightful spectacle for the TV viewers too, so I am really thankful to Tony [Gilham] and everyone involved,” said O’Neill.

O’Neill is going to drive a Vauxhall Insignia after not having raced in the BTCC since 2012 when he completed two race weekends.
“It’s going to be extremely tough as I haven’t driven the car before and I haven’t had any testing this year, so it’ll be different and more challenging than say when I jumped in the Toyota last season,” said O’Neill.

The deal is so far only for the race at Knockhill, but team owner Tony Gilham hopes for more.
“Hopefully it’s the start of a longer relationship. It’s great having someone like Paul in the car and we’d love to work with him in the long-term. He’s a real fans’ favourite and Team HARD has a good following too, so we believe it will be a perfect match. It’s only a one-off deal at the moment but let’s see what the future brings,” said Gilham.

While O’Neill has scored several BTCC podium finishes in the past, the 33-year-old keeps his expectations modest ahead of Knockhill.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself in terms of results but seeing what Robb Holland did with the car last weekend then I’d like to think I could be knocking on the door of the top ten. Obviously if I could do that in race two then I’d stand a chance of being up front for the final race, which would be absolutely fantastic,” said O’Neill.