Photo: PSP Images

Paras Racing loses a licence, reduced to one car for remainder of 2015

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The troubled Support Our Paras Racing team has become the first team in the British Touring Car Championship to lose a TOCA BTCC Licence (TBL) since the introduction of the system last year. The decision from organisers TOCA comes after the team’s second driver Max Coates was unable to find the budget to continue for the remainder of the season, with the team now in breach of their licence.

The team, which began the season with backing from the Japanese car manufacturer Infiniti, building a pair of Q50s for Richard Hawken and Derek Palmer, lost Infiniti’s support following the third round of the championship at Thruxton, where the team had already replaced Hawken with former Formula 1 driver Martin Donnelly.

TBL rules only allow one change of driver per season, but with force majeure called into play after Infiniti’s surprise withdrawal from the championship, the team were permitted to field one car at Oulton Park for Palmer, before fielding Max Coates in the second Q50 at Croft, with the 21-year-old announced for the remainder of the season.

Coates and Support Our Paras Racing were unable to find backing to continue for the remainder of the year however, and as a result championship organisers TOCA have now taken back the second licence granted to Pro Motorsport, the team behind Support Our Paras Racing, leaving the team with the one licence to run a car, which will be driven by Derek Palmer for the remainder of the year.

The field for this weekend at Snetterton is now reduced to 29 cars after Welch Motorsport have already announced their absence this weekend due to a parts supply issue, and could potentially face similar action from the organisers.

“It’s a major disappointment for the team that Max failed to deliver the sponsorship package he had pledged,” said team principal Derek Palmer Snr, “As a result we have had one of our TOCA BTCC licences cancelled for the remainder of 2015…we fully accept the decision made by TOCA.

“For the remaining five rounds of this season’s BTCC, we will concentrate on ensuring we maximise the performance of the #22 Infiniti Q50, which will continue to be driven by Derek Palmer.”