Andy Priaulx relishing battle for wins on BTCC return
Andy Priaulx says a chance to fight for race wins on an ultra-competitive grid is one of the driving forces behind his decision to return to the British Touring Car Championship in 2015.
The triple world champion continues his long association with BMW by joining West Surrey Racing for the new season, a move he admits is a risk, but one he is relishing.
The BTCC is a different beast to the one Priaulx last encountered back in 2002, since when he has won one ETCC title, three WTCC titles and competed with distinction in several other racing disciplines.
WSR boss Dick Bennetts says the team is planning an intensive testing programme from February, running twice a week and concentrating on tracks where the team felt the BMW 125i was less strong in 2014.
Speaking to TouringCarTimes at the Autosport Show, Priaulx described how he sees the challenge being different to 13 years ago.
He said: “There’s more cars on the grid, and in 2002 there was a difference in the regs between the front and the back. This year there’s going to be 32 cars in similar specification, and from what I’ve seen in the last few races of last year it’s ultra-competitive, which is very exciting.
“That’s what I love – the chance to fight for a win. I really enjoy GT racing but you’re not going to cross the line first. I’m a touring car driver, and I’ve won everything with BMW in touring cars, and now I’ve got a chance to continue that.
“In WTCC a lot of it was about slipstreaming, going to places like Spa and Macau with long straights. It’s just Thruxton really in that respect here, and maybe Snett on the Revett Straight.
“It’s going to be different, but at the same time, when I drove in WTCC we had 15 different winners, five or six manufacturers, and it wasn’t unusual to be first or 17th. That’s what it’s going to be like in British Touring Cars.
“I liked it in V8 Supercars, where I was on the right side of the bubble. I loved it in World Touring Cars when I was generally on the right side of the bubble, and that’s what I want to carry on in BTCC.”
As with the return of Alain Menu and Fabrizio Giovanardi in 2014, the Guernseyman’s decision to re-join the BTCC is seen as a massive coup for the series. And like the aforementioned Menu and Giovanardi, Priaulx says his move is motivated by the love of racing.
He said: “Coming back to British Touring Cars is a risk. But I watched a documentary on Joey Dunlop, and he wanted to race. He was 48 and winning the Isle of Man TT. I love racing and I don’t want to stop because it’s a step sideways. Hopefully it will prove to be an enjoyable decision.
“I’ve been in so many different situations – I’ve driven in America and fitted in very well, I’ve driven in Australia – I’ve driven in so many things, so I’m just going to see how it goes.”
Like his new boss, Priaulx is renowned for a meticulous approach to his racing, and he thinks this will be beneficial.
He said: “Dick’s got an engineering approach which will definitely complement the way I work. Sometimes teams find that too much, but I’ve got a feeling this team will want it more.”
And with a final word on how he will fit in with the BTCC’s rough-and-tumble racing, Priaulx had a simple message: “That’s the only way I know – it’s the way I was brought up. Here goes!”
The single sticking point of the season is that Priaulx is expected to miss the Rockingham round of the BTCC, as it clashes with the penultimate round of the ELMS season at Paul Ricard.
