Tom Chilton enjoying his first weekend back in the BTCC

Tom Chilton returns to the familiar surroundings of the British Touring Car Championship this weekend after five seasons away, and says he’s already enjoying being back in a paddock he first joined as a 16-year-old in 2002.

Chilton signed with the Power Maxed Racing squad over the winter to drive their newly built Vauxhall Astra in 2017, part of a dual challenge which will also see him racing in the World Touring Car Championship in a Sébastien Loeb Racing Citroën C-Elysée.

The 32-year-old had a solid start to his season at Brands Hatch, qualifying 12th in the rain-affected qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. Chilton said the size of the grid left him at something of a disadvantage in qualifying, due to the Power Maxed team being at the far end of the pitlane, and with that in mind he was happy with the result he achieved.

“The biggest disadvantage we’re at is we’re starting as one of the last pit garages, and being a mile lap, when you’ve got 32 cars leaving the pits in front of you, you can almost be starting a whole lap behind,” said Chilton to TouringCarTimes. “With the tyres taking so long to come in, and the rain as we were going out, I never got the temperature in the tyre quite there.

“For me to be P12 and we were nowhere near on the tyre, I’m actually quite confident about that. I think I would have been top 10 [otherwise], which is exactly where I wanted to be with a new car. I’ve got Mat Jackson who’s going to be starting behind me in 14th, then Plato not far behind him.

“That’s two pretty good drivers who I’ve raced with for 10 years just behind me! So I’m really happy with that.”

Chilton is back in the British championship for the first time since 2011 when he raced in the Arena Motorsport Ford Focus, and says he is already enjoying himself.

“I love the atmosphere. On a Saturday after qualifying there are loads of people – and it’s raining! It’s going to be crazy on raceday,” said Chilton.

“The BTCC is just such a good place to be on a weekend with the family. My son came today [Saturday], he loved the theme rides and he gets to sit in Daddy’s race car, which he loves. I’m very excited about the racing, it’s going to be super close, as it always is.”