Simon Belcher delighted by “huge” Alfa Romeo deal

Handy Motorsport boss Simon Belcher admits he is delighted to have revealed the news that his team will became a constructor outfit for 2018 with the new Alfa Romeo Giulietta.

Having campaigned a Toyota Avensis for the past four seasons, Belcher’s team will shortly start work on the build of the new Giulietta, which will become the first Alfa Romeo to race in the series for more than a decade when it debuts at Brands Hatch next year.

Although continuing to run as an Independent entry, Handy will benefit from support from Alfa Romeo’s UK dealer network and Belcher admitted he was proud to confirm the new programme.

“It’s taken two years to pull this together and it’s part of the long term plan we have for the team – and part of the reason why I stood down from racing,” he told TouringCarTimes. “I wanted to get this deal sorted and it’s a great opportunity for us. We have the blessing of Alfa Romeo, the support of the dealer network and there is a lot of potential for the future for it to perhaps become a manufacturer team.

“Our engineer Matt Taylor has been chomping at the bit to build his own car and we’ve had plans sketched out on the car for twelve months. The Giulietta fits the rules perfectly and it’s great for us to be involved with a brand with so much passion and such a following. Put that together with Rob’s support and we are taking the next step towards building what we want to build – this is a huge deal for us.”

Initial fabrication on the shell has already started before the actual build is undertaken by the team in-house, with Belcher insisting that the early build schedule was a key part of the plans.

“I’ve always said you need to start in July when building a race car,” he said. “Others have started later and they end up with a programme that is compromised at the start of the season because they are rushing to get things done. We wanted to get the car built early so that when we unveil it, we could go straight to the track and run it.

“We’ll be as far ahead as if we’d stuck with the Toyota and we’ve done it the right way. When we entered the series, we went out and bought a car to learn the ropes and have then gone in our own direction. In the last twelve months we’ve really developed the team and put together a great bunch of people working from the base in Swindon, and hopefully we can deliver the car as planned and hit the ground running.”

Testing is due to begin early next year, with Belcher insisting that – despite him stepping down from the driving seat himself – he was keen to get behind the wheel to sample the Alfa Romeo for himself.

“The first time it rolls out, I’ll make sure I’m behind the wheel – Rob isn’t having the first go!” he said. “It will be hard to see the car race without me in it, but I stepped aside to see this team progress and grow into a team that people will one day view as one of the best alongside the likes of WSR and Team Dynamics.

“Because I have that drive and passion to see this team succeed, it was the right thing to do for me to stand down and to bring in Rob. He is good on many levels, commercially, as a driver and also as an engineer. When I was racing against him, I saw him as someone who didn’t seem to take it seriously and who was a bit of a James Hunt character who liked to have a drink and a cigarette. However, since he joined forces with us, I’ve seen how the opposite is true. I’ve seen how hard he works and how hard he trains, and he has been able to do that better now when he isn’t worried about the day-to-day hassle of running a team.

“Rob has brought a lot to the team and has helped us to move forwards, and it’s an exciting time ahead for us all with the Alfa Romeo.”