Sean Walkinshaw Racing confirm Howard Fuller

Howard Fuller has become the third driver with BTCC experience to be confirmed on the TCR UK grid for 2018 after inking a deal to join the Sean Walkinshaw Racing team for the inaugural season.

Fuller will drive SWR’s Honda Civic Type-R during the season ahead having been heavily involved with the former single-seater squad over the winter as it set about testing with the car.

The 25-year-old drove a Civic during his short spell in the BTCC and admitted he was delighted to confirm his place on the grid.

“Sean [Walkinshaw – team owner] and I have been very good friends for donkey’s years,” he said. “We both thought TCR UK would be very interesting for SWR to do, with all of the amazing Walkinshaw family history in touring cars, and it’s fantastic to now be racing for the team. Sean kindly invited me to shake-down the Honda at Donington and it re-lit the fire.

“I’ve got a strong relationship with the Honda brand too through the dealer network, I do a lot of work with them from a commercial point of view, so racing the SWR Honda Civic is a great extension of that. The dream is to obviously win races and mount a challenge for the championship, that’s where I want to be.

“I really want to build a strong foundation with the team, they’re extremely professional, very realistic and I believe I can do a good job on track and away from the track too with the sponsors. For me, driving is only 20% of it, the other 80% has to be about bringing maximum value and return on investment for the sponsors and that’s the approach you need to have.”

Team boss Walkinshaw said he was confident that Fuller would be right on the pace when the season kicks off at Silverstone.

“We’re really happy to have signed Howard for TCR UK, he’s a great driver and we’ve known each other a long time – back when I first started racing in Formula Renault,” he said. “It’s important for us to have a driver with touring car experience and Howard definitely ticks all the boxes.

“Obviously the Honda went well in the official test at Silverstone recently, we gathered a lot of data and got to understand the Yokohama tyres, so we’re really looking forward to the first round where I’m sure Howard is going to do a fantastic job.”

Fuller joins Aiden Moffat and Derek Palmer Jr, who were confirmed on the grid in DPE Motorsport-run Alfa Romeos earlier today.