Photo: Jakob Ebrey

Sam Osborne completes 2019 BTCC field

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Clio Cup graduate Sam Osborne has completed the 30-car field for the 2019 BTCC season after being confirmed as the second driver with series newcomers Excelr8 Motorsport.

The 26-year-old will partner Rob Smith in an all-rookie line-up for the team, which has taken over the two MG6 GTs that were campaigned last season by AmD Tuning.

Osborne steps up to the BTCC on the back of two years in the Clio Cup, where he finished twelfth in the standings with WDE Motorsport.

Prior to that, Osborne was a race winner in the MINI Challenge – including a season racing as part of the Excel8 line-up – and also competed in Radical racing, with his focus for the season ahead being to fight for top ten finishes.

“This deal to join the BTCC with Excelr8 is absolutely mega, and something that I’ve dreamt of for a few years now,” he said. “During my racing career I’ve always looked for chances to move up the ladder, and the BTCC is the absolute pinnacle of saloon car racing in the UK. It will be a privilege to be a part of it.

“I feel my time in both the Clios and Minis has prepared me well for the BTCC. My first test in the MG6 is coming up soon, and I’ve heard a lot of things about the way British Touring Car drive compared to the feeder classes. I think my time racing the JCW Mini will be very relevant, as many say it’s close to a touring car experience. There’s obviously a lot more adjustability in the touring car, so we’ll be learning about setup a lot this year.

“I think it will be a learning year all round for us. I know Excelr8 well from my time in the Mini Challenge, and I’ve raced against Rob Smith for a few years, too. However, the MG6 GTs will be a new challenge to both the team and us drivers. But we all work well together, so I expect us to be able to put together a solid debut season.

“Personally, I want to get myself into the thick of the grid as soon as I can, and then look to start fighting for places in the top ten and see where we can go from there.”

Entry list

No – Driver – Nat – Team – Car

1 – Colin Turkington – GBR – West Surrey Racing – BMW 330i M Sport
3 – Tom Chilton – GBR – Motorbase Performance – Ford Focus RS
5 – Rob Collard – GBR – Power Maxed Racing – Vauxhall Astra
6 – Rory Butcher – GBR – Cobra Sport AmD Racing – Honda Civic Type R
8 – Mark Blundell – GBR – Trade Price Cars Racing – Audi S3
15 – Tom Oliphant – GBR – West Surrey Racing – BMW 330i M Sport
16 – Aiden Moffat – GBR – Laser Tools Racing – Mercedes Benz A-Class
18 – Senna Proctor – GBR – BMR Racing – Subaru Levorg
19 – Bobby Thompson – GBR – Team HARD – Volkswagen CC
21 – Mike Bushell – GBR – Team HARD – Volkswagen CC
22 – Chris Smiley – GBR – BTC Racing – Honda Civic Type R
24 – Jake Hill – GBR – Trade Price Cars Racing – Audi S3
25 – Matt Neal – GBR – Team Dynamics – Honda Civic Type R
27 – Dan Cammish – GBR – Team Dynamics – Honda Civic Type R
28 – Nicolas Hamilton – GBR – Motorbase Performance – Ford Focus RS
32 – Dan Rowbottom – GBR – Ciceley Motorsport – Mercedes Benz A-Class
33 – Adam Morgan – GBR – Ciceley Motorsport – Mercedes Benz A-Class
37 – Rob Smith – GBR – Excler8 Motorsport – MG6 GT
41 – Carl Boardley – GBR – Team HARD – Volkswagen CC
48 – Ollie Jackson – GBR – Motorbase Performance – Ford Focus RS
60 – Stephen Jelley – GBR – Team Parker Racing – BMW 125i M Sport
66 – Josh Cook – GBR – BTC Racing – Honda Civic Type R
77 – Andrew Jordan – GBR – West Surrey Racing – BMW 330i M Sport
80 – Tom Ingram – GBR – Speedworks Motorsport – Toyota Corolla
99 – Jason Plato – GBR – Power Maxed Racing – Vauxhall Astra
116 – Ashley Sutton – GBR – BMR Racing – Subaru Levorg
303 – Matt Simpson – GBR – Simpson Racing – Honda Civic Type R
600 – Sam Tordoff – GBR – Cobra Sport AmD Racing – Honda Civic Type R
777 – Michael Crees – GBR – Team HARD – Volkswagen CC
TBC – Sam Osborne – GBR – Excelr8 Motorsport – MG6 GT

* Race numbers to be confirmed