Dan Zelos left wanting more after dream BTCC debut

Dan Zelos has stated that he’s hungrier than ever to return to the British Touring Car Championship after enjoying a dream debut at Donington Park which yielded a hat-trick of points finishes.

In what was a long overdue graduation to the UK’s premier motorsport series at the Leicestershire track, the EXCELR8 Motorsport driver made an instant impact as he powered his Hyundai i30 N to three consecutive top-15 finishes – the best of which was 11th in the reverse grid finale.

The 26-year-old – who is a three-time MINI CHALLENGE JCW champion – replaced Ronan Pearson in the run up to the eighth meeting of the campaign and as it stands, is yet to be confirmed for either Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

Proud of what he achieved at Donington Park, Zelos has made his intentions clear that he wants to be back in the BTCC as soon as possible.

“What an unforgettable weekend, and such a massively proud moment for me and my family,” said Zelos. “The past week has been absolutely mental – a real whirlwind, and it has all felt a bit surreal, to be honest.

“I was really gutted for Ronan [Pearson] – he’s a former team-mate and a friend – but on a personal level, I can’t thank Team Bristol Street Motors and EXCELR8 Motorsport enough for allowing me to live my dream and show what I can do. EXCELR8 has been my racing family for a long time now, and I wouldn’t have wanted my BTCC debut to be with anybody else.

“We’ve been working towards this for so long, and I felt like I’d been ready for it for a while. I would obviously have liked a little more pre-event preparation, but the goal was to try to stay out of trouble and prove to everybody that I deserve to be here and stay here.

“Results-wise, I had no real expectations. Competing in the MINI CHALLENGE was the perfect stepping-stone, but the other drivers have all been in the BTCC a lot longer than me and it was always going to be a massive learning curve. The least I owed Team Bristol Street Motors for the faith they had placed in me was to repay them by bringing the car back in one piece, so that was my main objective.

“Overall, it was an absolutely unbelievable experience – something my family and I have been working towards for most of my life, and I loved every single moment. My dream has become a reality and it wouldn’t have been possible without my parents, my loyal partners, Team Bristol Street Motors and EXCELR8 Motorsport. It’s the fairytale ending and for now, this is it, but I definitely want to be back and I’m hungrier than ever. Let’s see what happens next…”