TH Motorsports and Hamilton set to return in 2012 with Skoda
Posted: July 27, 2011 Filed under: British Touring Cars | Tags: BTCC, Matt Hamilton, NGTC, Skoda, TH Motorsports Leave a comment
Photo credit: TH Motorsport / Andy Blackmore
TH Motorsports and their driver Matt Hamilton are planning to return to the British Touring Car Championship next year by bringing another new marque to the sport in the shape of Skoda in 2012.
The Watford-based team last appeared on the BTCC grid at Oulton Park last season before withdrawing midway through 2010 due to financial reasons having struggled for pace in an older BTC-specification Honda Civic Type-R.
The team however now have high ambitions to return to the British Touring Car Championship in 2012 with a brand-new Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) specification Skoda Octavia vRS.
TH Motorsports team boss Trevor Humphrey told reporters that he always had his intentions of a return to the series as soon as possible, and that a comeback with an all-new car for the following season was a “no-brainer”.
The team’s patience may help their cause with the current season still in full flow and the new rules beginning to fully take shape in, as their decision not to compete in 2011 with an S2000 specification entry has allowed the team to focus on their 2012 plans to develop the new NGTC Octavia.
The team is not unknown to BTCC having previously entered cars for John George in the sport such as the innovative LPG-powered Honda Civic and Peugeot 406 in 2004, as well as Honda Integras previously from Dynamics.
The team returned to the BTCC at the end of 2009 with 20-year-old Hamilton, who immediately put together some standout drives as the team embarked on an intended full season in 2010, which did not come to fruition despite Hamilton picking up his first points at the sodden third event of the season at Brands Hatch.
Humphrey promised that their intended participation in the BTCC next year will implement the new Next Generation Touring Car engine, and that the project is a long term commitment. The team are also considering the option of building a second car in the case of more interest from drivers.
Following the return of Volkwswagen last season to the BTCC, a flury of new manufacturers have come to the championship with the new financially-friendly rules prompting more interest from national teams to enter, and with the comeback of Toyota and Audi for the current season, they could now be joined by Skoda and Insignia in 2012.
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