General News
02/Jan/2013
HARD. Passat for Onslow-Cole
In a shock move Tom Onslow-Cole will race a Team HARD. VW Passat CC in 2013’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Onslow-Cole has signed a three-year deal with Tony Gilham’s squad which will bring great stability to his career – he has effectively driven for a different team in every one of his six seasons to date in the BTCC.
“I’ve seen what Tony’s plans are longer term and they fit perfectly with the direction I want my career to take and he’s also offering some great opportunities for my sponsors,” Onslow-Cole told btcc.net.
“The Passat also looks like the ideal car for the newer NGTC regulations – it already fits without having to be massaged to the dimensions. One of the big questions I asked when I first started discussing this with Tony was ‘how well will it be built?’
“Obviously with NGTC there are significantly more common components under the skin and a team who can put a strong, reliable car together first off is going to stand out. Again from what I’ve seen of the people Tony is putting in place behind the scenes I’m very confident the Passat will be a first class touring car.
“The three-year deal also gives me a real opportunity to put my stamp on things. It’s like starting with a clean sheet of paper and that’s very exciting for me.”
Gilham added: “We’re thrilled to have Tom on board. He fits perfectly into the Team HARD. set-up that we have carefully built for the 2013 season and is also one of the most exciting drivers on the BTCC grid. Our goal is to win the championship together. He is very marketable and fits within our ethos – to work as hard off-track as we do on-track.”
Team HARD. yesterday announced that 2012 Renault Clio Cup champion Jack Goff had also signed to drive one of its Vauxhall Insignias in 2013’s BTCC (see separate story).
