Welch Motorsport has its sights set on solid points finishes in Round 5 of the 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire (27-28 June), having focused its efforts on optimising its package for Daniel Welch and Andy Wilmot.
The plucky Welch Motorsport team spent the two-week interval between the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2015 BTCC refining its pair of NGTC-spec Proton Gen-2s and the high-spirited Fleet-based operation fully intends to turn up the wick when Britain’s premier motor racing championship arrives at Croft Circuit.
Croft is a charming 2.25mile motorsport venue in the North East of England that encompasses a heady mix of corners to test the mettle of even the most adaptable of drivers, as high-speed, high-adrenaline changes of direction like the Jim Clark Esses and Barcroft contrast a tight, technical Complex and final Hairpin.
The North Yorkshire track, situated near Darlington, celebrated its half-Century in 2014 and once again hosts Round 5 of the BTCC when the championship reaches its mid-point and Welch Motorsport is keen to make headway and add to its points tally before embarking on the summer break.
“The previous meeting at Oulton Park was rather hard and the time between rounds goes so quickly, we have been flat-out preparing the Protons and our trucks in time for this coming weekend at Croft Circuit,” said Welch Motorsport Team Principal, John Welch. “However, while most of our time would have previously been spent buried in engines, we had been concentrating on optimising the cars’ performance. We found we were losing chunks of time to our direct rivals in a straight-line at Oulton Park, but we didn’t take the engines to the edge and still reached a significant milestone, breaking into the points.
“A little more optimisation will help our cause and, knowing how Dan (Welch) performed last time out, we have to look forwards and get in among the next pack. I would have thrown in the towel long ago if I didn’t think we could progress and, with Andy (Wilmot) performing better than ever having learnt an awful lot at Oulton Park, he should be in the mix before long. But, unlike previous years, you can’t get a good result just by circulating and others falter, as the quality of driving has improved.”
Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) qualifying is scheduled to take place at 15.45 on Saturday (27 June), while Rounds 13, 14 and 15 of the season will commence at 12.02, 14.39 and 17.06 respectively, with live coverage on ITV4 and the dedicated itv.com/btcc web page.