Newly topped British Touring Automobile champion Jake Hill will stay on the West Surrey Racing BMW group for 2025, when the squad might broaden to as many as 5 automobiles.
Hill, whose clinching of the BTCC crown on the Manufacturers Hatch finale final month represented his first championship title of any kind in automotive racing, is the primary driver confirmed for the Sunbury group’s fleet of 3-Collection BMWs, and he has elected to hold the reigning champion’s no 1 on his automotive subsequent season.
As common, the deal is along with his industrial and administration group below the banner of Laser Instruments Racing with MB Motorsport, with MB boss Mark Blundell taking Hill below his wing since their season as BTCC team-mates in 2019.
WSR has housed an extra pair of BMWs since absorbing the gear of Adam Morgan’s household group Ciceley Motorsport for 2023.
However for 2024 it might solely area three automobiles on a full-time foundation, with extremely rated Bobby Thompson becoming a member of the group in a fourth BMW for spherical three at Snetterton solely to fall foul of a industrial glitch that instantly halted his season.
Thompson and Morgan are recognized to be within the body for a seat in 2025, with WSR’s four-time champion Colin Turkington an apparent goal to stay on board.
Staff boss Dick Bennetts conceded that talks with Scottish BTCC common Aiden Moffat are additionally ongoing, whereas rumours that have been rife final winter of WSR fielding a second MB automotive alongside Hill have additionally not gone away.
Colin Turkington, Staff BMW WSR BMW 330e
Photograph by: JEP / Motorsport Photos
MB-managed Andrew Watson was the apparent candidate for 2024 earlier than becoming a member of the Speedworks-run Toyota group, however endured a really troublesome season and is regarded as contemplating all choices.
WSR boss Dick Bennetts informed Autosport: “We’re making an attempt very laborious to get again as much as 4 automobiles and probably 5 – there’s sufficient curiosity, to be sincere, and we’ve stored all of the workers on.
“There are most likely eight drivers on the listing, however it’s the age-old drawback of getting the numbers and the group concord so as to add up.
“We’re more than happy to have Jake again on board with us for subsequent 12 months, and I’ve loved watching him progress.
“He was a bit tough across the edges once we first had him in 2022, however now he’s matured and are available on robust.
“He’s at all times been fast – there was by no means any doubt about that – and he’s a superb little lad.”
Hill added: “I’m completely happy to bits. It’s an incredible honour to be going again to West Surrey Racing once more for an additional 12 months.
Jake Hill, Laser Instruments Racing with MB Motorsport BMW 330e M Sport
Photograph by: JEP
“It’s going to be nice to enter 2025 with the number one on the facet of my automotive – it’s actually particular and one thing I’ve by no means had the chance to do.”
Hill will due to this fact drop his conventional quantity 24 at the very least for 2025, though his use of that quantity happened accidentally.
“I needed to make use of 22 – that’s at all times been my quantity and it’s the date of my birthday – however Chris Smiley registered it two weeks earlier than I used to be capable of,” he stated.
“So my dad [former racer, commentator, safety car driver and 1970s motorsport uberfan Simon Hill] stated, ‘You’ve bought to make use of James Hunt’s quantity 24 from his Hesketh days!’
“The 24 has turn into my trademark – my JH24 model for those who like – however I don’t wish to go up this chance.”
In the meantime, WSR’s sporting and operations supervisor Carl Mitchell has been promoted in order that his title now ends in ‘director’, and is working alongside the established triumvirate of Bennetts, finance director Mike Ewan and industrial director David Eggleton in what might turn into an enlargement into different sequence.
Mitchell began at WSR on work expertise from faculty earlier than becoming a member of the group in 2013 as a mechanic, and has turn into one of many BTCC’s most extremely rated group managers.
“We’re taking a look at different classes so all our eggs aren’t in a single basket,” stated Bennetts.
“We had a have a look at the Porsche Carrera Cup GB a couple of years in the past and we’re it once more now.
“Carl stated, ‘Why don’t we have a look at different issues?’, and at my age [77] I’m comfortable simply doing BTCC, but when they wish to broaden then there’s rather a lot happening.
“Carl has been with us a very long time and he’s actually finished nicely. I’m not getting any youthful and it’s good to delegate, however I’m nonetheless concerned on the engineering facet and I nonetheless take pleasure in doing R&D work and making the automotive go sooner.”