About
ABOUT WSR
Passion, Power, Experience
West Surrey Racing (WSR) are one of the UK’s most celebrated race teams with more than 20 championship titles on a remarkable CV that features World Champions plus aces from Formula 1, IndyCar, the Le Mans 24 Hours and touring car racing.
Created by New Zealander Dick Bennetts in 1981 and now based in Sunbury-on-Thames on the outskirts of London, WSR became, in 2025, the British Touring Car Championship’s all-time most-winning team with a record 137 race victories, as well as finishing – for the first time – first and second in the Jack Sears Trophy with drivers Daryl DeLeon and Charles Rainford.
Our Past
History
1981 to Present
An historic year as WSR broke the BTCC’s all-time wins record; Jake Hill’s Brands Hatch victory being a crucial 133rd for the team on a day when Daryl De Leon and Charles Rainford became first-time winners. De Leon claimed the Jack Sears Trophy crown ahead of Rainford while Aiden Moffat provided added steel.
Another milestone year in the BTCC as Jake Hill became Drivers’ Champion and WSR delivered a record-breaking 10th Manufacturers’ crown for BMW; Colin Turkington also winning multiple races and Adam Morgan finishing on the podium.
WSR continued its long-standing partnership with BMW, Jake Hill and Colin Turkington winning 10 races between them and new signing Adam Morgan and Stephen Jelley adding more podiums.
The BTCC introduced hybrid power, with WSR adapting the BMW into the 330e M Sport while BMW secured a record eighth consecutive Manufacturers’ title with new signing Jake Hill taking pole position and a race win first time out and he, Colin Turkington and Stephen Jelley all victorious through the season.
The team remained a front-runner in the BTCC with the BMW 330i M Sport platform; Colin Turkington and Tom Oliphant winning races and Stephen Jelley adding podium finishes as BMW won another Manufacturers’ crown.
As COVID made for an ultra-late season start, Colin Turkington and Tom Oliphant were both race winners as WSR and BMW claimed both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles.
WSR introduced the BMW 330i M Sport, with Colin Turkington winning a record-equalling fourth Drivers’ Championship and team-mate Andrew Jordan making it a WSR 1-2 for the first time in the BTCC standings and Tom Oliphant gaining momentum. Another Manufacturers’ crown was the icing on the cake.
Colin Turkington claimed his third BTCC Drivers’ Championship, incredible consistency meaning that despite only winning one of the 30 races, 16 top-fives proved crucial, while Teams’ and Manufacturers’ crowns made it a title triple.
WSR became BMW’s official BTCC manufacturer team, with drivers Colin Turkington, Andrew Jordan, and Rob Collard. BMW won both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles with Turkington only missing out on the Drivers’ crown in the last race of the season.
A hugely successful season saw Sam Tordoff, Rob Collard and Jack Goff deliver both the Teams’ Championship and Manufacturers’ crown with the BMW 125i M Sport.
The driver line-up expanded with three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx and Sam Tordoff joining Rob Collard. The team secured its first BTCC 1-2-3 finish at Croft on a day when BMWs won all three races.
Colin Turkington dominated the season with eight wins and 20 podiums to claim his second BTCC Drivers’ title and his fourth Independents’ crown. WSR added overall and Indie Teams’ Championships too in what was an astonishing season for speed and reliability.
The first WSR-designed and built racing car, the BMW 125i M Sport, debuted with Colin Turkington returning to join Rob Collard and Nick Foster and winning second-time out.
Preparing for the new-for-2013 NGTC regulations, WSR went turbocharged with its BMWs; Rob Collard winning first-time out and Nick Foster and Tom Onslow-Cole adding reinforcements.
A move into the World Touring Car Championship delivered several Independent class wins and, on the team’s day of days, an overall victory at Okayama, Japan, while Rob Collard and Andy Neate provided the driving strength in the BTCC.
Colin Turkington won the BTCC Drivers’ Championship, delivering WSR’s first overall touring car title, while Stephen Jelley claimed his first race win. It was a total of three titles as Turkington and WSR also won the Independent Drivers’ and Teams’ double for a third year in a row.
It was back-to-back Independent Drivers’ and Teams’ titles as Colin Turkington ran the overall championship contenders even closer, now joined by Stephen Jelley as BTCC team-mate.
WSR switched to BMW machinery with a Super 2000-spec 320si, taking pole position for the season opener and winning races with Colin Turkington and Tom Onslow-Cole. Turkington clinched the Independent Drivers’ crown while the Teams’ title was also secured, not to mention a FIA World Touring Car Championship podium on a wildcard appearance at Brands Hatch.
The team expanded to two MGs with Rob Collard and Colin Turkington, racing under Team RAC banner and experimenting with bio-ethanol fuel late in the season, while the A1GP operation took over Team Singapore and Team USA, featuring drivers such as Ryan Hunter-Reay.
One of WSR’s greatest honours came this year as the Kiwi-run organisation was asked to run Team New Zealand in the new A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, securing podium finishes from the opening round. The team also entered a single MG ZS for Rob Collard, who secured his first BTCC race win at Knockhill.
Although MG backing ended and the team moved to ‘independent’ status, WSR continued running the ZS – now with a four-cylinder engine. Anthony Reid won the Independent Drivers’ title while the team came third overall.
The MG works team expanded to three cars, including Colin Turkington, remaining competitive throughout the season and finishing third in the Manufacturers’ standings.
MG enjoyed a strong season with Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes, while Colin Turkington and Gareth Howell ran in a satellite team backed by pop group Atomic Kitten. MG finished second in the Manufacturers’ points.
WSR returned to the BTCC late in the season running the works MG programme with the new ZS model, built to the all-new BTC technical regulations. Anthony Reid took a surprise victory despite the team only competing in the final three rounds.
The final year of the Super Touring era featured WSR Honda Accords driven by James Thompson and Tom Kristensen. Several wins again gave Honda second in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
A new era as Honda’s factory BTCC team began with a debut win at Donington Park with James Thompson and included further successes as he and Peter Kox took second in the Manufacturers’ points.
The team’s fortunes improved further, with Will Hoy scoring WSR’s first BTCC victory at Silverstone There were also some memorable appearances from former F1 champion Nigel Mansell, who led at a rain-soaked Donington Park in the ‘greatest touring car race ever’.
Radisich was joined by 1991 BTCC Champion Will Hoy as the team continued to develop the Mondeo. Performance improved through the season with both drivers regularly scoring points.
WSR entered the British Touring Car Championship running the factory Ford programme. Drivers Paul Radisich and Steve Robertson competed in the highly competitive Super Touring era.
Future F1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen won the British F3 title with WSR, adding another major title to the team’s growing list of successes, while Christian Fittipaldi, a future sportscar great, partnered him.
Back in British F3, and now selected to run Marlboro’s junior racing team in the UK, WSR continued to develop special youngsters, including Eddie Irvine, Bertrand Gachot and future FIA World Endurance Champion Allan McNish.
Fresh from winning a third British F3 crown with Mauricio Gugelmin in 1985, WSR graduated to International F3000 with the F1-bound Brazilian a year later.
Ayrton Senna joined WSR full-time and produced a famous junior season, winning the British F3 title after a legendary battle with Martin Brundle and adding the Macau GP title.
WSR finished runner-up in British F3 with Argentinian driver Quique Mansilla and gave a young Brazilian named Ayrton Senna a winning debut in a non-points race at Thruxton.
WSR was founded by Dick Bennetts and immediately made its mark in the British Formula 3 Championship, winning its very first race and taking the title in its debut season with Jonathan Palmer in a Ralt RT3.