British Touring Car Championship fans’ favourite Bobby Thompson will join WSR for this week’s official series test on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on Wednesday, 3 April.
The 27-year-old from Hornchurch, Essex, will drive a BMW 330e M Sport at the Kent track as WSR continues to evaluate options for the fourth car for the coming season.
Bobby has started over 100 BTCC races and achieved his best finish of second at last year’s Brands Hatch round in May.
He will join WSR’s three confirmed race drivers for the season; Colin Turkington, Adam Morgan (both Team BMW) and Jake Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport) at the Brands Hatch test, which is open for race fans to attend.
The BTCC season starts at Donington Park, East Midlands, on April 27-28.
Bobby Thompson said: “I’m thrilled to test the BMW 330e M Sport at Brands Hatch and I have to thank everybody involved who has worked so hard to create this opportunity. I’ve never had the opportunity to drive a championship-winning car in the BTCC so this will be a first for me and I really hope it can lead to a race seat for the 2024 season. I’m working incredibly hard with my partners to put together a package for this year, but we’re still a bit away from where we need to be in order to make the dream a reality. The BTCC is about to enter a new era with a ground-breaking global broadcast deal with ITV Sport and TikTok, which should be a game-changer in what the series can do to promote a commercial sponsor, and there’s honestly nowhere else I’d rather race. I hope this can be a first step towards something really special.”
Dick Bennetts, WSR Team Principal, said: “Bobby’s one of a group of talented drivers who have come along in the past few seasons, ruffled a few feathers and achieved some very good results when both the machinery and circumstance have allowed it. He’s one of the drivers right now who has built an incredibly loyal fanbase and someone who definitely enhances the BTCC just by being there. He has plenty of rear-wheel-drive experience, albeit not in a touring car, so this test will focus on getting him comfortable in the BMW and seeing what we can do as a group. This is just a test at this stage as we continue to push very hard to make sure our fourth BMW is on the grid this season, but we’re well aware of Bobby’s determination to race and hope we can play a role in making things happen.”