Andy Wilmot will race Team HARD.’s second Volkswagen Passat at Rockingham next week, it was confirmed today.
The announcement follows news yesterday that Tom Onslow-Cole would be stepping aside from racing duties in the car for the remainder of the season, with the intention to focus on developing the car for the 2014 season.
Team boss Tony Gilham had not ruled out running the car in the remaining three rounds of the season, and just a day later Wilmot – who has driven for the team in other formulae including the Volkswagen Cup – was confirmed in the Passat and will make his British Touring Car Championship debut at Rockingham.
With Gilham was pleased to be able to give Wilmot his debut in the series, but insisted that the bar would not be set too high on the 32-year-old’s first weekend in the series.
“Andy’s driven a lot of our cars and he’s done the VW Cup, Ford Fiestas, Britcar, Clios,” Gilham told Autosport. “His dream has always been touring cars. The seat has become available and we always want to give our opportunities to in-house drivers.
“I think by the end of the weekend he’ll be up to speed, but it’s more about him learning about the car and the championship.”
Wilmot, who will partner Warren Scott in the second of the team’s Passats, was thrilled to finally get a chance in the series.
“I signed with Tony two years ago and it was always in the pipeline to progress from the VW Cup to the BTCC and I am just delighted to have been given this opportunity.
“I feel really privileged to be getting the chance in the best championship in the country and I also feel privileged to be one of the only drivers to have driven the VW Passat in the BTCC.”