Martin Depper will race alongside 2013 champion Andrew Jordan at Pirtek Racing in next season’s British Touring Car Championship, replacing Jeff Smith.
Although the deal had widely been reported after Depper had purchased and tested Smith’s NGTC Civic at Donington Park and Jordan had tweeted about meeting his new teammate, it was confirmed today that the 45-year-old would rejoin the series.
“I wanted to put myself into a strong position so buying the Honda and getting Eurotech to run it takes away most variables and leaves it down to me,” said Depper. “I look forward to learning from Andrew about how to get the most from an NGTC car. I know the team can give me a competitive and reliable car from the experience of running the Civic in 2012 and 2013.”
Depper previously drove in the BTCC back in 2010 when he competed alongside Arthur Forster in his eponymous Forster Motorsport outifit, but 2014 will be the first year that the former competes with NGTC machinery.
Team boss Mike Jordan was pleased with the announcement, and was looking forward to helping Depper in getting to grips with a new car.
“Martin has a good pedigree and I’m sure we can give him the support and experience he needs to really get to grips with the BTCC. We’ve already started a testing programme so that he is well prepared for the start of the new season,” said Jordan.
It remains unclear whether Smith, who had been with Pirtek since midway through 2010, will compete in the series next year.