Welch Motorsport head to Donington Park this weekend to effectively get their British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season underway, after a broken ankle and engine problems thwarted their Brands Hatch efforts.
The team, who failed to score a single point last season, got their season off to a disappointing start at Brands, with Dan Welch suffering a broken ankle before a wheel was even turned on his Proton Gen-2 machine.
To compound matters, the second Proton of Andy Wilmot then suffered a problem with his engine which began in practice and continued through qualifying, eventually preventing him from starting any of the weekend’s races.
“It was disappointing and of course frustrating, but that’s the way it goes sometimes and I am really looking forward to the forthcoming weekend at Donington Park,” said Wilmot, who has only started three BTCC races to-date. “I really want to score some points this year as part of a long-term goal to establish myself in the BTCC and, although we’ve started the season on the back foot, I’m sure we will get it right.
“Welch Motorsport is a fantastic team and the Proton Gen-2 suits my driving style, but it’s just great to be involved in the championship and I’ve got faith in the guys that we’ll be in the mix sooner rather than later.”
Having recovered somewhat from his ankle injury, Dan Welch will start his season this weekend, swapping the chiropractic clinic for the cockpit of his Proton Gen-2.
Team Principal John Welch believes that the worst of the team’s troubles are now behind them, and is quietly confident heading in to this weekend’s second BTCC meeting of the season.
“We’re now doing a lot better and I’m fairly certain the fault that has thwarted our progress all year has been solved,” said Welch Sr. “There’s a huge sense of relief and we now have to refocus, having been overstretched and pulled every which way of late. Donington Park will primarily be about doing the best we can while getting everything back in place and reapplying a methodical approach. Dan will have a steady drive, as his foot isn’t completely fixed. One thing’s for certain – we’re going racing!
“Having lost track time with Andy, we were very keen to get him out early at Brands Hatch and, sadly, we ran a set of bearings due to low engine temperatures and that ultimately prevented us from taking part in the races.
“We’re one of the few teams that are still building our own engines and, rightly or wrongly, that is a big project. There’s a bit of fine-tuning to do and, while we will undoubtedly encounter the normal ups and downs of motor racing, things are looking very positive now.”