Rob Collard says he is ‘race-fit and ready’ for the season finale of the British Touring Car Championship, after Team BMW managed to build up a new car for him to support his team-mate’s title bid.
Collard was the innocent victim in a huge shunt in the previous meeting at Silverstone, which not only curtailed his weekend but also ended his title hopes.
It left the WSR-run team with a mammoth task to build up a new car in the following week and a half, which the team have now completed after building a new 125i M Sport around a spare shell.
Collard himself has also declared himself as fighting fit for the season finale, where as well as supporting Colin Turkington he hopes to improve on the fifth place he is currently in in the drivers’ championship standings.
“What happened at Silverstone was a massive blow to my championship, but despite a huge incident I’m race-fit and ready for Brands Hatch,” said Collard. “The team has done an incredible job to build a new car for me in just over a week, so I’m hoping to say thank you by finishing my season on a high.
“I have a key role to play in trying to secure the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ crowns for WSR and BMW and to support Colin in his battle for the Drivers’ title.”
Collard has slipped to 15 points behind fourth-placed Tom Ingram in the standings, and 16 behind Gordon Shedden in third, which he hopes to over-turn in this weekend’s final three races of 2017.
“Having consistently been in the top three of the Drivers’ Championship all year, my aim is to maximise my points haul at Brands and improve on fifth overall.”
WSR team Principal Dick Bennetts is pleased that Collard will be ready to help the team to potentially secure three titles at Brands Hatch – with Team BMW in the running for the Drivers’, Teams’ and Manufacturers’ titles.
“It’s very good to have Rob back after the heavy accident at Silverstone, in which he was an innocent victim,” said Bennetts. “The guys at the workshop have done an incredible job to build a car so quickly from a bare shell.
“He’ll play a crucial role in trying to help us wrap up the Teams’, Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles.”