Bobby Thompson will join WSR for this week’s official British Touring Car Championship tests at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, where he will sample one of the team’s rear-wheel drive BMWs.
Thompson, 27, has raced for Team HARD in four of his five BTCC seasons to-date, and has spent the past two years racing CUPRA Leons for the Kent-based team.
Now Thompson, from Essex, will get to test the fourth WSR BMW 330e M Sport, as the team continues to evaluate its options for the fourth and final car in 2024.
“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,” said Thompson, an experienced touring car driver with 131 starts to his name.
“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.”
Thompson will take part in the test alongside the already-confirmed WSR drivers Jake Hill, Colin Turkington and Adam Morgan.
“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,” said WSR Team Principal Dick Bennetts.
“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.”