BTCC - Solihull's Will Powell to make BTCC debut next weekend - The Solihull Observer

BTCC - Solihull's Will Powell to make BTCC debut next weekend

Solihull Editorial 6th May, 2022   0

WILL POWELL is set to realise a boyhood dream when he makes his Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship debut at Brands Hatch next weekend (14-15 May).

The reigning British Endurance champion, who lives in Knowle near Solihull, will race a Cupra Leon for Team HARD in the remaining 27 races of this year’s series which began last month.

Powell has GT3, GT4, touring car and TCR competition experience and is the managing director and founder of the Silverstone-based Motus One racing team.

Sutton Coldfield-born Powell successfully clocked up over 250-kilometres in the CUPRA at Snetterton last July as part of Team HARD Racing’s driver analysis programme.




Powell said: “This is the realisation of a boyhood dream. I believe that the BTCC is the pinnacle of British motorsport.

“I don’t underestimate the scale of the challenge facing me but I’m relishing joining the grid at Brands Hatch and racing against the best of the best from Race 4 of the BTCC onwards this season.


“Despite the unusual circumstances, and with next to no preparation ahead of Brands, I’m very conscious of what is achievable but I’m still literally over the moon.

“I would skip school back in the day to camp out at Brands and watch the touring cars.

“I’d like to thank Tony Gilham and family for the opportunity to make the dream a reality, along with our new friends at Autobrite Direct, JourneyHero and all my partners at Motus One.”

Powell will race the second Autobrite Direct with JourneyHero entry alongside the current Jack Sears Trophy leader, Bobby Thompson, in the number 20 Cupra Leon.

2022 marks the all-new hybrid era in the BTCC in which a driver can deploy the hybrid system via a button on the steering wheel enabling up to 15 seconds per lap of additional hybrid power.

Powell has been a development driver or coach for manufacturers including Brabham, McLaren, Mercedes AMG and Praga.

He began racing in 2014 and has finished on the podium in almost half of the races he has contested. Powell and David Brabham drove a Brabham BT62 Competition to victory in the legendary marque’s return to racing at Brands in 2019.

Brabham recently joined Motus One’s leadership team as a Senior Motorsport Consultant.

Last year, Powell and co-driver Dave Scaramanga, claimed eight class podiums – including four victories – to win the outright British Endurance Series championship title in a McLaren 650S GT3, with Powell setting the fastest race lap on three occasions.

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