Drama has struck the final hours of the 2026 British Touring Car Championship season as Ricky Collard is set to reclaim the Hyundai i30N Fastback seat at Team VERTU for the season-closing tour of the Brands Hatch GP loop, replacing BTCC debutant Osamu Kawashima after just a single round.
The arrival of Osamu Kawashima earlier in the campaign saw the 57-year-old realize his long-held dream of competing in the BTCC. However, Silverstone proved to be an immensely difficult outing for the championship's first Japanese driver since 1985, struggling with pace on Saturday and facing engine issues on Sunday that cut short his ambitions.
According to Motorsport Week, Team VERTU released an official statement explaining the driver change. "While tests prior to Silverstone were successful in demonstrating the necessary performance, it was evident following the race meeting at Silverstone that Kawashima would benefit from additional time in the car to fully realise his potential," the team stated.
The statement continued, "As a result, and given the unique challenges of the Brands Hatch GP layout, the decision has been taken to instead focus on providing Kawashima with additional track time away from the pressures of a race weekend." Those pressures had spilled over into the paddock earlier, highlighted by social media comments made by Ricky Collard during the Silverstone weekend.
Despite the off-track friction, Ricky Collard's return allows him to resume what has been his most successful season to date, even after dropping to P10 in the standings due to missing a round. "Silverstone was a situation where emotions were running high and things were said in the heat of the moment, but the focus now is on looking ahead to the finale and ending the season on a high," Collard reflected.
Looking ahead to the upcoming event, he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity. "I’m grateful to have the chance to get back behind the wheel of the Hyundai this weekend, especially around such an iconic circuit as Brands Hatch GP, and hopefully we can have another strong weekend and build on the results we have gained already this season. Seven podiums has been a fantastic return and the only thing missing to complete the set is to make it onto the top step," Collard concluded.
Baca Juga
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