Dual Car Lineup for the 2017 BTCC Season

The AmDTuning / Cobra Sport team will expand to run two cars in the 2017 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season having been granted an additional TOCA BTCC Licence (TBL). The team moves into the 2017 season with a pair of Audi S3's, upgraded to run the latest RML control parts to improve performance and meet stringent championship regulations.

With Ollie Jackson having been previously confirmed for a second year in the S3, the team are pleased to announce the signing of reigning Renault UK Clio Cup champion Ant Whorton-Eales to complete the line up and become the latest winner of the popular Clio Cup to make the move onto the highly competitive BTCC grid. 

The 2017 driver lineup was announced on the opening day of the 2017 Autosport International Racing Car Show held at the NEC Birmingham where the team featured prominently on the Official Dunlop BTCC stand.

Representatives from Cobra Sport were in attendance along with the 2 drivers and team members from AmDTuning. Ant is a member of the BRDC's Rising Star programme and since being crowned Clio Champion has displayed his talents earning tests with a number of BTCC teams last autumn.

Ant will sample the Audi S3 for the first time when pre-season testing gets underway next month. Ant will compete for the Jack Sears Trophy as it will be his first year in the championship and will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the previous Clio Cup champion Ash Sutton, who secured the trophy last year in his debut season.

“It's no secret that I wanted to move into the BTCC this season and we've spent a lot of time looking at the various options that were available," Ant said.

“Once we spoke to Shaun about his plans with the second Audi, the deal was a very easy one to do and it was all wrapped up within a day." 

“I'm delighted to be able to confirm my place on the touring car grid, and I think that I've made a good choice in AmDTuning.com for my first season. The team has plenty of experience and there is a lot of potential in the Audi that I aim to benefit from."

“As a rookie driver, the main target has to be the Jack Sears Trophy and it would be nice if we could be pushing towards the top ten in the championship by the end of the year."

AmD Tuning team boss Shaun Hollamby revealed his delight at bringing the reigning Clio champion onboard, and said he felt confident that his driver line-up would impress during the year ahead.

“From the moment we confirmed that we would have a second car on the grid, we've spoken to a number of drivers who were keen to join us for 2017, and we're delighted to have been able to do a deal with Ant to fill the seat," he said.

“Even before winning the Clio title last year, he had shown his potential on track and we're confident that he will be a strong addition to the grid this year."

"Alongside Ollie Jackson, he gives us a strong partnership for our first full season as a two-car BTCC team and we go into 2017 with our focus firmly on fighting for regular points and on pushing towards the top ten."