It was announced a few months ago that Andy Wilmot would be back in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in 2019.
Although he will be in a new role as Team Principal for the AmD Trade Price Cars team as Andy and Trade Price cars join forces with the Thurrock based squad run by Shaun Hollamby.
Speaking about being back in the BTCC, Andy said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be back in the BTCC although it’s not driving I have taken on a team principal role that I feel I can do an amazing job at.
“It’s definitely a lot different from being a driver but I feel there is a lot that I can offer to the team to help it move the cars as far as possible at the grade. Working with AMD for the next two years will help our new team no end gain the necessary experience to be able to go off by ourselves in the future.”
Andy went on to explain how the move came about for him to get back onto the BTCC grid, having been away for a couple of seasons. Although last season he was in the paddock racing in the Renault UK Clio Cup support series.
He added: “I work with Trade Price Cars on a daily basis and have a great relationship with business owner Dan Kirby, we had spoken many times about running a team ourselves and we felt we had the same vision and goals.
“It just seemed the right time to make the step as the cars had come up and the whole package works for us. As we have an affiliation with AMD it seemed the sensible thing to become joint team principal with Shaun as theoretically we both have our own team to run despite being under the same banner.”
Now the hard work begins for Andy as a team principal with the cars needing to be set-up ready for the coming season, and drivers to be signed.
“Fortunately I myself am not the one who has to set up the cars that again is down to AmD which we have plenty of faith in as they have run the cars now for many years, however we will be learning along the way.
“My job currently is to secure drivers and oversee the general preparation for the garage and what goes on behind the scenes to keep drivers, sponsors, friends and family happy.”
Speaking about the coming season and the driver situation, although he was remaining tight lipped on the line-up, Andy did reveal a small snippet for BTCC fans.
He said: We currently have one signed driver and are working on our second. It’s very important we have two competent drivers to ensure we unlock the full potential of the Audis in our debut season. I must admit it’s definitely a challenge, but I fully accept this whole task would be, and I am hundred percent committed to it.
“With everything that we are putting in to the car and the whole team in general we expect to be quick from the word go. There is some heavy competition out there for 2019 but we feel that we have a very strong package and deserve a place on the grid.”
As part of the preparation Andy and the AmD/Trade Price Cars team are moving ahead with the preparations ready for the start of the season in April.
He added: “At the moment we have three test days booked for the early part of next year but currently the cars are stripped and undergoing their winter refresh and updates. We are not completely set on our chosen base livery yet but it is something that we are working on and I must admit changes quite regularly due to sponsor and driver preference.