Mike Epps re-signs with Team Hard for 2017 BTCC

Mike Epps has re-signed with Team Hard for the 2017 British Touring Car Championship season, after making his debut with the team this year.

“I can’t forget that Tony (Gilham) has essentially opened the door for me to race in a championship I once only ever looked at as a dream,” said Epps. “Now we are set for year number two and I think we have a good chance to make a real impact.”

Epps finished tenth in the independents’ trophy and 24th overall in the 2016 BTCC season, with tenth as his best race result.

“We are very proud to have been able to put a package together to retain Mike for 2017,” said Tony Gilham, team manager of Team Hard. “It is important for us to try to keep as much consistency with the team as possible and we have a great foundation on which to build on.

“He had a great season and we believe that next year will be very interesting to see how far up the grid Mike can get. His pace was outstanding last year and he got nowhere near enough credit for his consistent front-running lap times each weekend.”

The 24-year-old will switch from the Toyota Avensis he drove this season to a Volkswagen CC, also with the Swindon engine for 2017.

“As anyone would expect with a small budget and a team that aren’t as experienced in my rookie season, there have been lots of challenges and I’m sure there are plenty more ahead,” said Epps. “The ingredients are there though; with new cars and more people on-board I think we have every reason to be properly in the mix this time. We definitely outdid our equipment this year.”