Photo: BTCC Media

Howell to Motorbase Performance

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Proven race-winner Gareth Howell will drive a SEAT Cupra Toledo for the Motorbase Performance team in this year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship. Howell has made limited appearances for twice champion team Team Halfords during the past two seasons, notching up three race wins along the way, two of which came in last year’s season finale.

Now the Beckenham driver has been able to secure a full season of BTCC action since making his debut in the series in 2002. Wrotham-based Motorbase will hope Howell can help it move up the order after impressing in its debut BTCC season last year.

Howell, aged 26, said: “I can’t wait to get stuck in. My main aim will be to go for race wins as I’ve got a taste for victory now after my time with Team Halfords. Being part of that title-winning team has taught me a lot. I’m incredibly grateful for having the chance to experience that and I hope to put what I’ve learned to good use this year.

“Now I just want to do the best job I can for Motorbase to repay the faith they’ve put in me by giving me this fantastic opportunity. The Toledo is a great car and Motorbase are a great team to be part of, so the combination should work very well. It should be an exciting year.”

Team principal David Bartrum believes that running Toledos – ex-factory SEAT cars from 2005 – will give Motorbase an advantage during the early part of the season. Last year it entered the BTCC for the first time and its Honda Integra, driven by David Pinkney, was a regular front-runner.

Bartrum said: “We’ve got a good chance of being right up there at the front this year and that’s our intention. The Toledos are proven machinery so we won’t get bogged down with the development of the car – unlike most of the other big teams who are all, I believe, producing new cars for 2007 and therefore will have a lot of learning to do. We can hit the ground running which we hope will give us a good advantage in the early part of the season.”

He added: “We dipped our toes in the water last year – this year we’re jumping right in head first! It’s a serious challenge for honours and luring Gareth away from the current title holding team shows that we mean business.”