Photo: BTCC Media

Gavin Smith returns to the BTCC

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Former factory Vauxhall driver Gavin Smith will race in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s remaining three fixtures, starting at Brands Hatch this Sunday (19 August), in a privately-entered SEAT Leon.

Irishman Smith will race a 2007-spec Leon prepared by Paul Ridgeway’s GR Asia company. The car is regularly raced by Emmet O’Brien in the World touring car series.

The official team title under which the car will run in the BTCC will become known later this week… Smith will effectively line up alongside Adam Jones, whose Team Air Cool SEAT Toledo is also engineered by GR.

Smith told BTCC.net: “You just look at how well the GR Leons go in the World touring car series – they’re a match for the factory SEAT Leons out there. And the older Toledo that Adam Jones races for GR in the BTCC is always among the leading group. Paul Ridgeway’s lot clearly run very good cars.

“When I knew I wouldn’t be with VXR for 2007, then getting into a car without the right funding or technical input wouldn’t have done me any good. But then I got a call a couple of weeks back from Paul who said an opportunity had come up.

“I strongly believe that everyone in the team is going to put a lot of effort into making this work. It’s a chance definitely worth taking.”

Smith hasn’t raced at all since the end of last year’s BTCC season – in fact, his most recent priority has been the birth of his first child, a baby daughter five weeks ago. But he is confident that after a mid-week shakedown he’ll be quickly up to speed.

The 29-year-old Dubliner added: “The BTCC really suits me and as a driver you get great value for money, particularly when you look at the amount of the mileage you get on a race weekend, plus you’re racing in front of some great crowds.

“I won’t be trying extra hard to beat the VXR cars just to prove a point. No way. Besides, I get on with everyone there. I’ll treat everyone equally and I’m certainly not going to interfere with the championship positions. I’m just going to ride the wave and see what happens…”