Arena voted best independent team in 2010

Arena Motorsport were voted by TouringCarTimes readers as the best independent touring car team in the world in 2010.

The team, which picked up the independent teams’ title in 2010 as well as the independent drivers’ title for Tom Chilton, and with their other driver Tom Onslow-Cole in the running for the overall championship by the season finale at Brands Hatch, received 55% of the vote.

In second place was former BTCC squad Bamboo Engineering, which had moved across to the WTCC in 2010 and was voted by our readers as the best independent team in that championship, but lost out to Arena in the final reckoning with 33% of the vote.

Swedish team Ebbesson Motorsport was third with 12%.

The award was handed to Team Principal Mike Earle and Arena’s Team Manager Alan Cole at the BTCC Media Day at Silverstone.

On receiving the award, Mike Earle said:
“I’d just like to thank everyone for voting for us. It’s a long hard job, and sometimes you do feel a bit unloved, but it’s nice to know to people out there do like you.”

“We try and please the public and I’m glad they appreciate it,” he added.

The team’s success in 2010 has seen them working with Ford on the Global Race Car programme, with the team running the new shape Ford Focus this season for Tom Chilton and Andy Neate.