Photo: PSP

Thompson evaluating options for BTCC or WTCC return

By

Two-time British Touring Car Champion James Thompson is looking at full year opportunities in the World & British Touring Car Championships for 2012, after appearing for Motorbase Performance at the BTCC season finale at Silverstone.

Thompson’s return in the BTCC was hampered before the weekend had even started with an allocation of 45kg of ballast as a new driver that was likely to get in the way of the title fight.

Broken suspension in race one, a puncture in race two and a pit-lane start followed by a drive through for cutting Turn 1 four times meant the weekend certainly didn’t go as planned, but the fastest lap in race three got him into the points.

“I’ve had better days to be honest, but I’ve really enjoyed the weekend, t’s been good fun, enjoyed the atmosphere, it’s nice to be back and be a part of it,” said Thompson to TouringCarTimes.

“It’s nice to have been invited to come and drive the car, have a little look around at the Championship, it’s in rude health at the moment.”

Thompson, also a two time winner of the FIA European Touring Car Cup, started the year with Volvo Polestar Racing in the Scandinavian Touring Car Championship, and last drove in the WTCC with LADA in 2009 before the Russian manufacturer withdrew their funding at the beginning of 2010, and also recently drove in the LADA Grante Cup at Togliatti early this month.

“I’m evaluating everything at the moment, that’s the basic scenario,” said Thompson. “I’m a free agent, people generally seem to think I’m tied into something, that I’m tied to Volvo etc. and I’m not. I want to be involved in a development programme and basically an end game with the goal of winning a Championship, but you need to get involved with the programme early.”

“I’m not looking outside of the UK or the World Championship really is the honest assessment. The unfinished goal for me is the World Championship as it’s something I’ve not achieved, but looking at (the BTCC) it’s fantastic, if somebody was to come with a plan and give me a car they thought I could win a Championship with, I’d take it.”