Tom Onslow-Cole joins Team HARD for Snetterton test

Tom Onslow-Cole will be back behind the wheel of a BTCC car for the first time since 2013 as he is going to join Team HARD for the tyre test day at Snetterton on July 11th.

“The BTCC is bigger and better than ever and although I have been away from the grid building a successful GT career, the appeal of the BTCC never goes away,” said Onslow-Cole.

“It will be interesting to drive an RML-specification touring car to see how things have changed over the last few years. I have always kept in touch with Tony (Gilham) and the team, so the invitation to come down to help the team progress further was too good an opportunity to miss.”

Onslow-Cole raced for the team in 2012 and will drive one of the team’s Volkswagen CC race cars during the test where team owner Tony Gilham is hoping for progress.

“Tom is a very professional, proven racing driver in many disciplines and so to get him in to work with us to develop our BTCC car with his touring car experience is a no brainer,” said Gilham.

“We believe Tom can add a massive amount to our programme. It’s no secret we have invested a lot of time and money over the winter, so we need and want to find the maximum performance possible from the cars. It has been a tough start to the season and we haven’t achieved so far what we set out to. We have some developments to bring to the table and hope to find what we are looking for.”

There is no official word on whether Onslow-Cole will join the team for a race weekend after the test day.

“I recently met with Tony and the team to discuss what we will be working towards on the day and I feel that I can help them in the areas required. It will be very interesting to see how we end up at the test and go from there,” said Onslow-Cole.

“I’ll always have a place in my heart for the BTCC and would never rule out a return at some point as long as it fits in and around my other commitments both on and off track.”