Photo: EXCELR8

Tom Chilton switches to EXCELR8 for 2022

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Tom Chilton will return to front-wheel drive for the 2022 BTCC season after agreeing terms on a deal to join EXCELR8 Motorsport.

Chilton becomes the third driver confirmed by the Hyundai squad for the new campaign alongside Tom Ingram and Dan Lloyd as he seeks to bounce back from a challenging year with Ciceley Motorsport saw him fail to make it onto the podium for the first time in his BTCC career.

The experienced 36-year-old will seek to return to form as he looks to add to his 14 wins to date in the series, with the ultimate goal being to try and launch a bid for a first overall title.

“I’m massively excited to announce this deal with EXCELR8 for 2022, and I’m going back to what I know with a front-wheel drive touring car,” he said. “There were a lot of teams interested in doing a deal for this season in both the BTCC and elsewhere, but having spoken to Justina [Williams – team owner], it was clear to see how serious the team is about winning – and that is backed up by the strong commercial partners that are in place.

“There is so much work that has gone into putting the right people in place from the engineers behind to the scenes to the drivers in the cars, and I think we’ll all be able to work together to help the team move forwards again this year. I’m particularly looking forward to working with Tom as I feel he is a quick driver who has a similar driving style to me and with our experience, and the speed that Dan has also shown in the past, I believe we already have one of the strongest line-ups on the grid.”

Chilton added that he is hopeful that a season in ETCR last year with Hyundai will also be beneficial going into the new hybrid era.

“The new hybrid system is going to mix things up a bit this year but I feel the experience I gained last year in ETCR is something that will give us an advantage,” he said. “I was working with some of the smartest guys in the business with Hyundai Motorsport and was able to learn a huge amount that we can try and benefit from this season, particularly early on when everyone is trying to get up to speed.

“Having won an Independents’ title and been in the top three overall in the past, I really want to challenge for the overall title, and my full focus is on trying to achieve that goal with EXCELR8 this season. Roll on the opening rounds!”