Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit hosts the finale of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season this coming weekend, 10th/11th October, where Handy Motorsport driver Simon Belcher is aiming to conclude his sophomore campaign in the all-action category with a real flourish.
Returning to the driving seat of his Toyota Avensis just over a week ago at Silverstone, following a three event lay-off from competitive action, the Swindon 41-year-old quickly got back into the swing of things and is now determined to mount a bid for his second outright BTCC points score of 2015.
Brands Hatch, albeit the shorter Indy Circuit configuration, was the venue for Belcher’s first ever top 15 finish in touring cars during the season-opening race meeting back in April and he is therefore relishing his return to the popular Kent track.
Clearly, the GP layout provides an altogether different challenge to the short and twisty Indy Circuit but Belcher – who is backed by Webb Garden Power Equipment and KÄRCHER – enjoys the longer configuration and went well there during his rookie BTCC season last year.
Posting a brace of finishes inside the overall top 20 on the corresponding weekend in 2014, the multiple jet-ski champion and two-time Masters Cup champion in the BTCC-supporting Clio Cup aims to improve on that this time around and also climb the Independents Trophy table.
“I’m really looking forward to Brands and feeling pretty confident we can have a good weekend there”, said Belcher, “We have to try and nail qualifying, that’s been a bit of an Achilles heel to be honest as our race pace has been good. I definitely feel I’ve improved as a touring car driver this year and would love to try and break back into the top 15 on the final weekend of the season.”
Ahead of the weekend’s action, Belcher holds 20th position in the Independents Trophy battle but is just six points shy of 18th spot and has a very real opportunity to progress during the finale. In the Independents Team standings, meanwhile, Handy Motorsport is currently inside the coveted top 10 and can end the season an improved ninth if all goes as planned during the final three races.
“Everyone in the team is hoping to go out on a bit of a high at the weekend, three strong points finishes in the Independents Trophy have to be our main target”, he added, “While we will all be sad to see the season come to an end, there are so many exciting things happening behind the scenes ahead of next year.
“Handy Motorsport intends to be in the BTCC for the long term and our plans for 2016 certainly reflect that. We’ve all learnt so much this year and really do feel a big part of the BTCC family, which is absolutely fantastic. It’s the only place to be in British motorsport.”
Following the usual free practice sessions on Saturday, 10th October, qualifying will get underway at 15.40 with live streaming online at the www.itv.com/btcc website. On Sunday, 11th October, round 28 will begin at 11.30, round 29 will start at 14.20 and round 30 will follow at 17.10 – all three races will be screened live on ITV4 and ITV4 HD.
2015 Dunlop MSA BTCC Drivers Championship (after Rd27): 27th Simon Belcher, 1pt
2015 Dunlop MSA BTCC Independents Trophy (after Rd27): 20th Simon Belcher, 32pts
2015 Dunlop MSA BTCC HiQ Teams Championship (after Rd27): 15th Handy Motorsport, 5pts
2015 Dunlop MSA BTCC Independents Team Trophy (after Rd27): 10th Handy Motorsport, 135pts
