One of our own was racing in the British Touring Car Championship this season. Fifteen years ago, Will Powell was a young road tester on Autocar. By hook or by crook, he made it onto the grid of one of the toughest and most competitive motor racing series in the world. Earlier this summer, we joined him on race day at Oulton Park to witness the cut and thrust close up. In short, BTCC life is brutal- and it turned out to be his final outing.
Powell, 38, was racing a Honda Civic Type R for One Motorsport with Starline Racing, teamed with 18-time race winner Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat, who way back in 2013 became the youngest driver to start a BTCC round. In contrast, Powell is a late bloomer. Following his time at Autocar, he embarked on a successful marketing career and made it into GT racing. So no junior racing, no high-level national campaigns. But still, sponsorship from a network of automotive suppliers the BTCC lifeblood led to a part-BTCC season with Team Hard last year. At Oulton, it was clear the pressure was on.
"In sports cars and longer-format racing, you can go Pro-Am. We were okay. That was working all right," Powell told us when Autocar caught up with him in the team truck on Sunday morning. The day before, he had skated into a gravel trap in qualifying, causing a red flag. He knew what he was getting into, didn't he? "One hundred per cent. When we stepped up to this level last year, at a week's notice, I knew it would be tough- and it is. Very."
Esta historia es de la edición August 09, 2023 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición August 09, 2023 de Autocar UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Poster car that went from rusty to trusty
One evening, two years ago, George Pappas was being driven down his local high street by a mate and mulling over whether to replace his Mk4 Golf diesel, a recent purchase that was boring him to death, when his girlfriend, also in the car, spotted an old BMW 3 Series at the side of the road with a 'for sale' sign in the window.
THE SEVEN-SEATER THAT VOLVO DARE NOT KILL OFF
The current-gen XC90 has been on sale since 2015 for good reason
GENESIS ELECTRIFIED G80
Where the story begins, in the Hyundai premium marque’s luxury saloon
LEXUSLBX
Can you shrink premium quality to fit an SUV this small? We now know
Rolls boss ready to 'define the next chapter'
Nine months into the job, Rolls-Royce CEO and car guy Chris Brownridge tells STEVE CROPLEY what he's learned and where the firm's heading
Once more, with feeling
AC Cars' recreation of the classic MkII Cobra is at first glance a faithful facsimile of a 1960s performance benchmark. SIMON HUCKNALL drives it
MERCEDES-BENZ CLE
Does a PHEV set-up work in a coupé that exudes such old-school vibes?
ANALOGUE SUPERSPORT
Lotus Elise specialist uprates 1990s icon with an eye on track days
ALPINE A290
The hot hatch is alive and well, and living in France. On both road and track, there's much to savour`
UK HANGS ON TO OLD CARS
Average car age climbs as high prices dampen demand for new models