Andrew Jordan: ‘My 2019 BMW 3 Series BTCC Car’
It was announced this morning that West Surrey Racing, who run both the Team BMW cars and my BMW Pirtek Racing BTCC machine, will be switching to the BMW 330i M Sport for the 2019 season. It’s an announcement that has me incredibly excited, and it should be a really good car.
I was down at WSR HQ the other day talking to Graeme Grieve, CEO of BMW UK, explaining that a saloon is just what BMW in the BTCC is about. In fact, if I look out of my window right now and into the JRT workshop I can see Nick Whale’s 1989 M3, and that to me is the definition of saloon car racing. I’ve got clear memories of watching BMW in the BTCC and it was always the 3 Series. I can’t wait to add a little more to its legacy.
It’s going to be tight getting the cars out for the start of the season, there’s no getting away from it, but Dick [Bennetts, WSR team boss] and the team have it all under control. If you were to pick any team from the BTCC paddock to build you a brand-new car for the upcoming season, it’d be them. They are so ahead of the game on everything that they can be, and there’s just a buzz around the place at the moment – everyone’s excited and looking forward to see what this year can bring.
The spares are built and they’re ready to start working on the cars as soon as the shells arrive back from the fabricators. The first shell, before it was sent off for fabrication, was in the workshop when I was there on the 28th December, and I had a look over it with Dick. Even sitting in the shell, I could tell it was going to be absolutely mega.
I’ve also driven the road car around MIRA, and while it’s obviously bigger, it doesn’t feel huge. The longer wheelbase of the car should help us at the flowing circuits like Donington and Thruxton, but when we get to Knockhill, we’ll probably want our shorter wheelbase back!
It’s great to be involved in a project from start to finish. In the past when we ran the Hondas at Eurotech they were built by Team Dynamics, but this time we’re involved in every element. My engineer is involved in the design work and he’s asking me questions about things such as gearing positions and steering wheel angle. Things like that don’t gain tenths on track, but it’s great to have an input in the car, particularly when we get that first drive ahead of the new season.
Obviously we want to go out and be quick straight away, but everyone knows that the key to winning the BTCC in recent years has been reliability. Colin only won one race last season, so a good, reliable car will set us up on the right foot.
That being said I’m really up for the challenge and seeing when we’ll get our first podium, first win and see where we are come the end of the season. If we can get a solid start and get through Brands and Donington, then we’re going to be in a great place. The important thing is that we get points on the board and make sure we have a reliable car fresh out of the box – and if you want one of those, West Surrey Racing are certainly the team to have behind you.