Nicolas Hamilton – younger brother of Lewis – has switched to Team HARD as he stays for another year in British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) in 2020.
Hamilton made his BTCC debut in 2019 with Motorbase as he drove a Ford Focus RS with support from ROKiT as his main sponsor. While he did not manage to score in overall championship, he was 10th in the rookie standings with 183 points.
He missed the last two rounds of the championship as well. For 2020, he retains the sponsorship from ROKiT, while he has switched to Team HARD to drive a Volkswagen CC alongside Mike Bushell and Jack Goff, with Carl Boardley driving a BMW.
“I’m super excited to be with Team HARD. Racing for the 2020 season,” said Hamilton. “Last year was so challenging for me. Coming close to facing a reality where my career might be over was really tough, but people stuck by me, kept me focused and upbeat and I’m now in a great place to start a new chapter behind the wheel.
“Team HARD. Racing is the most professional outfit I’ve worked with. The squad’s tenacity, motivation and belief inspire me. The team deserves a great season from me and I’m going to give it my all. The way these guys go about things in preparing the car and energising the team is inspiring.
“It cultivates such a great atmosphere from the factory to the pit lane. They help give me such enthusiasm for the season ahead and having ROKiT Phones and ABK Beer as partners, once again, is tremendous as they are brands with a passion to be the best in their industry, something that really resonates with me.
“Last year they stuck by me and acted with such integrity. I’m proud to represent them and be a part of their success, and more than anything I’m grateful for their continued support.” Meanwhile, Team HARD’s MD Tony Gilham, added:
“I’m delighted that Nic Hamilton has chosen to join the team for the 2020 season. His determination and drive to succeed has really lifted the whole team as we prepare three brand new Volkswagen CCs. Nic showed really encouraging signs in the series last season and his performance in the early laps of the opening round at Brands Hatch really caught my eye.
“This is the first year in the team’s history that we are going to Spain for testing and I couldn’t be more excited. A solid stint in the new Volkswagen CC will really benefit Nic both on and off-track as he settles into a new and very different team. I’m expecting Nic to learn a lot from our returning drivers as we look to move further up the grid in 2020.”
As mentioned, Hamilton will drive a modified Volkswagen CC, which the team is preparing for him. It will be a crucial year for him, in terms of his motor racing career. While Lewis guns for the F1 title, Nicolas will be pushing to score points and podium finishes.
