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MB Partners are delighted to announce that Mark Blundell will make his return to elite-level motor racing in 2019. The former Formula One star and Le Mans 24 Hours and IndyCar winner will take to the grid for the first time in six years as he makes his debut in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) for the 2019 campaign. Running with Shaun Hollamby’s AmD Tuning team, Blundell gets behind the wheel of the Trade Price Racing Cars Audi S3 saloon and is tasked with taking on the UK’s highest-profile domestic racing series in what will be his first ever touring car campaign.
The news extends Blundell’s long and distinguished career in motorsport into its thirty-second year. His career has seen the British driver represent the likes of McLaren, Brabham, Tyrell and Ligier in Formula 1, taking multiple podiums across a 61 Grand Prix career. His success extends to claiming top spot at the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans as well as being one of only a handful of English drivers to have tasted victory in a 500 mile oval race during his multiple race winning Indycar career. Throughout this time, touring car competition has not figured in his racing CV meaning 2019 will mark his first season-long campaign within the discipline.
Combining the new challenge of a full racing calendar with his ongoing role as CEO of MB Partners, Blundell is excited for what lies ahead of him and feels it will complement his work alongside MB Partners’ stable of managed drivers.
“Once the opportunity arose to get back behind the wheel, it was always something I was very keen to make happen. The British Touring Car Championship is a fantastic series that I have always wanted to race in but it has never been possible until now.”
“I have been lucky enough to have had a fantastic motor racing career to date and to have been a part of British motorsport for many years. The sport is in a fantastic place across the UK at this current time and the BTCC and the overall TOCA package is a major part of that, providing an excellent platform for top-level professional drivers and many bright talents behind the wheel. The strength of the series is shown by the thousands of fans that join trackside up and down the country and the millions more that tune in from home on ITV.”
“It is going to be a new challenge for me but one I am really excited by. Alan Gow (BTCC Series Director) and I have been chatting for a number of years about taking part in the BTCC and I’m delighted that the time is right to finally make this step. At my age, I want to make sure that I am taking on such a prestigious championship while I am still geared up to do so competitively.”
With the season-opener at Brands Hatch less than two months away, Blundell is looking forward to revealing further exciting news in the coming weeks.
“My participation in the series has come about due to a hugely exciting partnership that we are looking forward to announcing in the coming weeks. It has been a long process to get to this point so I do want to thank my Chairman and my fellow directors at MB Partners as well as many friends from across the sport in making this all possible. It will be fantastic news for the BTCC, bringing a global brand onto the grid, and myself and the MB Partners team can’t wait to get to work on many of the exciting plans that are already in place.”
Image courtesy of Indira Flack