Daniel Lloyd will hope to build on an encouraging start to his 2022 British Touring Car Championship campaign when the series heads to Brands Hatch this weekend for the second meeting of the season.
The Huddersfield racer made his first appearance with the EXCELR8 Motorsport team at Donington Park last month on what was the first weekend for the BTCC’s new hybrid era.
Although a damper issue in qualifying left him on the back foot for race day, Daniel showed strong pace at the wheel of his Hyundai i30 Fastback N to grab a pair of top ten finishes from the three races, and came within two laps of scoring what would have been a sixth career podium.
It leaves Daniel sitting in a solid eighth in the championship standings, but with the promise of more to come as he continues working with the team to extract the maximum from the Hyundai, which was a race winner around the tight and challenging Brands Hatch Indy circuit last year.
Daniel himself scored a pair of top ten finishes at Brands Hatch last season, and will now hope to at least replicate that kind of performance as he bids to cement his place inside the championship top ten.
With the BTCC no longer running a success ballast system, Daniel will not need to worry about carrying additional weight into the weekend, but will instead run with a reduced amount of hybrid power in both qualifying and race one as a result of his championship position.
During qualifying, he will only be permitted to use the hybrid system for 10.5 seconds as opposed to the full 15 seconds, and whilst he will have that 15 seconds per lap available in race one, he will only be permitted to use it for 21 of the scheduled 24 laps.
“The fact we’ve had a three week break after Donington Park means that weekend was almost like a bit of a teaser for the season, so I can’t wait to get back out on track at Brands Hatch,” Daniel said.
“Ultimately, we picked up some solid results from the opening rounds despite having a few issues that the team worked hard to resolve, and hopefully we can hit the ground running when we get to Brands Hatch and have a trouble free run
“It’s usually so close at Brands Hatch that the loss of hybrid time in qualifying might hurt us a little bit, but not as much as the guys right at the front. Regardless of that, I’m confident that we’ll be right in the mix inside the top ten and can challenge for some more strong points.”
In a change to the norm for this weekend, coverage of the three BTCC races will be shared between ITV4 and ITV, giving Daniel the chance to promote his key partners in front of an even greater audience.
That includes the likes of 247 Blinds, ABRACS and Propack as well as Heatworks; the latter being the latest Yorkshire-based business to join forces with the race winning driver as he chases success on track in 2022.
Primarily known for specialising in mechanical and electrical installation of a range of different systems – which includes air-conditioning, heating and ventilation – Heatworks has expanded into all areas of the construction industry and is able to deliver turn key solutions for both new and existing developments.
Having already worked alongside the likes of British Telecommunications, CBRE and the Lloyds Banking Group, Heatworks will use its new partnership with Daniel to aid with the future growth and promotion of the business thanks to the extensive B2B networking opportunities that come from being involved in Britain’s premier racing series.
‘We are looking forward to this year’s British Touring Car Championship, and we are proud to be sponsoring Daniel,” Heatworks Director Nathan Ure said. “We attended the opening race at Donington Park alongside one of our close clients and we were very impressed with both the racing and hospitality. We are looking forward to seeing what the rest of the season holds for Dan.”
Race one this weekend – which is scheduled to start at 11:30 – will air live on ITV4, and will then be repeated ahead of races two and three – at 14:10 and 16:15 – as part of the ITV coverage.
It marks the first time that the BTCC will have aired live on the main ITV channel in more than a decade, and is the first of two events that will benefit from such coverage; the second being the Oulton Park meeting in early June.
“The BTCC already has the best TV package out there, but it is massively exciting to see it enhanced even further with the move to ITV this weekend,” Daniel continued.
“The fact that ITV has elected to take this decision for two events shows the strength of the championship, and I have no doubt that anyone who is tuning in for the first time will be won over by the all-action nature of the racing.
“For me as a driver, this move also provides a fantastic opportunity to showcase my commercial partners to an even greater audience, particularly on a weekend when I am welcoming a new partner onboard in Heatworks.
“It further shows the value that comes from being involved with the series, and I’m looking forward to getting out there on track and doing the best job possible for all of my partners on what is a huge weekend for the championship.”
