BTCC race winner Rob Ausin has joined Handy Motorsport. The 34 year old will race the new Toyato Avensis for the Swindon-based team, a real “game changer” for the team.
“I’m really excited to be joining forces with Handy Motorsport,” said Austin. “The new car is a lot more suited to the [championship] regulations than my Audis were and through this deal we’re combining the best bits of both teams. I think we should be able to do a really good job with the new Toyota and spring some surprises.”
Austin has spent the past five years racing for the Rob Austin Racing outfit in an Audi A4. The move to Handy Motorsport will mean racing a front-wheel drive car for the first time in almost a decade.
“There will be some adapting back to front-wheel drive,” he said. “But, as Colin Turkington has proved, if you can drive you can drive. It’s bloody hard work organising the money, running a team, and sorting the sponsorship and driving as well, so I’m looking forward to focusing on the thing I do best rather than spreading myself so thin. This really is the perfect opportunity.”
“It goes without saying we are absolutely ecstatic to announce Rob as our new driver for 2016,” said Handy team boss, Simon Belcher. “He’s a quality driver, a proven race winner in touring cars, and brings a huge amount of experience to the team.
“We’ve been discussing the possibility of working together for a while and, thanks to a new sponsor package, we’ve been able to put this programme ogether. We’re at the start of a very exciting period in the team’s BTCC story, and very much looking forward to making big strides this season.”
Feature Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/carryfiasco/
