This weekend marks an exciting chapter in the career of Andrew Watson who is set to make his debut in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Donington Park this weekend with CarStore Power Maxed Racing.
The opening round of the season, which will take place at the 1.96 mile National layout of Donington Park, Leicestershire, is Andrew’s first venture into BTCC and he’s eager to showcase his skills behind the wheel of the #11 Vauxhall Astra.
Andrew brings a wealth of racing experience to the CarStore Power Maxed Racing team having competed in high-level GT machinery since 2015, competing in the likes of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans, GT World Challenge Europe and British GT.
With it being Andrew's debut season in BTCC he'll no doubt have his sight set on the Jack Sears trophy, designed for drivers who enter the 2023 season without a BTCC podium to their name.
Commenting ahead of the opening round, Andrew said:
“I’m really looking forward to getting the season started. It’s been quite a while since we announced the drive, so I’m itching to get stuck in and begin this new chapter of my career in the BTCC.
“The car is unlike anything I’ve ever driven before, and there’s a certain style of racing you need to master to be successful in the BTCC. But it’s an exciting process, testing has kicked everything off on a positive note, and I can’t wait to get going.”
This weekend will be the first of two visits to Donington Park across the 30 race BTCC calendar. The weekend kicks off with the first free practice session which takes place at 09:30 on Saturday, followed by a second practice session at 12:15. Qualifying for the opening race takes place later that day at 15:40.
When it comes to racing, the curtains are officially lifted on Sunday with the first race scheduled to start at 11:30, followed by two further races at 14:40 and 17:25 (BST) respectively.
You can tune in with live coverage of Saturday's qualify session available to stream on itv.com/btcc, as well as a more than 7 hour race-day television broadcast available on ITV4 from 10:45 on Sunday. Live timing is also available for all sessions across the weekend.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Saturday 22nd April
Free practice 1: 09:30
Free practice 2: 12:15
Qualifying: 15:40
Sunday 23rd April
Race 1: 11:30
Race 2: 14:40
Race 3: 17:25
(All times BST)