Mercedes-Benz set to appear in the BTCC in 2014
By MJP Media | 25 September 2013
Silverstone sees the return of the youngest ever BTCC driver to the grid. Ciceley Racing switch to Mercedes-Benz in the first major announcement for the 2014 season.
Artist's impression of the 2014 Ciceley Racing Mercedes-Benz A-Class
This weekend will see the return of Aiden Moffat to the grid for his second weekend of BTCC octane fuelled mayhem after his record breaking debut at Knockhill. Aiden celebrates his 17th birthday on Saturday, although his mind will be far more focussed on his PPCGB.com/Kraftwerk Racing Volkswagen Passat than birthday cakes and parties. Seeming so totally mature for his age, he even did over 100 laps of testing in the car at Brands Hatch last week to get completely comfortable with the car and we wish him all the best. Maybe a bit of birthday luck will make his weekend special for all the right reasons.
In a big announcement for 2014, Ciceley Racing announced that they will campaign a Mercedes-Benz A-Class in the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, paving the way for its debut in Britain's premier motorsport series at Brands Hatch next March. The decision will see Ciceley Racing align their on-track activity with main title sponsor Ciceley Commercials Mercedes-Benz Truck & Van dealership, with the A-Class judged as an ideal fit for the current NGTC regulations.
Aiden Moffat will return to the BTCC at Silverstone this weekend
Ciceley Racing is no stranger to competing with Mercedes-Benz machinery in motorsport. Having clinched class wins on the Manx Rally twice in 1986 and 1987 with Adam's dad Russell, the Lancashire based outfit have firmly set their sights on achieving victories for a Mercedes-Benz in the BTCC in 2014.
"It's great to finally announce our plans for 2014, the switch made sense for us in many different ways." said Ciceley Racing Team Principal Russell Morgan. "With Paul Ridgway at the helm of the project holding high aspirations and Adam continuing to mature as a driver, we think that the A-Class can be a competitive package in the series next year. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Toyota for all of their help over the last two seasons, hopefully we can end what has been a brilliant debut season for the team on a high."
Adam Morgan's 2013 Ciceley Racing Toyota Avensis
BTCC Series Director Alan Gow added, "This programme by Ciceley Racing is a perfect demonstration of the strength and adaptability of our 'NGTC' technical regulations - the team are able to change from racing a Toyota and onto developing and racing a Mercedes-Benz, whilst utilising the vast majority of the NGTC components they already possess. It will be great to see a Mercedes-Benz on the grid, to add to the already huge roll-call of other great brands competing in the BTCC."
We expect to see more announcements for 2014 over the coming weeks and we will have all the details for you here, including some special news late next Thursday or Friday, but we can't give anything away yet!
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