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Luxury car brand Infiniti announce BTCC entry for 2015

By MJP Media | 16 October 2014

Japanese luxury car maker Infiniti has announced they are to enter the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship next year in a bid to strengthen their brand image in the British car market.

The Infiniti Q50

The Japanese manufacturer says it will enter two race-prepared examples of its Q50 executive saloon but unusually, the team will be run as a not-for-profit operation in conjunction with a charity for injured paratroopers. One of the stated aims of the team will be to raise money and awareness for the charity 'Support Our Paras' and as such a large proportion of the pit crew will consist of injured paratroopers.

The new team's driver line-up will consist of Richard Hawken and Derek Palmer Jr. The addition of a new manufacturer-supported team will prove a boost to the BTCC which currently plays host to two other works teams - Honda and MG.

The official team launch

Infiniti will raise eyebrows amongst the technically minded because the Q50 is a larger car than the majority of the rest of the field and size normally means weight which can be a drawback in racing terms. Infiniti however will be hoping that its involvement in the championship will lead to an increased perception of Infiniti as a producer of sportier vehicles, which will improve sales of its forthcoming Q50 Eau Rouge sports saloon. Infiniti have of course just suffered a blow with Sebastian Vettel leaving Red Bull F1 where they were team sponsors and had a Vettel limited edition model which will now have to be withdrawn.

Team principal of the new operation Derek Palmer, currently the boss of Pro Motorsport Scotland who race former BTCC Super Tourers, believes his outfit has what it takes to pull off a few surprises next year. "We've set ourselves a number of significant but achievable targets." he said. "Of course we are aware of the challenges ahead of us but with the united forces of The Paras and Infiniti, we believe we have the power and financial resources to deliver results in the BTCC."

Infiniti are proud to 'Support Our Paras'

Palmer's son, Derek Palmer Jr, will join Richard Hawken in the team's driver line-up. Hawken has won three championships at club level racing in classic touring cars, while Palmer has spent several years competing in supercar and GT4 race series on the continent and is a former race winner.

Colin Smith, CEO of Afghanistan Trust and to be Director of Operations for the Support Our Paras charity, said that the new team would help injured paratroopers in a completely new way. "I know the overall impact will be tremendous now that the team has finally launched." he said. "This is something totally different. It's employing injured paratroopers and they can eventually make a career out of this; that has never happened before."

The new team will make its debut at the first round of the 2015 season which will be held at Brands Hatch on the 4th and 5th of April.

Touring Car content supplied by MJP Media