UK: Team twc Silverstone test summary

Team twc (GB) Ltd Kicks Off Busy 2007

Bromsgrove based preparation and motorsport support team, Team twc (GB) Ltd was at Silverstone recently, testing new cars in preparation for a busy season in 2007. Most of the running in the icy conditions was undertaken by Colin Willmott in his ex Sam Edwards Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car. Inspired by excellent Britcar performances in a Porsche 996 GT3 RS with the team in 2006, Redditch businessman Willmott is stepping up to the BTCC supporting Porsche Carrera Cup for 2007 and was enjoying a trouble-free test despite the icy conditions. "It will take some getting used to the sequential gearbox and the power with this car but I'm looking forward to competing in the senior Porsche series in the UK this year" says Willmott, "our aim is consistent top 10 finishes". Given Willmott's experience and success with the Porsche 996 last year and in MG sports cars before that, there is no doubt he can compete successfully at this level.

Also testing with Team twc at Silverstone, the vastly experienced Cheltenham racer Barry Benham was out to break in his brand new Renault Clio Cup car. Team principal Ian Tilsley feels that Benham will do well in the Clio Cup BTCC support series; "we expect Barry to be very competitive in this series, he's going to surprise a lot of people for sure". Those who know Benham and the determined performances that have carried him to three MG ZR championship wins in recent years will agree that he is going to make a big impression in the closely fought Clio Cup this year.

Team twc will also be running a second Clio Cup car alongside Benham's and is currently arranging driver tests. Suitably skilled drivers with a budget who want to be noticed by the BTCC teams should contact Team twc straight away.

The twc team will still be at Britcar events, running a Porsche 996 GT3 RS and also a BMW M3 for Robert Day and Paul Phipps across the GT and Production S1 classes. Both drivers have chosen to stay with the team after a successful partnership in 2006 encompassing MGF sports cars in the MG Trophy and both the BMW and Porsche in Britcar endurance races.

Team principal Chris Wright added "we are running several rally cars for customers in 2007, including a Subaru Impreza and an MG ZR. The workshop is also busy on preparation work as you might expect at this time of year".

Having the connections with skilled motorsport engineers which flow from many years experience in racing and rallying with MG Sport & Racing, Team twc has the capability to expand rapidly to meet the growing demand for car preparation and on-event support. Ian and Chris agree "we know that to grow quickly, we need to not only win new customers but take very good care of the ones we already have". Their performance in retaining drivers for 2007 and helping them progress to new achievements shows that they are putting the theory into practice.

-credit: twc