6) Rob Collard
A very refreshing season for the 2003 Independent BTCC champion, Rob Collard returned to the sharp end of the series he has made appearances in since 2000.
2013 he admitted was a year he did not enjoy, but 12 months later he was left looking back at a season of enjoyment behind the wheel as he adapted to the improving eBay Motors BMW 125i dramatically, becoming a perennial front-runner once again.
He remained a championship contender for the first half of the season, only a rough Snetterton outing putting that dream on hold as he collected podiums at Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Croft and kept his team-mate Turkington within sight on many Sundays.
Collard’s party piece came at Knockhill, a place that has proved kind to him down the years having collected his maiden win in 2005 and two triumphs in 2012. He added his only win of 2014 at the Fife venue in race three once he quickly made it to the front, having began Sunday from the rear of the lengthy grid midway through the hairpin after a penalty prior to the meeting.
Another exceptional recovery made greater headlines.
Silverstone saw one of the biggest BTCC shunts of the past decade, Collard’s BMW rolling down the back straight before resting in tatters at the side of the track. The BMW man emerged shaken before a trip to hospital, and said afterwards that the shunt was the biggest of his career.
His determination to get back behind the wheel showed the improved mindset of Collard in 2014, and the fact that two weeks later he recovered from the latter end of the field to grimly lead a pulsating race two at Brands Hatch GP circuit was remarkable.
The West Surrey Racing man ended sixth in the final standings thanks to seven podium visits, and hopes to stay with the BMW squad for 2015.
