BTCC

Jack Goff: “Adapting To RWD Won’t Take Long In 2016”

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West Surrey Racing‘s new Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship recruit for 2016, Jack Goff, told TCF that his switch to the BMW squad is a “great opportunity” for a title push.

The former Renault UK Clio Cup champion and BTCC race winner announced his move from Triple Eight to WSR on Thursday morning (14 January) at the Autosport International Show at Birmingham’s NEC Arena, a move which Goff himself was left brimming over.

Goff will take over the seat vacated by Andy Priaulx, the triple World Touring Car Championship winner having claimed a brace of wins in the IHG® Rewards Club-backed BMW 125i M-Sport in 2015.

Speaking to TCF at the Autosport Show on Thursday, Goff commented: “It’s a completely new chapter for me!

“It came as a bit of a surprise to many, but I got the call, met the guys and here we are now. They’re a massively good bunch.”

“We’ve got a good testing plan in place which is good. So yes, I can’t wait to get going now as this is a really great opportunity with IHG® Rewards Club, BMW and obviously WSR as well that we’ve been given here.”

The most pressing difference for the former Vauxhall Insignia, Volkswagen CC and MG6 GT racer is the move to rear-wheel drive machinery for the 2016 season, the first time Goff has ventured that way in his still-young BTCC career.

“It’s obviously a switch to rear-wheel drive from front-wheel drive – that’s going to take a bit of time initially to get used to”, added Goff.

Goff says a switch the RWD does not faze him. (Photo: Dan Mason)

Goff says a switch to RWD does not faze him. (Photo: Dan Mason)

A RWD switch is however not one that concerns WSR’s new recruit, who aims to use an encouraging bout of pre-season testing to his advantage prior to the season-opening round at Brands Hatch in April.

On whether it would take time, he said: “I don’t think so really. It could maybe take a couple of rounds but the beauty is that we’ve got some testing put in place which will be nice.

“It will maybe take a little while getting to grips with it, but I think we’ll be fine – we just want to get out there and see what we can do.”

Goff comes off the back of what he describes as his best BTCC season from his three years to date, clinching a famous maiden victory with Triple Eight in Snetterton’s reverse-grid race back in August.

The confidence boost gained from that result is one that Goff hopes he can build on with a proven championship-winning car in the BMW 125i M-Sport, the youngster keeping his cards close to his chest ahead of the new season.

“It was a good season last year”, Goff stated when discussing the previous 12 months with the MG outfit. “My best by a long way. We got four podiums and my first win obviously, but the fact that we got a podium in the first round and a podium in the last round showed I was pretty consistent.

“I hope we can build on that year now and do even better. The plan is that we need to get on the top step of the podium a few more times.

“Who knows – you could even be fighting for the championship when you’re getting on that top step. We’ll give it a good go and hopefully we’ll be standing here next year chatting about how close we got, or maybe even how we won the championship.”

Photo: West Surrey Racing

Photo: West Surrey Racing

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