Soap star Kelvin Fletcher will make his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship debut after penning a deal with Power Maxed Racing for the 2016 season.
Famed for his role as the character Andy Sugden in the popular long-standing soap, Emmerdale, Fletcher brings with him racing experience in TOCA support championships such as the Porsche Carrera Cup GB back in 2014.
The 32-year-old also enjoyed a venture in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, a stint in prototypes in the V de V Challenge and a guest appearance in the F1-supporting Porsche Supercup.
Fletcher joins Hunter Abbott in a second Chevrolet Cruze for the 2016 season, which includes a number of changes alongside the adoption of the upgraded RML components.
Fletcher commented: “I’m really looking forward to making the step up to the BTCC, signing with such a solid team as Power Maxed Racing will no doubt make the transition to the BTCC a smooth one.
“I’m a massive motorsport fan and have been watching the BTCC for as long as I can remember, it has been a lifelong dream to race against my childhood heroes and it is about to become a reality thanks to Power Maxed Racing and the University of Bolton.”
Adam Weaver, Team Principal at Power Maxed Racing, commented: “We are delighted to welcome Kelvin to PMR and give him his chance to step up into the BTCC. He has a strong sportscar track record and he is more than ready to make the transition to the UK’s finest domestic racing series. We think Kelvin is an excellent choice to race alongside Hunter, we feel they will work together and will both be turning a few heads this year.
“We promised a big name for this year and Kelvin’s celebrity status will certainly draw a crowd. We’re looking forward to working with another celebrity driver following our relationship with Paul Hollywood. We have thousands of ideas buzzing around the office for other projects we could work on with Kelvin, our favourite at the moment is an Emmerdale vs Corrie track day.”
