Tom Oliphant will be hoping to build on his promising 2019 season in the British Touring Car Championship with Team BMW after announcing a deal to race with the WSR-run team in 2020.
Oliphant established himself as a front-runner in the BMW 330i M Sport throughout the season with multiple top-ten finishes along with two podium finishes at Donington Park and Oulton Park.
“I couldn’t be happier to be continuing with Team BMW for the 2020 British Touring Car Championship season. I loved every second racing with them this year, they are a fantastic team and have really helped me develop as a driver,” said Oliphant.
“With the experience and expertise of the WSR team behind me, I feel I made good progress as a BTCC driver across the campaign. Getting onto the overall podium a couple of times were the highlights of the year, and I can build on those performances in 2020.
“In Team BMW and the BMW 330i M Sport, I am racing with the best package on the grid. We’ve got an extensive pre-season testing programme scheduled for the new year and I’m confident I can hit the ground running and challenge for victories from race one onwards.“
Oliphant took the battle for the Jack Sears trophy to the final weekend of the season when he narrowly missed out on the title to Rory Butcher, hindered by a retirement in the second race of the weekend.
“From the first time Tom drove the new BMW 330i M Sport in March, it was clear he was someone who would really benefit from being back in a rear-wheel-drive car, and his progress during the year was strong as he learnt the car and developed the relationship with his engineer,” commented Team Principal Dick Bennetts.
“Nobody qualified inside the top 10 more often than Tom, he set more fastest laps in the second half of the season than any other driver and led a race for the first time. Taking what he’s learned in 2019 and adding in a winter of development for the 3 Series, Tom will be an even stronger proposition in 2020.”
