The AmD Tuning.com squad company was formed in 1987, specialising in the Volkswagen-Audi marque and forming their own VW-backed race team in 1990, now continuing to bring Volkswagen machinery back into BTCC’s modern era.
The squad went on to win many championships with AmD-built and tuned Volkswagen Golfs, AmD also running SEAT Leon machinery in the Dunlop Sportmaxx Cup and winning the championship in 2009 with Simon Shaw.
In 2010, AmD managing director Shaun Hollamby entered the BTCC driving a newly-built Volkswagen Golf fit to the S2000 regulations, Hollamby himself behind the wheel of the AmD Milltek-backed car as the team went on to an ultimately scoreless debut season, but one that was always treated as a learning year.
In 2011 the team were boosted by a strong start to the season in the developing Golf, aided by the presence of former race winner Tom Onslow-Cole for the opening four events of the season. Two seventh place finishes were netted by Onslow-Cole before he parted with the squad to return to Ford, Hollamby and ex-Clio champion Martin Byford taking the wheel of the car as they finished 12th in the team’s standings and 10th in the Independent’s championship.
The Golf remained in 2012, but the NGTC regulations made it more difficult for the team as Ollie Jackson scored 61 points to finish 18th in the final standings, AmD ending the year 13th in the team’s standings. Despite an NGTC plan falling through early in 2013, the team continued into the 2013 with the trusty VW Golf in better shape thanks to the S2000-specific Jack Sears Trophy, former Independent champion James Kaye returned to BTCC to lead the team in the driver’s seat.
Points at the opening meeting of the season at Brands Hatch on the Indy Circuit were unfortunately not indicative of the how the season would pan out. Reliability woes plagued the plucky Golf particularly at Donington Park and Thruxton. Kaye did not participate in the races at Oulton Park in June, allowing Aaron Mason to enjoy his first taste of the BTCC, having formally participated in the VW Racing Cup.
The team then made the bold decision to purchase a Team Dynamics Honda Civic of S2000 specification in the summer break, in a bid to re-ignite Kaye’s JST title fight. Yet again though, reliability was only describable either as lacking or none existent. Snetterton would be veteran Kaye’s last meeting for the squad.
AmD would not return until the final meeting of the year on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix layout. Shaun Hollamby returned to driving duties to conclude an emotional send-off for the much loved Golf by achieving a victory in the Jack Sears Trophy classification. The combined efforts of Kaye, Mason and Hollamby netted the squad 18th in the team standings.
2014 would be a fresh start for AmD Tuning. Out went the Golf and the unloved Civic. In came a Motorbase Performance built Ford Focus ST maintained to the latest NGTC specification. Also in was former race winner and Renault UK Clio Cup champion Dave Newsham. With Motorbase wishing to accommodate a satellite team, the future of AmD looks secure.
Despite what on paper should be a very competitive combination, thus far the teams’ hard work is yet to pay-off. A pair of 9th positions, one achieved at Brands Hatch at the start of the year and one achieved at Donington Park, are not the sort of top results the team would have been hoping for. However, the increased competitiveness at the front of the grid is surely having an effect.
The most notable moment of the team’s year so far came during the second encounter at Oulton Park, where a collision with Jack Goff and then a barrier, left the Focus severely damaged. This pushed the team forward with its plans to update the aero package on the car to the latest 2014 specification. Further dramas at Croft and Snetterton means it remains to be seen if this update will have any great effect on the results, as AmD heads into the second half of the season.
# | Driver | Specification | Car | Pos. | Pts. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 – AmD Milltek Racing.com | |||||
99 | Shaun Hollamby | S2000 | Volkswagen Golf Mk5 | 28 | 0 |
Independents Trophy | 22 | 3 | |||
Teams Championship | 16 | 0 | |||
Independent Teams Championship | 13 | 29 | |||
2011 – AmD Milltek Racing.com | |||||
99 | Tom Onslow-Cole | S2000 | Volkswagen Golf | 13 | 61* |
Independents Trophy | 7 | 123* | |||
99 | Shaun Hollamby | S2000 | Volkswagen Golf | 29 | 0 |
Independents Trophy | 24 | 9 | |||
99 | Martin Byford | S2000 | Volkswagen Golf | 30 | 0 |
Independents Trophy | 25 | 236 | |||
Teams Championship | 12 | 9 | |||
Independent Teams Championship | 2 | 262 | |||
2012 – AmD Tuning.com | |||||
48 | Ollie Jackson | S2000 | Volkswagen Golf | 18 | 61 |
Independents Trophy | 13 | 115 | |||
Teams Championship | 13 | 71 | |||
Independent Teams Championship | 11 | 162 | |||
2013 – AmD Tuning.com | |||||
15 | James Kaye | S2000 | Volkswagen Golf | ||
51 | Aaron Mason | Volkswagen Golf |
*Includes points after Onslow-Cole moved to Aon Ford midway through season