Ipswich motor-racing star and former National Hot Rod champion, Carl Boardley, will be racing in the British Touring Car Championship in 2019, writes Dean Cox.

The former multi-winning world champion, who also had huge success in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup, will be racing for Team Hard in the Championship, joining up wit 2018 racers Mike Bushell and Bobby Thompson.

Boardley will be taking a seat in one of the team’s VW CCs following successful Test Days and a one-off outing in the 2018 BTCC at Knockhill.

Boardley has never made any secret that he would like to compete in the BTCC Series, which is shown on TV, should the right drive and backing become available at the right time.

This will give him a chance to show his race craft and experience.

Naturally he is thrilled.

‘I am delighted to have committed to Team Hard for the 2019 season in BTCC,” he said.

“After running with the team in GT4 Supercup throughout this year I have got to know all of the team really well, I feel comfortable in the surroundings.

‘Having made my BTCC debut at Knockhill it gave me a real taste of what the championship is all about and made me hungry for a lot, lot more. The team have made some major improvements to the car over the last couple of months which is ongoing and I believe things are in a strong position for 2019.

‘I am under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead as this championship is the pinnacle but am super excited to get started and aim to hit the ground running at Brands Hatch for Round One. I must say a massive thanks to everyone who has played a part in making this happen and to my family for their continued support’.

Tony Gilham, head of Team Hard is equally enthusiastic about Boardley’s signing; “Carl is a great addition to our driver line up and not only brings a wealth of experience and pace, but he has a very good understanding of the car in terms of set up and performance,” he said.

“He will bring the necessary on track qualities we are looking for as well as add a massive amount off track with our whole set up and all new infrastructure we now have in place. We are on exactly the same page as each other when it comes to what we expect as a team this year and our goals we have set in the championship for the year ahead.

“We cannot wait to get going and see how Carl develops as a BTCC driver. This is not a short-term plan for either of us. The start of the season cannot come soon enough and we already have many plans in place so we can arrive at Brands Hatch in April in the best shape possible.”

Following a highly successful National Hot Rod Racing career which saw Boardley nett four consecutive World Titles, Boardley went on to compete in pick-ups with great success and competed in the 2016/17 Ginetta Supercup campaign, technically as a privateer, which saw him take wins at Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Snetterton with multiple podium finishes.