Slight makes last gasp switch to BTCC

Former World Superbike star Aaron Slight will be racing in the British Touring Car Championship after securing a drive with Barwell Motorsports. Slight had been linked with the ASCAR oval racing series, in which he was going to drive a 500bhp V8 Ford. Instead, the move to BTCC will leave him in a more sedate sounding Vauxhall Astra Coupe. Mind you, a BTCC Astra will probably still put out around 300bhp with a top speed around 160mph.

Slight seems happy with the last minute change; ” I was starting to look at other competitive motorsport programs such as ASCAR, assuming all the top competitive seats in the BTCC had gone! That’s until I got the text message in NZ from the UK.”

“I was excited by the opportunity to be able to be in a Vauxhall Astra, which is the car to beat in the series! I am rapt!”

Slight has experience of BTCC, driving for Peugeot at the Donington round in 2001, where he led the race until problems with his Peugeot forced him into retirement. He’ll need it all to be ready for the first round at Brands Hatch on March 30.