Wednesday, February 17 2021

Stephen Jelley has completed Team BMW's line-up for the 2021 Kwik Fit  British Touring Car Championship, making his return to the WSR team, 12 years after he previously raced for it.

Jelley reunites with former teammate Colin Turkington in the Team BMW line-up, with Tom Oliphant in the third BMW 330i M Sport for the upcoming season. 

Jelley made his BTCC debut in a WSR-run BMW 320si in 2008, and was a double race-winner in 2009 before stepping away from the series for almost a decade. Jelley returned to the championship in 2017 and became a race-winner again in a Team Parker BMW 125i M Sport at Oulton Park in 2019. 

Stephen Jelley said:  "I'm thrilled to return to WSR as part of Team BMW for 2021. There were times over the past few years - even when I was winning and getting podiums in the 1 Series - that I wasn't sure I'd have an opportunity like this again, so to say that I'm looking forward to the season would be a huge understatement. When I walked into the workshop for the first time in over a decade, the first thing that I noticed was just how many trophies there are on the shelves now, and that's incredibly inspiring. I've spent the past few years in a WSR-built BMW 1 Series, so there won't be an issue adapting to the 330i M Sport, and I'm pleased to have both Colin and Tom in the team because I think we can all work together well to keep pushing ourselves forwards. I've been given the best possible platform to achieve what I want to in the BTCC and I don't intend to waste it."  

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: "We're very pleased to have Stephen back at WSR and part of the Team BMW line-up for 2021. When Stephen joined us first-time around, he'd come out of single-seaters and was completely new to touring car racing, but he knuckled down and did a good job to score his first pole position in his rookie year and then a magnificent double win at Rockingham in 2009. His performances in the WSR-built 1 Series over the past couple of years have shown that he remains a tenacious racer who performs best in rear-wheel-drive cars. Personality-wise, he fits in very well with the whole team as well as Colin and Tom so we're very pleased with the strength of our line-up heading into the new season."  

The BTCC visits the Brands Hatch Indy and Grand Prix circuits, Donington Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton this year across a revised schedule. You can click here to view all dates.