Stephen Jelley will take part in the second round of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship this weekend at Rockingham after managing to reach a compromise with GP2 outfit ART Grand Prix that will see him contest the races in Northamptonshire.
The former F3 racer was due to compete in the final rounds of the GP2 Asia series for the ART squad in a deal agreed prior to him signing with Team RAC for his first year of touring car competition, but the 25-year-old has reached a agreement that will see him take part in the opening race of the weekend in Dubai later today before flying back to the UK in time for the BTCC qualifying sessions on Saturday afternoon.
“After an exciting start to the touring car season at Brands Hatch I can't wait to get back behind the wheel of the Team RAC
BMW,” he said. “The team have given me great support so far and I am picking up tips and advice from Colin.
“My introduction to British touring cars was action-packed and I quickly learnt that experienced drivers are pretty brutal. Overall I was happy with my performance and am confident I can build on it to help Team RAC challenge for the championship.”
Team principal Dick Bennetts said he was pleased to be able to put Jelley in the car for this weekends race and said he was confident that his new driver will perform strongly.
“We are delighted to have Stephen in the Team RAC car this weekend,” he said. “He tested well during the official media launch at Rockingham and we are confident he can do well this weekend.
“Rockingham is a challenging circuit with a fast first corner and then a tight infield but we're confident we will be competitive again after an encouraging start at
Brands Hatch.
“We can confirm that Stephen will continue to drive for Team RAC for the entire 2008 season.”
Jelley qualified in 22nd place this morning for his final race in the GP2 series.
