Andrew Watson and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK have reached a mutual agreement to part ways following the conclusion of the 2024 British Touring Car Championship campaign.
After an impressive rookie season in the UK’s premier motor racing series – yielding a title triumph in the Jack Sears Trophy – Watson joined the Speedworks Motorsport-run outfit at the beginning of this year, with high hopes of building upon that early promise.
The alliance got off to a good start as the 29-year-old Northern Irishman put his British-built, race-winningToyota Corolla GR Sport a strong sixth on the grid amongst the 20 high-calibre contenders for the Donington Park curtain-raiser.
Watson took the chequered flag inside the points 25 times from 30 starts in total – highlighted by a double top six finish at Snetterton – on his way to 14th in the overall standings, but with both sides having hoped for more from the partnership, an amicable separation has now been agreed.
The 2025 BTCC campaign will get underway on 26-27 April at Donington Park – the first of ten stops on the schedule. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK will reveal its driver line-up in due course.
Andrew Watson said:
“This season obviously didn’t yield the results we all wanted, which is a shame. At the time it was the obvious progression to move from an independent team to a manufacturer backed entry. However, due to various reasons, we didn’t operate at the level needed to fight at the front of the BTCC. I wish everybody at Speedworks well moving forward.”
“A real positive from this season has been the continued relationships and memories together with my great sponsors and partners, without them none of it is possible. So, I’d like to re-iterate my thanks to them.”
Christian Dick, Team Principal, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK, said:
“First and foremost, I would like to thank Andrew for all his efforts with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK this year. He has been a great guy to have in the team and worked well with Rob [Huff – team-mate] to help develop the Corolla.
“Ultimately, the anticipated results didn’t materialise for a variety of reasons, and following some post-season discussions, we have all agreed it is in everybody’s best interests to have a fresh start. We wish Andrew all the very best”