Former FIA World Touring Car Champion Rob Huff returns to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship in 2024 with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK. The 2012 WTCC title winner joins Andrew Watson in the factory Toyota squad ahead of his first full-time season in the BTCC since 2004.
Huff was a twice a winner in the BTCC two decades ago, before making a switch to the global stage where he raced for 17 seasons in first the WTCC and later its successor the FIA World Touring Car Cup. Huff won 34 races during this time, often against fields including tin top legends Alain Menu, Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini.
In recent years, the Cambridgeshire driver has made occasional guest one-off appearances in the BTCC, before putting pen to paper on a deal to return for a fully fledged campaign with the Speedworks Motorsport run Toyota outfit this season.
Racing will get underway at Donington Park on 27/28 April, with rounds at Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Oulton Park also scheduled over the first half of the season. Donington Park will host an August Bank Holiday fixture later in the summer whilst Brands Hatch will once again host the final event in October.
Huff said: “It feels like I’ve come full circle, 20 years on! I’ve always been a huge supporter of the BTCC – I began my racing career in Britain and I’ve been looking to come back for a little while. Last year, I really ramped up those efforts to return; I was given the opportunity to compete at Knockhill, which whetted my appetite for more while allowing me to get my name back in the frame and talk to people face-to-face.
“The main priority for me was to ensure I ended up in a potential championship-winning car with people who share my passion and enthusiasm for the sport – and at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK, that’s what I believe I’ve found. I spoke to pretty much every team in the championship, and I got the best feeling from Christian and Amy [Dick]. I like what they’re doing and how they’re doing it, and when I tested the Corolla at Croft, everything felt very natural and aligned fairly seamlessly.
“I’ve got to say, I’m probably more excited for this new challenge than I have been in a long time – it just feels perfectly right – and I’m delighted to be working with Andrew [Watson], too. He’s clearly a very quick guy who represents himself very well both on and off-track, and I think he did an absolutely amazing job as a BTCC rookie last year.
“We all share the same values, and we’re all pushing for the same goal, which is to drive the whole team forward and to arrive at Brands Hatch at the end of the season in with a shout of winning the title. The competition at the top in the BTCC is always fierce, which means consistency is key. Points win prizes – and ultimately, championships.”