Rotek Racing unveils striking Audi S3 BTCC contender

Rotek Racing officially unveiled its striking Oakley Motorsports-liveried Audi S3 saloon during the 2014 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship’s official Media Day at the historic Donington Park circuit on Tuesday (18 March).

Oakley Motorsports and Rotek Racing gave power to the people by inviting the BTCC’s army of fans to select its 2014 livery from 12 artist’s impressions.

Thousands of enthusiasts flocked to the Rotek Racing and BTCC Facebook pages to choose their favourite colour scheme and the winning Oakley Motorsports design has gone from the drawing board to reality, officially unveiled to the assembled media, VIPs and fans in the Donington Park pit lane on Tuesday (18 March).

The BTCC – Britain’s premier motor racing championship – is experiencing something of a renaissance. For more than half a century it has inspired great motor sporting feats and captivated millions of fans and it continues to soar in popularity, providing spectators with bumper-to-bumper on-track action and unparalleled access to its star drivers and cars.

Each year the championship embarks on a tour of the UK’s greatest motorsport venues, including Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Silverstone, and attracts large trackside crowds of around 40,000 spectators, with a TV audience of approximately 20million tuning in to ITV Sport’s comprehensive live coverage.

Rotek Racing, an Audi Customer Racing team, is led by tin-top star Robb Holland – the first American to contest rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) whose one-off outings in the Dunlop-backed BTCC have heralded a full campaign in 2014.

Holland is now the first American to enter the BTCC full-time and is determined to reach the front in the ultra-competitive championship.

Fusing his larger than life character and approach to racing with prestigious backing from the motorsport division of American brand, Oakley, and a fine and meticulous attention to detail, Holland also aims to make Rotek Racing the most visual, interactive and fan-friendly team on the grid.

“The hard work has been put in by my guys at Rotek Racing and it has been tough watching them work through until the early hours of the morning to ready the car for Media Day,” said Holland. “Nobody was willing to cut any corners and we wanted to make sure that absolutely everything was done right. To see the Audi S3 out here at Donington Park is pretty spectacular.

“You’re always going to be proud of what your guys produce, but to have received so much positive feedback on the car is just fantastic and a testament to all the hard work and the hours put in by the team. I also have to give credit to the fans because they chose spectacularly well and I really do believe that Rotek Racing will have one of the most striking liveries on the grid this year!”

Holland continued: “The 2014 season will definitely be a learning year, as trying to build a new car and develop it with very little testing is a tall order for even the most experienced of teams and there are still quite a few circuits for me to acclimatise to.

“However, I think the Audi S3 saloon will be a good fit, as it’s the first of the new generation S3s to race anywhere in the world. I’m also really glad to have the support of Oakley Motorsports. The BTCC is the perfect high visibility platform to launch its line of motorsports gear here in the UK and across Europe.”