Looking to the future........

With the second half of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship about to resume after it’s summer break, Matt is weighing up his options for the future, and desperately searching for funding or investment to keep his racing career on track.

Matt explains, “I am desperately missing racing in the BTCC. I attended the last round of the Championship at Croft as a spectator, and it was incredibly painful having to watch from the sidelines.

I have spent the past few weeks weighing up my options. Ultimately, I have to look towards 2011 and beyond. With the new regulations coming in next year, I really want to be in the Championship at this very exciting time. However, I am also looking at one off deals for the remainder of 2010. I would love to show what I can do in current machinery, even if it was just one race, or even a test. I am very confident that I would impress….I just want to be given the chance.

I have been speaking to several teams, and got very close to a deal with a front running squad, but sadly it fell through due to a commercial deal collapsing.”

Despite the heartbreak of having to watch the BTCC from the sidelines, Matt has been overwhelmed by the support of the BTCC fans.

“When the news broke that the TH motorsport deal in the Honda Civic had come to an end after the Oulton Park Round, I had a massive show of support from friends and fans of the BTCC……there was a campaign on Twitter to get me back in the series, and a group has been started on Facebook that currently has over 600 fans. To say that I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. When I return to the series, I shall do my very best to repay all of the support that I have had.”

So it’s a case of watch this space, hopefully Matt will be back in the BTCC sooner rather than later.

Matt to miss next round at Croft..........remainder of BTCC season in doubt

Matt Hamilton is very sorry to announce that he will not be racing at the next round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring car Championship at Croft, and there are also doubts over his participation in the remainder of the Championship after the summer break.

The whole of the 2010 season has been a financial struggle for Matt and his family as they have been unable to secure a title sponsor for his campaign. In fact, without the help and enthusiasm of Trevor Humphrey and his crew at TH Motorsport, Matt would not have competed at all in 2010.

‘I am absolutely devastated’ said Matt. ‘We knew we are taking a bit of a gamble at the start of the year, but felt confident that we would be able to find a commercial partner to support us in such a high profile Championship. We got very close to one big deal in particular, but it just fell apart at the last minute. The current economic climate is making companies understandably very cautious about investing in sports sponsorship.’

‘I am so grateful to the boys at TH Motorsport. They worked so hard to get my Honda Civic competitive on very little budget…..they wanted to continue as much as I did. However, you cannot run a car in a Championship as high calibre as this one on fresh air. I am very proud of what we have achieved as a team.’

‘I am also very grateful for the immense support I have had from the BTCC fans. I was stunned to win the HiQ Champagne moment award from Brands Hatch just last week, and in particular, I was extremely proud that so many fans appreciated my efforts in the dreadful weather. You can all be rest assured that my family and I will be working extremely hard to raise the money to race again later in the season. The BTCC is where I want to be, and I feel certain that you will see me battling back on track again in the future.’

Frustration at Oulton Park

Following a first points finish at Brands Hatch just a month ago, Matt was feeling confident ahead of the Oulton Park meeting of the Dunlop British Touring Car Championship.
“It is a circuit that I have always gone well at and really enjoy driving. I’ve had success here in Formula BMW and scored a couple of top fives last time I was here in a Formula Ford.”
Despite the high confidence around Matt and the TH team garage, Saturday was a trying day, chasing set up and working hard to keep the car and driver cool in the hot, summer weather. The hot air temperature gave only a small operating window in which the car and the engine would work at its optimum in the 30 minute qualifying session. Matt was on the track early and setting competitive times running in the top ten for the early part of the session. However, as the session neared its end Matt had dropped to 15th and decided to park the car as the prospect of going any faster had all but disappeared. The Hemel Hempstead driver would drop a further place to Lea Wood in the dying seconds, starting the first race of the day in 16th position of the 22 runners.
Race day dawned overcast with rain threatening in the air. However with a late start to proceedings the track was dry and the sun shining come the start of race one. However, Matt’s race lasted less than 3 laps as a battle up ahead at the Knickerbrook chicane bunched the pack together causing Matt to be tipped into a spin, putting him into the gravel and out of the race.
“It was a disappointing end to the race, not really giving me a chance to get going but its just one of those things. When you are racing that closely in a chicane, with quick changes of direction these things happen. It was just a racing incident”
The crash left Matt having to start race two from 21st of the 22 runners. A good start and a racy first couple of laps took the 20 year old up to 13th and closing in on old team mate John George. With just 2 laps to go Matt made his move going into the 5th gear Old Hall corner bringing the car back in a respectable 12th place, gaining almost 10 places in the 15 lap race.
With a 12th place start for the third and final race, Matt was hoping to add to his championship points and mix it with the top ten once again, however a clutch problem caused the 98 car to miss the pit lane opening time, and after some great work from the TH Motorsport team, was just able to take the back of the grid, once again having to start from 21st position.
Matt once again put in some competitive driving; making a number of overtaking moves, including the drivers favourite, around the outside of Martin Johnson at the fast Cascades corner. As well as keeping the nose of his Honda Civic clean, he promoted himself to 13th place. With just a lap and a half to go though, Matt caught the Knickerbrook exit kerb very hard, causing a front left suspension failure. This put an end to any challenge to the cars in front. Matt recalls “I was on the tail of the battle for the points and was aiming to keep up the pressure to the guys ahead and maybe force a mistake; I just ran wide on the exit of the chicane and felt the front left of the car drop. I radioed to the team that I had picked up an instant puncture; however it soon became apparent that this was not the case. Luckily with just a lap to go and a large gap to the car behind I was able to hold on to 13th.”

As new news articles are published throughout 2010, you can still find the archive stories and race reports here.

BTCC 2010

11 Jun 2010

Help For Heroes at Oulton Park

Matt continued to collect for the charity ‘Help For Heroes’ at Oulton Park last weekend, and the spectators from the North West venue certainly showed their generosity. As usual, Matt was collecting at the pit lane walkabout / autograph session, and in a very brief thirty minute spell, £202.94 was put in the collection buckets.

A real bonus however, was top motorsport artist Luke pollard from www.motorsportinprint.com giving up his time on Saturday and Sunday to help raise money for the charity. Luke was located at the end of the TH Motorsport hospitality tent painting pictures of Matt’s car, in his own imitable style, onto canvas. As well as this, Luke brought along mini prints of his digital artwork which Matt personally signed…all proceeds from the sale of these went to the charity.

Altogether, Luke’s work generated £185. This gave a grand total of £ 387.94

‘What a great effort’ said Matt. ‘I am thrilled that we managed to raise so much money, and I am particularly grateful to Luke for all of the hard work that he put into the weekend. It’s so good that people like Luke are prepared to go the extra mile to help with the rehabilitation of our wounded soldiers. I was also bowled over by the generosity of the fans at the autograph session…..thanks so much everyone.’

Matt wins HiQ Champagne moment from Brands Hatch

British Touring Car Championship starlet Matt Hamilton has become the youngest ever winner of a HiQ Champagne Moment award, to the delight of his ever growing fan club.

Despite working with one of the lowest budgets and driving the oldest car on the grid, the 20 year-old has been honoured with the third HiQ champagne moment of the season for his exploits at Brands Hatch. The award is voted for entirely by fans of the series in an online poll.

The TH Motorsport man captured the imagination of onlookers at Brands Hatch, when he eventually finished in 9th place in race two, after starting back in 15th.

Matt has praised the BTCC fans for appreciating his efforts in gaining his first BTCC points, which he said are the equivalent of winning races to most other drivers.

“It is a surprise to win the HiQ Champagne Moment and brilliant to receive the recognition of so many fans.

“We are competing on a fraction of the budget of other teams and for us, scoring points is like winning races.

“The BTCC fans are like no other supporters. They are extremely knowledgeable and appear to have recognised my achievement in gaining points, which is just great. I’d like to thank them.

“The wet weather at Brands Hatch was a great leveller for me. I’d done virtually no running in the wet in a Touring Car before, so it was a bit of an eye opener.

“I am still learning about the car and we’re growing all the time as a team. I hope we can keep improving and pick up some more points at Oulton Park.”

Matt polled 27 per cent of votes, beating Tom Chilton into second place (21 per cent) with Gordon Shedden third (16 per cent).

Russell Cook, of Nottingham, was picked at random to present Matt with his bottle of champagne and will also win a bottle for himself, as well as a grid walk and a pair of complimentary weekend race passes.

HiQ’s marketing manager Geraldine McGovern said: “Matt’s champagne moment win embodies what these awards are all about.

“We created them to recognise great driving, whether that’s a race win, a podium finish or even a placing in the points like Matt achieved.

“The fans have bought into this spirit which is great to see. Long may it continue!”

Matt’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign continues at Oulton Park in Cheshire on the weekend of 5th and 6th June.

Oulton Park…here we come

After five long weeks, Matt is champing at the bit and raring to go for the next round of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The meeting takes place at the picturesque Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire on the weekend of 5th / 6th June. It is always one of the best attended meetings of the year, with huge enthusiastic crowds flooding to the circuit from all over the UK.

‘I have only ever driven Oulton Park in single seaters’ said Matt, ‘but it is without doubt one of my favourite circuits. It is not for the faint hearted, and rewards bravery and courage as well as technique.’

In fact, Matt was very close to not making the meeting at all. His search for budget appeared to have come to a dead end, but the situation was rescued from an unusual source.

‘I am very lucky to have built a large number of very enthusiastic fans, thanks mainly to the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook’ relates Matt. ‘I was privileged to enjoy the company of some of these fans at Rockingham and Brands Hatch, and when they heard of my plight, a special couple offered to fund the Oulton Park meeting. I couldn’t believe it…..I was absolutely thrilled. Thank you so much Ben and Lesta Foskett’

Matt will once again be collecting for the Charity ‘Help For Heroes’ at the Pit Lane walkabout, as he has at the three previous meetings. So far, he has raised over £550 for the Charity, as well as giving the charity great exposure by running H4H logos on the car, in the absence of a title sponsor.

Another exciting feature at the Oulton Park meeting, is that the team have as a guest, top motorsport artist Luke Pollard from Motorsportinprint. He will be in the team’s awning producing line drawings of Matt’s car throughout the weekend, and painting a large picture of the car on Sunday in his own inimitable style. Luke will be accessible to all spectators in the paddock who will be able to watch him at work, and he will be happy to discuss his art, and answer any questions.
Matt will then sign the drawings, and the painting, and they will be auctioned off in aid of the Help for Heroes Charity.

Matt Makes his point at Brands Hatch

Matt continues to make great progress as he takes on the big boys in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, and managed to score his first Championship points in this years campaign on the infamous Brands Hatch GP circuit.

Qualifying on Saturday took place in sunshine, and Matt was more than happy with his 15th place on the grid from the 22 runners.

Matt said ‘I can be well satisfied with that. I ended up second fastest of the old BTC spec cars. I am particularly pleased that we have had a trouble free day. I managed to get a lot of running in the practise sessions, and managed to set the car up to my liking.’

However, Sunday dawned very wet. Matt was a little bit anxious, as he had never raced a touring car in wet conditions before. He made a decent start in the first of the three races, and for the first few laps acclimatised himself to the wet conditions. He lost a couple of places early on, but as he began to get used to the grip levels, he made great progress, and finished the race in twelfth place.

Matt was much more confident for the second race, and this showed in the way he drove. He drove a very competitive and combative race, mixing it with several of the established top runners. In particular, he was involved in a great last lap scrap with Rob Collard in the WSR BMW. This resulted in Matt putting Collard under so much pressure, that Collard slid off the circuit at Surtees, giving Matt a well earned place He eventually finished in ninth place, scoring his first ever Championship points to the elation of his team.

The rain finally ceased for the third race, but everyone was in a quandary about what tyre selection to opt for. Matt selected slick front tyres and wet rear tyres.

At the start of the race, the cars equipped with full wets shot off into the distance, and Matt slipped from his 9th place on the grid to 15th. However, as the track started to dry, those with slicks started to catch the front runners as their wet tyres wore out. Matt was involved in a huge battle with Gordon Shedden in a works Honda, and Tom Onslowe Cole in the Ford Focus, and he eventually finished in twelfth place.

‘That was a great race’ related Matt. ‘The tyre call was very difficult to make, but ultimately I had a fantastic battle in the midfield which was immensely enjoyable. I am so pleased for my team, TH Motorsport from Watford. They really are giving me the equipment to pull off some giant killing acts, and show everyone my potential.’

Rockingham Race report
Matt was quietly confident going to the second meeting of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship at Rockingham, as it was at this venue that Matt made his Touring Car debut back in September ’09. With the subsequent improvement to Matt’s driving skills, and the improvement to the Honda Civic Type R made by TH motorsport, it was hoped that Matt’s first points finish would be on the cards.

However, despite very encouraging speed over the weekend, things were not to go Matt’s way. Qualifying did not go well. Matt recalls ‘I went and did a couple of installation laps on old tyres, and as I came into the pits to put on my qualifying rubber, I was called into the technical area for weighing and ride height checks. Sadly, the car would not restart…..a failed starter motor causing the problem. That was the extent of my qualifying!!’ Matt therefore lined up in 19th place for the start of race one.

Raceday morning dawned wet. All the BTCC teams were in a quandary as the weather had decided to make things interesting at the start of the first race. Rain had fallen, but had now stopped. Some drivers opted for four wet tyres, some opted for four slicks. Matt was amongst another group that put slick tyres on the front, and wets on the rear. Matt made a good getaway, and was battling with the pack. However, half way around the lap, trouble ensued. ‘Andy Neate in the team WSR BMW went off circuit’ recalls Matt. ‘He then tried to get back on track, and drove straight into me.’ The incident delayed Matt, but thankfully his car was still driving OK despite losing half a front bumper, a headlight and wing.

Despite this earlier problem, the tyre selection worked well, and matt was up to 10th place at the halfway stage. Unfortunately, as the track dried further, the cars on four slicks came into their own and Matt slipped to 15th at the finish.

Thankfully, that was the last rain of the day. Matt made a good start in race two, but once again was delayed on the first lap, when he had to avoid Nash and Hollamby as they came together. After that, Matt had a fairly uneventful race, setting very competitive lap times. However, he lost too much time on lap one to make much progress in the race, eventually finishing in 14th place.

Race three saw Matt make his best ever touring car start. He made up several places, and was running in 11th place, when once again an incident on lap one saw him lose time and places However, Matt set his best lap times of the weekend and put in a great recovery drive to finish in twelfth place.

‘I was disappointed to not score any points’ said Matt ‘but despite not getting the result, I really think I am making progress.’

Matt is out again in only 6 days, when rounds 7, 8 and 9 take place on the famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent on 1st and 2nd May.

Ready to hit the Rock
It’s full steam ahead at the Rockingham Motorspeedway near Corby this coming weekend 24-25 April, as Matt once again takes on the top touring car drivers in the UK. It’s rounds 4, 5 and 6 of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, and Matt cannot wait to hit the circuit once more.

“I am very excited about this weekends races” said Matt. “I have experience of the circuit having raced here at the end of 2009, and I feel I have something to prove as technical problems hindered my progress at the first rounds at Thruxton three weeks ago. TH Motorsport have also been working very hard on the car, and have a couple of extra tweaks for me to try. I have made it a bare minimum target to score points, but I also want to put on a more competitive showing all round. I need to start establishing myself in this series if I am to make an impact as a touring car driver.”

Practise and qualifying take place on Saturday, and all three races take place on the Sunday. Rockingham offers what is probably the best viewing facilities in UK Motorsport, with their huge grandstands offering a view of the whole circuit. For those that cannot attend, the races are also being shown live on ITV4.

Matt will once again be carrying the logo’s of ‘Help For Heroes’ on his Honda Civic type R, and he will be collecting for the charity during the pit lane walkabout / autograph session that takes place at Sunday lunchtime. He is hoping to collect more that the £238 that he raised at Thruxton.

Matt will also be keeping everyone up to date with his progress over the weekend via his Twitter feed. www.twitter.com/HamiltonRacing

Thruxton Race Report

After months of keen anticipation, the 2010 Dunlop British Touring Car Championship finally got underway at Thruxton on Easter weekend. Matt was once again reunited with his Honda Civic type R run by TH motorsport.

It was to be a bitter-sweet weekend for Matt, with real potential and speed being shown over the weekend, as well as one or two problems that were to blunt his ultimate results.

Qualifying was to take place on a wet circuit, and Matt was deflated to only line up 19th, after a set up gamble failed to work. Matt explains ‘the car was very difficult to drive with snap oversteer meaning I spent most of the session drifting sideways….very spectacular, but not fast’

However, raceday dawned sunny but cool, and thankfully the rain stayed away for all three races.

Matt’s progress in race one was very impressive as he overtook Hollamby, Johnson, George and Neate in the early laps, and when Shedden and Neal suffered punctures, Matt was in 11th place, and catching MacDowall rapidly. Unfortunately, Matt also suffered a blown tyre, bringing a certain points finish to an end.

‘It was disappointing’ reflects Matt, ‘but I felt sure that with that sort of pace, I could get my first points in the remaining races.’

However, a gremlin with the fuel pump was to put pay to that aspiration. In both races, Matt’s engine would lose all power in the long right hand bends, dramatically slowing his progress. He did finish both races however, notching up a 13th and 12th place finish.

‘On paper, the results look as though I’m making progress’ said Matt. ‘I am very frustrated though, because I am certain that with a clean running engine, I would have scored points in races two and three. The guys at TH motorsport worked so hard to solve the problem after race two, but time just ran out on them. I really appreciate their efforts though. I hope that we have a smoother run at Rockingham. I shall be working tirelessly to notch up my first points.’

On a more positive note, Matt succeeded in his aim to gain exposure for the ‘Help For Heroes’ charity, and was bowled over by the generosity of the public at the official autograph session, where he raised £237 for the cause.

2010 Curtain Raiser
After a long hard winter, the time has finally come for Matt to go racing. The curtain raiser of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship kicks off at Thruxton, in Hampshire, on the Easter weekend, 3rd / 4th April.

Matt will line up in TH Motorsport’s Honda Civic Type R, and cannot wait for the action to begin.

‘At last I get to go racing again’ said Matt. ‘It’s been six long months since my last competitive outing, and I’m itching to get going once more.’

Thruxton is the fastest circuit in the UK, and it will test all the competitors in the BTCC, and their machinery, to the limit. ‘I have only raced at Thruxton once before, and that was in my second ever car race in Formula BMW in 2006. That seems a long time ago now, but I don’t have any real fears or anxieties about the weekend. I really have nothing to lose, and I really want to get in the position of being able to challenge for points finishes.’ said Matt.

Matt will be proudly carrying the ‘Help For Heroes’ logo’s on his car over the weekend, and will be collecting for the charity, in aid of wounded servicemen, in his pit garage over the duration of the weekend.
Matt continues ‘in particular, I want to try and collect for Help For Heroes during the pit lane walkabout at 9.45 on Sunday morning. It will be great to see as many fans as possible. I have my new 2010 poster which I will be happy to autograph, and I also have 200 Easter eggs to give away on a first come, first served basis. Make sure you head down to the car 98 garage pretty quickly, and please give generously to the charity’

To follow Matt’s progress over the whole weekend, log on to his Twitter feed at www.Twitter.com/HamiltonRacing where there will be regular updates on how the weekend is progressing.

5th April ’10

BTCC Media Day

Matt was thrilled with his progress at the Dunlop British Touring Car Championship media day at Brands hatch, on the 23rd May.

The day started with photo shoots and interviews, but the action really started as 21 of the 23 entrants hit the track in two three hour test sessions.

It was six long months since Matt had last driven his Honda Civic Type R, and he was very happy to end up 14th in the final classification. ‘I am delighted with the way the day went’ said Matt. ‘I blotted my copybook a little in the morning by going off the track, but the guys at TH Motorsport soon got me out running again. I got to try the new compound Dunlop tyres in the afternoon, and really set some good long run lap times. I still have to work at my qualifying lap, but I am sure that will fall into place soon as I get more seat time.’

Matt’s time was less than one second slower than the fastest time of the day set by Jason Plato in the works RML Chevrolet Cruze. This just goes to show how competitive the championship is going to be.

The first round is at Thruxton on 3rd- 4th April.

30th March 2010

Matt supports Help For Heroes Matt is very happy to announce that his Honda Civic Type R, competing in the Dunlop British Touring Car Championship, will be emblazoned with the logos of the ‘Help For Heroes’ Charity in aid of our very brave wounded servicemen, to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude.

Matt explains, ‘After discussions with my family and Trevor and Sheila Humphrey at TH Motorsport, we thought that giving this very worthwhile Charity some much needed exposure would be a great thing to do. We also hope to be collecting for the charity at all the meetings. I am sure that the very generous fans and followers of the BTCC will help us in this aim.’

The space on Matt’s car, which is being used to promote Help for Heroes, is available because, as yet, he has been unable to finalise a deal with a title sponsor. With the current economic climate making things very difficult in all forms of motorsport, Matt Hamilton is not alone in having had a very challenging close season. Despite mammoth efforts by Matt, his family, and the guys at TH Motorsport, Matt, to date, has been unable to finalise a main sponsor deal for his 2010 BTCC season.

Thankfully, the money raised from support sponsors and investors, has enabled him to begin his assault on the 2010 British Touring Car Championship.

‘I am so grateful to all those that have enabled me to compete in this great Championship’ said Matt. ‘I really hope to repay them with good results, and this will also hopefully enable me to tie up a deal with a main sponsor, which will then push my competitiveness and results to an even higher level.’

Matt’s Honda Civic Type R, in it’s new livery, will be revealed at the BTCC media day, Brands Hatch on Tuesday 23rd March, and will enter into battle proper at the first round of the Championship at Thruxton on Easter weekend, 3rd / 4th April.

6th March 2010

2010 is go go go Matt is happy to confirm that he will be participating in the 2010 Dunlop British Touring Car Championship.

After his ‘toe in the water’ exercise at the back end of 2009, when he competed in the final two rounds of the Championship at Rockingham and Brands Hatch, Matt will now take on a full campaign in this years competition.

Matt will once again race the Honda Civic Type R, entered by Watford based TH Motorsport. Matt said ‘I cannot wait to get back on circuit. It’s been a very long hard winter, and as yet I have not as much as sat in the car since the final round of 2009 at Brands Hatch.’
Matt’s first run in the car this year will also be at Brands Hatch, at the BTCC media day on Tues 23rd March. He will then take part in the first round of the Championship at Thruxton on the weekend of April 3rd / 4th.

Matt continues ‘I really think that the Civic has the potential to run consistent top tens, and occasional podiums. I know that I have to work hard on my driving; I still have very little experience of front wheel drive, and touring cars in general, but I know that with more seat time, I can threaten the front runners. I know that the guys at TH will give me a great car to work with. They are already working hard at prepping the car, and they have a few performance tweaks that I can’t wait to try.’

Trevor Humphrey, team owner said ‘this is a great deal, and everyone at the team cannot wait to get started. We saw real potential in Matt last year, and it has given all the boys in the team a real boost to have a driver in the car with this sort of potential. I feel certain that we are going to pull off a few major shocks this year.’

Keep following Matt’s progress on this website.

27th February 2010

Race4Heroes Matt was back in a go kart for the Race4Heroes Charity on 27th February, racing in a 6 Hour charity endurance race for the BTCC Boys. His team mates included Stephen Jelley and Micky Doyle, and they were competing against 16 other teams from the world of UK motorsport and show business.

Matt set down an early marker, qualifying 3rd of the ninety drivers. The BTCC boys lined up on the front row of the grid. A great race ensued as the drivers battled against each other, and the elements. After some technical problems with the kart, the BTCC Boys were pleased to finish in seventh place at the end of the marathon.

More importantly, over £14,000 has been raised for the Help For Heroes Charity.

16th January 2010

Autosport Show Matt made his annual trip to the Autosport International at the NEC, and was in attendance on 15th and 16th January. It proved to be a very busy, but productive couple of days for Matt.

He spent a large proportion of his time on the Joe Tandy Memorial stand, where he was helping to sell merchandise that was raising funds for the Joe Tandy Academy. Joe was Matt’s team boss in 2008, but tragically lost his life in a road accident in 2009. Matt will be eternally grateful for Joe’s help in his single seater career, and the academy is being established to help other young drivers with potential, but short of funding, to establish them selves in motorsport. For more information, take a look at

www.joetandyracingacademy.co.uk.

Matt was also happy to be invited as a celebrity driver in the Racing4Charity celebrity kart race on Friday afternoon. The list of drivers competing was like a who’s who of drivers from around the world, including Andy Priaulx, David Brabham, Anthony Davidson, Allan McNish, Alex Wurz and many more. Matt’s team, which included GT drivers Allan Simmonson and Ollie Hancock, eventually finished fifth out of the 28 teams. It was a great and enjoyable effort, and raised plenty of money for this years chosen charity, Malaria No More. To find out more about the event, look here:-

www.racing4charity.com

The remainder of the weekend saw Matt signing autographs, giving interviews on the Dunlop Stage, and the Formula Kart Starts Stand, and generally getting to know some of his growing army of supporters. To see pictures from the show, look here

12th January 2010

Calendar Competition Thank you all for you interest in the Matt Hamilton signed 2010 BTCC calendar. We received over two hundred entries, but there can only be three winners. So congratulations to:-

Chris Blackwood from Livingstone, West Lothian. – Lesley Hayes from Glemsford, Suffolk – Janette Wright from Plymouth, Devon.

We will be in touch immediately about getting your calendars delivered to you. For those of you that missed out, why not get a Free signed poster.

Look out for more competitions as the year progresses.

11th November 2009

Brands Hatch was the venue for the 2009 BTCC season finale and what would be young Matt Hamilton’s final race of the year.

Matt impressed in qualifying, raising many eyebrows when he qualified his 5 year old car 17th on the grid, just 1.8 seconds off of pole position and 0.1 seconds behind BTCC veteran Anthony Reid in the Team RAC BMW.
Qualifying in amongst the pack however saw Hamilton the innocent victim of two, first lap incidents in the first two races of the day. With the Honda Civic badly damaged, the TH Motorsport crew worked wonders in a short space of time to get the car on the grid for race three. With two previous non finishes, Hamilton would start his final race of the year on the back row of the grid. After a long safety car period, the young rookie got his head down and began to set a string of fast laps, for much of the race, Hamilton was, bar race leader Jason Plato, the fastest car on track. For his efforts, Hamilton was rewarded with a last lap scrap with former F1 race winner Jonny Herbert, finishing just outside the points in 13th position.

1st November 2009

Rockingham was the venue for 19 year old, Matt Hamilton’s BTCC debut. After several years competing in rear wheel drive single seater cars, the daunting task of stepping into the front wheel drive Civic in front of 30,000 spectators lay ahead.
Qualifying ended with a bang, as the Honda engine let go on the first flying lap of the day. This ensured that Hamilton would begin the first race of the day and the first of his touring car career from the pit lane.
Race one saw more engine woes for Hamilton as he pitted the car after just 8 laps putting paid to any hopes of a spectacular debut in the series. Race Two was equally as disappointing for the series youngest driver. With the engine problems resolved, TH Motorsport rolled the Civic Type R out onto the race track. The race, again however, finished early, as a small error by Hamilton saw his Honda beached in the gravel at the Tarzan hairpin on lap 10.

Hamilton lined up 17th on the grid for the third and final race of the day, just ahead of former BTCC champion Matt Neal. The TH Motorsport driver endured an exciting race, hauling himself up into a points paying position before heavy contact dropped the debutant out of the top ten with just two laps remaining, ending the race in a still creditable, 13th position.

© 2010