Toyota Gazoo Racing UK has completed its driver line-up for the 2024 British Touring Car Championship campaign with the recruitment of Rob Huff, the former world touring car champion. Huff will drive a Toyota Corolla GR Sport Hybrid in the BTCC 2024. As confirmed earlier in 2024, the second entry will be driven by Andrew Watson (see further below in this article).
BTCC 2024: Who is Rob Huff?
Rob Huff brings extensive touring car racing experience to the Speedworks Motorsport-run Toyota Gazoo Racing UK team. Crowned world touring car champion in 2012, he achieved a total of 34 race wins and four top three championship finishes in various iterations of the global series over 17 seasons.
The 44-year-old Huff added another title to his impressive résumé with the TCR Scandinavian Touring Car Championship laurels in 2020. Still very much at the top of his game, Huff placed third overall in the inaugural TCR World Tour last year.
The Cambridgeshire-based racing driver is no stranger to the BTCC either, although his only previous full season came two decades ago, back in 2004. On the podium in just his fourth race in the UK’s premier motor racing series, he concluded his maiden campaign with two victories to his credit, and while he subsequently went on to successfully ply his trade on the international stage, he always kept a close eye on the championship where it had all begun.
When he returned for a one-off outing at Silverstone in 2017, it was like he had never been away as he reached the rostrum once again, and he then re-appeared for another single-shot weekend at Knockhill last summer – scoring points in both of the races that he finished – before speculatively testing TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK’s Corolla GR Sport Hybrid at Croft later in the year.
Having since agreed terms with the Speedworks Motorsport-run outfit, Huff – who is represented by Fewkes Sport Management, of which he is also a director – will now join the BTCC 2024 grid for his second proper assault on the biggest prize in British motorsport, partnering reigning Jack Sears Trophy winner Andrew Watson on the driving strength for the 30-round campaign.
BTCC 2024: comments from the team
Christian Dick, team principal, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK: “It goes without saying that we are thrilled to bring a driver of Rob’s calibre and success on-board for the forthcoming campaign. His record in the sport speaks for itself – he has raced against, and regularly beaten, the very best in the world, and he is just as razor-sharp now as he was when he started out more than two decades ago.
“The BTCC is a unique beast that requires a very specific skillset, and we’ve obviously seen quick drivers return before after some time away and struggle to re-adapt, but when Rob rejoined the grid at Silverstone in 2017 and Knockhill last summer, he was immediately back in the groove – he gave us quite a run for our money at Silverstone, I seem to recall! I have no doubt at all that he will be firmly in the mix.
“When he tested the Corolla last year, he instantly felt at home and his wealth of experience of driving different cars will be hugely beneficial as we continue to strive to extract every last ounce of performance out of the Toyota – while offering an invaluable bank of knowledge for Andrew [Watson] to draw upon in his second season in the championship. We’re tremendously excited about the potential in the team this year and can’t wait to get going!”
Rob Huff, driver, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK: “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.
Earlier news: Andrew Watson joins Toyota Gazoo Racing UK
Fans of the BTCC will remember Andrew Watson (above) as one of the standout stars of last year’s championship, in which he wasted no time demonstrating a versatile skillset, scintillating raw speed, and particularly deft touch in inclement conditions.
This came off the back of a successful career in international sports car competition, including stints in the FIA World Endurance Championship, British GT Championship, Blancpain GT Series and a brace of top six finishes in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 29-year-old Northern Irishman will build on his promising start in the BTCC behind the wheel of one of the team’s potent Corolla GR Sport hatchback models.
Andrew Watson, driver, Toyota Gazoo Racing UK: “I’m extremely excited to be joining Toyota Gazoo Racing UK. The team is a proven winner in the BTCC with a fantastic track record – and I’m hoping to add to that tally. With a year under my belt, I can go into the season properly acclimatised to the championship and hit the ground running.”
Team principal Christian Dick said: “It’s a real coup to attract Andrew to the team for 2024. Right from the start… we saw that the skills he acquired earlier in his career enabled him to adapt very quickly to any given situation – a key attribute in the unpredictable world of the BTCC. He is an extremely accomplished racer and clearly a very special talent who looks destined for great things in the championship. We cannot wait to get going!”
The championship gets underway in the last weekend of April at Donington Park – home ground for the British-built Corolla, whose road-going cousins are produced just 20 minutes away at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK in Burnaston.
Did you know? There will be at least four Corolla GR Sport models among the BTCC 2024 grid: two run by Toyota Gazoo Racing UK and a further two with the new LKQ Euro Car Parts with Synetiq team.
BTCC 2024 calendar
Round 1: 27-28 April, Donington Park
Round 2: 11-12 May, Brands Hatch Indy
Round 3: 25-26 May, Snetterton
Round 4: 8-9 June, Thruxton
Round 5: 22-23 June, Oulton Park
Round 6: 27-28 July, Croft
Round 7: 10-11 August, Knockhill
Round 8: 24-25 August, Donington Park GP
Round 9: 21-22 September, Silverstone National
Round 10: 5-6 October, Brands Hatch GP
How can I watch the BTCC?
The best way to experience the sights, sounds and unparalleled drama of the BTCC 2024 is to attend events in person. Ticket sales for each of the ten rounds are managed by the eight individual race venues (see above) and can be booked online via the links on the official BTCC calendar page.
The BTCC also enjoys a long-standing partnership with the ITV television network, which provides free-to-air viewing of the entire championship.
Broadcast schedules are yet to announced for the 2024 season, but it is expected that qualifying sessions will be streamed live on the ITV Sport YouTube channel, while race days will be streamed live and then available on catch-up on ITVX. In the days after each event, 90-minute-long highlights programmes will be broadcasted on both ITV1 and ITV4.
Read more: a brief history of Toyota in BTCC
