Tony Gilham

Last updated

Tony Gilham
Tony gilham oultonpark2011.jpg
Gilham in 2011.
NationalityFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  British
Born (1979-05-19) 19 May 1979 (age 45)
Bromley, England
British Touring Car Championship career
Debut season 2011
Current team Team HARD. Racing
Car number34
Former teams Thorney Motorsport
Geoff Steel Racing
Triple 8 Race Engineering
Starts66
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish17th in 2012
Previous series
2008–10
2006–07
2005
1999
Porsche Carrera Cup GB
VW Cup
Toyota MR2 Championship
F600 Championship
Championship titles
2007
2005
VW Cup
Toyota MR2 Championship

Anthony Allen Gilham (born 19 May 1979) is a British racing driver. [1] He is the founder and owner of Team HARD. Racing, who currently compete in various championships including the British Touring Car Championship.

Contents

Racing career

Early years

Born in Bromley, Kent, Gilham's first full season of racing – after previously competing as a flower arranger – came in 2005, competing in the MR2 Championship. He won the drivers title, including four race wins. The following year he switched to the VW Cup. With four race wins, he finished the year fourth on points despite reliability issues with the car. In 2007 he won the championship. In 2008 he competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, finishing as runner-up in the pro-am 1 class. Gilham spent two more years in the championship, finishing fourth in class during 2009 with Redline Racing, and third in class in 2010.

British Touring Car Championship

For 2011 he stepped up to the British Touring Car Championship. He competed in a Vauxhall Vectra for Triple 8 Race Engineering under the 888 Racing with Collins Contractors banner. [2] Gilham started the season well at Brands Hatch. He scored points in each of the first three meetings, before his form dropped off in the three after in which he scored no points.

Gilham driving for RCIB Insurance & HARD at the Thruxton round of the 2012 BTCC season. Tony Gilham, Thruxton, Apr 2012.jpg
Gilham driving for RCIB Insurance & HARD at the Thruxton round of the 2012 BTCC season.

It was announced in mid-August that due to funding issues he had lost his seat at Triple Eight. [3] He missed the Knockhill round before returning at Rockingham for Geoff Steel Racing [4] in a BMW 320si which ran a normally aspirated engine until the Silverstone round when a Next Generation Touring Car turbo engine was fitted.

For 2012 he driving for his own team, Tony Gilham Racing, which races under the RCIB Insurance & HARD banner. Gilham announced he would race the Super 2000-NGTC Honda Civic which Gordon Shedden had driven to second in the championship the previous season. [5] [6] He took pole position for the reversed grid race at Thruxton but having slipped down to third, damaged his car and retired from the race. [7] Gilham drove a Vauxhall Insignia for Thorney Motorsport at the Snetterton meeting to allow Robb Holland to drive the Team HARD Honda Civic and to allow his team to familiarise itself with NGTC machinery. [8] Gilham sat out the next two meetings as Holland and series newcomer Howard Fuller raced the Civic, but he made an unexpected return with Thorney Motorsport at Silverstone when Chris Stockton fell ill after qualifying. [9] Gilham purchased Thorney Motorsport's Vauxhall Insignia prior to the final round of the season at the Brands Hatch GP circuit, along with a spare shell. [10] Renault Clio Cup UK driver Aaron Williamson would race the S2000 Honda Civic at Brands Hatch alongside Gilham. [11]

Racing record

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 1 point awarded just in first race) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap – 1 point awarded all races) (* signifies that driver lead race for at least one lap – 1 point given all races)

YearTeamCar123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930PosPts
2011 888 Racing with
Collins Contractors
Vauxhall Vectra BRH
1

8
BRH
2

10
BRH
3

9
DON
1

15
DON
2

8
DON
3

Ret
THR
1

11
THR
2

10
THR
3

9
OUL
1

14
OUL
2

Ret
OUL
3

12
CRO
1

Ret
CRO
2

12
CRO
3

12
SNE
1

Ret
SNE
2

13
SNE
3

15
KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
19th12
Geoff Steel Racing BMW 320si ROC
1

15
ROC
2

14
ROC
3

17
BRH
1

15
BRH
2

23
BRH
3

Ret
SIL
1

Ret
SIL
2

19
SIL
3

19
2012 RCIB Insurance & HARD. Honda Civic BRH
1

18
BRH
2

13
BRH
3

10
DON
1

14
DON
2

7
DON
3

3
THR
1

11
THR
2

9
THR
3

Ret*
OUL
1

Ret
OUL
2

11
OUL
3

10
CRO
1

12
CRO
2

11
CRO
3

Ret
17th71
Thorney Motorsport Vauxhall Insignia SNE
1

13
SNE
2

Ret
SNE
3

Ret
KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
ROC
1
ROC
2
ROC
3
SIL
1

Ret
SIL
2

Ret
SIL
3

Ret
RCIB Insurance & HARD. BRH
1

Ret
BRH
2

NC
BRH
3

16
2015 RCIB Insurance Racing Toyota Avensis BRH
1

BRH
2

BRH
3

DON
1

DON
2

DON
3

THR
1

THR
2

THR
3

OUL
1

OUL
2

OUL
3

CRO
1

CRO
2

CRO
3

SNE
1

SNE
2

SNE
3

KNO
1

KNO
2

KNO
3

ROC
1

ROC
2

ROC
3

SIL
1

Ret
SIL
2

20
SIL
3

15
BRH
1

22
BRH
2

20
BRH
3

20
31st1
2016 TLC/RCIB Insurance Racing Toyota Avensis BRH
1
BRH
2
BRH
3
DON
1
DON
2
DON
3
THR
1
THR
2
THR
3
OUL
1
OUL
2
OUL
3
CRO
1
CRO
2
CRO
3
SNE
1
SNE
2
SNE
3
KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
ROC
1

24
ROC
2

Ret
ROC
3

Ret
SIL
1

NC
SIL
2

21
SIL
3

20
BRH
1

Ret
BRH
2

28
BRH
3

Ret
35th0

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Touring Car Championship</span> Auto racing championship

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is a touring car racing series held each year in the United Kingdom, currently organised and administered by TOCA. It was established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship and was renamed as the British Touring Car Championship for the 1987 season. The championship, currently running Next Generation Touring Car regulations, has been run to various national and international regulations over the years including FIA Group 2, FIA Group 5, FIA Group 1, FIA Group A, FIA Super Touring and FIA Super 2000. A lower-key Group N class for production cars ran from 2000 until 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Neal</span> British racing driver (born 1966)

Matthew Stephen Phillip Neal is a British motor racing driver. Neal is a triple BTCC Champion having won the British Touring Car Championship in 2005, 2006 and 2011. Neal is also a record 6 time BTCC Independents Champion having won the title in 1993, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2005 and 2006. He is also a race winner in the European Touring Car Championship. He is 6' 6" (2 m) tall, making him almost entirely unable to race single-seaters. He is also the Group Marketing Director at Rimstock, the alloy wheel manufacturer founded by his father Steve.

Team Dynamics Motorsport was a UK-based motor-racing team based in Droitwich, Worcestershire; best known for their successes in the British Touring Car Championship, including winning the Overall Drivers title in 2005, 2006 and 2011 with Matt Neal and 2012, 2015 and 2016 with Gordon Shedden. The team was founded by Steve Neal and former driver of Vic Lee Motorsport, Ray Bellm when they acquired its assets in 1993. For the following season, Bellm, having bought a majority stake in the Silverstone-based motorsport equipment retailer, Grand Prix Racewear, also acquired a McLaren F1 GTR and went his own way.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple Eight Racing</span> British motor racing team

Triple Eight Racing was a motorsports team formed in 1996 as Triple Eight Race Engineering, which competed in the British Touring Car Championship and the British GT Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Shedden</span> British racing driver (born 1979)

Gordon William Shedden is a British auto racing driver. He last competed in the British Touring Car Championship for the Halfords Racing with Cataclean team. He has previously won the series on three occasions; in 2012, 2015 and 2016, driving for Honda/Team Dynamics each time. He also spent two seasons in the FIA WTCR, from 2018 to 2019, driving for the Audi Sport Leopard Lukoil Team.

Christopher John Stockton is a British racing driver, who is known for his efforts in the British Touring Car Championship, and British and International GT racing

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Jordan (racing driver)</span> British racing driver (born 1989)

Andrew Phillip Jordan is a British racing driver, who has driven in the British Touring Car Championship. He was the 2013 British Touring Car Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 British Touring Car Championship</span> 53rd season of the British Touring Car Championship

The 2010 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship season was the 53rd British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season. It began at Thruxton Circuit on 4 April and finished after 30 races over ten events at Brands Hatch on 10 October.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 British Touring Car Championship</span> 54th season of the British Touring Car Championship

The 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was the 54th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.

Eurotech Racing was a British motor racing team based in Tamworth, Staffordshire, founded by Mike Jordan and currently owned by Jeff Smith since December 2014, that last competed in the 2018 British Touring Car Championship

Next Generation Touring Car, also known as NGTC and by its Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) designation TCN-1, is an FIA and TOCA specification and classification for production based race cars. The specification covers national level touring car racing. The goal of the limited choices in engines and parts in the NGTC classification is to allow more manufacturers and privateers to race by reducing the cost of a competitive car and to reduce reliance on the increasingly expensive Super 2000 equipment. The only significant differences between different models is the external body shells and the use of front- or rear-wheel drive; the suspension, brakes and transmissions are common to all cars, and engines are of uniform performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Newsham</span> British racing driver (born 1967)

David Robert Newsham is a British racing driver and businessman. He is the managing director of Norscott Vending. He raced in the British Touring Car Championship from 2011 to 2017, but in 2016, he competed in the British Rallycross Championship, only entering two rounds of the BTCC in place of Kelvin Fletcher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 British Touring Car Championship</span> 55th season of the British Touring Car Championship

The 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was a multi-event motor racing championship for production-based touring cars held across England and Scotland. The championship features a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded amateur drivers competing in highly modified versions of family cars which are sold to the general public and conform to the technical regulations for the championship. It is one of the most popular domestic motor racing series in the United Kingdom, with an extensive program of support categories built up around the BTCC centrepiece. It was the 55th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Thorne (racing driver)</span> British racing driver (born 1969)

John Barnaby Thorne is a British businessman and racing driver. He is the owner of Thorney Motorsport with whom he competed in the British Touring Car Championship between 2011 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 British Touring Car Championship</span> 56th season of the British Touring Car Championship

The 2013 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was a multi-event motor racing championship for production-based touring cars held across England and Scotland. The championship features a mix of professional motor racing teams and privately funded amateur drivers competing in highly modified versions of Family cars which are sold to the general public and conform to the technical regulations for the championship. It is one of the most popular domestic motor racing series in the United Kingdom, with an extensive program of support categories built up around the BTCC centrepiece. It was the 56th British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robb Holland</span> American racing driver (born 1967)

Robb Holland is an American racing driver who has competed in several international racing series. Most notably the British Touring Car Championship where in 2014, Holland became the first American driver in history to compete full-time in the series driving Rotek Racing's Audi S3. Holland is also the first American ever to compete in the World Touring Car Championship when he drove for Bamboo Engineering in the 2012 FIA WTCC Race of the United States at Sonoma Raceway, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Goff</span> British racing driver (born 1991)

Jack Alan Goff is a British racing driver. He was the 2012 Renault Clio Cup United Kingdom champion. He made his debut in the British Touring Car Championship on 31 March 2013 at Brands Hatch, driving for RCIB Insurance Racing. The 2017 and 2018 British Touring Car Championship seasons saw Jack driving for Eurotech Racing in a Honda Civic Type R.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Gilham Racing</span> British motor racing team

Tony Gilham Racing , competing as Re.Beverages and Bartercard with Team HARD., Autobrite Direct with Millers Oils. and Go-Fix with Autoaid Breakdown. currently, is a British motor racing team based in Dartford, Kent and founded by Tony Gilham. The team raced under the Team HARD. banner in the British Touring Car Championship until the end of 2013. They now compete in the British Touring Car Championship, Volkswagen Racing Cup, Ginetta GT4 Supercup, Mini Challenge UK and the GT Cup series.

Kieran Gallagher is a British racing driver who last competed in the British Touring Car Championship with Team HARD. In 2013 Gallagher competed in the British Touring Car Championship for the first time at Knockhill, driving for Team HARD in a Vauxhall Insignia NGTC. After a season back in the wagen Racing Cup with Team HARD he remained with the team for their return to the BTCC in 2015

Team BMR was a British motor racing team based in Buntingford, Hertfordshire and founded by Warren Scott. The team raced in the British Touring Car Championship between 2013 and 2019 after previously entering the 2004 British Superbike Championship season as BMR Racing. During the winter of 2013, Scott purchased Tony Gilham Racing's assets, including their four NGTC race cars.

References

  1. "Team HARD owner sets BTCC silverware target". 30 March 2017.
  2. "BTCC official 2011 entry list". btcc.net. British Touring Car Championship. 24 March 2011. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  3. "Gilham and Triple Eight part ways". Touring-Cars.Net. 22 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  4. "TouringCarTimes - BTCC: Tony Gilham is back with Geoff Steel Racing". www.touringcartimes.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011.
  5. BTCC Media Day car livery picture special Archived 2 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine , TouringCarTimes.
  6. Tony Gilham to race Honda Civic turbo Archived 4 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine , TouringCarTimes.
  7. Gordon Shedden leads Honda 1–2 in race three at Thruxton Archived 17 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine , TouringCarTimes.
  8. "Gilham to drive Thorney Motorsport NGTC Vauxhall Insignia in BTCC round at Snetterton". Autosport . Haymarket Publishing . Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  9. "Gilham to replace Stockton". BTCC.net. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  10. "Two Insignias for HARD". BTCC.net. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  11. O'Leary, Jamie. "Aaron Williamson to make BTCC debut in Brands Hatch finale". Autosport . Haymarket Publishing . Retrieved 16 October 2012.