TEAM HARD TRIO READY FOR APR VW CUP ACTION

Emma Selway and Team HARD boss Tony Gilham.

Tony Gilham’s Team HARD has signed three youngsters to spearhead its assault on the 2013 APR Volkswagen Racing Cup. The most recent recruit is former Formula Renault and Formula Palmer Audi driver Emma Selway.

Emma, 23, joins promising youngsters Sam Morgan and Mini Challenge champion Henry Gilbert on the Golf GTI team run by BTCC driver and former Volkswagen Racing Cup champion Gilham for what promises to be another superb season of action in Britain’s best-supported saloon racing series.

Hertfordshire-based Selway started her track career as a teenager in Formula Renault BARC and progressed to Formula Palmer Audi and the Lotus Elise Trophy, in which she was a podium finisher. After two seasons out of competition, she is keen to go racing once again: “I am very excited to get my career back on the right track and I’m now looking forward to a career with Team HARD, on to the BTCC and maybe one day World Touring Cars.”

“Emma has shown that she has the skill to compete with the best and we feel that she is going to be a great addition to the team,” said Gilham, whose squad won two VW Cup races in 2012.

Selway’s sponsor, Duncan Foster of FIS Windows, added: “After supporting Emma for the last five years I am so proud of her to achieve her dream of driving for such a top team and I have no doubt that this will be the springboard for her career in professional racing.”

Sam Morgan, currently just 15, joins the squad after a successful rookie season in the Saxmax series, in which he finished third overall. “The Team HARD scouting team has been watching Sam for a while,” said Gilham, “and we feel that his performances warrant an immediate step up into the team. We plan keep a close eye on him and help him develop into a future racing champion.”

Henry Gilbert already has half a season of Volkswagen Racing Cup action under his belt; he joined Team HARD at Snetterton in late summer and the 16-year-old went on to record a best race finish of 11th in the final round in his Golf GTI.

Leicestershire-based Henry started competing in the Saxmax series at 14 and this year claimed the Mini Challenge overall championship and club class titles at his first attempt.

Said Gilham: “It has been a pleasure working with Henry during the few rounds that he was with us in the Volkswagen Racing Cup, where he performed admirably. We feel that he is more than capable of doing well in the championship next season; for his age he has shown great maturity and his ability to give feedback to the team made it an obvious move for him as he looks to progress as a driver.

“He also fits very well into what we are trying to build here: a batch of new, young talented drivers looking to progress and a group of experienced drivers who can help bring them on. We are very excited to be working with Henry and confident that he is a star in the making.”

Added Gilbert: “It’s great to be a part of Team HARD for 2013. After having a great year in the Mini Challenge, I feel it is time to step up to the next level. Tony has given me this opportunity to race in the Volkswagen Racing Cup for 2013, which is amazing. It is great to be part of a team with such big ambition and I feel there are many more opportunities in the future with them. It is a great team, both professional and sociable, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

The APR Volkswagen Racing Cup averaged a grid size of 27 cars during its super-competitive 2012 season; the calendar for next season’s British GT-supporting action is expected to be announced soon. The championship enjoys additional support from Ceva, ECM, Eibach, Hankook, Milltek Sport and Paragon.