PRO ANNUAL 2018

“What they are doing with it now, making it its own series and being a stand-alone, top bill championship in its own right is absolutely the right direction to go. There are quite a few big names set to go into it, along with some really big names talking about it, giving it real consideration, if they do go in, it’ll be a big shock to many.” Josh Files was quick to point out that a lot of BTCC- dedicated fans feel that the emergence of TCR UK is going to be “useless for our championship”, but I can see his chain of thought on how TCR UK can make a hefty impact on its début season. The BTCC will have to work harder to keep its spot at the top of the high-profile, tin-top ladder here in the UK. “To be honest, I think they are going to have to adopt the TCR regulations, but not necessarily in the near future - maybe in about three to four years’ time,” said Files. “They’ll more than likely take on the TCR regulations and merge with TCR UK, thus becoming the BTCC, because the cars are getting faster and faster and they are also three times cheaper than the BTCC cars to buy. “They’re already as fast, if I’m honest, and because I’ve driven some BTCC cars, I can say that I don’t really like them, whereas ours are so much nicer to drive. Everyone whom I have spoken to that has driven both has literally said ‘Wow!’ about the TCR car, as they feel it is a real racing car. The concept is right and it is the best way to go, touring car-wise, and there are plenty of manufacturers that have come in.” Cost in motorsport is on the increase. Five manufacturers already involved in the BTCC, are putting in some considerable money, which is stopping good, young talent from graduating in the championship. This means that they are having to look elsewhere for competitive drives. Although Files’ thinking, seeing the potential of his experiences using TCR machinery, is that there could be a noticeable shift in the way TOCA may have to adapt to ensure its survival. Files also has a good association with UK racing outfit Team Pyro, who helped him in the Renault Sport UK Clio Cup and Eurocup between 2011 and 2014. He still works with the Leicestershire-based outfit, having been involved more in a supporting capacity to those coming through the ranks, but has no real thoughts about making a one-off appearance with the team in TCR UK. “It’s not something that we have actually talked about, especially as I’m not one for bringing budget to go racing, which is something I flatly refuse to do. Pyro is talking to some high-level drivers, who are looking to go into TCR UK in the Hondas, so I don’t think that they’ll need me to race the car for them. I’ll be there in a supportive capacity again, as there has always been a role for me there, helping to set up the cars.” Apart from his adventures in Germany and the Middle East, this hard-charging Brit has also taken part in the TCR Europe Trophy, along with a last-minute call-up to help Norbert Michelisz’s M1RA outfit at the final round of this year’s TCR International Series finale in Dubai. When Josh Files came into MotorsportDays , he was en-route to Adria International Raceway to race for Target Competition in the TCR Europe Trophy. So this gave him an opportunity to talk about working alongside Giacomo Altoé, with the pair running the same machinery. Altoé had been a mainstay in the 2017 TCR International Series season with both WestCoast Racing and M1RA, before the 17-year-old decided to withdraw from the last two weekends of the season in China and Dubai. This is a challenge that Files is relishing: “I’ve known Giacomo for a while, so it’s not like he’s new to me, but it will be the first time that we have raced together in the same team,” he said, admitting that he was looking forward to seeing how the young Italian would do against him. “It’s the first time for a long while, where I’ve actually gone into a race weekend, knowing that I’m going to be learning something from my team-mate. In Germany, my team-mates have been learning from me. It’s quite exciting, as I’ll be learning from Giacomo, as his dad owns the facility at Adria and I’ve not raced there before. “I think he’s going to teach me a thing or two about Adria and I’ll probably end up doing the same regarding the Honda, which means we could end up being a very strong pairing as team mates, and I think that we can push each other quite hard.” Adria did not disappoint. Files came up against the sternest of competition with the likes of tin-top legend Gabriele Tarquini in the new Hyundai i30N >> “I think they are going to have to adopt the TCR regulations, but not necessarily in the near future - maybe in about three to four years’ time” PRO ANNUAL 2018 51