Daniel Welch (racing driver)
Daniel John Welch (born 17 July 1982) is a British racing driver. During his career he has mostly driven for his family team, Welch Motorsport. He drove in the British Touring Car Championship from 2011 to 2016. He is the son of former British rallycross driver John Welch.
| Daniel Welch | |
|---|---|
 Welch at the Silverstone round of the 2013 British Touring Car Championship season. | |
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | 17 July 1982 Aldershot, England |
| British Touring Car Championship career | |
| Debut season | 2011 |
| Current team | Trade Price Cars with Brisky Racing |
| Car number | 17 |
| Former teams | Welch Motorsport |
| Starts | 143 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 15th in 2012 |
| Previous series | |
| 2010 2010 2009–2010 2009 2007–2008 2001–2006 | Britcar 24hr SEAT León Supercopa SEAT León Eurocup Ginetta G50 Cup SEAT Cupra Championship Formula Renault UK |
Racing career
Born in Aldershot, Hampshire, Welch first began racing in the Formula Renault UK series, but never completed a full season. In 2007, he switched to tin tops, racing in the SEAT Cupra Championship. He raced SEATs for the next few years in several one-make championships, taking two wins in the British SEAT Cupra Championship.
Welch Motorsport (2011–2016)
In 2011, he stepped up to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, once again driving for his family team in a Proton Gen-2, built to the then-new NGTC regulations.[1] He competed in the final half of the season from Snetterton onwards, finishing 22nd in the Drivers' Championship, having secured his first BTCC point at the penultimate race of the season at Silverstone.
Welch continued to race in the BTCC in 2012. He had his best weekend of the season at Oulton Park, finishing 6th in Race 1 and then holding off Matt Neal to claim 4th in Race 2. For this he won the HiQ Champagne Moment award, as voted for by fans.[2] Welch finished the season 15th in the Drivers' Championship.
Welch and his team continued to compete in the BTCC in 2013,[3] finishing 18th in the Drivers' Championship with a best result of 6th at Knockhill. Welch finished 32nd in the 2014 Drivers' Championship after a disappointing season in which the team struggled with their new self-built engines.
After a difficult 2015 season, Welch revealed plans to sell their pair of Proton Gen-2 cars at the end of the season.[4]
Racing record
Racing career summary
Complete British Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 1 point awarded 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 awarded all races)
24 Hours of Silverstone results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Car No. | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Strategic Racing / John Welch Motorsport |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Brent Niall Malcolm Niall Clint Harvey |
SEAT Leon Supercopa | 44 | 3 | 536 | 7th | 3rd |
References
- Meissner, Johan (16 February 2011). "BTCC: Welch Motorsport plans Proton NGTC entry". TouringCarTimes. Mediaempire Stockholm AB. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
- "Oh, Danny Boy, the fans are calling you!". HiQ. Goodyear Dunlop Tyres (UK) Limited. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- "A Very Wet Brands Hatch". WelchMotorsport.com. Welch Motorsport. 24 October 2012. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- "Welch Motorsport put Proton cars up for sale". Andrew Abbott. TouringCars.Net. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 13 October 2015.