What with the F1 circus out in force at Jerez, most other motorsport seems to politely take a back seat as testing commences. Fortunately, there has been yet more good news from the BTCC (as if
PH's media tie-up
Civic wagon
wasn't enough) with the news of Alain Menu's return.
Menu with Team BMR's Warren Scott
That's right, the 1997 and 2000 champion with be back in British Touring Cars for 2014 with the Team BMR VW Passat CC, 22 years after his BTCC debut. He will be team mate Irishman Aron Smith, with team owner Warren Scott racing a Vauxhall Insignia. The Passat took three podiums in 2013, a result the team will hope to build on this season.
Of his comeback, Menu said: "This is exciting... I'm well aware that it will be different with a new team and new cars, but I've been watching the races, have spoken to a lot of people about it and the championship is really picking up at the moment."
Hopefully a few old rivalries will be reignited as the Swiss returns as well: "I want to have fun too... It will be nice to race against people like Matt Neal again, and Gordon Shedden was trying to break into the BTCC just as I left so I'm looking forward to racing against him. Jason [Plato] has matured since we were team-mates too, so I'm sure we'll get on well." We wouldn't be so sure about the last point Alain...
To mark this significant occasion for touring cars, we needed a video of Menu in action. Here he is 1998 leading at Oulton Park when Paul Radisich has the temerity to hold him up. Not for long!