Rudston's Senna Proctor sparkles on return to British Touring Car Championship action at Thruxton

Racing driver Senna Proctor has enjoyed a stunning return to the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) after three seasons away from the series.

The 26-year-old from Rudston has rejoined a former team, EXCELR8 Motorsport, piloting a Hyundai i30N fastback for Team Vertu.

Senna Proctor sparkled in the rain on his return to the BTCC at a soggy Thruxton last weekend. Photo by Mat Acton Photography

placeholder image — Senna Proctor sparkled in the rain on his return to the BTCC at a soggy Thruxton last weekend. Photo by Mat Acton Photography

The former Scarborough College student’s season kicked off with the unique challenge of the Thruxton race circuit.

The Hampshire 2.37-mile circuit is the fastest in the UK and is known for its high-speed corners and long straights.

Senna Proctor returned to the BTCC at a soggy Thruxton last weekend. Photo by Mat Acton Photography

In Saturday’s torrential rain and standing water Proctor powered to a hugely impressive 6th place in qualifying. His only time in the car had been the two free practice sessions earlier on the same day.

Improved conditions awaited the drivers on race day and Proctor continued his fine form and racked up a bagful of championship points on his comeback appearance. He finished all three races and was placed 9th, 6th and 4th.

Proctor said: “My return to the series could certainly have gone a lot worse, and I think three top ten finishes gives me a good platform to build on. To be honest, I’d say that I overperformed in qualifying to get into the Quick Six but then underperformed a little in races, although that is largely down to the fact that I’ve not been in a BTCC car for three years and have a little bit of rustiness to get rid of.

“That was definitely the case in race three at the start, but I know there is a lot more to come over the remainder of the season. The car is fantastic and so much different to when I previously raced it during its debut season.

Behind the scenes at Thruxton with Senna Proctor. Photo by Mat Acton Photography

"It might be the same shape as it was in 2020 but under the skin, it’s changed in pretty much every way. The team has done a fantastic job with it, and credit to them – so I can’t wait to really get the best out of it as I get back up to speed.”

Justina Williams, Team VERTU Team Owner, said: "It's great to have scored our first win at Thruxton and we've shown really strong pace across the weekend, even though the end results for the four drivers have been mixed. Senna in particular however has done a great job after so long out of a car and I'm confident that we have a great chance of success going forwards with the strength we now have in depth across the driver line-up."