Bentley Continental GT3 driver Josh Caygill makes a welcome return to competing on UK soil next weekend, 5th/6th May, when the Blancpain Sprint Cup visits Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in Kent for the second round of the 2018 season.

Although the track is situated over 200 miles from his home in Holmfirth, Yorkshire, the 28-year-old is still ready to welcome a huge amount of support to Brands Hatch a week from now where he and team-mate Aron Taylor-Smith are focused on getting their championship campaign fully up to speed.

During the opening round of the Sprint Cup season at Zolder in Belgium earlier this month, the duo encountered some brake problems which led to a much more challenging weekend than expected at the outset.

Departing Zolder with a best result of fourth in the Silver class, the Team Parker Racing drivers – who both enjoy competing at world-famous Brands Hatch – are now eyeing a bigger performance in their spectacular Bentley.

Notably, their car is much more suited to the characteristics of the Grand Prix Circuit at Brands and with high aspirations for the event’s two one-hour races, ex-motorcycle racer Caygill is aiming to put on a strong showing for his supporters and sponsors, including key backers SMUK and LSS Waste.

“I really am looking forward to being back racing in the UK and especially at Brands, the GP is an absolutely fantastic track – I’ve always enjoyed it, whether on bikes or since I switched to cars, it’s a great place”, said the Yorkshireman.

“Our season didn’t get off to the start we wanted, just one of those things unfortunately with some bad luck at Zolder, but we’re confident Brands is going to be a much better prospect. I know Aron is as hungry as I am to get our season properly kick-started, that’s what we’re aiming to do.”

Caygill arrived in the Blancpain Sprint Cup this year with just a single season of GT endurance racing experience under his belt, in the sister Blancpain Endurance Cup with Audi, and he is certainly enjoying the non-stop action of the shorter 60-minute contests. 

While strategy and pit-stops have an important role to play, the duration of the Sprint Cup contests means the racing is much more like the sort of wheel-to-wheel dicing where Caygill cut his teeth in cars in the one-make Volkswagen Racing Cup and Audi Sport TT Cup.

“I really enjoyed racing in the Endurance Cup last year, but the Sprint Cup is much more like the cut and thrust I’ve been used to in VW and the TT Cup”, said Caygill, “I do enjoy getting stuck in, racing hard but fair, so hopefully we can qualify well next weekend and go on to get a couple of really good race results on the board.”

Opening free practice for the Blancpain Sprint Cup competitors at Brands Hatch GP Circuit will take place at 09.30 on Saturday, 5th May, with session two following at 12.30 and qualifying scheduled to begin at 16.00.