Tony Gilham
NationalityUnited Kingdom
Birth nameAnthony Allen Gilham
Birth date19 May 1979 (age 47)
Birth placeBromley, England
Current seriesBritish Touring Car Championship
First year2011
Current teamTeam HARD. Racing
Car number34
Former teamsThorney Motorsport
Geoff Steel Racing
Triple 8 Race Engineering
Starts66
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish17th
Year2012
Prev seriesPorsche Carrera Cup GB
VW Cup
Toyota MR2 Championship
F600 Championship
Prev series years2008–10
2006–07
2005
1999
TitlesVW Cup
Toyota MR2 Championship
Title years2007
2005

Anthony Allen Gilham (born 19 May 1979) is a British motorsport executive and former racing driver. He was the founder and owner of race team, Team HARD. Racing, who competed in various championships including the British Touring Car Championship.

Racing career

Early years

Born in Bromley, London, Gilham's first full season of racing – after previously competing as a flower arranger – came in 2005, competing in the MR2 Championship. He won the drivers title, including four race wins. The following year he switched to the VW Cup. With four race wins, he finished the year fourth on points despite reliability issues with the car. In 2007, he won the championship. In 2008, he competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup GB, finishing as runner-up in the pro-am 1 class. Gilham spent two more years in the championship, finishing fourth in class during 2009 with Redline Racing, and third in class in 2010.

British Touring Car Championship

For 2011, Gilham stepped up to the British Touring Car Championship. He competed in a Vauxhall Vectra for Triple 8 Race Engineering under the 888 Racing with Collins Contractors banner.[1] Gilham started the season well at Brands Hatch. He scored points in each of the first three meetings, before his form dropped off in the three after in which he scored no points.

It was announced in mid-August that due to funding issues, Gilham had lost his seat at Triple Eight.[2] He missed the Knockhill round before returning at Rockingham for Geoff Steel Racing[3] in a BMW 320si which ran a normally aspirated engine until the Silverstone round when a Next Generation Touring Car turbo engine was fitted.

For 2012, Gilham driving for his own team, Tony Gilham Racing, which races under the RCIB Insurance & HARD banner. Gilham announced he would race the Super 2000-NGTC Honda Civic which Gordon Shedden had driven to second in the championship the previous season.[4][5] He took pole position for the reversed grid race at Thruxton but having slipped down to third, damaged his car and retired from the race.[6] Gilham drove a Vauxhall Insignia for Thorney Motorsport at the Snetterton meeting to allow Robb Holland to drive the Team HARD Honda Civic and to allow his team to familiarise itself with NGTC machinery.[7] Gilham sat out the next two meetings as Holland and series newcomer Howard Fuller raced the Civic, but he made an unexpected return with Thorney Motorsport at Silverstone when Chris Stockton fell ill after qualifying.[8] Gilham purchased Thorney Motorsport's Vauxhall Insignia prior to the final round of the season at the Brands Hatch GP circuit, along with a spare shell.[9] Renault Clio Cup UK driver Aaron Williamson would race the S2000 Honda Civic at Brands Hatch alongside Gilham.[10]

Racing record

Complete British Touring Car Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 1 point awarded just 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 given all races)

YearTeamCar123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930PosPts
2011888 Racing with
Collins Contractors
Vauxhall VectraBRH
1

8
BRH
2

10
BRH
3

9
DON
1

15
DON
2

8
DON
3

Ret
THR
1

11
THR
2

10
THR
3

9
OUL
1

14
OUL
2

Ret
OUL
3

12
CRO
1

Ret
CRO
2

12
CRO
3

12
SNE
1

Ret
SNE
2

13
SNE
3

15
KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
19th12
Geoff Steel RacingBMW 320siROC
1

15
ROC
2

14
ROC
3

17
BRH
1

15
BRH
2

23
BRH
3

Ret
SIL
1

Ret
SIL
2

19
SIL
3

19
2012RCIB Insurance & HARD.Honda CivicBRH
1

18
BRH
2

13
BRH
3

10
DON
1

14
DON
2

7
DON
3

3
THR
1

11
THR
2

9
THR
3

Ret*
OUL
1

Ret
OUL
2

11
OUL
3

10
CRO
1

12
CRO
2

11
CRO
3

Ret
17th71
Thorney MotorsportVauxhall InsigniaSNE
1

13
SNE
2

Ret
SNE
3

Ret
KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
ROC
1
ROC
2
ROC
3
SIL
1

Ret
SIL
2

Ret
SIL
3

Ret
RCIB Insurance & HARD.BRH
1

Ret
BRH
2

NC
BRH
3

16
2015RCIB Insurance RacingToyota AvensisBRH
1

BRH
2

BRH
3

DON
1

DON
2

DON
3

THR
1

THR
2

THR
3

OUL
1

OUL
2

OUL
3

CRO
1

CRO
2

CRO
3

SNE
1

SNE
2

SNE
3

KNO
1

KNO
2

KNO
3

ROC
1

ROC
2

ROC
3

SIL
1

Ret
SIL
2

20
SIL
3

15
BRH
1

22
BRH
2

20
BRH
3

20
31st1
2016TLC/RCIB Insurance RacingToyota AvensisBRH
1
BRH
2
BRH
3
DON
1
DON
2
DON
3
THR
1
THR
2
THR
3
OUL
1
OUL
2
OUL
3
CRO
1
CRO
2
CRO
3
SNE
1
SNE
2
SNE
3
KNO
1
KNO
2
KNO
3
ROC
1

24
ROC
2

Ret
ROC
3

Ret
SIL
1

NC
SIL
2

21
SIL
3

20
BRH
1

Ret
BRH
2

28
BRH
3

Ret
35th0

References

  1. ^ "BTCC official 2011 entry list". btcc.net. British Touring Car Championship. 2011-03-24. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 2011-03-24.
  2. ^ "Gilham and Triple Eight part ways". Touring-Cars.Net. 2011-08-22. Retrieved 2011-08-24.
  3. ^ "TouringCarTimes - BTCC: Tony Gilham is back with Geoff Steel Racing". www.touringcartimes.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-10.
  4. ^ BTCC Media Day car livery picture special Archived 2 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine, TouringCarTimes.
  5. ^ Tony Gilham to race Honda Civic turbo Archived 4 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine, TouringCarTimes.
  6. ^ Gordon Shedden leads Honda 1–2 in race three at Thruxton Archived 17 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine, TouringCarTimes.
  7. ^ "Gilham to drive Thorney Motorsport NGTC Vauxhall Insignia in BTCC round at Snetterton". Autosport. Haymarket Publishing. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Gilham to replace Stockton". BTCC.net. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  9. ^ "Two Insignias for HARD". BTCC.net. Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  10. ^ O'Leary, Jamie. "Aaron Williamson to make BTCC debut in Brands Hatch finale". Autosport. Haymarket Publishing. Retrieved 16 October 2012.