Howard Fuller will stand in for Mike Bushell for at least the opening three rounds of the 2020 British Touring Car Championship season, as Bushell continues to recover from the heart condition Myocarditis.

Bushell fell ill at the start of February whilst on a skiing holiday in France, with the condition later being diagnosed as Myocarditis, resulting in an inflammation of the heart muscle.

The 30-year-old had been set to race one of the team’s Volkswagen CC cars for the season alongside Jack Goff, Carl Boardley and Nicolas Hamilton.

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As he continues his recovery, Bushell has now been ruled out for at least the first three rounds at Donington Park, Brands Hatch and Silverstone respectively, with Fuller replacing him in the driving seat.

“I’m extremely frustrated to have yet another hurdle put in front of me in my pursuit of success in the BTCC,” said Bushell.

“I had a good feeling about the development of the Volkswagen CC for 2020 and was excited to get behind the wheel.

“I’ve been in close contact with the team with the winter upgrades and was keen to start from where we left off in 2018.

“Unfortunately, there is still some damage and residual inflammation of my heart after falling ill at the start of February.

“It means that I am unable to hold a race licence, but more importantly I’m not physically able to race at the moment and I have to put my health first.

“I will have to postpone my return the BTCC grid once again and focus on getting back to full health. I wish the team and Howard all the best for the start of the season.”

Fuller made his BTCC début in 2012 with Team HARD, taking part in races at Rockingham and Silverstone. He last competed in the BTCC the following year at the same two rounds with Team HARD, taking a best finish of 11th at Silverstone.

“I’ve waited seven years for the phone call… our first outing in the championship was way back in 2012 with Team HARD in the iconic green and pink Honda Civic,” said Fuller, who will join the team for testing in Spain this month.

“The team has grown and developed so much since then. I am grateful for every opportunity that’s come my way along this journey.

“Team HARD means more than just a race team to me, its family and to represent the team in the BTCC is such an unbelievable feeling. I just want to get this season started!

“I’m motivated by winning, and that’s the goal, of course. My job is simple, drive the team forward as much as possible and extract as much performance as possible on and off the track.

“I’ve got a world class professional team behind me, and strong, fast teammates alongside me. I’m keen to work together, learn and push forward.

“There is no doubt things will be a bit rusty after such a break, but I’m physically and mentally prepared for the challenge. The speed will come organically.

“I know that I can bring about successful results with the team’s support and their confidence in me.

“Obviously, the circumstances are unfortunate with Mike not being able to race, a real character of the paddock and definitely one of the fastest on the grid. He will absolutely be missed, and I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Team Principal Tony Gilham added that the team had been looking for ways to work with Fuller again for some time.

“Howard has been an integral part of the team for a number of years now and even when he wasn’t racing with us, we have remained in close contact and tried many times to get him back on track,” said Gilham.

“Our journey together began back in 2012 and led to his BTCC début. Being totally honest with myself, whilst Howard was ready as a driver, we weren’t ready as a team at the top level at that point.

“Howard is an amazing talent and up until now there has always been something lacking with us as a team which hasn’t allowed us to extract everything from his potential.

“However, 2020 will finally see what we can achieve together now that we are both more than prepared and ready to take this challenge on.

“We believe Howard has the potential to go to the very top and we all appreciate that it is very important to build a career on solid foundations.

“I’m naturally devastated for Mike; we’ve been in contact throughout his recovery and we wanted to keep him in the car, but health must come first, and we wish Mike well.

“He is still an integral part of the team and we will be working with Mike throughout the opening rounds of the championship until we reassess his health in April.”