In another change on the 2018 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship merry-go-round, Carl Boardley is to replace Michael Caine in the Team HARD with Trade Price Cars Volkswagen CC for Knockhill.

Forty-two year old Boardley has been racing in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup this season and he currently lies in second on the standings with five victories.

Meanwhile, Caine has taken the decision to step back due to family commitments.

The former Porsche Carrera Cup GB runner hasn’t scored a point so far this season and currently lies in thirty-fifth place. Ahead of three mid-season replacement drivers in the table.

As always with a mid-season replacement driver in the BTCC, Broadley is to run both qualifying and the first race at Knockhill with 45kg of ballast.

Boardley spoke to btcc.net about his upcoming BTCC début,

This is something that has been on my radar for a while. I came close to joining in 2013, but had to change plans due to a health issue.

“I am looking at the championship as an option for 2019, and racing in Scotland will give be a good chance to see how the circus operates, how the cars feel and what the racing is like.

“As a new entry I will be going with the mandated 45kg of success ballast in race one, which means it will be tough to get competitive results, but the Team HARD cars have been running strongly recently so there is a chance to do something in races two and three.”

Team HARD Team Principal Tony Gilham paid tribute to Caine to btcc.net,

“Michael Caine is such a character and he is loved by everyone at Team HARD.

“He has been part of our team for a long time, and will continue to be so. We have had a great journey together in the BTCC and although it’s not been as competitive as we’d both hoped, it’s always great to have him around.”