Infiniti, a luxury sub-brand of Nissan, announced its intention to enter British Touring Car Championship in 2015 with a pair of manufacturer-backed Infiniti Q50s. In this campaign they are also supporting ‘Support Our Paras’ charity by raising awareness and funds.

The team will be known as  ‘Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing’ and it backs the official charity of The Parachute Regiment, one of the most iconic Regiments in the British Army after the 22 Special Air Service.

The Infiniti Q50 BTCC racing cars will be prepped and maintained by a crew including a number of injured Paratroopers. The drive and discipline of the Army boys will help the team principals to keep up with the tight schedule of BTCC and ensure maximum efficiency. The team has also set itself the ultimate long-term goal of developing, training and ensuring an injured Paratrooper graduates through the racing ranks to pilot an Infiniti Support Our Paras Racing car in the future.

As for the drivers, the two Infiniti Q50 BTCC will be piloted by veterans of Super Touring Car series, Englishman Richard Hawken and Swiss Derek Palmer Jnr. The former has also won three championships at club level and tested for Speedworks in 2013. The team’s headquarters, meanwhile, wil be a newly-refurbished HQ at Mallory Park which used to be a Royal Air Force Station Kirkby Mallory during WWII.

With this BTCC effort Infiniti is killing a couple of birds with one stone. First, they are establishing a motorsport background for the brand which at the very least will give them bragging rights. Also, they are supporting the fundraising for the Armed Forces in the United Kingdom in a time when it is at its lowest in recent years because of the drawdown in Afghanistan, and that puts them in a good positon with the British public. Last but not least, they will promote the Q50 sedan and their future sporty models in the most effective way possible: on the race track.