The 31-year-old Yorkshireman, winner of four BTCC races, has joined the Toro Verde squad as it bids to establish itself as a contender in the series.
Lloyd made his BTCC debut as long as ago as 2010, but it wasn’t until 2021 that he got his first full season in the series, and in 2022 he scored three victories alongside champion Tom Ingram in the Excelr8 Motorsport Hyundai squad.
He switched to the Team Hard Cupra line-up last year, but that team’s folding left Lloyd looking for a new drive for 2024.
It is something of a return to his initial career path for Lloyd, who earned Porsche GB’s junior scholarship in 2012 and scored two wins with Team Parker Racing across the next two seasons before embarking on an international GT career in the middle of the decade.
The deal with Toro Verde reunites Lloyd with team boss and ex-British Formula 3000 ace Julian ‘Jules’ Westwood, who was engineering at Parker a decade ago.
“I’m really excited about it,” Lloyd told Autosport. “I’ve got a good history with Porsche being their scholar, and traditionally I was more of a GT driver than a touring car driver.
“I’m excited about the deal – it ticks all the boxes commercially. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster of a winter. I was looking at all opportunities, and I’d been talking with Toro Verde for a month.
“It’s a big decision to step away from touring cars, but the right one for me at this time. I’ll put everything into this. Like anything in motorsport, there are no right or wrong decisions.”
Lloyd has yet to sample the current 992-spec Carrera Cup car, and is looking forward to his testing programme, which he anticipates will begin in March.
“I raced a GT3 Porsche in the Dubai 24 Hours three years ago, and in 2016 I did a couple of Carrera Cup rounds for In2 Racing and got a second place at Brands Hatch,” he said.
“Fingers crossed I can get up to speed nice and quick. Toro Verde wanted a pro to come in and help the team and the other drivers in the team.
“I’m looking forward to that and to working again with Jules.”
Toro Verde boss David Fairbrother said: “Dan has been rapid in everything he has ever raced and we know he will run at the very front.
“Dan had many offers in other series, including BTCC and British GT3, so for him to choose to compete with Toro Verde is testament to his belief that the team will deliver.
“Dan is naturally down-to-earth, friendly and helpful, and his past experience will prove invaluable when working alongside our engineers to coach the team’s Am and Pro-Am drivers.”
