And although the 43-year-old’s agreement with Team Hard to replace Nicolas Hamilton at the wheel of one of the Kent squad’s Cupra Leons is for this weekend only, Huff has indicated that he is open to contesting further rounds.
Huff, whose WTCC title came in 2012 with the RML-run factory Chevrolet team, is competing this season in the TCR World Tour at the wheel of a Comtoyou Racing Audi.
He lies fourth in the points with one race win to his credit at Vallelunga, and his Knockhill outing comes at the end of a lengthy summer break prior to two consecutive rounds in South America, at El Pinar in Uruguay followed by San Luis in Argentina.
The clashing San Luis round rules him out of the Donington Park BTCC fixture, but he is potentially free for the final two events at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.
Team Hard boss Tony Gilham was allowed to claim force majeure for the entry’s absence from the most recent round at Croft because Hamilton left the squad on the Saturday morning just before free practice, but was at risk of forfeiting a TBL entrants’ licence should the seat not be filled for Knockhill.
“Tony and I have a bit of a joke – for 10 years he’s been trying to get me in one of his cars,” Huff told Autosport.
“Tony’s a hell of a character, and he really tries hard. I don’t know the full situation about what has happened within the team this year, but what I do know is that a few seats have become open recently.
“So he’s been in contact with me to see if it’s possible to drive, and I know the engineering team and people he’s drafted in.
“I wasn’t racing this weekend, I love the BTCC, and I’d probably have been watching it on TV, and he gave me an offer I can’t refuse.
“I’m a racer at heart, I love touring cars, and when an opportunity comes up you’ve got to take it.”
The Knockhill event is Huff’s first in the BTCC since he raced a Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall Astra in a one-off at Silverstone in 2017 and claimed a second place, and it’s only his second in the series since his rookie touring car season with the RML-run SEAT squad in 2004.
Huff hasn’t driven an NGTC car since that 2017 outing, “but the fundamentals are very similar to what I drove then. There’ll be no shakedown, no testing, I’ll just jump in the hot seat and give it a whirl.”
Beyond Knockhill, Huff has left the door open to further BTCC outings.
“I’ll be travelling from Cambridge to Knockhill to Uruguay in the space of four days!” he said.
“I’m at the age where no doors are going to close from doing this, but you never know, some doors might open. Let’s see financially if the team can have a breakthrough.
“I’m really excited, really looking forward to it. Hopefully I can give something to the team with my experience and knowledge and have some fun in the wonderful championship that is the BTCC.”
Gilham said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Rob join our team for this weekend's BTCC round. His experience and achievements in the world of touring car racing speak volumes about his skills.
“I’ve been trying to get Rob into one of our cars for a while and I’m delighted that this moment has finally come. The team can’t wait to get going.”
