In what has been a truly remarkable winter full of news and announcements in the BTCC, the on-track action will be cranked up over the coming weeks as our teams hit the tarmac in preparation for the new season.
With the 2014 campaign drawing ever closer, it was the turn of Rob Austin to kick off his testing programme at Silverstone yesterday (31 January).
Worcestershire ace Austin completed a solid day of running at the Grand Prix venue in his new 2014-spec Audi A4. Running on the national circuit layout, which the BTCC will race on later in the year, Rob said he was ‘delighted’ with the early progress shown by his Exocet Racing squad.
“We’re already ahead of the game,” said the Rockingham race winner. “Sherman has run perfectly straight out of the box and just feels more sorted than ever. The team have done a brilliant job in the build of the car – it’s a real work of art.
“Even though it’s been wet and cold here at Silverstone, we’ve still gathered some valuable data and worked through a number of set-up changes which have told us a lot. Plus, as a driver, it’s great to blow away the cobwebs.”
Fans’ favourite Austin celebrates his 33rd birthday today (1 February), but the celebrations won’t last for long, however, as he and the team prepare for their next test day.
“This is the first time our team has had the luxury of a proper pre-season testing programme for touring cars,” he concluded. “We have another six or so test days still to come – and I’m delighted by where we are already.”
The Audi is set to run at Thruxton later this month and will likely showcase the same all-black paint scheme that it was presented in at Silverstone. The new livery for Rob’s car will be unveiled at the BTCC Season Launch at Donington Park on 18 March, where you can see the 2014 cars run in anger for the first time ahead of the opening round at Brands Hatch. Click here for more details.
