Saturday, March 1, 2014

BTCC: Austin hails 'Invaluable' test at iconic Brands Hatch circuit


Rob Austin Racing Press Release

  • Team racks up the laps ahead of BTCC season-opener

Worcestershire team Rob Austin Racing today continued its testing programme at the legendary Brands Hatch circuit in Kent that will host the opening race event of the new Dunlop British Touring Car Championship season in just over a month's time.

Exocet Racing-backed driver Rob Austin completed 80 laps of the venue's shorter Indy circuit where on Sunday 30 March he will line up on the grid for the first three BTCC races of 2014 in front of live ITV cameras and an expected trackside crowd of tens of thousands of people.

It was the latest in a series of tests for Rob and his famous Audi 'Sherman' which has already completed plenty of running at other circuits including Silverstone, Oulton Park, Donington Park and Thruxton during the past month.

Austin commented: "It has been an invaluable test day, our best yet – better even than at Donington a few weeks ago. We have got through so much set-up work and been able try all sorts of different tweaks, plus both long and short-distance runs on different types of tyre compounds.

"Knowing what we've been working on we've probably surprised even ourselves slightly with the pace we've achieved today. I've said it before and I'll say it again – the car just feels dynamite and my team have done the most amazing job back at base in Pershore. We've got some more testing planned for next week and it's great to know we'll be hitting the ground running when we arrive for the BTCC's pre-season Media Day launch in mid-March."

Photo credit: Phil Laughton Photography