The AmD Tuning.com team head to their local circuit of Brands Hatch looking to get their 2012 British Touring Car Championship off to a positive start.
Having signed former British GT racer Ollie Jackson for the 2012 campaign, the West Thurrock-based outfit arrive at Brands Hatch with a new team name and a new look, but still with their Volkswagen Golf Mk5.
Attleborough-based Jackson made his BTCC debut at Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit last year for Triple Eight in their Vauxhall Vectra, and 2012 will see him embark on his first full campaign in touring cars.
For the team, it marks their third season in the Championship and their first full pre-season, giving Jackson and the team time to gel and continue the development of the Volkswagen.
Pre season has seen Jackson producing some impressive performances and he heads to Brands Hatch in a positive mood, as he prepares to make his AmD Tuning.com bow.
“It’s the start of my first full season in touring cars and I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of work with the Golf and I’m confident in the improvements that we’ve made during pre-season testing. I’ve really got the hang of the car and I’m excited to see where we stand when we get into the race weekend at Brands Hatch.
“There are a great bunch of guys working on the car and they have done all the hard work over the winter. I’ve tried to give good feedback to them and lend my expertise as an engineer, and now we need to see how it goes on track. Our target is to be running inside the top ten and I definitely think it is achievable this weekend, but we’ll have to see where we are when the chequered flag drops.”
Shaun Hollamby is also confident that the team’s home race will see the team score top ten results, as they look to build on a promising 2011 campaign and that the revisions to the car and engineering side of things will paid dividends.
“For the last two years, we have gone into the season without any testing, so we are starting 2012 better prepared and at a higher level than in previous seasons,” he said. “Ollie has had time to get comfortable in the car and the team has had chance to get up to speed with the changes we wanted to make to improve the Golf over the winter.
“The set-up work we have done means the car is more balanced and I’m confident that the engine is going to be on a par with anything else on the grid with the new equalisation rules in place.
“The extra preparation we have done has been important for us and we have also strengthened the engineering team to give us the best possible chance of achieving our aims this season. We want to be running inside the top ten, which is a high target, but we’re confident of a good start. I’m really looking forward to the season getting underway.”