The Independent Toyota trio of Frank Wrathall, Adam Morgan and the returning Paul O’Neill all head north of the border to Knockhill in Fife for rounds 19, 20 and 21 of the 2012 British Touring Car Championship.
The circuit was the scene of the last Toyota victory in 1993, when Julian Bailey secured victory at the wheel of his Carina.
Wrathall heads to Knockhill on the back of his maiden Pole Position in the BTCC alongside his best result of the season, as he finished second in the opening race and secured the Independents’ honours for the second time in 2012.
The picturesque Fife circuit saw the Preston racer secure his first podium in the BTCC 12 months ago but looking ahead of the weekend, he is remaining cautious on his prospects.
“We have not been able to test at Knockhill this year, so with the new car it’s a bit of an unknown,” explained the Dynojet driver. “We had a useful test at Rockingham on Friday, and we learned one or two important things, I think, but Knockhill is such a different track.
“The whole nature of the circuit, the undulations, the curves and the kerbs, mean that it is hard to predict how well the Toyota will go. I don’t really know what to expect, and won’t until we have Saturday’s practice sessions under our belts.
“However, the Dynojet Avensis was strong at Snetterton and we have made progress since then, so I am hopeful of some good results.”
After his Croft outing, O’Neill is once again in the Speedworks Motorsport car as Tony Hughes has other commitments this weekend. The fans favourite is hoping for some good results in Scotland.
“I think we should be aiming for top 10, minimum,” said O’Neill. “Knockhill has been quite favourable in the past for me, so I’m in high spirits and looking forward to it.”
Croft saw O’Neill secure points in the final race of what had been a tough weekend due to technical dramas.
O’Neill added: “It was good to get time in the car at Croft, and since then we’ve had a test at Pembrey, getting the Toyota set up how I like it.”
After qualifying a career best fifth and then securing a maiden top ten finish last time out at Snetterton, 23 year old Morgan is hoping for a repeat performance in Scotland.
“I’d like to replicate my Snetterton qualifying if I can. I was really happy with that; it was a big learning experience to qualify up there. I hope to do it again, make no mistakes, and take the rest as it comes from there.”
Morgan is also looking forward to working with O’Neill again and looking to benefit from his experience.
“I am really looking forward to that. He is a quick driver with lots of experience, and he’s a really good guy to chat to as well; he really helps and encourages me. It’s great to have him as a team-mate.
“Paul is the one who has got the Avensis set up for the direction we want to head, and his experience will help massively at Knockhill, which is very different to most other tracks. Hopefully I can follow him and learn.”