Andy Neate has delayed the entry of his new team, IP Tech Race Engineering, until the fourth meeting of the year at Oulton Park. The move has been blamed on ‘unforseen circumstances’.
Neate had originally planned to enter the 2013 BTCC with his new team at this weekend’s Donington Park rounds of the championship. However the team’s debut has now been delayed by a further two meetings due to unforseen circumstances.
Whilst Neate admitted that the move was disappointing, he reiterated the importance of gaining valuable mileage before entering the competitive arena of the BTCC.
“We fully understand that there will be some disappointment from the fans who were looking forward to seeing the Team Club 44 Chevrolet on track at Donington Park,” said Neate. “However, circumstances beyond our control have conspired against us, and it meant that we weren’t able to get on track to complete the running that we had planned prior to Donington.
“As I have said previously, I’ve been in the position before where I’ve gone into a race weekend with a car that I hadn’t had the chance to gel with properly, and it isn’t something I want to do again. The whole aim in creating IP Tech Race Engineering is to build a team that is capable of challenging towards the front end of the field, and it is more beneficial to us to go testing with the Cruze so that when we debut at Oulton Park, we are able to show what was are actually capable of, and won’t be on the back foot dealing with any of the teething issues that you inevitably get with a brand new car.
“There is a lot of work that has gone into putting the team and this programme together, and it is vital for all concerned that we do things properly and that we do ourselves justice when we hit the track. Everyone involved is hugely excited about what is to come in the next few weeks as we embark on the testing programme we have planned and we can’t wait for Oulton Park as there are few better places to introduce a new car into the series.”
Neate has previously raced in the BTCC for top teams WSR, Arena Motorsport and Triple Eight, achieving a best result of 6th on tow occasions out of his 92 race starts.