TCR UK championship leader Dan Lloyd said resolving a few setup problems on the Volkswagen Golf GTI was ‘satisfying’ after topping free practice at Brands Hatch by nearly half a second.
Lloyd and WestCoast Racing team-mate Andreas Bäckman were closely matched at the head of the time sheets until the final stages, with the former appearing to simulate a qualifying run to extend his advantage.
“To be honest with you, I wasn’t really happy with the car in that first session or the first half of the second session,” admitted Lloyd to TouringCars.net
“We worked really hard with the team on a strategy of what to do and came up with a load of ideas; we put that into play towards the end of second practice and that was a big step forward.
“Then we went in and put some fresh tyres on and put in a lap time that was good. It’s quite satisfying when the car isn’t good and you rectify that, which is what it’s all about.”
Lloyd also expects the high temperatures at Brands Hatch this weekend to make a difference in each of the 30-minute races, but wouldn’t be called on current levels of degradation.
It is understood that due to the lack of testing on Friday, few teams have had the opportunity to simulate a long-distance race run, levelling the playing field in understanding heading into the double-header tomorrow.
“I won’t say too much, but it’s different. Most of the time when teams and drivers come here it’s in March or at the end of the season; I don’t think we’re used to 25 degree heat here!
“It’s actually making the car act quite differently to normal. The heat will come into play, and I think there’s quite a lot of rubber down as well.”