A few setbacks but the AmD Milltek Racing had a great start to their season.
A Thurrock based motorsport team joined its rivals as it gets set to participate in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) this year.
AmD Milltek Racing, in West Thurrock, took part in the championship’s Media Day held at Brands Hatch on Tuesday, March 23.
Driver and AmD managing director, Shaun Hollamby, and his team will be entering a Volkswagen Golf, the first time in 21 years the make will enter the BTCC.
They will come up against teams fielding makes such as Chevrolet, BMW, Ford, Honda, SEAT and Vauxhall.
The team were introduced to media, VIP guests and spectators, before taking to the track in two three hour test sessions.
After acquiring the car in the winter from Estonia, the team have been busy in preparing the car, keeping fans up to date of the progress through a internet blog on the their website, which has proved a massive hit.
Shaun said: ‘The response since we have entered has been unbelievable. Everyone has been very supportive, especially with the return of VW to the championship, how the car looks and also the reaction from fans who have seen our internet blog.
‘The BTCC has a fantastic following and it is great to be a part of that.
‘It’s going to be a huge learning experience this year, trying to get the car up to speed, getting rid of the few teething problems we have. But we have got a few guys in with good experience of the BTCC which should keep us in good stead.
‘We may be at the back at the start of the year, but we hope to run in the midfield as soon as we can.’
Unfortunately for Shaun and the team, the VW suffered misfire problems during the media day, which they thought they had cured in a test session last week.
Without completing the lap in the first session, Shaun managed to get a few laps in in the second session after the problem was fixed.
Shaun said: ‘Unfortunately we have suffered from a misfire problem but we have traced it to a broken ignition amp, map and injector wire. But at least we got a few laps in.’
The first round takes place at Thruxton in Hampshire over Easter weekend, with raceday on Easter Sunday.
The championships visits Brands Hatch on the Grand Prix track on May 1/2 and on the Indy circuit for the final rounds on October 10/11.
To follow the team, visit www.amdessex.com/btcc blog
