First picture: Peugeot runs in anger at Silverstone

Peugeot shook its car down briefly for the first time at Silverstone last week, almost two months after the rival Vauxhall Astra first turned a wheel, and ran it again yesterday in the hands of Steve Soper and Dan Eaves. The duo completed almost 120 trouble-free laps of the Northamptonshire venue's National circuit.

"We had 100 per cent reliability and the car looks fantatstic. I'm really pleased," Linford told Autosport.com. "It doesn't worry me that Vauxhall has done more running. You can't do the fine-tuning overnight and we don't know how long it will take, but we'll get there."

The car ran in close to its final race specification, although a further evolution of its straight-four two-litre engine is yet to come. The livery has still to be finalised, pending the announcement of another sponsor at the end of the week, but the basic scheme is set to remain an eye-catching luminous green.

With only one car completed so far, touring car legend Soper, who makes a return to the BTCC this year after six years away, drove the car during the morning session, with Eaves taking over in the afternoon.

A second car will be finished in time for the first official TOCA test at Brands Hatch next week, when third driver Matt Neal should get his first taste of his 2001 mount.

Peugeot and Vauxhall, fielding three and four cars respectively, are the only two works teams scheduled to start the season in the headlining BTC Touring class. They are set to be joined by cars from Lexus and Alfa Romeo, with a two-car MG effort appearing later in the season.

James Thompson is scheduled to shakedown his Egg-sponsored Vauxhall Astra today (Tuesday). The Yorkshireman leads a two-car Triple Eight satellite effort, alongside former Renault Spider driver Phil Bennett, but will receive identical equipment to works drivers Yvan Muller and Jason Plato.