Proton upbeat for Thruxton

Mike Carroll commented: "We've put in some good work in the southern hemisphere over the UK winter, and learned a lot more in the last few weeks. I think we've made some good progress since last year." Much of the team's work has been carried out in Carroll's home country South Africa, with more recent forays in the UK.

New lead driver Shaun Watson-Smith, another South African, is more cautious than his boss, as he prepares to tackle the super-fast Thruxton track for the first time. "We've had some encouraging tests just recently," he said, "but I'm not going to make any wild claims ahead of my first race in the UK. I'm just thrilled to be here and competing with the big boys in touring cars."

Watson-Smith's inexperienced young Malaysian team-mate Farique Hairuman has an even bigger mountain to climb. "I am looking forward to my first race with Team PSP," he said. "This is a big weekend for me and I'm determined not to let anyone down, especially all those at Petronas who have given me this great opportunity."