Qualifying notes from Thruxton

They are to be used on the front left corner of all BTCT cars and possibly the left rear of the rear-wheel drive Lexus IS200. The move follows two front-left blow-outs at the 140mph Church corner during the recent test day. Series organiser TOCA has also increased the slick tyre allowance for the weekend from 20 to 26 slicks per car. The new measures added to relatively low temperatures at the Hampshire circuit mean insiders are confident of a blow-out free race day.



The ABG Motorsport Lexus IS200 made its BTCC qualifying debut at Thruxton on Sunday and was creditably close to a respectable pace despite having completed just 20 troubled laps at Pembrey before arriving at the Hampshire circuit.

"If someone had told me we'd come here and be this close I'd have told them to stop joking," said driver Kurt Luby, after setting qualifying times under four seconds off the pace of the well-sorted works Vauxhalls.

Luby and the team have been making huge changes to their guessed set-up and gear ratios over the course of the qualifying day and expect to do the same again before the car makes its race debut. "Now the aim is just to come away from Thruxton in one piece and work from there," said Luby. "We've now got a great starting point."

The team's second IS200 is already under construction and ABG is working hard to try to ready it in time for Thomas Erdos to make his BTCC debut in round five at Oulton Park.