Tom Onslow-Cole sure of BTCC potential of new NGTC VW Passat

The Team Hard-built NGTC machine was completed just in time for the meeting and was 24th and 25th fastest in the two free practice sessions.

"It was touch-and-go getting here," said Onslow-Cole. "Some of the team haven't slept for quite a while.

"There have been a few little niggles, like the gear-cut playing up in first practice, but the chassis feels good.

"We've got to run through the list - this is a shakedown. As we go faster, we'll see where it's at."

Team boss Tony Gilham confirmed that the two Vauxhall Insignias the squad also runs are similar enough to the Passat to speed up the learning process.

"The wheelbase is the same, they're very much the same car underneath," said Gilham, who hopes to add another VW for Howard Fuller later in the season.

"This weekend is to get the car reliable; it's the launchpad for what we're doing," he added.

"We want to be competitive and winning races, but we don't want to run before we can walk.

"We need to refine these cars first, but I want to get the other car out in the first half of the season."