Vauxhall keeps up test pace

In the first of the Egg-backed cars James Thompson was half a second off the leading pair in third, with team-mate, Phil Bennett, a further 0.4 seconds in arrears.

"We've had a good day," said Plato. "We've tried lots of different suspension settings with some meaningful results. I'm upbeat - roll on Brands."

Peugeot's 406 Coupe was disappointingly off the pace, with Matt Neal's best 2.4 seconds slower than the lead Vauxhall. Series returnee Steve Soper was eighth quickest, behind BTC Production drivers Simon Harrison and Roger Moen in the HTML Peugeot 306s. Dan Eaves was 11th overall after his newly-completed 406 Coupe suffered a steering problem that could not be fixed at the circuit.

Peugeot motorsport boss Mick Linford continued to play down the significance of the test times and was unconcerned by the team's lack of pace.

"We've had a constructive day," he said. "Dan only managed a few laps while Matt and Steve have been learning the car and making changes to the set-up. Although we're off the pace, we're not concerned. If we had tested as much as Vauxhall at this stage, I'm sure we'd be in a similar position."

Top Production class team Barwell Motorsport, who headed the times at Brands Hatch last week with Honda Accord driver James Kaye, opted to miss the test to focus on preparing for the first round. Harrison, who topped the timesheets for the first time in an official test, said: "We had a good day. It was useful. We were strong in both the wet and the dry."


Jason Plato (Vauxhall Astra) 1m28.453s
Yvan Muller (Vauxhall Astra) 1m28.519s
James Thompson (Vauxhall Astra) 1m28.904s
Phil Bennett (Vauxhall Astra) 1m29.342s
Matt Neal (Peugeot 406 Coupe) 1m30.914s
Simon Harrison (Peugeot 306) 1m31.795s
Roger Moen (Peugeot 306) 1m32.156s
Steve Soper (Peugeot 406 Coupe) 1m32.269s
Gavin Pyper (Alfa Romeo 156) 1m33.333s
P Matt Jackson (Ford Focus) 1m33.756s

T - Touring class
P - Production class