Vauxhall's new BTCC challenger runs

Jason Plato drove the new Astra Coupe on Thursday and Friday (January 18/19) at the Spanish circuit to beat his rivals to the wheel of a car produced for the BTCC's new premier class.

Conditions were far from perfect with a wet track precluding all but shakedown work on Thursday and damp conditions limiting useful work on Friday, but Plato nevertheless completed 40 laps and declared the Astra: "A good little race car. It really was just a shakedown, but once I started stringing a couple of laps together, I was having fun."

With a host of new BTCC-standard parts to check out, such as the standardised gearboxes and brakes, which are part of the new formula's cost-cutting strategy, works team Triple Eight Race Engineering was encouraged by its initial runs.

"It's all working and we're pretty upbeat," commented team boss Ian Harrison. Yvan Muller will take over the work on Monday to have his first taste of the Astra Coupe and continue working through the team's initial test programme until Tuesday evening.

With several interim bits still on the car and another evolution of the engine expected soon from Vauxhall's new engine supplier Sodemo, Plato does not expect meaningful set-up work or lap times to come until the team's next test. The Englishman is nevertheless delighted that Vauxhall has hit the tracks ahead of its rivals.

"We're ahead of the game in that we've got running cars first," he said. "Let's hope it's the first of many firsts this year."

Vauxhall's only works rival to date, Peugeot, expects to start its test programme next month at Vallelunga near Rome.