SEAT targets Leon TDI's sweet spot

SEAT Sport UK believes it is close to matching the power of its TDI race engine with the superb handling characteristics of the Leon's chassis, and is preparing to use an untested set-up at Donington Park in order to find the Leon TDI's sweet spot. If the bold strategy succeeds when the action resumes at the Leicestershire track on May 3/4, the team is convinced that its HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship campaign will be well and truly back on track.

With just a solitary day's testing with its new car before the start of the season, outstanding team work has enabled SEAT Sport UK to do exceptionally well in the opening rounds of the BTCC. Jason Plato has scored points in all six races while Darren Turner has finished 2nd , 3rd , 4th and 5th in the four races he's completed. However, without a race win yet, Darren and Jason are currently 5th and 6th in the Drivers' standings, 25 and 28 points behind series leader Fabrizio Giovanardi. SEAT trails Vauxhall by 32 points in the Manufacturers' standings and SEAT Sport UK's defence of the Teams' title is 39 points adrift of target.

But with 24 rounds of the BTCC remaining there is plenty of time to turn that around - and SEAT Sport UK is aiming to begin turning the tide at Donington Park.

The high speed straights around the 1.96-mile National Circuit have often been SEAT Sport UK's Achilles' heel. Even with Jason's double victory there last season, the SEAT Sport UK's average race finishing position since the team's BTCC debut season in 2004, is 4th . In theory, the Leon TDI should suit the track better than its petrol predecessor did, plus last year Jason carried 36kgs of success ballast. This time he'll start the race weekend with zero.

Jason Plato said: "I'm really upbeat about our chances at Donington. We learned something about Leon TDI last time out at Rockingham which, although unproven, gave us a good reaction. If this new theory on set-up works well at Donington, we'll be looking really good for the rest of the season. We don't know for sure if it's going to work, but we're hopeful. I've got a sneaking feeling that we're honing in on the car's sweet spot and when we find it we'll be quick. It's a risky strategy to take on a race weekend, because if it doesn't work in the first free practice session, do we go back to a set-up we know works well-ish or do we persevere, knowing that if it still doesn't work we'll have destroyed our chances of qualifying well? It's a situation we find ourselves in having been unable to do any pre- season testing, but I'm up for taking the risk."

Darren Turner: "Last year we surprised ourselves in qualifying, because historically Donington hasn't been our strongest track and we ended up on the front row. Generally the races didn't go too bad either. The Leon's got a very good chassis, but last year we suffered at Donington with our relative lack of straight line speed, especially on the long uphill sections. Now, with the diesel engine, we hope that Donington has gone from being a circuit we were not the most competitive on to a track where we can be truly competitive. Confidence in the team is growing as we understand how to get the most out of the new car. The TDI engine hasn't missed a beat all season and is doing everything we expected from it, and we are working hard to try and get the engine to work well with the chassis."

Scott Dennis, SEAT UK Motorsport Manager: "We've had mixed fortunes on our previous visits to Donington, but I'm confident that we can improve on our average race finishing position this time out. Results at Donington won't make, or break our season but it's important that we perform at the highest level as a team to ensure we stay in touch with the leaders in each of the Championships. Hopefully all the hard work the team has put in since Rockingham will be rewarded with our first win this year."

The BTCC race weekend at Donington begins with two 40-minute free practice sessions on Saturday 3rd May, starting at 09.40 and 12.25, followed by a 30-minute qualifying session starting at 16.00. Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the BTCC take place on Sunday 4th May, with the three 16-lap races around the 1.96 mile Donington Park National Circuit starting at 11.10, 14.20 and 16.45.

ITV4 will have extensive live coverage, with non-stop viewing on race day between 12.30pm 5.30pm. Highlights will be broadcast later the same evening on ITV4 and on ITV1 on Monday 5th May (check local TV listings for details).