VX Racing hope the sun shines on them at Croft

VX Racing’s Tom Chilton is raring to go after the long summer break in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship calendar.

The 21-year-old says he has not stopped training since he got out the car at Thruxton, six weeks ago, and is optimistic about his chances this weekend at Croft following some interesting findings in the technical analysis of the Astra Sport Hatch’s performance.

"I think a lot of teams and drivers almost lose the buzz for the championship over the summer break whereas with me, because I’m so determined to do well, I’m always training – mentally and physically," said Chilton, from Reigate. "People go on holiday and then get into the car and think ‘this is hard work!’ But I’m going to be bang on it from the first lap."

The Banbury-based team has been working non-stop since Thruxton to establish why the car struggled at the ultra-fast circuit where, despite qualifying well, the team left with only 26 points. Now, technicians are confident the problem will not recur.

"We performed very well at Croft last year," said John Morton, VX Racing’s Technical Director. "Considering we’ve improved the engine and the handling of the car since then, we should be just as good, if not better, this weekend."

Last year VX Racing scored two one-twos with Yvan Muller and Colin Turkington, but this year the team has struggled to match its superlative results of previous seasons.

"When you have a difficult time - like at Thruxton - heads do drop, and we quickly forget how much dominance we’ve had in the past," said VX Racing’s Operations Manager, Mike Nicholson. "These things go in cycles. I’ve been in motorsport long enough to know what goes around comes around and we will be up there again."

The BTCC always looks forward to its annual trip to North Yorkshire, where the series enjoys extensive support.

"We love going there," said Nicholson. "Apart from one year, when you couldn’t move for mud, the weather’s always kind at Croft and there are always huge crowds and a lot of enthusiastic support for the championship."