3:16pm Thursday 18th March 2010
CHELSFIELD racing driver Shaun Hollamby took a major step forwards in preparation for this year’s British touring car championship with a successful first test of his AmD Milltek Racing Mark 5 VW Golf at Brands Hatch.
The car has undergone a complete rebuild at the team’s Lakeside workshop since being acquired earlier this year from Estonian team Saksa Auto, who raced it in the Baltic touring car championship.
Following a frustrating week when two scheduled tests had to be postponed due to late delivery of essential components, the car was finally able to make its first appearance on track on Tuesday.
AmD managing director and main driver Hollamby spent the day putting the Golf through its paces at the world-famous Brands Hatch venue and was immediately enthusiastic about the experience.
He said: “We used the day at Brands purely for a shakedown to make sure everything worked and nothing fell off, but the car immediately feels very solid and exceptionally well balanced on all four corners.”
Hollamby was confident a small misfire that appeared after four laps of each run could be quickly corrected.
He said: “We think that it is a problem related to the car running too cold for the fuel map.
“We are looking into the data in more depth to find a solution.”
Despite being the first time the car has turned a wheel, Team AmD has built up a huge following amongst touring car fans through the team’s internet blog, which has given motor racing enthusiasts a unique insight into the preparation of the car.
“The support we’ve received has been fantastic and that’s before the season has even begun,” added the Chelsfield ace.
Hollamby was also quick to praise the assistance and guidance given to the team by BTCC officials, adding: “There was no looking down noses at us, just fantastic advice and encouragement all the way.”
Team AmD Milltek Sport will have a further opportunity to put the Golf through its paces at an official test session on March 23, again at Brands Hatch.
This time, Hollamby will line up alongside all of the cars and drivers entered for the 2010 BTCC season, giving the team an opportunity to assess the competitiveness of the Golf ahead of the first race of the season at Thruxton on April 4.
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