Andrew Jordan of Pirtek Racing says that he can’t wait to go racing when the 2011 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship roars into life at Brands Hatch (Kent) this weekend (2/3 April).
The Pirtek Racing team is poised for its best ever season as Andrew is joined by BTCC newcomer Jeff Smith in a pair of Vauxhall Vectras and Andrew threw down the gauntlet to his rivals by setting the overall pace in the major pre-season test day at Silverstone on Thursday (24 March).
Jordan ended the day a quarter of a second up on the Vectra of James Nash, while BTCC legends Matt Neal and Jason Plato were third and fourth fastest. Andrew was quick to acknowledge that these are very early days in the 2011 season, but it was still a tremendous performance for the Pirtek squad.
Andrew says that the experience gained with the new turbo engine last season will serve them well as the BTCC heads for another record-breaking season. “We are definitely in the best place yet, with what we learned about the turbo engine last year,” said the 21-year old. “There are a lot more people coming in with turbo engines this year and I think our experience will stand us in good stead.”
Jordan says that the 30-race, 10-weekend BTCC season is a daunting schedule and that being competitive from April through to October requires a measured approach. “We’re certainly looking at the bigger picture right from the start of the season. Our aim this year is to win the Independents’ title and we’ve got to approach it in a good controlled way and get strong points’ finishes wherever we can.”
The season starts on the all-action Indy circuit at Brands Hatch, where the prospect of 25 touring cars battling around the 1.2-mile track is fabulous news for the fans, both at home and trackside. The Indy circuit makes for great racing,” said Andrew, who is also aware that a brush from another car could send him into one of the gravel traps and out of the race. “It’s a very, very busy race and you’ve got to keep that in mind when you really want three finishes from the first weekend. If we’re in a position to win, of course I’ll go for it!”
After qualifying on Saturday at 15.40, the first of three BTCC races will be 11.45 on Sunday, with race two at 14.05 and race three at 17.05. All three races will be broadcast live on ITV4 in a programme starting at 11.00. Qualifying will be broadcast live at www.itv.com and live results from the weekend will be available at www.tsl-timing.com
