|
|
 |
|
Team sunshine.co.uk with Tech-Speed Motorsport will be at full strength for the second round of the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton this weekend, as fans favourite Paul O'Neill makes his BTCC comeback alongside Martyn Bell.
Barrow-upon-Humber racer Bell was forced to go it alone at Brands Hatch earlier this month after O'Neill had to miss the opening rounds of the year due to commitments elsewhere, but the former Vauxhall works driver will now make his first outing of the campaign at the quickest circuit on the calendar.
The team heads to Thruxton – the home circuit for title sponsor sunshine.co.uk – on the back of a fine start to the year at Brands, where Martyn enjoyed one of his best ever BTCC weekends, picking up two points finishes from the three races.
With confidence on a high, he will now look to add to his tally at a circuit where he has been successful earlier in his career.
“I feel really positive about the weekend,” he said. “The Integra has always gone well there in the past and my confidence has been given a huge boost by the performance last time out.
“Paul is a class act and I'm thrilled to have him alongside me this weekend. He is a proven BTCC race winner and if we can work together in qualifying and do some formation flying, we can hopefully pick up a good grid position to set us up for race day.
“Thruxton is the home circuit for sunshine.co.uk, so there is some extra motivation to get a good result. After two top ten finishes last time, the aim is to try and get into the top eight and I think that we have a great chance of reaching our goal.”
O'Neill will be making his first appearance in the BTCC since the 2007 season finale, when he competed at Thruxton in a SEAT Toledo run by the Motorbase team.
Despite being without a full-time BTCC drive for a number of years after being diagnosed with diabetes, O'Neill remains one of the most popular figures in the paddock and he said he couldn't wait to make his return.
“I'm really excited about the weekend ahead,” he said. “It's a good opportunity for me to get back on track and I think we have a real chance to bring home some good results for sunshine.co.uk. I think it is a realistic aim to get both cars into the top ten and with the reverse grid in race three, anything could happen.
“The car is really good and Thruxton is a circuit where I have gone well in the past, so I have to aim high. I know my last outing in the BTCC didn't quite go to plan, but I have nothing to prove and will be going out there to give it my all.
“If I need to rub a bit of paint to fight for position, then that's what I'll do and while it will be great to line up alongside everyone again, it's certainly not just a bit of a giggle. There is a serious job to do.”
| |
|
|
