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Bell Targeting Solid Start At Brands |
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Wednesday, 28 March 2007 |
Confidence high after successful Spanish test
Martyn Bell will head into his second season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship with his confidence ‘higher than ever’ following a successful test session in Spain.
The Barrow-upon-Humber racer spent time at both Albacete and Valencia in his Team AllAboutProperty.com BMW 320i along with new driver coach Kelvin Burt in preparation for the opening rounds of the season this coming weekend at Brands Hatch.
The run at Albacete marked the first time Kelvin had spent time at the
wheel of the car, with the former Ford and Volvo works driver helping
the team to work on the set-up of the BMW ahead of the new season.
“This was my first test with Martyn, at a track I had not previously
driven on, in a car I had not driven before,” he said, “so we had an
interesting day with a lot to do.
“I was happy with the progress we made, but there is still a lot to do
to realise the full potential of the car. It was difficult with the
conditions, as it was very windy and was blowing sand onto the track
which altered the cars behaviour and made it difficult to be categoric
with the changes we made. When I get in the car again, we will see what
more we can extract from it.”
The team then headed to Valencia, and although running there was
delayed by the late arrival of a new gearbox for the car, Martyn said
the sessions would prove to be vitally important for the season ahead.
“The test in Spain could well have changed our season,” he explains.
“It may seem to have cost us a lot of money now, but by the middle of
the year we will see how it has been money well spent. Kelvin has
really helped us to dial the car in and we now have a good car to work
with, I’m very pleased that we have him onboard.
“Without his input, the climb would have been hard, but Kelvin has made
it easier. We know there is still plenty of work to do, but he has
really helped us to dial the car in and we now have something to work
with. We have a better handling car that isn’t out of shape like it was
last season – hopefully the tail-happy E46 is now a thing of the past!”
With his pre-season testing programme now complete, Bell heads into the
opening rounds of the season confident of making a strong start to his
second year in the BTCC.
Having picked up a points scoring finish in the season opener twelve
months ago on his debut in the series, Martyn said he was hopeful of
once again fighting for a place in the top ten, albeit on merit rather
than benefiting from the misfortune of others.
“I’m full of confidence for the season ahead, more confident than I’ve
ever been and I think we are further on with our preparations than many
of the others,” he said. “We know that the circuit doesn’t really suit
the BMW but we feel that that could change this weekend. There will be
26 cars going into Paddock Hill Bend and anything could happen, it’ll
certainly be good for the spectators.
“I want to go racing this weekend and my aim is to secure three solid
finishes – hopefully inside the top ten. I feel that that is something
we can now achieve with the car.”
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