Austin tops BTCC timesheet in new Alfa Giulietta
British Touring Car Championship racer Rob Austin says there is more to come from his new HMS Racing Alfa Romeo Giulietta after topping the official pre-season session at Donington Park last week.
The 37-year-old lapped in 1m10.074s to finish ahead of Tom Chilton’s Motorbase Performance Ford Focus.
“We are only at the start of this programme,” said Austin, after completing 48 laps. “We have still got a way to get the perfect balance on the car. We have only been out for a couple of tests, and we are making steps each time we run the car. Also, you never really know on test days who is running what ballast levels, so it is hard to read too much into it.”
The two works Team Dynamics cars, the brand new FK8 Honda Civic Type Rs of Matt Neal and Dan Cammish, were 13th and 14th. The two works Subaru Levorg cars of reigning champion Ash Sutton and Jason Plato were 20th and 29th. The estate-shaped machines are now fitted with Swindon Racing Engines-tuned powerplants, switching away from Mountune. Sutton said: “We are just getting to grips with it.”