IP Tech Race Engineering postpones Donington debut

New British Touring Car Championship team IP Tech Race Engineering have delayed their debut appearance in the series due to a “series of unforseen episodes” with the completion of their Chevrolet Cruze.

The team had planned to make its first appearance on the grid during the second meeting of the season at Donington Park, with a testing programme to be carried out prior to the meeting.

But due to the issues completing the car, the team – owned and founded by driver Andy Neate – will make their debut at the fourth round of the year at Oulton Park on June 9.

The Next Generation Touring Car machine has been built from scratch at the team’s new headquarters in Northamptonshire, and Neate said he was reluctant to go racing without having prior running in the car.

Neate said: “We fully understand that there will be some disappointment from the fans who were looking forward to seeing the Chevrolet on track at Donington.

“However, circumstances beyond our control have conspired against us, and it meant that we weren’t able to get on track to complete the running that we had planned prior to Donington.

“As I have said previously, I’ve been in the position before where I’ve gone into a race weekend with a car that I hadn’t had the chance to gel with properly, and it isn’t something I want to do again.

“The whole aim in creating IP Tech Race Engineering is to build a team that is capable of challenging towards the front end of the field, and it is more beneficial to us to go testing with the Cruze so that when we debut at Oulton Park, we are able to show what was are actually capable of, and won’t be on the back foot dealing with any of the teething issues that you inevitably get with a brand new car.

“There is a lot of work that has gone into putting the team and this programme together, more work than a lot of people would imagine, and it is vital for all concerned that we do things properly and that we do ourselves justice when we hit the track. Everyone involved is hugely excited about what is to come in the next few weeks as we embark on the testing programme we have planned and we can’t wait for Oulton Park as there are few better places to introduce a new car into the series.”

The team plans to release more details of their testing programme in due course.