Fabrizio Giovanardi excited ahead of BTCC return

Double British Touring Car Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi is back in the series with Motorbase Performance. The Italian, who boasts 24 race wins in his four years in the BTCC, is happy to go back behind the wheel of a touring car after spending most of his time between GTs and the Superstars Series, a type of racing which is completely different compared to the Next Generation Touring Cars of BTCC.

In an interview with TouringCarTimes, Giovanardi touched several topics, such as coming back after four years, having never driven an NGTC car and joining a new team.

“Of course I’m glad to have the opportunity to race again in such a competitive championship as the BTCC,” said the Italian.

“Of course I’ve never driven the car, my last win was with a Super 2000 car and the experiences I’ve had inbetween were nowhere near close to this. It’s going to be an interesting challenge, I will need to adapt very quickly to the new environment.”

Giovanardi has visited the Motorbase Performance workshop and has been positively impressed with what he has seen.

”They are a keen group of people, I haven’t really had a lot of time to settle in yet, of course, but I can see how passionate they are, and if you have that then it’s one of the most important ingredients for success.”

When asked about his expectations ahead of the 2014 BTCC season, the driver from Sassuolo in Italy couldn’t say much.

”I haven’t really tested the car yet, so I don’t know how good it is. Of course we will not be on the grid just to make up the numbers. If you’re talking about ambitions, then the aim is always to win. We will try to make it possible.”

Giovanardi, who recently turned 47, is excited ahead of the challenge he faces on the British tracks in 2014.

”The big names in the series are always there, there’s some new talent coming up and it will not be easy to come back in the middle of all this. On the other hand, it has never been easy, so I’m excited and can’t wait for the first test to see how the car performs.”

“The series is of course growing, there are a lot of competitive cars on the grid and it is definitely exciting to watch and take part in. I know a lot has changed despite having been away for not too long, but this adds even more excitement. Before driving them, I can only say that these cars look really good and the fans like them.”

Giovanardi’s last outing in the BTCC was the inaugural race of the 2010 season with a Triple Eight-run Vauxhall Vectra, claiming two wins.