Welch Motorsport confident of making strides in 2015
The Welch Motorsport team is preparing for the new BTCC season with cautious optimism, after a hard winter of work on its self-build Proton engines.
Driver Dan Welch says he’s confident the team has “got it right” after a trying 2014, where the endlessly troublesome engines were both unreliable and down on power and boost.
Andy Wilmot has replaced Ollie Jackson in the team’s second Proton Gen-2, and both drivers managed to rack up some laps at the media day test at Donington Park despite only Wilmot’s car running.
Although engine troubles again caused the day to end early, there was no undue concern as the unit had been “tested to destruction.” in the words of Wilmot. The team built six engines over the winter, and the unit which struck trouble on media day had previously completed a full day at Brands Hatch, and 120 laps at Donington after many hours on the dyno.
Both drivers gave their thoughts to TouringCarTimes ahead of the new season.
“I’m waiting for the final spec of engine, which will hopefully be ready for Brands. I’m looking forward to it – things have been quite positive over the winter, and it can’t be any worse than last year,” said Welch.
“Certainly having the different engines on the grid does help the racing, and from our side it’s nice to have control over something. It’s down to us if we get it right or get it wrong, and this year we’re pretty sure we’ve got it right.
“We were so happy with the car last year – the way it handled, the way it ran. I know what I am going to do when I get to Brands. We’ve made a few modifications to the car, nothing major, and I think I will get myself up to speed quite quickly.”
For Wilmot the year is about learning touring car racing, after one outing in the Tony Gilham Racing Volkswagen CC in 2013.
He said: “What the guys have done on the chassis and setup is fantastic. As long as we can nail the engine, which I’m sure we will do, I think we’re in for a good year.
“It would have been ideal if the engine had lasted until the last lap, because every time we’re out on track we’re learning. I want to get as much time on track as possible, because they’re not easy cars to grasp.
“It’s weird to feel a car moving so much underneath you. I’m getting used to it slowly but surely, but it’s a big learning curve. Most of these guys have been driving a touring car for a long time.
“I know I’m going to be fighting at the back in the beginning, but my main aim is to score some points.
“In 2013 it was a good year racing all round. It definitely gave me the bug for it. I took the whole of 2014 out to get the money together and come and do touring cars for the full season.”
