Giovanardi & Chilton staying

Fabrizio Giovanardi and Tom Chilton will spearhead Vauxhall’s title assault in next year’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, it has been confirmed. The announcement means that Vauxhall’s VX Racing team will have continuity in its driver line-up – something that principal Ian Harrison believes will be crucial to its chances of re-asserting itself as a title-winner in the BTCC.

Italian Giovanardi and rising 21-year-old British star Chilton were both new at Vauxhall in 2006 and their taking time to learn the team and car cost the Luton marque dear as it fell behind in the title race. Adding to Giovanardi’s problems, he also had to learn the British circuits and language.

But said Harrison: “Choosing the drivers is a joint decision between all the parties involved. One of the things we felt we missed this year was continuity. Changing the whole team cost us at the start of the season; you can see from the points spread. I think Fabrizio scored 42 per cent of his points total in the last three race meetings. We didn’t want to go through that again.

“Fabrizio, in particular, has had to adapt to everything. If it wasn’t the food, it was the language. He had to buy a satellite navigation system just to find his way from the airport to the circuit – I think that says it all. Despite all that he was right on the money in the last four race meetings.”

Last year was the first time since 2000 that Vauxhall failed to win any of the BTCC’s Drivers’, Manufacturers’ or Teams’ titles. Next season it will have to come up with a new car to meet the BTCC’s new FIA Super 2000 technical formula. Harrison clearly believes that with plenty of testing – and a mutual understanding with his two star drivers – that Vauxhall can start a new era in the BTCC in the same way it did when the regulations last changed in 2001 and its machines dominated for the next four years.