MG contract “a dream come true” for Tordoff
Sam Tordoff says his deal to race for MG in the 2013 British Touring Car Championship is “a dream come true”. The 23-year-old was unveiled to the media as Jason Plato’s team-mate at MG’s Longbridge HQ this morning.
And Tordoff said there would be “no excuses” for not performing well in the MG6 GT, which won five races in the hands of Plato last season. The Yorkshireman is one of seven drivers chosen for this year’s KX Akademy, a bursary and mentoring scheme set up by Plato to support up-and-coming saloon and GT racers.
He has already enjoyed a taster of what the series has to offer, when he drove for Triple Eight at the 2010 season finale at Brands Hatch.
Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Tordoff said:
“I’m absolutely thrilled – it has been a long time coming. We have been in negotiations for quite a while, since I was announced as a KX Akademy finalist.
“It is a dream come true really, for all the four years of hard work on the TOCA package.
“It is somewhere I always aspired to be, and to be a part of. I did the Clios and Porsches, which have given me a very good grounding for life in a touring car.
“With that debut out of the way in touring cars two years ago, I don’t feel any pressure or nerves for this year.
“I already know the team and am comfortable with everyone, and Jason. I really think we can have a successful year.”
Tordoff said getting in NGTC machinery for the first time would be a challenge, but not one he isn’t able to cope with.
He said: “It is going to be a bit of a shock to start with. I have only driven the Porsche for the last two years so it is going to be a bit of a change, particularly going back to front-wheel drive again.
“It’s a thing I will adapt to over the testing programme before we get to the first round, so before Brands Hatch I will be fully ready.
“I’m not going to make any excuses with the fact that it is my debut season. This car won five races last year, in what was supposed to be a learning year.
“The car is capable, the team are capable and Jason has shown what it can do. I want to be up there pushing him and be as close to the front as I can.”
Being part of the BTCC package is also something which appealed to the man from Leeds.
He said: “Touring cars is going from strength to strength at the moment. Getting involved with MG and Tesco is great – they are two massive companies who are in it for the long haul. The potential to grow with them is massive.
“As they say now in motorsport, the driving bit is the tiniest part. I have been rewarded with loyalty from my sponsors – they have all continued from the Carrera Cup, and we have got a couple of new ones on board.
“I can’t wait. It is less than nine weeks away now. I’m just excited to jump in the car and see how it goes.”
