Simon Belcher enjoys first test run with Toyota Avensis

39-year-old Simon Belcher was delighted after his first test run with the Toyota Avensis at Silverstone, which he will contest with during the 2014 British Touring Car Championship season.

Belcher will make his BTCC debut next season, running in a Next Generation Touring Car-specification Toyota Avensis which will be run by Handy Motorsport with the support of Speedworks, who’ve run Avensises in the BTCC since 2011.

There was an ECU issue in the damp, early part of the day which restricted Belcher’s running, but he was able to get a number of laps in the later, dry sessions.

“It’s been a brilliant day, it was everything I expected”, said Belcher, “I’d never even sat in a touring car before today and we weren’t a million miles away by the end, so I’m really pleased. We made some good progress and I really enjoyed working with the Speedworks guys for the first time.

“I wondered how the speed of the car would feel and compare to the Clio I’ve been racing the past two years, and the touring car does have so much more power. What needed getting used to the most, though, was the brakes – you really have to stand on them.”

Belcher added: “When you’re strapped into the car it doesn’t feel that much bigger, but the steering is harder work and everything is just that bit heavier. The more aggressive you drive a touring car, the smoother it feels, so you really have to grab it by the throat to get the most out of it. That’s different to what I’ve been used to with the Clio and something to work on over the winter.”