“Faultless” first run for Robb Holland’s new Audi

Robb Holland says his new Audi S3 ran “faultlessly” on its first test on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, and he heads into the first weekend at Brands Hatch in confident mood.

The 46-year-old, who is set to become the first American to enter the BTCC full-time, enjoyed his first test in the S3 at the Formula One circuit last Friday.

He will drive for the Rotek Racing team, which operates from bases at the Nurburgring and Silverstone, and has previously run him in endurance racing.

Holland said: “I’m incredibly excited about launching my first full-time BTCC campaign and I’m anxious to run on track and get the racing under way. I hope this will be the start of a very long and prosperous relationship with the championship.

“I was always adamant that we shouldn’t cut corners to make any arbitrary deadlines and those high levels of preparation and attention to detail have really paid off. The Rotek Racing Audi S3 ran flawlessly and without issue for the duration of the test day at Silverstone.

“Nothing prevented us from running, which means reliability is one less thing to worry about at Brands Hatch. This is great when you’re running with a brand new car, in a brand new series and on a new race track.

“Of course, it’s impossible to tell whether we have pace because we have yet to share a circuit with other touring cars and there were no laptimes to reference on Silverstone’s Grand Prix layout. However, the car felt solid and I think we’re in the ballpark.”