Dan Welch ready to run in new Proton Gen-2

Dan Welch says this weekend will be a shakedown for his new Proton Gen-2, as the “immense” project to build two new cars and engines nears its end.

The Welch Motorsport man said the Donington Park weekend will effectively be a shakedown, and conceded that the team is about two months behind where it should be.

After sitting out the Brands Hatch meeting, Welch missed the first practice session this morning, but says he will be on track in the second session.

And he is confident that with some solid running under his belt, the team will be stronger at the next meeting at Thruxton in a fortnight’s time.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Welch said: “We are not that far away. We had a little incident with the gearbox this morning, but we are over that. It is the last step to get the car ready for what is basically going to be a shakedown.

“We will be out in free practice two to get some laps in and do some system checks. It is the same as what Ollie [Jackson] had to do at Brands.

“We have done our own engine this year as well, and we have a whole load more hurdles. There is loads to do. We’re where we should have been two months ago, really.

“I’ll look after it for the weekend, and we’ll come back to Thruxton stronger.”

Describing the work to get the two cars ready, Welch added: “It has been an immense project. I’ve never done anything so hard in my life. I have never worked so hard in my life for such a long period of time.

“It has been three months of 18 hour days, and it does get you down after a while.”