Christian Dick delighted with Speedworks progress

Speedworks Motorsport boss Christian Dick says this year is his team’s time to shine, after a productive winter translated to a top 10 qualifying performance for Tom Ingram at Brands Hatch.

Dick brought in respected engineer Geoff Kingston to oversee the build of a brand new Toyota Avensis, and with Ingram working hard to secure a budget and get back on the grid, the team is confident of a maiden BTCC podium in 2015.

Ingram qualified ninth yesterday after topping the damp opening practice session, and Dick said he was proud to see the progress made on a car which has had very little running before the weekend.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Dick said: “What you’ve got to remember is how little running we’ve done. We managed to squeeze in a couple of days between media day and this round, and one of those was more of a glorified shakedown. We started to lean on the car a little bit more throughout the day as we got the confidence that everything was working fine with the car.

“Wednesday we were at Oulton Park and we didn’t want to do too much running on the limit, in case we have a problem and we’re not able to race this weekend.

“So pitching up as we have done, to be fastest in free practice one is a nice little lift for all the boys that have put all the hours to get here.

“Qualifying was the first time we’d had a stab at a one-lap setup in the car, and to be two tenths off the front and in the top 10, is really promising. There’s so much potential in the car.

“We’re confident in the race distance – the tyres that have come off from the long runs have looked great, so fingers crossed we’re going to be in good shape.”

Although BTCC fans will be familiar with the Avensis model, Dick said the size of the job to build a new one was significant.

“It’s not just a new version of the old car – the weight distribution is massively different, the mounting for the gearshift – every single part needs a new bracket drawing and machining,” said Dick.

“It has been a mammoth effort by the boys to get it all done. We’ve thrown everything we’ve got at it. We know Tom’s good, we know Geoff’s good and we know the NGTC components really well. This year is our time to step up and shine.”