Photo: btcc.net

Motorbase Performance complete first test with RML parts

By

Andrew Jordan’s winter testing regime continued as he put the freshly painted Motorbase Performance Ford Focus through its paces at Donington Park.

It was not the first time Jordan had stepped behind the wheel of the Focus, having tested at Brands Hatch last month, but the Donington Park test marked the first time the car had featured a full set of new RML components. Ciceley Racing and Eurotech were also testing, with the latter putting in its first laps with the Honda Civic Type R.

“We completed more than 60 laps and had absolutely no problems whatsoever,” Jordan told btcc.net. “It was wet in the morning, then dried out, and then it rained again later in the afternoon. There are always some frustrations with changing conditions but in truth it was actually good to get some wet running – we haven’t much of that in 2015.

“The RML parts felt very good and overall the car is just so responsive. We ran with RML’s suggested base set-up rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. We believed that would be the best way to start the process and to be honest the car was in the ballpark straight away.”

The team, who were consistent front-runners in the latter stages of the 2015 season, are planning an extensive testing programme over the winter, including testing on the continent in the New Year.

“We were able to start some fundamental sweeps through set-up changes but we have much more planned in the New Year, and particularly when we test in Portugal,” Jordan said. “The car is easy to drive but it’s always a much bigger task to learn everything, which is obviously one of the reasons why we have such a comprehensive testing schedule ahead.

“It’s a car that you feel you can really influence it. It’s so responsive to driver input and I drive very much on feel, so this suits me. You can hustle the car if needs be and it provides good feedback. We mostly did short runs, although we probably completed three quarter race distance on one run. Like I say, it was a really productive day but we have a lot more to do in the coming months.”