Matt Simpson “living the dream” ahead of BTCC debut

Touring car rookie Matt Simpson says he is “living the dream” ahead of his BTCC debut, and has been pleasantly surprised with how his speed has compared with some of the leading lights in the championship.

Simpson was one of nine drivers who took part in the two-day test at Thruxton last week, following on from a visit to Parcmotor Castellolí in Spain which saw similarly mixed weather conditions.

The former Quaife Intermarque and European Hot Rod champion said the tests were useful for him to gauge his speed against his rivals on track in his Speedworks Motorsport Honda Civic Type-R.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes at Thruxton, Simpson said: “It’s been really good. We struggled really badly setup-wise in the rain, it was miles too stiff. The lads worked wonders overnight and put it back like it was in Spain, and it is a lot better.

“It’s just nice to get out there with other touring cars to gauge ourselves against them. It’s always nice to get a feel for where the others are braking rather that going around on your own and thinking ‘I’m doing alright here’, and they come streaming by!

“Spain was really good. We had three sunny, dry days and a good one-and-a-half where it was damp or wet. We made full use of the time and were really pleased with the overall pace.”

Simpson is running a former Team Dynamics Civic used by the works Honda squad last season, and is benefiting from shared data from drivers Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal.

“I was surprised as I wasn’t as far off Flash [in Spain] as I thought I would be. He was the quickest out there, and I was expecting to be a mountain of time away,” said Simpson.

“Again, I can’t thank Matt and Gordon enough. I’m really lucky to have such good backing. Gordon’s champion and Dynamics are a good team, so to have their advice is really appreciated. They don’t have to do it.”

Simpson is already planning to turn his debut BTCC year into a family affair, and will be travelling to all of the races with his wife and two children in their motorhome.

He said his initial impressions of the Civic have made him extremely excited for what lies ahead.

“I just cant believe it. The brakes are phenomenal, and I’d never driven with a sequential gearbox before, so there was the ‘wow factor’. I’m living the dream,” he said.