Dan Zelos enjoys first ‘true’ BTCC test at Snetterton

Dan Zelos admitted it was a ‘fantastic experience’ after gaining his first true experience of a British Touring Car Championship machine during the two-day Goodyear tyre test at Snetterton.

Although Zelos had previously enjoyed brief runs in both a Ciceley-run Mercedes Benz A Class and a Motorbase-run Ford Focus, the two-day test provided Zelos with the opportunity to spend meaningful time behind the wheel of EXCELR8’s Hyundai i30 Fastback N thanks to a his role as the team’s official reserve driver.

At the wheel of the car usually raced by Jack Butel, Zelos completed more than 100 laps pover the course of the test as he worked alongside race winners Tom Ingram, Tom Chilton and Dan Lloyd.

The reigning MINI CHALLENGE champion would end up 22nd on the combined timesheets with a best time just under half a second off multiple champion Colin Turkington.
 
“For my first proper taste of what life would be like as a touring car driver, it was a fantastic experience and one that has definitely whetted my appetite for more!” he said. “I was extremely excited to climb behind the wheel of the Hyundai at last – it was a huge privilege to drive the championship-leading car, and I loved every minute.
 
“The i30 N felt completely different to my MINI and a big step-up; there was a lot to get my head around in a relatively short space of time and it was almost like starting over from zero in some respects. They were two pretty full-on days – especially in that heat – and I just tried to soak up as much information as I could, and then process and digest it all.
 
“Tom, Tom and Dan offered me a lot of useful tips, constructive criticism and support to help me to get up-to-speed, running through the data with me even though they obviously had their own programmes to focus on as well. They’re all proven race-winners in the BTCC and have so much knowledge between them that I could tap into, and I genuinely didn’t expect them to be so generous with their time.”

Zelos has made no secret of his desire to move into the BTCC in the future, with work ongoing to try and get the budget in place to chase a race seat for 2023.
 
“Despite having only really scratched the surface of what is possible, I honestly now believe I could turn up for a race weekend and be somewhere in the mix – I feel ready and prepared should an opportunity present itself,” he said. “Big thanks to EXCELR8 for putting their trust in me and giving me this chance to show what I can do. I’m very sure it won’t be the last time I sit in a touring car – one way or another, I’m going to make this happen.”