Triple Eight expecting step change in performance

Triple Eight Race Engineering are expecting to be more competitive than ever with their MG6 GT this season, with a number of improvements to the car which will be driven by Jason Plato, Sam Tordoff and Marc Hynes.

The team took nine wins from 30 rounds last season, eight for Plato and one for Tordoff, with Plato finishing third in the drivers’ standings and Tordoff sixth in his debut season.

The Banbury-based squad hope a number of improvements will push them forward in what is set to be one of the toughest fought seasons in recent years in this year’s British Touring Car Championship.

Plato and Tordoff will drive under the MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save banner in cars #99 and #88, while Marc Hynes will drive under the Quantel Bifold Racing moniker.

“We’ve done two years of this project now, we’re starting the third and we’re better prepared than we ever have been,” said Plato.

“We’ve got genuine manufactured developments coming through now, which we’ve never had before and in the past we’ve spent time in the off season trying to understand the car, but we have that information now and we also have a good wet set-up too, which had previously been a big Achilles’ heel for us. We were a bit unlucky last year, but the mindset this year is very different. All of that gives us real confidence ahead of this season and as a team we’re a more organised and in the best position we’ve been to challenge for the title.”

Sam Tordoff finished the afternoon test session at Donington Park fifth fastest, just over three-tenths off of pace-setter Andrew Jordan’s Eurotech Honda, with Marc Hynes 11th, one second down.

Jason Plato wound up a non-representative 22nd, 8.8 seconds off the pace. The two-time champion didn’t take part in the first hour of the session before then rain fell, and so never got any dry running at the Leicestershire circuit.

“We’ve had a productive winter refining the MG6 and quickly realised where there were gains to be had,” said Triple Eight team principal Ian Harrison.

“When you try to make a competitive car better, there is a danger you can go too far in one direction, but the team has used the latest technology to model and calculate potential changes to performance and we’re confident we’ve made a step change in performance on the car you saw in the final round of 2013. We’ve also spent time understanding the new Dunlop tyre, working out how we can get the most from it and what the car needs to do to maximise its efficiency in qualifying and in race conditions. I think we’re in a great position for the season ahead.”