Mike Bushell relaxed ahead of Brands Hatch races

A relaxed Mike Bushell says he is simply targeting one point from the first weekend of his first full BTCC season, after winning much harder battles over the winter.

The reigning Renault Clio Cup champion recently spent a week in hospital with pneumonia and an inflammation of the heart muscle called myocarditis, and missed a significant chunk of pre-season testing as a result.

In his first race weekend for AmD Tuning, Bushell qualified less than a second from pole in 18th, and has set himself modest targets for race day.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes, Bushell said: “Just one point – that’s all I’m after! To qualify ahead of [Josh] Cook is good because I was racing him for a championship and we’re comparable.

“It shows how hard it is to come up from the support categories into this. The level of the drivers is incredible.

“We had a few problems in practice two and lost some track time. I was getting quicker and quicker in qualifying but I’m just not quite comfortable with it all yet.

“To be under a second [from pole] – I’m pleased with that.”

An unfazed Bushell says a grounded approach and hard work will help him progress in the series.

He said: “I’m very calm with it all, it’s just another race. It feels like when I started in Clios three years ago. I’m not at the front, I didn’t expect to be. I’m going to be grounded with it and work my way forward.

“Yeah, I want to be further up the grid, but you can’t expect miracles. It was a bit touch and go whether I was going to race at all. That’s why I’m not overly worried about it!”