Bennetts targeting points before wins

Team RAC boss Dick Bennetts has effectively ruled out hopes of a victory in this Sunday’s opening Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship rounds at Brands Hatch.

Bennetts says development of his squad’s new, 2007-spec BMW 320si E90s is behind schedule , meaning team-mates Colin Turkington and Tom Onslow-Cole will be under strict instructions to simply bag as many points as possible this weekend.

The cars last night returned to base in Sunbury after an initial two-day test at Pembrey, Wales – hampered by a data-logging glitch. The cars will not run again until first free practice at Brands on Saturday morning.

Bennetts, whose fabled WSR company prepares the RAC BMWs, told BTCC.net: “Our mechanics have been working a lot of 14-hour days since the cars arrived from Germany, often finishing at gone midnight, to get them built up and ready to run, but we are behind schedule.

“If a win came our way at Brands then of course we’d take it, but we won’t be going out all guns blazing to win our first race with the BMW. Realistically this weekend is all about taking points while learning as much about the car as possible. It’s a 30-race championship so there’s time…

“But we are going in pretty cold. The data-logging problem at Pembrey was frustrating as we gathered no data, although Colin was able to turn in a pretty decent lap time. We have some data to rely on from the 2006-spec car we’ve been testing while the new cars were being readied, but there is a difference between the two models and some of what we know we can’t transfer over.

“On saying all that, we’re pretty pleased with progress. The car is a superb piece of engineering and we’ll be giving it our best shot. We are never there to make up the numbers.”

Bennetts acknowledges he will need all his experience to get the best out of his drivers if WSR is to challenge for the outright title that on several occasions it has missed out on by a matter of points. Turkington last year finished third overall having taken the title fight against Matt Neal and Jason Plato to the final rounds, but Onslow-Cole, the reigning Renault Clio Cup champion, is entering his debut BTCC season.

Bennetts added: “He is only still 19 – pretty much the same age as Colin when we first took him on in 2002 and you can see that the same sort of talent is in there. Tom knows he can be quick, but youth has raw talent and no fear and it takes more than that – it’s a case of nurturing the eagerness. We’ll need to contain him.

“Colin’s just turned 25 and a bit of a veteran now, but he’s raring to go and it’s good having him in the team – even though rear-wheel-drive is new to him he’s experienced at getting the car dialled in. I’m quite a bit older than that, but just as hungry to win… the excitement of a new season never goes away.”

Source: www.btcc.net