40-year old Giovanardi, who currently leads the BTCC points, told Motorsport News: “For me, Triple Eight is like a family and it is a very nice place. We work well together, there is a nice pressure to get the right results and we are able to achieve it. This team suits me perfectly so why would I want to leave them?”
The news comes after a weekend in which the Italian was able to minimise the damage done to his championship bid by the SEAT Leon TDi of Jason Plato and team-mate Matt Neal, making Giovanardi the favourite for a second successive championship.
However, Giovanardi has only one thing which he would like to see changed - “you can get rid of the rain - then I would think about staying in England even longer!”
Giovanardi will continue to be partnered by Matt Neal in the team, who signed a 2-year contract at the end of 2007. The position of Tom Onslow-Cole is unclear at the moment, but it is understood that Vauxhall are keen to keep him on in a third car if funding remains.
Meanwhile Vauxhall have announced their intention to continue with the current Vectra for 2009. Whilst the car is due to be replaced by the larger Insignia in the company’s road-going range, the VX Racing team see no reason to move away from a proven race-winning car. The team had a similar approach to the 2004 season, when it continued with the Vauxhall Astra Coupe, despite the car being replaced by the Astra Sport Hatch in the 2004 range.
“The Vectra will be in the BTCC next year but no decisions have been taken about what model to use beyond that,” explained VX Racing Operations manager Mike Nicholson to MN.
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