Newly announced Avon Tyres
British GT Championship driver Paul O'Neill was amongst the drivers to get a taste of the brand new MINI John Cooper Works Challenge when the car hit the track for the first time at Silverstone.
The former British Touring Car Championship race-winner, who will join Steve Clark in a Team RPM Dodge Viper this season, was able to hit the track in the new car that will figure in the MINI Challenge this year, running as a support package to leading events like the BTCC,
WTCC and A1GP.
O'Neill admitted he was impressed by his first taste of the MINI and said he felt it was the ideal starting point for an aspiring touring car racing.
"It's a great car to drive, like a refined touring car," O'Neill said. "The engine's very powerful, the power comes in very smoothly and it feels a lot lighter than it looks.
"It's very good in the middle of the corner and you can get it to hop around, so you can dictate where it goes on the exit – it doesn't have the understeer you normally associate with front wheel drive cars.
"The ABS is fantastic. I don't normally like ABS but it's not intrusive and lets you really brake into the corner."
