Tom Onslow-Cole secured the seat many wanted for his debut in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship – the second BMW E90 run by Team RAC. In his first exclusive Crash.net column, he looks at how his preparations are coming along.
As the new boy at Team RAC I’ve settled myself in pretty well, and to be honest with you, WSR are like a big family. The team runs that way and I was accepted as a member of the family really quickly which means it feels like I am just going racing with my friends. It’s a really good atmosphere to work in, there is no real pressure around and it’s a pleasure to be there.
Working with my new team-mate Colin has been good so far and we have been building a good working relationship. We went away few weeks ago for a training trip and shared a room, so we got to know each other a bit while we were away. He is a really good guy and I hope we can do a good job together during the coming season.
My testing to date with Team RAC has been conducted in a loan car from Sweden, and so far it’s been really good. We were lucky to get hold of that car to do some testing in and the results have been promising. Both myself and the team have learned a lot about the car, we have been out in different conditions and it has proved to be very productive for us. Things that we have learned from testing the car from Sweden can be carried over to our own cars, so it has definitely been a worthwhile exercise.
The step from a Clio to the BMW isn’t the smallest one to make, but everything has been fantastic so far. I’ve never driven another touring car, so comparing it to anything else I’ve driven means it has always been amazing. I can’t judge the car against another touring car as a result, but to me, it is a well balanced machine and I’ve enjoyed driving it. From my initial testing in the car, I’m confident that we will be quick.
