After a few outings with VX Racing last season, Erkut Kizilirmak is back for a full season in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship in 2007, with Techspeed running his Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch under the Arkas Racing banner.
Crash.net Radio spoke to Erkut to get his feelings ahead of the coming season…
Q:
How much are you looking forward to the season ahead?
Erkut:
As I said last year on
Crash.net, I planned to do a full season in the BTCC this season and here I am. This is my year to learn new circuits and there is still a long way to go. I want to try and put myself into the top ten or top twelve and maybe higher if things go well. That is my expectation but nothing more than that because I’m learning.
Q:
The team is being run by Techspeed, how important will their experience be?
Erkut:
It is very important as you need to trust the team and trust the car. If there is an experienced team it is good to know that you can trust them and be confident in the car and rely on it. Then you can start to take some more risks, so the team is more important in a way than I am.
Q:
Was Rockingham your first run in the car since last season?
Erkut:
Yeah it was. It’s the beginning of the season and everything is new. We need to get to know each other, the team and me, and so far so good. We have started well.
Q:
How confident are you feeling ahead of a full season in the BTCC?
Erkut:
The reason why I am here for this competition is the high level of competition and I am very happy to be here. It’s just the beginning, the following seasons I will be more competitive. For this season I want to keep a low profile and keep out of trouble and try to finish the races – that is my aim.
Q:
Are we likely to see a second Arkas Racing car out this season?
