It’s taken a lot of hard work with these sponsors to get here. There are some teams in touring cars who say they have no money and there is actually a lot of family funding behind them – there is more cash than it would appear. But it is competing against those guys that our sponsors love and it’s why they want to step up to that level with us.
For Andy, it will be a bit step to make, but we will set realistic goals for him. It’s like when he went from a 50bhp Mini in junior Rallycross into the 550bhp Focus. My brief to him before the start of that was to earn the respect of the guys he was up against, as its ok to speak to the press and grab headlines with what you are going to do, but if you go out there, bounce off everyone and look like an idiot, it isn’t the way to be going on.
I told him that if there was half a gap during the first half of the season then he had to back out unless he knew he could make the move and earn the respect of the likes of Dermot Carnegie and Pat Doran and that is what he did. I’ll say the same with this as there is no pressure from us or the sponsors to go out there and set the world alight straight away.
It is a huge step and he is hugely inexperienced in terms of circuit racing. He is only just 18 and I’ll tell him to go out there and see how it works. Then, if he can be qualifying in the top eight or top ten for the second half of the year, that is all you can control as the races are so frantic. I’d be disappointed in him if we were regularly pulling the car out of the barriers in the first few races as I would want him to not be getting into those positions I want him to learn and he wont be doing that if he isn’t out there. So no pressure, just be sensible.
One other big thing for the season ahead is that we will be stars of our own TV show on
Sky Sports. It should be interesting, although I’m sure there will be days when I wish I didn’t have a camera shoved in my face when I get out of the car!
