I’m looking forward to this season immensely and it’s a huge opportunity for both myself and the team. It’s a big step to go to two cars but we are confident that we can do a good job.
I started testing nice and early and I got out in the car for the first time before Christmas and to be honest with you, the early testing I was able to do went better than I expected. We went to
Silverstone National and I got confident in the car and then we went back to Silverstone and down to
Brands Hatch and I felt like I’d already driven the car for a season. However, being quick in practice is one thing; it’s another being able to race against the superstars in touring cars. It’s going to be a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.
Everyone says it’s a big step and it is in terms of the profile of the championship and it is a big move into touring cars, but from a car point of view, the biggest change I made was in Rallycross when I went from the Mini to the Focus. From a 50hp Mini to a 500hp plus Supercar was the biggest step you could make, so while the Integra is different, it’s just a bit of an improvement to the Clio in every way.
Compared to the Clio, the brakes were the biggest thing I struggled with when I first got into the Honda. With the Clio, there was a server on the brakes so it was a bit like a road car in that you didn’t have to apply much pressure to the pedal for it to start slowing down. With the touring car, you really have to hit them as hard as you can to get it to slow. I just had to build the confidence to brake as late as possible and we looked at the data that dad had and that Gordon Shedden had in the car, and it got closer and closer until I was braking pretty much where they did. It’s a huge help having dad as it is the same car and running together means we can look at things together and I can learn.
