Paul Bird admitted he had enjoyed his maiden run in a British Touring Car after getting behind the wheel of Jason Hughes' Kartworld MG ZS for a recent test at
Oulton Park.
Bird, team boss of the Stobart Honda BSB team and winner of the 2005 ANCRO National Gravel Rally Championship, has long been linked to a test in Hughes' car, but commitments elsewhere meant he was unable to find the time to get behind the wheel of the bio-ethanol powered car.
However, with the BSB season having drawn to a close, and the Stobart team having returned from the end of season event on the streets of Macau, Bird was able to join Hughes for a test at the Cheshire circuit and said he had enjoyed the experience.
“I had my first run in a touring car the day after we got back from Macau when I drove my friends MG, Jason Hughes' car, at Oulton Park, but unfortunately it was wet,” he told
Crash.net Radio at the announcement of his BSB riders for the 2007 season. “It was ok, I enjoyed it and to be honest, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We had one little excursion into the gravel at Lodge at around 70mph which was a red face moment for me, but it was good and probably slightly easier than I expected it to be.
“There might be some more outings over the winter and I have a few people looking at possible cars I could rent and things like that, but I am still keen on my rallying and might have a few runs in that over the winter, I'm not sure yet.”
Bird added that tackling the Oulton Park circuit in the MG was a world away from the competition he has been used to during his time on the rally stages.
“It is totally different to rallying when I'm mostly driving on gravel through the forests and the cars are loose and sliding everywhere,” he said. “On the circuit, its all pinpoint and the cars are harder. When you watch on the sidelines and then have a go yourself, it is totally different to what you are used to.
