Stuart Oliver admitted he was buzzing with excitement after his first run in the Lexus IS200 that he will race in his debut season in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship.
The seven-time British truck racing champion joined BTC Racing for an afternoon of running at
Oulton Park on Wednesday following the annual season launch for the Cheshire venue as he took to the track alongside new team-mate Chris Stockton.
Sharing Stockton's car for the test, Oliver was left with a beaming smile on his face after hitting the track for the first time and he said his initial impressions of the car – which has undergone extensive work over the off-season – were positive.
"I'm absolutely buzzing now and I'm very impressed with it," he told
Crash.net after his first foray onto the track. "It's very positive. That is the first time I've sat in the car and it's the first time I have been to Oulton Park – I had to get the map out to find the place!
"It is a very steep learning curve for me and there is a lot to learn. I've never used a sequential gearbox and I've never been in a race car in my life but I'm confident that I'm doing the right thing and I have a lot of support from my truck racing fans.
"I think learning the circuits will be a big challenge. While I've done truck racing for ten years in the British Championship, a lot of the circuits – like Oulton Park and
Knockhill – are places I've never been round before. There is a challenge there but getting used to the car will also be a challenge as it is night and day different to the truck."
As for his hopes for the season ahead, Oliver admitted that he was keeping an open mind as to his chances, although he said he didn't intend to just run round at the back of the field.
"I'm keeping an open mind," he said. "I do racing to win, but I'm not expecting us to be doing things like that – although it would be nice if we were there or thereabouts! Taking part is the pleasurable bit but I won't be there to just drive around at the back."
