2010 newcomer Pirtek to run Jordan, Vectra
The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) will welcome a new addition to the starting grid for the 2010 campaign, with the arrival of Pirtek Racing - run by Mike Jordan's Jordan Motorsport outfit and with son Andrew Jordan on the driving strength behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Vectra.
The choice of car has two-fold benefits, both for its proven quantity status and also for continuity, following Jordan Jnr's season with VX Racing in 2009. What's more, the announcement makes Pirtek Racing the first 2010 BTCC contender to confirm that it will use the new two-litre, turbo-powered TOCA engine.
"I'm really looking forward to the challenge of next season," enthused 20-year-old Jordan Jnr, a driver with six podium finishes in the hotly-fought tin-top series already to his name. "It's good for me to be continuing with the Vectra; I always felt it was a strong, great-handling car and I had some good outings in it last season. At times we struggled with the engine power, so now with the new TOCA engine not only will it be cost-effective to run but I'm confident we should be capable of winning."
"It is a good feeling to be back involved with a car and our own team in the BTCC with Pirtek's support," concurred Jordan Snr, a race-winner in the championship before turning his attentions solely towards team management this year. "The package of the Vectra and the TOCA engine should be very strong, and I'm sure Andrew can use his knowledge of the car to great advantage. The team will also have a level of continuity, as several personnel have been carried over from working with Andrew on the Vectra at VX Racing last season as well as the JordanSport Britcar programme."
Fluid transfer solutions specialists Pirtek - who are known for their striking race car liveries, like their Aussie V8 Supercar - will run the Vectra in their bold corporate colours of red, blue and yellow. The car's livery and the team's other sponsors will be unveiled in January at the Autosport International Show - and BTCC director Alan Gow is enthusiastic about the team's prospects for its maiden campaign.
"Andrew's results in his first two seasons clearly show he's a real star of the future," underlined the Australian, "and I know Pirtek Racing will be a very well set-up and determined team - geared around Andrew and run by his father Mike, it has all the ingredients for success.
"It's great to see the team also taking advantage of our new TOCA NGTC engine. While the NGTC cars themselves won't appear until 2011, we've decided to allow some teams to use the engine from 2010. While some teams will undertake their own engine development programmes, this is the unbranded TOCA engine that is available for lease or purchase and, as we have already announced as part of the BTCC's future, will significantly reduce their running budgets."
