29.Mar.2010 ALL SET FOR RND 1

I HAVE been on a high for days – and, to be honest, I hope this feeling never goes away.
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I was delighted to sign the deal to join Ben Harvey at ABG Motorsport/Prestigecarleasing.co.uk and tackle the British GT Championship for the first time.
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The euphoria over the deal lasted a couple of days then the hard work started. Ben and I knew we had a lot to do to make sure the KTM X-Bow is competitive when the action starts at Oulton Park.
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A major part of the appeal of the deal was that we had a committed programme of testing. We have now completed that and we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were this time last month.
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Ben and I have put serious miles on the car and we have found improvements. I am far more confident behind the wheel, and that will help us when the season kicks off in just over a week.

We tested at Oulton, Knockhill and Silverstone GP.
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At Oulton, we had two separate days. We really got to grips with the car, but we targeted a lot of areas where we thought the KTM needed development.
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At Knockhill I knew we would face a challenge and I wasn’t disappointed. I am sure the circuit has its own weather system. We had monsoon rain, sunshine, fog that reduced visibility down to 20 metres, freezing cold and strong winds. But that meant Ben and I learned so much about the car and each other.
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Ben learned that my hair doesn’t move in the wind. He’ll probably be ordering in the gel as I speak. I found that miles in the car really helped him. We tried a couple of things and he closed the gap in lap times. ?I am delighted with the progress he has made and I feel we make a strong driver duo.
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I also got a chance to speak to Robin Liddell, the Grand-Am star with Stevenson Motorsports. He has had two excellent results so far this year, but it was great just to see his attention to detail as he was doing some testing. And he’s a really nice guy too.
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Then it was back down the M6 to Silverstone for the British GT media day and a 3 hour open test. I think I am going to get a service station named after me if I have to do it many more times. But that is a small price to pay because we were the fastest G4 car out there!
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It was a dry circuit and we lapped consistently quickly. That is such a buzz because, between Oulton and Silverstone, there has been a massive change. I am more confident in what the car can do, I am more confident in the tyres and we are making little changes that suit my driving style.
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The other big plus point has been that we have had time to gel as a team. They are getting used to me and I now know how they work. It has been a great laugh, but we are working hard and they have made me feel part of the family.
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The only negative has been that we were also due to test at Spa in Belgium for two days, which would have been awesome. But that fell through at the last minute because of a problem at the track.
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So that is testing over. Now I just have to wait for the first race at Oulton Park on April 5. The circuit will suit the Ginetta so it is going to be extremely tough. Consistency will play a big part in what will be a long year!