No.78 Chris James
Chevrolet Lacetti
S2000 chassis and engine
Surely this season's underdog, Chris James joins the BTCC from the Mini Challenge, the same series from which Arthur Forster and Martin Depper joined last year.
Whether James is in a better position that his pair of predecessors is up for discussion.
The Lacetti he brings to Britain from Sweden is fitted with an ex-RML engine so the power should not be in question. However, while it has enjoyed success in the past, the Lacetti is an ageing creation, badly shown up when Bamboo Engineering in the World Touring Car Championship and in one of the most competitive BTCC seasons for years there are simply going to be more rivals between James and the points he desires.
James has already installed himself as something of the underdog, looking bring in fans to his new team in search of the accolade of being fans favourites.
Chris James On…..Coming into the BTCC
“The pressure's on me but that's fine, the dream, the goal is to score some points. We're not going to be winning races, not because we don't want to. As long as we're not back of the grid by five seconds, let's work our way up to eighth, ninth, tenth in race one, reverse grid and we could be on pole position – that's the dream and I think that's very achievable.”
Verdict: Ageing Lacetti will hold back boundless ambition