Daniel Lloyd began his BTCC pre-season testing at Donington Park on Tuesday (23 March) as he joined up with the Power Maxed Racing squad for the first time.
Lloyd was announced recently to partner Jason Plato and was alongside the double champion in clocking up the mileage in the Vauxhall Astra as preparation continues ahead of Thruxton on 8-9 May.
“It was great to get back on track and to meet the team;” said Lloyd. “Being an open test day, the circuit was incredibly busy and we had to work around quite a few reds flags, but we managed to get some decent mileage under our belts.”
“This is the first time that I’ve managed to have a full pre-season testing programme in place ahead of starting a full season. It’s a real bonus to have the time and opportunity to get to grips with the car before we go racing.
“The day was really beneficial. It was busy as we had a lot of ground to cover as we experimented with different set-ups and components on the Astra. Although I’ve come from a front-wheel-drive car, the NGTC Astra is a very different animal compared to the TCR machines. It’s much more of a handful.
“One of the highlights for me was being able to invite my sponsor along for the day. They really enjoyed the experience of seeing how the team works behind the scenes, spending the day in the garages and understanding first-hand the amount of work that goes into a professional testing programme.“
He continued: “Overall, it was a very successful day. We found some promising pace. The team made me feel welcome. Jason was really positive and open with his feedback and I left the track feeling comfortable and dialled into the car.”
