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| September 28 1999 |
Vauxhall Vectra SRi V6 Challenge front-runner Jason
Yeomans fulfilled his year-long ambition today (Tuesday, September 28)
by getting behind the wheel of the 300bhp Vectra touring car, as driven
by fellow Scot John Cleland in this year's British Touring Car Championship.
The 27-year-old, based in Lincoln, had a four-hour test session in the
Vectra Super Tourer at Pembrey, Wales, with Vauxhall works team Triple
Eight Race Engineering, as a prize for being in the top three of the
Challenge at the mid-season point. This was Dumfries-born Yeomans' first
drive of a touring car and it proved a tough test of his skills as a
driver with torrential rain making the 1.45-mile Carmarthenshire circuit
treacherous in places. But Yeomans, who finished fifth in the Challenge
following a second-half of the season dogged by misfortune, took full
advantage of this one-off opportunity, setting consistent lap times and
thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
He said: "I think I've done a good job. I didn't get that many laps and
I was probably only out on the circuit for about an hour at the most
because of the weather. It really was monsoon conditions for part of
the session and if it was a race meeting I think it would have been abandoned!
But I kept the car on the track and got within a second of Yvan's (Muller)
time in the wet and he'd set his time when the circuit was drier, so
I'm pleased with that. "I very much enjoyed the experience. It's amazing
working with all the different engineers and using the engine telemetry,
but I would have liked more time in the car. I'm now going to do everything
I can to get a drive in the BTCC next year!"
Triple Eight team director Ian Harrison said: "Jason did a good job today.
He didn't throw the car off and set consistent times. I know the weather
is out of our control, but the rain has been very disappointing for everyone.
It's frustrating for these guys who are testing, and for us, that they
can't do more laps."
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