Astra gets thumbs-up

Following a successful shake-down of the new BTCTouring class Astra Coupe, Jason Plato and Yvan Muller have both given the car their approval. The Vauxhall team took the car out to Albacete in Spain, in the hope of beneftting from longer daylight hours. However, the Spanish weather did little to help their efforts, with the substantial amounts of rain that fell hindering their programme somewhat. The car was run mainly with 2001 spec parts, although many are still under development. It was also the team's first opportunity to try out the new BF Goodrich tyres to be used in this season's championship. Plato was the first to test out the car, followed by Muller after the weekend. Both drivers described the car as having had some "teething problems", but generally the opinion was a positive one, and the team certainly came away from the track with high hopes for the forthcoming season.