Qualifying – Rounds 5 and 6

Thruxton, 25 May 2003

Weather: Sunny, dry

David Leslie and Phil Bennett will start Round 5 of the British Touring Car Championship on Monday 26 May in 15th and 16th places. They were disappointed not to have found the ‘sweet spot’ with the all-new suspension set-up for their PETRONAS-backed BTCC Proton Impian/Waja race cars. With virtually no off-event testing allowed during the season, the team sees Thruxton as a public test session as they make progress.

The grid positions for Round 6 on the same day will be determined by the finishing positions in Round 5.

David Leslie: “We’re making large changes to evaluate all the parameters as fast as possible. We know the potential is there.”

Phil Bennett: “This was a typical racer’s day – character-forming! I lost a wheel after my first qualifying lap and got stuck in the gravel out of harm’s way. As a result I had to sit out the rest of the session. At least starting from the back gives me plenty of opportunities to pass tomorrow.”

Mike Carroll (Race Director): “It’s tough introducing major changes during the season with such limited testing allowed. Today was the first time the cars turned a wheel with our new suspension so we have a lot to do in a short time. We’ll get there.”

David Wong (Team Principal): “It would have been a miracle to find an optimum set-up in less than 60 minutes’ running. We’ll see how we get on tomorrow.”