Collard focused for MG action

Despite working over the winter to secure a drive for 2005, it was deal late in the week before the Donington launch that saw Rob Collard out on track in a West Surrey Racing MG ZS. There is still work to be done, though, as the initial commitment is for just the first three rounds of the season, and a lot depends on securing further sponsorship, as well as the team finding a second driver.

The Donington Park test session provided some major incentives to put together a deal for the duration of the season, as former BTCC Independents’ champion Collard set some impressive laptimes, ending the day second quickest behind Matt Neal.

“It’s been a tremendous day”, commented Rob. “I had high hopes really, and I thought that if I could get in the top three or four I would be very happy, but I thought realistically top six first time out in the car. But to go out and be P3, P2 within a few laps and then P1 for quite a while until Matt just pipped us with some new tyres, it was pretty good really.”

Collard has driven a privately-entered Vauxhall Astra Coupé in the BTCC for the past two seasons, juggling the responsibilities of driver and team owner.

“To have the resources of West Surrey behind you is awesome. It’s something I haven’t adapted to completely yet. I left home last night, came up, stayed in a B&B, got here this morning and didn’t have to worry about, ‘have we ordered enough fuel?’, ‘have we got enough tyres?’, ‘is the trucky here?’, ‘are the mechanics here?’ and all of that is a massive weight off my shoulders.”

“This morning I could literally just concentrate on what I had to do as a driver, and I think that has been the biggest difference really. Just to be able to get out of the car and to just talk about what the car is doing, rather than worrying about getting the money to go and get dinner and all these problems. So I’m hoping that as the season goes on, that is going to be a major advantage to me, because it means I can focus on the driving.”

“I’ve known all these guys from the Clio project. It’s like a football team. You always want to play for a good team, and now I’ve got the chance to. I’m very happy. They are all great guys.”

The MG ZS is the first right-hand drive touring car that Rob has ever driven, but this did not phase the Hampshire-based driver: “A car’s a car at the end of the day. It took me three or four laps to get the hang of it but it’s amazingly similar to the Astra in some respects, because when you get to a certain point with these front-wheel drive touring cars, they are all very similar. But it has got some strange characteristics, which caught me out a couple of times.”

After such an impressive showing in his first outing in the car, Collard is keen to make sure that he capitalises on his opportunities in 2005, but much hinges on putting together a financial package that will get the team through the year.

“I need to get a teammate now. I haven’t even got my feet under the table here yet to know the ins and outs of everything but I know that there are probably two or three drivers trying to get out in the second car. I think that the sooner I can get a teammate, the better it will make me drive. It is important for West Surrey as well for a revenue stream. I haven’t got enough money to keep the team going all year. I’m here only on a three-race deal at the moment, subject to sponsorship. So it is important to get more sponsors on board and to get a teammate for me to share some of the cost. We’ll just wait and see really.”

If all goes well on the financial front, Collard could surprise a few people this year. He has shown over the course of recent seasons that he is not afraid to get stuck in, and he hopes prove a point this year.

“I think that over the course of the season, it will be a very tight battle at the front. Matt and Dan are going to be hard to beat. They are throwing a lot of money at the project, and they are going to be hard to beat for the Independents’ Cup, but I think it is realistic. I think we can beat them.”

“I really want to go for outright race wins. For the first time for four years really, I have the opportunity to get on the top step of the podium, and that is what I am looking for. Then hopefully I’ll get a bit more respect out of some of these team owners and then get picked up for 2006. That’s what I want. I think I’ve done a god job today. I just have to make sure I keep this pace up.”

By Matt Lamprell