Luke Hines Q&A

What are your thoughts going into the start of the season?

We had a few days at Silverstone and Pembrey, that went well. Me, James & Jason were very close on pace which is good, and I get on well with the team. It'll be interesting, I think it's going to be very close between Vauxhall and SEAT, it's going to be quite a dogfight. I'm looking forward to the first race and seeing what happens.

What made you switch from Vauxhall to SEAT?

Because there was a good drive available. SEAT are a young team, they're passionate, there was a seat available and it’s a works drive. It's my learning years, so it's nice to try different cars out and get to grips with everything. It should be a good year for us. Hopefully we should win the manufacturers championship.

How does Plato compare to Muller?

I think they're about the same. They're both aggressive, they both want to win, same as me. Yvan's a very good driver, so’s [James] Thompson; Jason's very similar. I got on well with James & Yvan last year, same as I get on well with Jason. Plato's been helping me the same as James was helping me last year.

You’ve driven both a BTCC and WTCC-spec car, which do you enjoy driving most?

Actually I've not noticed that much difference. The only difference I've noticed is that it takes longer to put the tyres on! There isn’t much difference; maybe a little bit in the brakes, but that's really it.

Are there teams orders at SEAT this year?

No, all three of us are in to win the manufacturers', but whoever wins the championship it won't make a difference to the team. They'll be just as happy whoever it is, they just want to claim the championship. If it was Jason in the last round and I'm not going to win the championship then maybe there’d be something, but that'd be it.

By Paul Rayner