Muller ice

Yvan Muller is just about to enter his eighth season in the BTCC – his sixth with Vauxhall. The Frenchman currently has 30 BTCC race wins to his name, putting him joint fourth in the all time list, alongside former teammate and reigning champion James Thompson. With Thompson racing in the FIA WTCC, Yvan could become the second most successful driver of all time, in terms of race wins. His next targets are triple champion from the 60s and 70s, Frank Gardner (35 wins), and 2000 winner, Alain Menu (36 wins). Of course, Yvan could also claim his second BTCC title.

Muller is no stranger to records. Over the winter months, he claimed his ninth Trophée Andros ice racing title in France. Sliding a Kia Rio silhouette around the mountain courses, Muller and his Kia team defeated four-time Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost and a well-backed Toyota outfit. “It was a busy season again where I won the championship again for the ninth time”, said Muller. “I’m pleased but it was very hard and very strong competition and it was hard because the promoter of the championship did everything to stop me winning.”

The rivalry between Prost and Muller can be intense, but Muller won’t be drawn on the satisfaction of beating his compatriot once again. “It’s good to win. To beat X, Y or Prost it doesn’t change anything for me.”

The Muller-Prost ice racing battle can be likened to Muller-Plato in the BTCC. It is fair to say there is no love lost. In typical Muller-style however, his focus at this stage in the year is very much on doing his job: “I am busy enough to look after our work. I don’t know what the others are doing. I just learned this morning that Team Dynamics have a new car. I didn’t know that before. It’s not very helpful to know what the others are doing. What is helpful is to work in our direction and to not look at what’s happening outside of our garage.”

With the exception of Muller and the Triple Eight team, it is all change at VX Racing this year, with two new young teammates and a brand new car to develop. On his Turkington and Smith, Muller said: “They are younger than me, but at the same time I don’t feel older than them. It’s good. They look clever, intelligent guys so there is no reason not to have a good season together.”

As for the new Astra Sport Hatch, the Donington Park test session saw the VX Racing team continue a development programme that has seen them make trips to circuits in Spain and France. Muller has done more mileage than his teammates in the new model, and of course, knows the older Astra Coupé inside out. So what is his verdict?

“It looks nice, nice colour, nice shape. In terms of performance I will tell you that after the first race.”

“All the tests were more to learn this car. It is a brand new car so we need to try every solution to see how the car reacts to the changes so that was the objective of the testing that we did in Spain and France. “

“It’s a bit different because the car is a bit wider, so the way to drive under braking is a bit different, and in the corners as well, especially in the tight corners it is quite different.”

“I have a good feeling with the car, but you know, half a second is a lot, but it is not much at the same time so if the car is half a second too slow, it is difficult to feel it at the moment, so the first race will give us a good answer about the first performance.”

With the Seat Cupra, Honda Integra and MG ZS all looking strong at Donington, 2005 looks set to be an open affair. With a strong base to build on, VX Racing will be looking for a fifth title in a row, and Muller is always in the hunt for wins. But just how does he rate his chances? Can he claim title number two?

“I hope for the best. I hope so. We will see. I am here for that, and that is why Vauxhall pay me.”

By Matt Lamprell