VX Racing goes to the second round of the 2005 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship eager to extend its lead in the manufacturers' championship. The team is currently 19 points ahead in the manufacturers' championship, with drivers Yvan Muller, Gavin Smith and Colin Turkington lying second, sixth and seventh respectively in the drivers' championship.

Thruxton has historically been a lucky track for VX Racing. The team has had a driver on the podium at every race since 2000, and in 2004 picked up two wins, pole position and a new lap record. Muller, who won at the Hampshire circuit last year, will be looking to continue his winning ways and fired a warning shot to rivals; "With each lap we learn more about the balance and set-up of the car. We have used the information and data from Donington and the team has worked hard preparing for Thruxton. It's always good to win at the first event, but there's nine more rounds to go, and we have a good programme of developments. There is no way we will settle for anything less than the top!"

VX Racing new recruit Colin Turkington is looking to move up the drivers' points table at Thruxton. Currently lying seventh, the Northern Irishman showed his mettle at Donington, scoring the first pole position for the VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch, but his progress was curtailed in the races after developing technical problems; "I'll be looking to finish on the podium at Thruxton and really get my season going. After getting pole position, I was hoping for a lot more, but it was only the first race of the season, there's a long way to go. The car has the speed; we now need to convert that into race performance."

Third driver Gavin Smith has high hopes for Thruxton after a solid start to his BTCC career at Donington where he brought the VX Racing Astra Sport Hatch home for three points finishes, including one fifth place, his highest-ever BTCC finish. "At Donington I was aiming for a top six finish in one of the races, so to get two top six finishes was more than I could ask for. At Thruxton I'll be aiming for a little bit higher, maybe even a podium."

Last year at Thruxton, the VX Racing team scored two wins and three podium finishes, plus pole position and a new lap record on its way to taking the manufacturers', team and drivers' titles. Thruxton will host rounds four, five and six of the 2005 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship on 1 May 2005.

Hot Facts

Thruxton is the fastest circuit on the BTCC calendar, and VX Racing hold the lap record for touring cars, set last year in qualifying by James Thompson, who blitzed round the circuit in just 1:16.747 seconds

Yvan Muller has finished on the podium at every BTCC race held at Thruxton since 2000, bar the sprint race in 2002 when he retired following contact with team-mate James Thompson

Gavin Smith makes his touring car debut at Thruxton next weekend, but he has already raced in anger on the circuit - in 2003 in the Seat Cupra Championship, and 2002 in British Formula 3

How can you tell the VX Racing cars apart when they're flying past at over 100 mph? Check out the wing mirrors and sun strips - Muller runs with red mirrors and a red strip, Turkington with white mirrors and white strip, and Smith with black wing casings and a black strip - easy really