After 10 years running Vauxhall’s UK motorsport operation, VX Racing team principal Ian Harrison knows what to look for in a championship-winning driver – and this year’s batch are showing all the right signs.

Harrison set up Triple Eight Race Engineering – the company charged with spearheading Vauxhall’s campaign – in 1996 but started working with the marque long before that. He has had a hand in the success of double BTCC champions John Cleland and James Thompson as well as Jason Plato and most recently Yvan Muller – who he says was one of his all-time greats.

“I’ve been massively fortunate to have worked with some of the great drivers of the modern day,” said Harrison, who was team manager at Williams F1 before joining the BTCC. “Of them all Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell really stood out. They were just so focused and committed and they worked hard at it. It didn’t necessarily make my job easy as they could be quite demanding, but they did the job in the cockpit and that’s what it’s all about.

“In touring cars, Yvan Muller and Alain Menu were the best I’ve worked with. They just did the job properly. They’d get angry with the crew when they needed to but always gave them credit for their success. They were loyal to the company and loyal to the team and all the guys at Triple Eight were privileged to work with them.”

Harrison says it is rare to come across a truly talented racing driver and that the key to success is an ability to learn and raw talent.

“All drivers have 100 per cent belief that they are the best but the team has to filter all that bravado out and look at the hard facts. We’ve got the equipment to show us who’s fast and who isn’t and the good guys are the ones that look at the figures and learn for themselves because the computers do not lie.

“That really leaves just a top tier of really class drivers who can drive most things at most tracks quickly in most conditions. They’re the real pros and they stand out against the other 90 per cent.”

After a rigorous off-season testing schedule, Harrison believes VX Racing’s signing, Fabrizio Giovanardi, could join his list of greats. “I’m really pleased with the way Fabrizio’s integrated with the team,” said Harrison of the multiple-champion. “He’s made a big effort and seems pretty happy with his lot. I think he’ll do what we expect him to do – be right at the front from day one. He’s one of the best front-wheel drivers anywhere in the world and I’m glad he’s driving for us.”