In his first test against his new BTCC rivals competition, Motorbase Performance driver Dave Pinkney set a time of 49.866 around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit in his Honda Integra. Just under half a second off the best time set by reigning champion Matt Neal, Pinkney ended the day tenth fastest of the 16 runners.

“We got a bit lost halfway through really”, Pinkney told BTCCPages.com following the end of the test session. “It was all there, all on the pace and everything. We did a good lap and then the next lap, which was a little bit better, a bit more grippy, the back end just came out a little bit and we went into the gravel. Of course we lost about an hour and a half, and I had a vibration when I went out again. We went a little bit quicker, but I don’t think we did what we could have done.”

The black and luminous pink Integra that Pinkney will drive throughout the 2006 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship was the car to beat last year. For Pinkney and his team, it is a machine that they have yet to fully understand:

“It’s early days. We need to get in it and drive it. I’ve got understeer on certain bits, and at this moment in time, we don’t know how to cure it. We’re making adjustments to it which, who knows, it’s probably the wrong way! But it’s all about time in the car, isn’t it?”

“We’ve only done four days. Two of them were snowing, the other one was damp, so it was very awkward conditions. And then we’ve come here. As I say, I don’t know how to dial it in yet. We could have gone two clicks another way, or we could have something with the rollbar and it could all of a sudden go three tenths quicker, but we haven’t found it. We will.”

Despite a relatively brief part-season in the SEAT Cupra Championship last year, the majority of Pinkney’s recent race experience has been in a powerful rear wheel drive Porsche in the Carrera Cup. However, he proved his touring car pedigree when he was crowned champion in the Vauxhall Vectra series twice in the 1990s.

“I love front wheel drive”, said Pinkney. “I’ve got quite a bit of front wheel drive experience if you like, and it’s great. [The Integra is] a great car to drive. It just feels a little bit loose to me at the moment. But you can tighten it up and it can fall off, so it’s just about getting a happy balance really.”

If he can find that balance, there is no reason why this championship winning car should score plenty of points once again. The Wrotham based Motorbase Performance team will be giving their all to get Pinkney off to a flying start at their local circuit, Brands Hatch, next weekend. The opening three races of the season will offer another opportunity to measure themselves against the opposition, which is clearly Pinkney’s priority:

“My target is Mike Jordan. We’re both in the same car, both privateers, so that’s our realistic target really. But who knows, if we can get the little clicks in the right places, who knows?...”