BTCC: Will Hoy Interview

AutoTrader RAC British Touring Car ChampionshiP

THIS WEEK THE FORD MONDEO RACING TEAM WILL BE CONTINUING THE WORK FROM THE BRANDS HATCH EVENT ON MONDAY AUGUST 31.

THIS WAS THE SECOND OF THREE RACE APPEARANCES FOR FORMULA ONE AND INDYCAR WORLD CHAMPION NIGEL MANSELL, WHOSE FORD MONDEO WAS BADLY DAMAGED IN RACE INCIDENTS.

MANSELL'S FORD MONDEO RACING TEAM-MATE, WILL HOY, EXPLAINS WHAT IT IS LIKE TO PARTNER THE LEGEND AND HOW MANSELL IS ADAPTING TO THE BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP.

WHAT IS MANSELL LIKE TO WORK WITH? "He's a thorough professional and that's it. He has a wealth of experience to bring from his career and works very hard to make his car the best he can get it. To work alongside him is relatively easy - we have our own engineers and mechanics, but at the end of the day, I can say Nigel Mansell was my team-mate and that's something special."

HOW IS MANSELL ADAPTING TO THE BRITISH TOURING CAR CHAMPIONSHIP? "I actually think he has a lot of courage to come in to the series like this. These are very difficult cars to drive without experience of front wheel drive and the way it behaves. Other Formula One drivers who have come into the BTCC have taken a while to adapt to the different driving style and characteristics of the cars and the racing, so I think Nigel is brave to attempt what he is and his record so far has been far from disgraceful."

HOW MUCH WORK HAS MANSELL DONE SINCE JOINING THE TEAM? "He's done quite a bit of testing with them. He has his own chassis to work with and has his own way of setting it up. He has also had to learn a lot about the car and has used his experiences to help adapt his racing style."

"He's also had an input off the track and has helped to move the Mondeo BTCC program forward."

WHAT IS TAKING PLACE THIS WEEK? "Both mine and Nigel's car were badly damaged in Monday's races and both need to be checked and straightened over the next week, to prepare for our next races at Oulton Park in two weeks time. The focus for the team's work this week will be on fixing the cars."