The United Autosports British Touring Car Championship team have their sights set on moving further up the pecking order as the series heads to Croft.
The Anglo-American outfit head to the Yorkshire circuit – which is an hour away from their base in Leeds – in buoyant mood, after a difficult start to life in the championship characterised by struggles has gradually given way to encouraging results.
The fourth round of the season at Oulton Park three weeks ago saw Glynn Geddie secure the team’s best result with 12th in the final race of the day, while James Cole also secured his and the team’s first fastest lap in the series.
And the 25-year-old believed that he and his teammate could expect to be competitive this weekend, given the development his team have made to their pair of Toyota Avensis since they tested at the circuit at the beginning of 2014.
“We saw a lot of positives at Oulton Park which gives me confidence moving to Croft,” said Cole. “We had a strong test there at the start of the year and the car has been developed much more since then! I think we can see light at the end of the tunnel with regards to set-up and understanding the Toyota. Now we are getting down to the fine-tuning of the Avensis which makes the difference of being 15th on the grid or being on the front two rows.
“We are all learning together and hoping to continue the progression forward up the grid. We do not expect massive leaps at a time but a gradual increase in speed is our realistic aim. We are hoping Croft allows more overtaking than Oulton Park. We showed good race pace but sadly Oulton’s layout did not help us move forward. It was however nice recording the fastest race lap in the third race there.”
Geddie, who sits 19th in the drivers championship, was also expectant of moving forward, but underlined the need for a good qualifying performance.
“We made big improvements in the previous meeting at Oulton. I’m hoping we can take further steps forward and so I’m very much looking forward to Croft. This venue was the first circuit I raced at in a Porsche Carrera Cup in 2008 and so I have fond memories.
“The Toyota should be good and suit Croft allowing us the pace to qualify well which is the key to a decent result in the following day’s races. A good grid position will allow us to race well.”