Aron Taylor-Smith branded his works MG6 challenger for this years British Touring Car Championship as ‘a completely different animal’ following chassis upgrades alongside a full conversion to RML control components.
Taylor-Smith, who claimed a single race victory last season at Rockingham to crown an impressive fledgling campaign for the now-departed Team BKR, was unveiled alongside Daniel Lloyd as an MG driver last month.
Each of the BTCC’s capacity 32 entrants has undergone a compulsory upgrade from older GPRM components to the latest RML product.
MG, who ran a hybrid of the two component models in 2016, have made chassis developments alongside the upgrade and testing of Dunlop’s new-for-2017 SportMaxx compound.
“It’s an iconic brand in British motorsport and it’s a huge opportunity to have a manufacturer behind me. It’s the first time in my British Touring Car career that I’ve had this chance and it’s been an unusual off-season, because I didn’t realise just how much involvement MG would have. It’s so enthusiastic – the team are as driven as we are as drivers. I hope I can deliver for them, but I’m really proud to represent MG.” commented Taylor-Smith.
He also paid tribute to Nico Ferrari for aiding his transition to MG.
“I loved every second of last season, what Nico Ferrari did within Team BKR is second to none, he’s been instrumental going into this season as well.
“Now, we’ve gone to the full RML kit, there’s a new compound of tyre on the car, whilst this MG6 looks the same it is a completely different animal underneath it once again, and it’s a huge step forward in terms of car development. In this championship, races are won and lost in the workshop, and not so much on track.
“I’ve an unusual style where I live pretty much at the workshop. I love seeing the cars go together – but I wouldn’t trust myself to make a cup of tea for the mechanics! I like seeing how they work and how the engineers develop everything – this off-season I’ve seen another side based on the professionalism within the team.”