Aron Taylor-Smith is confident MG can enjoy improved form at Donington Park after collecting more data at Brands Hatch than the entire off-season combined.
Taylor-Smith, a winter addition to the works outfit from the now-absent Team BKR, outscored new team-mate Daniel Lloyd across the three contests in Kent with a hat-trick of points finishes.
With limited winter testing mileage versus those ahead in the standings, Taylor-Smith is confident his first race runs in the MG6 GT and with the new compound of Dunlop tyre will help his engineers uncover some performance before the second meeting in a fortnight.
“It was a tricky weekend for us,” he admitted to TouringCars.net
“Those were our first three race runs that we’ve done this season, so we are playing catch up a little bit, but we’re making progress in each of them. I think we probably would have been on for the top ten in race two if it wasn’t for contact, but that’s life and it’s what touring cars are – you have to expect a bit of bumping and banging.
“Race three was our first run with the new soft tyre, so it was a case of ‘what works, what doesn’t’ and I think we’ve collected a lot of information that we didn’t know before the weekend, which will hopefully now give the engineers something to digest between here and Donington. The MG is very capable, and it will come right, we just haven’t found it’s perfect window yet.
“We just need to divulge all the data we’ve collected, because we’ve collected more data here this weekend than we have all off-season. So now it’s the case where we can actually go through it with a fine-tooth comb and see where we get to, because we haven’t had that opportunity up until this point.”
He also admitted he is relishing the corporate responsibility that his position as a works driver affords, underlining his pride at representing MG.
“I really enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot more corporate responsibility to it, and my personal sponsors have grown massively this year which is great, because it’s really helped us out. I like the fact that I’m not just driving for myself, that I’m representing a company, a brand that is as iconic as MG.”