'Productive' test for Tom Onslow-Cole and the Milltek VW Golf BTCC Car

Tom Onslow-Cole had the 'most productive test' of his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship career, while driving the Milltek VW Golf at Brands Hatch on Tuesday.

The Essex-based outfit suffered reliability issues with its new turbocharged NGTC-engined Golf at official testing during last week's annual BTCC Media Day at Silverstone, bringing its running to a premature end.

However, Onslow-Cole was able to clock-up more than 100 laps on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit on Tuesday, working on the car's reliability and adapting setups to suit his driving style.

AmD Milltek Racing.com team principal Shaun Hollamby, who raced a Golf in the BTCC last season, commented: "Our test at Brands Hatch was really good and I'm pleased with how it went. It was how we hoped it would be on Media Day.

"After the problems we suffered at Silverstone we're still going to be doing some setup work on the Saturday before race day. The main thing for us yesterday was to make sure the car ran reliably. We can now concentrate on performance.

"Handling-wise the car is a big improvement on the Ford Focus Tom drove last year – I know that from being behind him last season, as it looked a massive handful. By the end of the day, Tom was clearly fully committed – that was obvious watching him get the back end out at Surtees – and he said to me that it was the most productive day of testing he has ever done," reported Hollamby.

After running at the back of the field for most of 2010, Hollamby is hoping Onslow-Cole's influence will help the team break into the top ten, starting with this weekend's season opener at Brands Hatch (2-3 April).

Photo credit- Gary Hawkins Photography