AmD Milltek Racing.com set to resume battle at Snetterton

With the summer break drawing to a close, AmD Milltek Racing.com will return to action in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship this weekend at Snetterton as the second half of the 2011 campaign gets underway in Norfolk (6/7 August). The sixth round of the season will mark the first appearance for the BTCC on the new Snetterton 300 layout, created following extensive redevelopment work over the winter, and will mark a fresh chapter in the history of the AmD Milltek Racing.com team as new driver Martin Byford prepares to make his debut for the West Thurrock-based team. Martin’s long-awaited BTCC debut, which follows championship winning success in the supporting Renault Clio Cup in the past, comes after he signed a deal to drive the AmD Milltek Racing.com Volkswagen Golf for the remainder of the season during the summer break. The Colchester-based racer sampled the turbo-powered Volkswagen during a test session at Brands Hatch last month and now heads into his home event eager to try and challenge for points in his first weekend in the series. “I can’t wait to get started and I’m watching the clock ticking down to the weekend,” he said. “I got on well with both the car and the team during the test at Brands Hatch and having tried a few things, we know what we need to do to get the VW more suited to my driving style. Of course, I know I have a bit to learn, but I’m just excited about the prospect of racing in the BTCC having spent the best part of ten years thinking and dreaming about it. “Snetterton is the perfect circuit on which to make my debut as it’s my home track and there will be a lot of family, friends, work colleagues and sponsors coming along to cheer me on. I knew the old layout like the back of my hand but with the revisions that have been made, it’s a clean sheet of paper for everyone this weekend, which will also help me. I can’t think of a better place to appear in the BTCC for the first time and I’m going out there to do the best job I can and hopefully challenge for points. “On one hand, the Golf is just another race car, but on the other, this is British Touring Cars and I’m pumped up about being part of it.” Team boss Shaun Hollamby, who stood down from driving duties after a one-off outing at Croft prior to the summer break, said he was keen to see what Martin can do on his BTCC bow and was confident that he would be able to challenge for the team’s fourth top ten finish of the campaign. “We’ve not taken Martin on board thinking he is a driver who will need to time to get up to speed and I think he is capable of running with anyone on the BTCC grid,” he said. “He just hasn’t had the chance in the past and now, thanks to the support of Tesco Momentum 99 and Milltek Sport, we’ve been able to give him that chance. We’ve shown this season that the Golf is a package that can run in the top ten and Martin is a driver who is more than capable of coming away from the weekend having scored points on his debut. “Over the summer we have made some modifications to the car and with Martin having had a good test at Brands Hatch last month, I’m confident we can hit the ground running when we get to Snetterton. I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”