SPEAKER_01 0:00

Max, two weeks away from the start of the twenty twenty six British touring car championship season.

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Are you ready? Um I am ready. I can't wait. Born ready. Born ready. Um obviously waited a long time over the winter for the season to come. Obviously, it's my first full season in the BTCC, so uh yeah, super excited to get underway.

SPEAKER_01 0:20

Um you you had fun and uh a big learning curve, didn't you, last year jumping into uh into the car. But I I got a sense that you enjoyed yourself.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Absolutely. Um yeah, yeah, absolutely right. It was a huge learning curve, obviously, in those five rounds, uh five five weekends as such. Um but yeah, I felt like the you know come the comings away of it have been have been huge. So we've put a good testing program in place uh over the winter and I feel like I'm in a really good place to start a season.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

So how has that testing gone for you? Are are you you're still I think developing with the car, but obviously getting quicker each time. As have you been happy and and learned more from that testing time?

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Yeah, 100%. So um obviously been to a few a few different tracks in the last couple of weeks, um, just trying to get a base, you know, base of where we are. Um obviously you've been working on my side over the winter, so um, I feel like the testing's on well. So um, you know, I give my own expectations to what I feel like I can do, and hopefully I can match that this year.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Yeah, yeah, you say working on your side, is that your your fitness side of things or you using the sim or both?

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Or what everything, uh you know, every every little bit just to make one percent better. So you know, if that's fitness, go going for a run or going to the gym or um eating better or going on the sim. So yeah, I've been training a lot on the sim, so um just trying to stay sharp whilst we can't be testing you know in the in the month where it's really cold.

SPEAKER_01 1:40

Yeah, when you you jumped into the car um last season, what was the the not not the biggest surprise, but the biggest thing that you had to take on board? Was it was it that the car was significantly different to what you'd driven before, or was it just a pure race craft of elbows out rubbing his racing BTCC?

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Yeah, I mean, everything you said spot on, really. I mean, um obviously the car was a lot faster, and uh I feel like I had to adapt to that faster, which I feel like I did. Um but on the other side, the like you said, the racecraft and the adaptability to be on that 101% pace from lights out. Um that's obviously where I struggled with at the start, but I feel like I improved on that, obviously made a few errors on my side, obviously. Um you know, just not thinking ahead as much as I would like would have liked to, or I I can do in hindsight when looking back or watching the race it back. Um so just trying to tweak on that for obviously this year and see you know, see where I can improve like almost the the easy wins. Um the easy wins are the ones you can always improve on.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

So yeah, I mean from the from the start last year, you you were showing your you know your ability, you were putting some quick times in in qualifying, whatever. It didn't quite always come good in in the race, did it? But I mean that's um that is part of of that learning experience. This season you come in with that experience under your belt. There's a couple of new drivers in as well, and the format for qualifying, which we'll talk about in a second, has has changed. Do you think that gives you more of a sense of that you can get in that mix more now?

SPEAKER_00 3:06

Yeah, absolutely. Obviously. Um, like I said, we'll come on to the new quality, but um just just on the basics. Uh I feel like I've got the experience and the you know the racecraft now, like I like I've developed quite fast in that in that half year. Um so and I feel like I'll be you know from round route from round one, I'll be able to you know come in with a good stab of getting you know uh some good finishes.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Let's talk about this new qualifying format with uh the free practice session and then straight into the qualifying race and then the three races on the Sunday. What have you made of the changes so far? What's been your thinking?

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Yeah, I'm excited. Uh obviously another race is always a bonus. So um it's gone from uh three to four races per weekend. And obviously, I I assume you've seen Donington, the sp the quality race is only five laps shorter than the off than the full race, so it's you know it's a lot. Um but it's yeah, super excited. Obviously, um lots of points on the table across the season if you with those accumulated races. So um it's gonna give some good battles in in turn. Um but at the same time it's just gonna bring almost I I expect a form of chaos in terms of um just how tight the quality and the quality race are together.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

So because there's points to be had in the uh in the quality race as well, which means that there is gonna be an awful lot of people clamouring for those those top slots in the city.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Yeah, 10 points to winner slots. Exactly. It is um if you think a fastest lap's only worth a couple. Uh you know, everyone everyone's gonna be after that, those big points. So uh I expect uh I you know don't expect anyone to be sitting back or thinking they've got another race tomorrow, it'll be it'll be all gunsblazen.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

So, what have you sort of uh laid down as a marker in your own mind, Max, as to what you want to achieve by let's say you know the the summer break after the first four rounds?

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Um obviously first and foremost uh for the for qualifying, um just trying to get more consistent, you know, if that's top ten, if it's top twelve, uh if it's obviously better, then that's great. Um but trying to work on that is definitely my priority, um just trying to get it consistent as well. So obviously the qualifying format has changed this year. Obviously, there's no uh top six, there's no uh sort of like Q2s and such and Q3s. Um so and with the regulations going into the quality race is gonna be really crucial to get your laps in this really early point. So I've been trying to work on that and you know, so I can go out and put to put in the fast times straight straight out of the box. So that's one that's one of my um you know uh learnings taken into the year. Um obviously um still in the jackseers, um so that'll be one of the um one of the goals to come home with that at the end of the season. Um but at the same time, uh obviously I've got my own expectations of where I want to be finishing the races. So um if I you know if I look back after the weekend, I know I'd know I've met those and I'll be happy.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

So do you feel that you've you've got sort of working with your engineer, do you feel you've got your Toyota where it needs to be two weeks ahead of the season?

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Yeah, I think we're close. I think there's always room for improvement in any aspect, even uh obviously Tom had a really good season last year, and he he could probably say he's got room for improvement as well. But um I feel like through the test this year and the development upgrades we've had since last year, we're in a good place. So um that's obviously coming from the other drivers in the team in with the same engine and the same car. Um it's been that's foreshadowed within our testing programme.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Absolutely. Well, I wish you the very best uh for the season. I'm sure you're gonna have a good one. In what many people are looking forward to, it's possibly being one of the best seasons we've had in a in a long time. So the very best for the season. Just before you go, um word gets around, doesn't it? But you'll show you'll know that uh we like to have a bit of fun. A couple of questions, nothing to do with touring car driving, but based on the highway code this year. I don't wish people to see the look of panic on your face then. Um so pick a number one, two, or three. Oh one. Forty miles per hour in the dry. What does the highway code suggest is the average stopping distance in either metres, feet, or car lengths?

SPEAKER_00 7:15

It's like hitting the brake as hard as you can. Yeah. 30 metres.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

That's not bad. 36 metres. So you're you're you're pretty uh spot on there. Well done. Um in it it does depend on your reaction time and the road conditions, obviously. We should qualify that for anybody listening. Uh let's do one more. Uh number two and number three. Uh two. Two. Uh, what shape is the stop sign? Uh octagon. You're close, it's hexagon, but it but at least you knew it was a uh a multi-sided shape or not round, so I'll I'll give you that one. Is that last one? You can have another one if you want. You watch it. I can't believe how eager people are. So you've stopped in an emergency refuge area, an ERA on the highway. Um, before you rejoin the main carriageway, what must you do? Put on your hazard lights, put on your headlights, uh, call uh on the emergency phone uh or uh slow arm movement out of the window. Uh hazard lights. No, it's the emergency phone. You have the rule 278 of the highway code says you must ring the emergency operator, tell them what your situation is, and they will make a decision as to whether or not you need assistance to safely rejoin the highway. Nobody's got that right yet. Really? No, not not yet. Have a great season, Max. Nice to see you. You too. Take care.