Official British Touring Car Championship Podcasts & Interviews
Informed interviews with all of the BTCC's stars, exclusive behind-the-scenes access and all the latest insight and reaction from the paddock.
Official British Touring Car Championship Podcasts & Interviews
Mark Blundell MB Motorsport - BTCC Launch Day - Brands Hatch - 08 April 2026
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Mark Blundell MB Motorsport - BTCC Launch Day - Brands Hatch - 08 April 2026
Well Mark everybody's commenting as I did to you a second ago. What a warm, lovely day for the season launch. It is fantastic and uh it's great to see so many people here, which I think great for the touring car championship. I think that's brilliant. But also it's good for us as a team because it gives us some hot weather testing ready for the summer. Yeah, absolutely. So are you pleased with the way things are going so far? Gordon and Aaron uh putting in some decent times this morning. Yeah, I mean listen, the guys don't need anything on my side to uh tell them to go faster, they'll be doing exactly what they want to do and need to do. I think the uh the technical side are running through some changes. Um we're all trying to feel each other out there in a circuit and see where everything's uh going to end up, you know. But I'm sure there's a few guys that are sandbagging, um, and I'm sure there's a little bit left in our tank as well. Exciting season ahead, lots of changes, not least of all the new qualifying format. Are you a fan of that? I am, I think it's good, and I think also the fact that we've got a race on Saturday is great for us, you know, as a commercial entity, it gives us something else to put in and engage with our partners. So I think it's a smart move. Um, want to see it play out, obviously, but I think you know, from the beginning of the year with that ahead of us, it's been it's been good. How big a job is it, Mark, to get the sort of the new team to gel together and and start uh putting in the times and the performances that you you all expect. I mean, listen, it's it's part and parcel of like motorsport in general. You know, there are there's always constant change, there's always evolving situations. Um I think it's a case of when the right people are in place and everyone's got the same aim. It makes life a little bit easier, but there's also a way of doing things. So I personally have quite a high bar, um, and you know not everybody will always meet that bar, but um it's my job to try and educate them that we need to get there and actually go by it. You've been part of the championship now for uh for a few years, long enough to uh to make some some judgments and assessments. What's been the biggest learning, do you think, over that period? Um that's a good question. I think actually fundamentally trying to understand that you know there's there's a a championship that in general is got good parity. It's just now and again you get a bit frustrated that you might get a runaway and and trying to understand that you know we we've got to just keep mindful of the long game and hopeful that things get supported on looking at the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is that we're all rolling out of the garage with the hopeful situation that we can go and have some success. Absolutely. And just looking ahead perhaps to the summer break, which comes four rounds in this year, doesn't it? Where would you like to be at that point? I mean, you must have an idea in your mind what your mark in the sound would be. So I think we've got two good drivers, Gordon Sheddon, multiple champion, Aaron Taylor Smith, who's won several races. Uh, as a combination, I think they're a strong one. If we are knocking in top sixes consistently and uh racking up some points towards an independent championship, because that's a target, uh, and if we get a sniff of a win, trust me, we'll be there. There'll be a big smile on your face now, won't they? There will be a big smile on my face, yeah, without a doubt. But um, you know, as we know, the grid is competitive and we've got some new players, uh some old players, and uh everyone's out there to try and achieve the same goal. All we've got to do now is hope we get weather like this in two weeks' time up in Leicestershire at Donington Park. Oh that would be lovely, wouldn't it? But um I'm not gonna be variable. I'm not gonna put any money on that, and nor are you. I know that. Good to see you, Mark, thank you. Thank you.