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<body> <Table Width="550" border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse" cellpadding="0"><TR><TD Width="35"><IMG SRC="//www.totalmotorsport.com/images/spacer.gif" WIDTH="35" HEIGHT="1"></td><td> <CENTER><Table border="0" width="100%"> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="5">BTCC</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2">05/04/2004</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="4">SEAT Sport UK Makes Its BTCC Debut </FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><B><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="3">Thruxton Calls For SEAT</FONT></B></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="center"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="1">  </FONT></TD></TR> <TR><TD width="100%" align="left"><FONT FACE="Tahoma" SIZE="2"><B>SEAT Sport UK Makes Its BTCC Debut At Thruxton</B><BR> <BR> <IMG border="1" SRC="../Championships/Storage/seat-don-test-04.jpg" hspace="9 "align="left">SEAT Sport UK will make its Green Flag MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) debut at Thruxton on Sunday 11th April, and the new team is aiming to get both its Toledo Cupras to the finish of all three races.<BR> <BR> It’s an ambitious target, as time limitations has seen SEAT Sport UK’s European Touring Car Championship (ETCC)-spec Toledo Cupra complete just one private test in Albacete in Spain. Thruxton will be the first time the car has raced on Dunlop BTCC control tyres and against BTCC opposition – so the first race meeting will be treated as a continuation of its development programme.<BR> <BR> In typical SEAT style, the team’s BTCC debut will be nonetheless colourful and flamboyant, not least because the pair of immaculately-prepared normally-aspirated 260bhp Toledo Cupras will be driven by Jason Plato and Rob Huff. It will be Jason’s first BTCC race since he clinched the 2001 title at that season’s October finale at Brands Hatch, while Rob will be making his BTCC race debut, having won his place in SEAT Sport UK’s touring car team by winning the 2003 Holiday Inn SEAT Cupra Championship title.<BR> <BR> The Toledo Cupras have been built by SEAT Sport in Barcelona and will be run during the 2004 BTCC season by SEAT Sport UK The three day test in Albacete, plus the media day at Donington (after which a brief test session was held) have indicated that the Toledo Cupra is an extremely reliable racing saloon, with Jason and Rob covering over 1,000 miles in total without experiencing a single technical problem. It’s with this strong reliability that SEAT Sport UK aims to collect as much race data at Thruxton as possible by getting both cars to the finish of all three races. <BR> <BR> <B>Jason Plato:</B> <BR> “Thruxton will be the most difficult circuit in the 2004 BTCC calendar for us. SEAT Sport UK is a new team and it’s the first race of the season, so having not raced in the BTCC before we obviously don’t know how we’ll compare against the opposition – so Thruxton will be a big adventure into the unknown. What’s more, it’s the fastest circuit in the UK and I doubt we’ll be the fastest through any of the speed traps, which at Thruxton in particularly will be a disadvantage. Like everyone in the team I’m really up for it. All we can do is the best we can, and I’m making no predictions.”<BR> <BR> <B>Rob Huff:</B> <BR> “Thruxton is my favourite circuit and I’ve got a lot of happy memories there, so for me it’s the ideal venue to make my BTCC debut. I know the track really well, I’m confident I can do what the team requires me to do and bring the car home in one piece. It’s a huge opportunity for me this year, and I’ve been looking forward to making my BTCC debut since I won the SEAT Cupra Championship at Thruxton almost eight months ago.”<BR> <BR> <B>Mark Busfield, Project Manager:</B> <BR> “Both Jason and Rob covered a lot of miles, particularly at the test in Albacete, and the Toledo Cupra ran faultlessly. We have certainly maximised what limited pre-season track time we have available and we have a pretty good starting point for Thruxton. There will be no heroics at the first race meeting – we’re all concentrating on getting everything right. The aim is to get both cars to the finish of all three races and collect as much race data as we can. The BTCC is a thirty round series and you can score points in all races, so there is a long championship ahead.”<BR> <BR> <B>Scott Dennis, SEAT UK Motorsport Manager:</B> <BR> "Thruxton is a continuation of our learning process with the Toledo Cupra, and with just one proper test in Albacete under our belts, getting both cars to the finish of all three races will be a huge bonus.”<BR> <BR> </FONT></TD></TR> </TABLE><BR> </CENTER> <BR><CENTER><font size="1" color="#808080" face="Tahoma">Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport</font></CENTER> </td> </tr> </table> </body>