Seat are to become the first manufacturer ever to race a diesel-engined car in the British Touring Car Championship.
Jason Plato and Darren Turner will drive a pair of Holiday Inn supported SEAT Leon TDIs at Brands Hatch on Sunday March 30, with both cars fitted with new 270bhp turbocharged diesel race engines.
Brands Hatch was the venue for the first BTCC race back in 1958, and while the series celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, SEAT Sport UK is starting its fifth racing season.
Seat Sport UK has racked up 320 miles of uninterrupted testing at Brands Hatch earlier this week and says that the Leons performed ‘faultlessly’.
Plato said: ‘The early signs show that the Leon TDI has huge potential, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of finding out what makes it tick. ‘Technically, it’s a very exciting project to work on, as we have to relearn everything we did before with the petrol-engined Leon.
‘It really is a very different car, and the set-ups that were so successful over the last two seasons, where the Leon won 20 BTCC races, will have to be completely reworked.
‘The turbocharged TDI has plenty of torque and there is a lot more weight over the front axle, so set-up is different and I’ve had to change my driving style.
‘It’s a fun car to drive and it’s a car that can win races in the BTCC, but right now we have a lot more to learn before we find the most competitive package. ‘That said, we’ll be at Brands Hatch to try and win.’