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Austin and Abbott confirmed at RAR

Rob Austin Racing has named an unchanged driver line-up for its assault on the 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.

The race-winning squad has re-signed Hunter Abbott to drive alongside team boss and fans’ favourite Rob Austin.

Both drivers showed flashes of speed during the 2014 campaign, with Austin’s win at Rockingham being an obvious highlight, but the team ultimately struggled to find the consistency required to mount a serious championship challenge.

Austin said continuity with its drivers and from main backers Exocet and Duo PLC, plus Abbott’s sponsor AlcoSense, meant the team had been able to concentrate on upgrading its two Audi A4s over the winter.

“We’ve done a huge amount of work,” he said. “I’ve had high expectations in the past and I don’t want to get it wrong, but the car’s going to look very, very different from the outside and underneath. I’m very confident.”

Abbott, a previous race winner in Ginettas and Porsches, will be looking to build on his best BTCC finish of tenth.

“We’re extremely happy to have Hunter back,” Austin continued. “He’s an absolutely top guy and a good driver who deserves another chance to show what he can do.

“The top 10 should be a more regular occurrence.”

Abbott commented: “2014 was my first season in the BTCC and a learning year. The BTCC is like nothing else – the depth of competition and driving skill is among the highest of any motor racing championship in the world and you have to race harder and more ruthlessly than any other championship I’ve been in. Give an inch and someone will have a nose in there in a nano-second.

“I was happy to have finished in the points at my first ever BTCC event last year and the highlights for me were Rockingham and Croft where I overtook 17 cars in one race. With a year’s experience under my belt and the changes that Rob has made to both the team and the cars during the winter break I am really excited about returning for 2015. I’m going after consistently strong results across all 30 races and believe that podiums are a realistic target as well.”

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