Team Manager Oly Collins mid season interview

We catch up with Airwaves BMW team manager Oly Collins at the halfway point of the 2010 season to get his feelings on the Championship and his team's performance so far.

LP: We’ve reached the mid point break in the BTCC season now, how do you feel about the Airwaves BMW team’s performance so far?

OC: On the whole the performance has been very good, but not quite good enough! We have been leading the Teams Championship all year up until the last event which is a bit disappointing. We just have to make the most of this small break in racing and make sure we're fastest in the second half of the season. Both drivers are in a good position and have a good chance, but we'll need to work at it and get a bit of luck too.

LP: Thruxton produced an amazing 1-2 result for the team, how did you all feel that weekend, and do you think you can do it again?

OC: Amazing! It was particularly amazing because less than a month earlier we didn't have any drivers signed. We were short on sponsorship and it really wasn't looking too promising. So to turn up and perform like that as a whole team was great. The drivers, engineers, mechanics, everyone did an amazing job leading up to that event and to come away with the teams first 1-2 was perfect. And yes of course we can do it again. In fact we were less than 1/2 a lap away from doing it again at Brands Hatch just over a month after Thruxton.

LP: What has been the high point for you over the BTCC season so far?

OC: The 1-2 at Thruxton and the 1-3 at Brands. We love winning and hate losing!

LP: Do you think the Championship is missing anything without some of the big names from last season, has it affected the level of racing?

OC: The Championship is more competitive than ever, but you always want to race the best and to lose 2 of the top 3 from last year is a real shame, but inevitably it just makes way for the younger talent to come through and shine. I think the current climate shows its very difficult to raise money and even if you're the Champion it still doesn't guarantee you a drive. It is a shame.

LP: Croft turned out to be a very challenging weekend for Airwaves BMW, what went wrong?

OC: We struggled in qualifying to get a single lap out of the car. To be honest it’s something we've struggled with all year. On the flip side we make our cars better than anyone else over a race distance. Unfortunately Croft was an extremely bad result in qualifying and affected our whole race weekend. We have a new tyre which we don't fully understand how to get the best out of it over one lap, but we're working on it and will have it sorted for the second half of the year.

LP: Which areas are you going to be concentrating on in the run up to Snetterton?

OC: Getting the most out of the tyre is our main priority. There are lots of other areas we're trying to improve and we have a test there in July where we can try a load of different ideas.

LP: What do you feel has been the biggest disappointment for the team over the season so far?

OC: Not being able to qualify as well as we'd like. Like I said we love winning and hate losing. We're working on that though.

LP: Taking the full grid into account, which drivers and teams have surprised you most in the Championship so far, and why?

OC: I think we've surprised everyone else more than the other way around. I don't think anyone thought we'd still be top of the table after 4 events, but we were. Hopefully we can get back up there. James Nash has been quick, not a surprise but impressive. To be honest you can't under estimate anyone in this Championship there is a real strong top 12-16 on their day.

LP: What can we expect to see from Airwaves BMW for the second half of the season?

OC: A lot more silverware hopefully. We want to win the Championship.

LP: What are your hopes/expectations for the rest of the season?

OC: Win, win win!