With the Daytona 24 Hours behind him, Tommy has been turning his attention towards the start of the LMES season and the exciting prospect of an all-new RML MG Lola, the EX264. Last week the car made its debut appearance, and Tommy had the honour of being the first person to drive one of these stunning new LMP2 machines.

The preliminary shakedown test took place on a cold, blustery and snowswept South Circuit at Silverstone in Northamptonshire. Usually the venue for the Silverstone Racing School, this short track is not a suitable circuit for flat-out testing, but since this was the first occasion for the all-new car to turn a wheel, high speeds and demanding G-forces were never anticipated. In any event, the weather was not about to let anyone push hard, least of all the Formula 1 drivers, several of whom were also using the Grand Prix circuit for their first tests of the impending season. The Renault squad managed half a dozen laps and then gave up. RML’s MG, first with Tommy on board, and later with Mike Newton, pressed on regardless of the atrocious conditions, although Mike did have to call it a day when the day’s final blizzard threatened a white-out along the main straight.