With confirmation that Laura Tillett has a confirmed drive for a full season in the VW Cup with Team Hard Racing, Laura can’t wait to get started.

The 23-year-old is making the move for the first time from single seaters to tin tops and she is excited to get behind the wheel of her newly built VW Golf and go racing.

Speaking exclusively to Kent Sports News, Laura said: “I have obviously still got to get the results but it is going to be more favourable being seen out on the track rather than just sitting at home waiting for an opportunity to come along.”

Laura will be joining an impressive stable of young drivers and will be looking to learn from them as she goes and find her own way in a competitive series.

She added: “It is something new for me to learn and I have a good team behind me that I can learn from and use their experience and develop in the saloon car world and hopefully I will be a front runner.

“It is going to be different and obviously I am so used to doing the single seater and I really do enjoy the single seater thing. It will be nice to have a change and to see what this is like and when I did test a Clio a couple of years ago in 2012, it wasn’t too bad it suited my driving and it seemed quite good. Hopefully I will come back and it will be even better than when I did that test.”

Laura is keen to get out on track and get some testing under her belt given that it is a new car and her first season in the VW Cup.

She said: “I haven’t even sat in the car yet, so I need to have a seat fit and everything and get out and get testing. Everybody else has a bit of a leg up on that than I do, so I have got to have some testing and do some laps and get used to the feel of the car.

“There are great people to learn from in the team but then hopefully I will be the one teaching them, and hopefully they will be chasing my data.”

All drivers look to progress and with Team Hard now having their return to the British Touring Car Championship, there is the opportunity for Laura should she do well to move through the series.

“It has all been discussed and I am not sure how much can be released but we are looking to aim towards the British Touring Car Championship, and being the first girl in the BTCC. Team Hard are keen on pushing me forward in that route and I have to keep to it. I have seen what Tony has done so far and it looks good so I have positive thoughts.”

The car is being built and it will take to the track in a custom livery just for Laura and with her own sponsors logos on it and she can’t wait.

She added: “It really will be good, I am so excited and so relieved to be going back out again in a car and knowing that it is my car. Being able to concentrate on something for the full season it is just such a great feeling to have that.

“I have obviously done the MRF Challenge before and though it is a fantastic championship it wasn’t a full championship and at the end of the day you have only got that car for three races. You don’t quite get that same driver car bond.”

The VW Cup does have some fantastic rounds incorporated into the series and Laura also gets to fulfil one of her dreams as well.

She said: “The tracks all look really good, I have never done Oulton Park that will be a challenge but they all seem to be brilliant tracks. I can’t wait to go to Spa, I have done a couple of laps on it but not really driven it and I have always wanted to race Spa, which is going to be amazing.”

Images courtesy of Richard Pardon