Andy shines at Rockingham.

Andrew Jordan received a welcome boost heading into his debut season in the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship with a stunning performance during the annual media day at Rockingham.

The teenager, who moves up the BTCC from the Renault Clio Cup, was the quickest runner using older BTC-spec machinery during the test and ended up fifth overall at the end of the day, just half a second behind pace-setter Mat Jackson.

It came at the end of a day that had seen Jordan lapping consistently around the same pace as his father Mike, although the elder Jordan would end up twelfth quickest after losing a wheel on his new-tyre run late in the day.

"I'm over the moon," Andy told Crash.net. "If someone said I would end up P5 I would have been chuffed with it.

"To be honest, I was quite tense when I got here as I went into testing with them all for the first time. However, I did a new tyre run and went P6 so that relaxed me a bit. We made some changes to the car to make it a bit better and then we bolted new tyres on and went P3 towards the end. We got bumped down to fifth but to be up there is amazing.

"Dad had a problem on his last new tyre run and didn't do a flying lap which is disappointing but on his first new tyre run, he was a tenth of second ahead of me. At least he can go home knowing he was quicker than me earlier! I was relaxed and enjoyed the time in the car and I matched dads time from press day last year so that's probably as quick as the car will go."

Jordan admitted that his pace at Rockingham had been helped no end by an extensive off-season testing programme that has allowed him plenty of time to get comfortable in the car going into the season opener.

"Testing has to help but that was the plan; I couldn't have just turned up here and done that time," he said. "It's a good boost ahead of Brands. We have been quick in testing but it is hard to say how well it's gone without seeing others running.

"It's been hard to look at times from last year and compare them because conditions are different, so fifth here is good and it sets my mind right that I'll be there or thereabout at Brands Hatch."

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