In the second of a series of meet the Pinkney Motorsport team features,
we chat to Andrew Dean about his role as team manager…



Q:
Andrew, what’s your role with Pinkney Motorsport?

Andrew Dean:
I suppose you could call me team manager or team principal. I seem to have picked up the mantle of organising the team and making sure we are in the right place at the right time. I work with David on the engineering of the car as well.

Q:
You’ve been involved with David for a long time now. When did it all start?

Andrew Dean:
Goodness me – David and I go back to 1987 would you believe.

Q:
You don’t look that old – although I’m not sure about that man himself…

Andrew Dean:
I couldn’t possibly comment! In 1987 we started out with the Rover Vitesse and have done various things since like Cosworths, BMWs, Ventos and Vectras (one-make series) and obviously a few years in the BTCC as well.

Q:
Since David returned to the BTCC he has run for other teams, like Motorbase with the Integra, Julian Griffin with the Alfa Romeos and then Dynamics with the Civic.

This season Pinkney Motorsport was reformed to run the Vectra. What challenges has that given you compared to recent seasons?

Andrew Dean:
It’s made the pre-season job a little harder obviously because it’s a case of getting all the infrastructure in place, all the set-up equipment and tools and all the transportation equipment. I’ve been around touring cars long enough to know what is actually needed and the biggest obstacle we faced was getting a couple of guys onboard to spanner the car.

We were fortunate enough to recruit Ross and Chris from Triple Eight who have been absolutely brilliant and know the car inside out, which has made the whole job a lot easier. That is quite an enjoyable part of building a team; putting all the infrastructure together. It’s very expensive obviously but once you have it and it’s yours, it will stay with you for quite a while.

Q:
When you are putting the team together, what would you say is the single biggest challenge?

Andrew Dean:
Personnel primarily. Like I say, Ross and Chris have been fantastic and we have managed to pull a few of the old Pinkney Motorsport crew out of retirement. Stuart the truckie has been with us for years and Stuart was with us when we ran the Vento and the Vectra. We are all experienced in this environment and its good fun.

Q:
As team manager, what challenge has there been in running the new NGTC engine as opposed to simply buying the Vectra from Triple Eight complete with the S2000 engine?

Andrew Dean:
I wouldn’t say it has given us any particular challenges. Triple Eight helped us with the installation of the engine into the car, and that did give us some problems when it came to set-up because the engine is that much heavier that the set-up data Triple Eight supplied us with no longer directly translated to the vehicle.

We’ve had to work on changing the front of the car but I will say that Swindon Engines have been very helpful with their support. The engine is going through a development phase and we have had some niggles along the way but they have been very proactive with their help on that.

Q:
What goes through your mind then when you are stood on pit wall during a race?

Andrew Dean:
It’s a combination of emotions really. I still get very nervous before the start of a race but I suppose if I didn’t get nervous, there wouldn’t be much point in doing it. You are just willing success really. Everyone in the team works so hard to get us here and to make us as competitive as possible, you just want a result for everyone and certainly for David.

Q:
There was a very challenging week for you between Rockingham and Brands Hatch to turn the car around due to the damage sustained in the final race of the weekend.

How tough is it when there is only a week between races and you have an incident like that – especially when you then arrive at the track and have another issue in practice and face a race to make qualifying?

Andrew Dean:
It can work in two ways really. Yes, it does make it hard with the amount of work that needs to be done, but it can actually bond the team together. The sense of achievement the team felt at Brands Hatch after having the entire engine and gearbox assembly out and still getting the car out for qualifying was great. It lifts the team because you have all worked so well together.

We had pre-empted the short turnaround between Rockingham and Brands Hatch by doing a lot of prep work after Thruxton so we could have done without the body damage, but it’s all about preparation. We had doors ready to go so it wasn’t as arduous as it could have been.

Q:
How does the current Vectra compare then to the other cars you’ve worked on during your time with David?

Andrew Dean:
As a chassis, it is peerless – it is absolutely superb. The way it has been bolted together, the attention to detail and the way it responds to changes in geometry means it is fantastic to work with. Obviously we have enjoyed working with other vehicles, the Porsche was good fun as well and the Vectra we won the title with in 1999 was a super car but entirely different. Each car presents its own challenges and the enjoyment is finding the solutions.

Q:
As a privateer team, you must like the way in which the BTCC is trying to bring down the costs involved in the series when you don’t have the big budgets of a manufacturer.

Andrew Dean:
Very much so. I don’t know that anyone has a big budget out there this season but the fact that the BTCC is being proactive to bring down costs was a factor for us making the decision to move to NGTC. As a formula, I think Alan Gow and his team have got it right. It just needs some fine-tuning and it will open up the paddock to smaller teams that aspire to be here which is where the future is.

We all know that, in the current economic climate, it will be a while before the manufacturers are back in force, so the future of the championship lies with teams like ourselves.

Q:
Which circuit is your favourite on the BTCC calendar?

Andrew Dean:
I love Oulton Park. It’s such a picturesque setting and it presents some interesting challenges when it comes to set-up. But I also enjoy Brands Hatch. There is a certain ambience about the place and its set in an amphitheatre so you get a real buzz when you go there – it’s great.

Q:
Would it be the same circuits if you were taking over from David behind the wheel?

Andrew Dean:
I have no desire at all to take over from David behind the wheel! I’ve been out with him a few times as a passenger and it shattered any illusions I ever had of being a racing driver, my self-preservation instincts are far too strong. If I had to choose though, it would have to be Brands Hatch.

Q:
Looking away from the BTCC, who would be your favourite driver in F1?

Andrew Dean:
I have a lot of time for Jenson Button. He has shown, especially last year and increasingly so this year, that he is a formidable driver and quite a natural talent. I’ve met him a few times as well and he is a genuinely nice guy.

Q:
A question you can up with yourself. Jaffa Cake – biscuit or cake?

Andrew Dean:
It’s got to be a cake.

Q:
Why?

Andrew Dean:
Soft filling…

Q:
If David wasn’t a racing driver, what would he be?

Andrew Dean:
Prime Minister?! He is quite an interesting character and he is quite forthright in his opinions.

There are two ways of doing things. David’s way and the wrong way but we work well together as I understand what he wants from a car and we try to deliver it.