Rob Austin Racing newcomer Hunter Abbott says the BTCC circus provided him with a real eye-opener as he experienced the championship for the first time this week.

The 33-year-old moves into touring cars from GT racing, where he shared a seat in a Ginetta G50 with team boss Austin back in 2008. He will drive the team’s second Audi A4, which was raced by Will Bratt last season.

After getting 49 laps under his belt at Donington Park on Tuesday, Abbott later tweeted that there were more spectators at BTCC media day than at a British GT race weekend.

Speaking to TouringCarTimes ahead of the test, Abbott said: “I’ve watched touring cars since I was 15 and I’m going into it with open eyes.

“I’m aware of how it works, but experiencing it from the driver’s seat will be something a bit different. I’m just going to take it as it comes.

“I have no idea how we are going to fare. I had a test at Rockingham a couple of weeks ago, but this is only my second time in the car.”

Abbott said he would also need to get used to a very different kind of racing, adding: “In GTs it is very much the case that there is room given, and if you’ve got the position, you’ve got the position. Here, it is a bit more of a scrap.

“I think it will take a while to calibrate the aggression to the right kind of level, and we will see how it goes.”

On his move back to the Rob Austin Racing stable, Abbott said: “Rob and I tend to like the same things from a car. We shared together in GT in 2008, and this feels like home.”