Josh Caygill says he is “absolutely buzzing” ahead of the inaugural Audi Sport TT Cup season, which gets underway in early May, after sampling the 310bhp car he will pilot this year for the first time at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain last weekend.

Benefiting from instruction courtesy of professional drivers Markus Winkelhock and Marco Werner, the Netherton racer – making his first visit to the famous Barcelona track – thoroughly enjoyed every second behind the wheel of his 2.0-litre Audi.

Amazed by the sensational performance and handling of the brand new TT Cup car, 25-year-old Caygill is looking forward to the 2015 season, only his third at any level in car racing, more than any other in his motorsport career to date.

“The test in Barcelona was amazing”, said Caygill, “When we did a qualification simulation at the end of the two days I was really happy with my pace, very pleased for my first time there. The bar has definitely been raised again this year, it’s going to be a huge challenge as there are some quality drivers on the grid but it should be an absolutely mega season.

“The car is out of this world, it’s a proper racing car – almost like a mini DTM car really with proper ABS, paddle-shift, 310bhp and the seat is more centrally located. Audi has done an unbelievable job with this car, you’re grinning ear-to-ear when you drive it but that’s nothing other than you’d expect from such a professional manufacturer. It’s a real privilege to be part of the new championship.”

Prior to the trip to Barcelona, Caygill and his fellow TT Cup competitors took part in an exclusive five day winter training camp last week in the picturesque Allgäu region of Germany. Accompanied by triple Olympic biathlon gold medallist Michael Greis and World Mountain Running Champion Helmut Schießl, the Audi racing drivers were put through their paces with a range of physical challenges.

“The fitness camp was mega, we did cross country skiing, pilates, running, a mini biathlon, circuit training – it was a really full-on challenge but a lot of fun and very enjoyable”, added Caygill, “It’s all of these things which make the Audi Sport programme so fantastic, they look at every aspect.

“I won the seven kilometre run, which I was obviously very happy with, and the biathlon with three-time gold medallist Michael Greis was fantastic. It was an absolutely mint week, big thanks to everyone at Audi for such a great way to start the pre-season. I can’t wait for the next test now.”

The next date in the diary for Caygill, who is the only UK representative in the Audi Sport TT Cup, will be the second pre-season test at the Hockenheimring at the end of April. The German venue will then host the opening two races of the inaugural TT Cup season over the weekend 2nd/3rd May.