Three Of A Kind

Whether you’re a fan of track-friendly fast-road cars or dedicated circuit racers, this trio of Astra VXRs has you covered…

- Dan Furr

The floor is so clean you could eat your dinner off it. The white walls are spotless. The Vauxhalls inhabiting the industrial unit we’re loitering in near Chester are just as clean. “I’ve been here seven weeks,” explains Mark Burnett, a time-served Airbus technician and owner of race car preparation and trackside support outfit, Autoworx Motorsport. “My old place of work was much smaller than this,” he remarks as we spot no fewer than five highly modified Mk5 Astra VXRs and a rare Mk4 Astra SRi Turbo on or around the numerous ramps he’s installed in his new digs.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that his unsoiled workspace gleams due to him not having had an opportunity to make a mess in the short time he’s been up and running since the move from the premises Autoworx used to operate out of, but the truth of the matter is that the clean working environment Mark takes care of reflects the clinical attention to detail and quality of workmanship he invests into each car he modifies and maintains for his octane-obsessed customers – guys like track day nut, Simon Butt.

“I bought my Mk5 Astra VXR new back in 2006,” reveals the professional detailer. “At that time, aftermarket parts development and tuning for the model was in its infancy. I trialled a lot of performance enhancing equipment on my car, as did seasoned racer, Bo Nielsen, on his Time Attack Astra VXR. We kept tabs on what each other was doing, often benefitting from the knowledge the other was gaining through what usually turned out to be an expensive game of trial and error!”

FORGING AHEAD