Will Gollop thinks his former protege Andrew Jordan can win the World Rallycross Championship round at Lydden Hill in May.

Jordan, the 2013 British Touring Car champion, will drive a Ford Fiesta in a one-off meeting for the MJP Racing Team Austria squad.

The 27-year-old worked with Gollop during his early career, first driving his Ford Focus Supercar in the British Rallycross Championship at a mere 16 years of age.

“Andrew could definitely win at Lydden,” Blean-based Gollop, 66, said.

“You most certainly need a bit of luck in rallycross, but he knows the circuit well and he is a truly competitive driver.

“He has got to be in the final to win it, and, if he gets there, he has got a good chance – it would be great if he wins it.”

Jordan won the British Rallycross Championship Supercar title in 2007, scoring multiple event victories in Gollop’s G-Tech Motorsport-prepared machine before switching to circuit racing.

In 2014, he scored a World Rallycross Championship podium finish at Lydden, but has not competed in the sport since 2015.

“When I went to watch the Lydden event last year, it did hurt to not be competing,” Jordan said.

“I thought then that I have got to get something sorted and this deal was a bit unexpected which was nice.

“I will be going for four clean and consistent heats and then my aim will be to try to get to the final.”

Lichfield-based Jordan – who will drive a BMW in the British Touring Car Championship this season – will compete at Lydden on May 27-28.

The event will mark 50 years of the sport before series bosses move the championship to Silverstone from 2018.

European 1992 champion Gollop, who was never victorious at his home round of the series, thinks Jordan’s extensive experience will stand him in good stead.

“Andrew is used to driving with lots of other cars around him, which is something I think drivers like Sebastien Loeb have struggled with a bit,” he added.

"Having started in rallycross when I was 14, it will be nice to go full circle..." - Andrew Jordan

“I can understand how it hurt for him last year not to be racing – for years after retiring I didn’t want to go to Lydden to watch.

“The Fiestas were pretty competitive last season and they were getting quicker as the year went on – it would be nice for a British driver to win at Lydden.”

Jordan – who last drove at Lydden in 2015 when he handled a Peugeot 208 – will replace Timo Scheider in May as the German has a clashing commitment.

“My aim is to live in the moment and have fun,” Jordan added.

“It will be tough, because the level will be high, but it will be good to go along and be part of the 50th year.

“Having started in rallycross when I was 14, it will be nice to go full circle.”

Visit www.lyddenhill.co.uk for details.