Rod Birley has decided to keep hold of his ultra-successful Ford Escort following advice from a British Touring Car Championship legend.

The veteran club racer had put his four-wheel-drive machine up for sale earlier this year after enduring his "worst season ever".

But the Cosworth-powered Escort is to remain in his West Kingsdown workshop after four-time BTCC champion Andy Rouse helped solve problems with its two-litre turbocharged unit.

"We got in touch with Andy and he found we had made a slight error on part of the breather system which is now all cured," Birley, 67, said.

"He's a brilliant engineer and in my view probably the best saloon car racer we have had in this country. He developed his cars as he was an engineer as well as a good driver.

"Andy's in his 70s now and keeps saying he's not really that interested but he's still involved with bits."

Birley, who had put the Escort on the market for £72,000, took two Class A wins in the Classic and Modern Motorsport Club's Super Saloon Series at Brands Hatch on Saturday.

He was twice beaten on the road by Class C driver Michael Eustace (BMW E46 M3), but was still pleased to secure two second-place finishes.

"I got my mojo back a bit on Saturday; the car was going well," Birley said.

"I had a puncture in the second race which slowed me down a bit but we seem to have got rid of all the gremlins now.

"We did have a few people interested in the car but, with the current economic climate, it is difficult to get people to part with money.

"Everybody I have spoken to says nothing is selling; the market is very flat."

Birley broke the record for the most wins in British motor racing in 2017 when he surpassed saloon car racing legend Gerry Marshall’s 625 triumphs.

He now has 711 wins to his name – with 380 of those coming aboard the Escort.

"We will keep the car for the Ford Power Live event at Brands Hatch and a few of the specialist Ford races," Birley said.

"I will just pick and choose races when I feel like it; if there's a nice meeting coming up, I'll go and do it.

"I won't be chasing championships."

Birley, who runs an engineering supply company, plans to enter Special Saloons races in 2023 with his second car - a BMW E36.

"We have done a lot of development with the BMW - found more power - and I'm planning to hit the ground running next year," Birley said.

"We have now got the gremlins sorted out with both cars so we should be good to go.

"It will just be about going out and having fun."

'I have got options to race in New Zealand...'

In January, Scalextric is set to release a model of Birley's Escort - a car he first revealed at the Autosport International show in 1999.

Away from motorsport, Birley is considering emigrating to Australia in the future, with wife Sue currently "on a recce" Down Under.

"We are just looking at options - we are both a bit despondent with the way things are going over here with the cost of living and other things," Birley said.

"Sue wants to see what it's like to actually live there rather than just being a tourist - she's spending 10 or 12 months going to different parts to see what it's like.

"She is doing pet-sitting in different people's houses so it's a way of seeing the country warts and all.

"I have got options to race in New Zealand - I have got a lot of friends out there and they are quite keen for me to do it - but I plan to race in Britain next year, you've still got another year of me!"

Brands Hatch will host its final event of the season this weekend when the MotorSport Vision Racing club runs its annual EnduroKa Indy 500. Click here for more details.