KENT-BASED team HPI Racing is looking to kickstart its campaign in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship when the series comes to Brands Hatch this weekend.

The team has had a difficult start to the season but have targeted rounds seven, eight and nine at the Kent circuit to get their season back on track.

Drivers Richard Williams and Ian Curley will be hoping to impress the expected 20,000 crowd at Brands on Saturday and Sunday.

Jason Porter, principal of the Tenterden-based team and Friends Reunited founder, said: "We were always going to be up against it in terms of time to get the cars running but even so it has been a difficult start to the year.

"Brands will be the real start to the season for us. We blew up all three of our engines last time out but we’ve got new engines now for Brands and we’ve got a lot more horsepower.

"The handling of the cars is pretty good now but we need to build some reliability with them so the main aim at Brands is to have both cars finish all three races."

The British Touring Car Championship is the UK’s favourite domestic racing series thanks to its doorhandle-to-doorhandle action and the modified production saloons, which are recognisable as the type of cars seen on driveways across the land.

With three races and the novelty of reverse grids for the final race on Sunday, there should be plenty of action on the famous 1.2-mile Indy Circuit to keep the fans happy.

There will also be another nine races on a packed programme, with practice staring at 9am on Saturday and racing at 4.10pm. On Sunday, racing starts at 10am.

Tickets cost £10 on Saturday and £25 on Sunday, with children under-12 going free.

Parking is free in the main car park and £5 per car on the South Bank.

* SPECTATORS at Brands will get the chance to emulate their racing heroes when the Dunlop Racing Academy Team comes to town.

The team will be at Brands over the two days to give racing enthusiasts the chance to sign up for the chance to drive in a televised race at Silverstone and sample the celebrity lifestyle of a racing driver.

Last year’s competition saw 7,000 entrants compete.

For more information see the Race Academy team at the circuit or visit www.driversknow.co.uk