Jake Hill has title ambitions after moving early to confirm his plans for next year’s British Touring Car Championship.

Hill, 28, is staying with ex-Formula 1 driver Mark Blundell’s MB Motorsport team as the Kent driver looks to build on last season’s third-placed finish.

And they will once again be joining forces with 16-time team champions West Surrey Racing in a partnership that will see Hill take to the grid in a BMW 330e M Sport - the car that brought him so much success in the 2022 campaign.

Hill won three races, achieved 13 podium finishes and set five fastest laps - including lap records at Donington Park and Silverstone - and claimed the Goodyear Wingfoot Award as the best qualifier over the season.

He’s thankful for the continuity the MB Motorsport and WSR partnership provides as he targets his maiden BTCC title.

“I really am over the moon to get everything signed, sealed and delivered so early looking ahead to the 2023 season,” said Hill, who's from Platts Heath, near Maidstone.

“I am very grateful for the continued support and faith that MB Motorsport have shown in me since 2020 and I have no doubt that we will be taking our BMW 330e M Sport back to the front of the grid once again, thanks to our partnership with WSR.

“For me, last year felt like a year where I truly arrived in the championship.

“To be able to have that consistency in our programme heading into 2023 can only be a huge help, for what will be a first for me in my time in the BTCC.

“There’s no hiding from what our aim will be heading into the new season - it’s now a case of getting our heads down and getting to work.”

It will be Hill's fourth season with MB Motorsport and Blundell, the former McLaren and Ligier F1 star, is delighted to keep him on board.

“Last year was a really memorable one for our growing organisation and we were so close to that perfect conclusion to the season at Brands Hatch in October,” said Blundell.

“Everyone know how highly I rate Jake and there is no better organisation than WSR to be spearheading our title assault.

“We are very pleased to be continuing to work with them both.

“We like to approach things differently as an organisation and we’ve shown constant progression every year we have been in the BTCC as a result - a championship that is going from strength to strength.”

Dick Bennetts, managing director and team principal of WSR, has high hopes for next season, which starts at Donington in April.

He said: “Jake has proven himself to be one of the most skilled and committed competitors in the field and we look forward to helping him continue his development.

“We have a very strong relationship with Mark Blundell and his team and this has only strengthened after working together in 2022.

"We have very high hopes for what can be achieved together as we look ahead to the new season.”