British racing driver Nick Padmore has announced he is to race in both the French V de V Championship and Radical UK Cup for the 2012 season.
After narrowly missing out on French V de V Championship honors last year, Padmore and Belgian co-driver Jean-Lou Rihon feel they have unfinished business as they gear up for their second season with Nogaro-based outfit Team TFT.
The season kicks off with a 6-hour race on 30th March - 1st April at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona, a new venue for the championship, and will also return to Le Mans, Motorland Aragon, Dijon, Paul Ricard HTTT, Nogaro and Magny-Cours, with the season finale taking place at Estoril, Portugal in November.
Reigate's Padmore is also looking forward to making a return to Radicals after a five-year absence, teaming up with fellow Brit Gary Kane, who is also no stranger to success in the one-make series, in a brand new SR3 RS in the Supersports Class.
The pair will front the all-new RAW Motorsport squad, headed by Rob Wheldon and Keith Bisp, who also have vast experience with Radicals, making this one of the strongest forces on the entry list.
Round 1 takes place in just under three weeks' time on 10 - 11 March at Snetterton 300 and the calendar is also scheduled to feature races at Silverstone GP, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Donington, with Spa-Francorchamps playing host to the lone event outside the UK in May.
Each race on the 2012 Radical UK Cup calendar will benefit from all the action being televised on Motors TV and the Radical TV web TV service.
Nick Padmore:"Firstly, I would like to say how much I'm looking forward to the 2012 season and I would like to thank Jean-Lou (Rihon) and Gary (Kane) for these exciting opportunities.
"We made a lot of progress in V de V last year and at Magny-Cours we got our first win in the championship so we can tick that box. We only just missed out on the championship but that has only made us more determined to come back this year and fight for the title as an even stronger force, and we have every confidence that Team TFT are the team to help us achieve that.
"I'm also really looking forward to getting back to racing in a Radical. It's almost feels like I'm going back to my roots as Radical Sportscars gave me my first break into sportscar racing back in 2002, so I will be out to add to the success and thoroughly enjoyable five seasons I had in the championship.
"Although RAW Motorsport is a new outfit, it is made up of people who have had plenty of experience and success over the years, not only with Radicals, so we have a really strong package to tap into and exploit.
"I think there will be a lot of competition in both championships this season and no one is going to make it easy for us, but looking at everything on paper I can't help but feel confident that we have a very strong season ahead."
