EAST MIDLANDS TRACK GEARS UP FOR BRITAIN'S TOP RACE CHAMPIONSHIP

The countdown has begun: there are now less than two weeks to run before the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) headlines at the Donington Park circuit on Sunday 30 July. It is the only time this year that Britain's biggest motor racing championship - watched by millions on ITV1 - will race at the picturesque Leicestershire circuit.

The Donington track is soaked in BTCC history having staged some of the championship's greatest races throughout the past three decades. Its location, just off junction 24 of the M1 by East Midlands Airport and with the cities of Derby, Birmingham, Leicester and Nottingham all nearby, means the BTCC's meeting there traditionally draws huge numbers from across the Midlands region.

And this year's crowds, lining Donington's tall grassy spectator banks, will have plenty of home grown stars from the Midlands to cheer on - notably Droitwich's Matt Neal, the reigning champion in his Team Halfords Honda Integra. Neal has won five of the 15 rounds held so far and leads the current standings but faces continual threats from rising Northern Irish star Colin Turkington, in Team RAC's MG, and Jason Plato, driving for the SEAT Sport UK team.

Other local heroes include Sutton Coldfield's Mike Jordan, in his Team Eurotech Racing with John Guest team's Honda. Jordan is in his debut BTCC season but has already achieved a race win and is sure to figure heavily in the fight for a podium result at his home track.

Also in action will be Solihull's Adam Jones in the Xero Competition team's Lexus - Jones is a potential star of the future with a proven record of winning titles - and Hednesford's Mark Smith in his small family-run team InFront Motorsport's Alfa Romeo.

Race day admission for children aged 15 and under is FREE and adults can still book tickets in advance at the discounted price of just £20.00 via Donington's website www.donington-park.co.uk or the ticket hotline 01332 810048. That includes access to the BTCC's star drivers for autographs and giveaways during the hugely-popular morning Pit Lane Walkabout session. In addition to the three BTCC races, there will be eight more races on show from championships run by high-profile manufacturers BMW, Porsche, Renault and SEAT.

BTCC Series Director Alan Gow says. "Donington's BTCC race day is guaranteed to provide the crowds with top-class entertainment - it always does. The lay-out of the circuit is very fast so requires not just a lot of skill but also a lot of bravery from the drivers. We often see some of the most exciting and controversial moments of the season occur at Donington and I have no doubt that it'll be the same this time around. "Matt Neal has built himself a strong championship lead and will very much be the home hero. But things can have a habit of suddenly changing around and I know that Colin Turkington and Jason Plato - and probably the entire grid - will be giving Matt a lot of stick at Donington.

"We always make a great effort to put on a show for the public and really encourage families to feel part of the action - children can come along for free and the paddock is open for people to rub shoulders with the drivers. The BTCC very much looks forward to meeting the crowds at Donington on 30 July."

For more information about the BTCC visit the championship's official website btcc.net. For a Donington BTCC timetable click on the website's ‘Calendar' section.

Note to sportsdesk: hi-res copyright-free images of the BTCC are available from BTCC.net's Media section. For log-in details or to arrange an interview with a BTCC driver, see the contact below.

Britain's premier motor racing series, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, makes its only visit to Leicestershire's Donington Park circuit, near Derby, on 30 July