Matt Allison scores Toledo drive

Rising star Matt Allison has realised his career ambition to race in the British Touring Car Championship by signing for Kent’s Motorbase Performance to drive one of their SEAT Toledo Cupras.

The 23-year-old reigning British GTC Champion has had his sights set on the UK’s top series since switching to saloon cars from single-seaters in 2003. In that time he has shown his potential by taking two titles, the 2005 Renault Clio Cup Winter Series and last year’s sportscar crown in the most-hotly contested class in the British GT Championship.

He says: “Touring cars is like the Formula One of saloon car racing and it was always my plan to get there. So joining Motorbase Performance in the BTCC is a great opportunity for me and I feel very privileged to be given the chance.”

Allison, of Norwich, joins Gareth Howell, a BTCC race-winner, in the Motorbase SEAT squad which will now commence testing ahead of the season opener in April.

Motorbase team principal David Bartrum says: “We’re thrilled to have signed Matt. He’s one of the rising talents in British motorsport and has earned his place on the BTCC grid. With Matt on board we’ve got two young and exciting drivers, both of whom are more than capable of doing the job at the top level.”

Allison adds: “Motorbase is a fairly new team to the BTCC but it’s full of top experienced personnel and it’ll be my job early on to learn as much as I can from everyone. I’m going to be like a human leach, sucking as much knowledge as possible out of people.

“There’s less than 40 days to go and I’ve never driven a touring car before, but we’ve got eight or nine days of testing planned between now and the first race so I should be comfortable with the car by then.”

One of the people Allison will be leaching information from is his Race Mentor, former BTCC champion Tim Harvey who has followed his career with interest for the last few years but has now taken on an official role with him. Allison says: “Tim will be coaching me during the testing and giving me advice. As he’s been there and done it, there really isn’t anyone better qualified and I’m very grateful that he’s on my side.

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank The Money Centre which is the country’s largest independent buy-to-let mortgage company. They’ve shown faith in me by backing me in this stage in my career and I’m hoping it will be the first step in a long and fruitful relationship.”

Motorbase Performance is running the ex-works SEATs Toledo Cupras of former champion Jason Plato, James Pickford and Luke Hines, all of whom recorded victories in the cars in the 2005 season. They have been re-built by the Wrotham-based team’s engineers and are ready to hit the 2007 championship trail as good as new.

The 2007 BTCC kicks off in Motorbase’s back yard – Brands Hatch, Kent – on April 1. It will be contested over 30 races in ten events at circuits throughout England and Scotland, finishing at Hampshire’s Thruxton on October 14. Fans will be able to keep in touch with the team’s progress on ITV throughout the year.