Today has seen the launch of MG Sport & Racing's 2002 motorsport programme at the company's Longbridge Headquarters. The marque's BTCC works drivers, Anthony Reid and Warren Hughes, were present at the event, along with their 2002 season car.

The driver line-up for the previously announced independent pairing of MG ZS cars, to be run in addition to the works entry, has been confirmed as Gareth Howell (20) and Colin Turkington (19). In addition, details of an exciting new partnership for this team were also revealed. The cars for Gareth and Colin will be entered under the "Team Atomic Kitten" banner, marking an unprecedented, and universally welcomed, link-up between MG Sport & Racing and the music industry giants, Atomic Kitten.

Team Atomic Kitten will be fully responsible for the entry of Howell and Turkington, enabling them to embark on an assault on the 2002 BTCC Independents' Cup, as well as outright championship honours. Howell commented "I've worked towards this goal for many years now, and I'm very grateful to be given this big opportunity with Team Atomic Kitten. I'm just looking forward to the start of the season now!"

MG Sport and Racing Press Release:

MG Sport and Racing have announced that a new independent team will be running two of the already race winning MG ZS's in this year's British Touring Car Championship. Team Atomic Kitten will feature not only backing from the eponymous girl-group, but see two of the hottest young up-and-coming talents in the driving seats of the MGs.

Gareth Howell and Gary Turkington have been signed to race the MGs, which will compete in a dinstinctive black and yellow team Atomic Kitten livery. Both have had their first runs in their new mounts, and been impressed with the cars.

"I had a great day," said Howell. "I had been worried about getting used to the car, especially as we don't have much time before our first race at Oulton Park, but it wasn't as hard to drive as I had imagined."

While Howell contested the Production Clas of the BTCC in 2001, for Ulsterman Turkington, this is his first taste of Touring Cars: "It was fantastic, plenty of speed - not at all what I expected. I thought it would be more difficult to drive but I got to grips with it pretty quickly. All my running was in the wet and despite this I managed to do a lot of laps - it was grand!"

Atomic Kitten's Jenny Frost said: "We are really proud to be associated with MG. They are a very dynamic company who are going places. When the opportunity arose to work alongside MG on the BTCC programme, we jumped at it."

Rob Oldaker, MD of MG Sport and Racing, commented: "We wanted to find a way to run four cars this year. The most obvious way was by finding an independent team to lease the MGZS EX259 cars from last year. The fact that we have managed to bring in Atomic Kitten as part of this deal is magnificent for both MG and for the TOCA Tour itself."

The team will miss the opening rounds of the BTCC at Brands Hatch, taking to the track for the first time at Oulton Park on April 21.

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