28/2/2003

Synchro Motorsport have confirmed they will graduate to the British Touring Car Championship's 'big banger' Touring class in 2003 with their reigning Production class champion James Kaye.

Kaye will race the team's privately entered Honda Civic Type-R that in the hands of factory team drivers Andy Priaulx and Alan Morrison won twice in its debut season last year.

Yorkshireman Kaye drove for the factory Honda BTCC squad in the mid-1990's and won last year's Production class for Synchro in one of Japanese manufacturer's Type-R.

This year, he will be challenging for not just the Touring class's Independents title - a crown he won back in 1994 - but also, according to the team, outright podium finishes.

"I think we have a very strong chance of mixing it right at the front of the field," said a Synchro spokesman.

"Although we are an amateur team at the end of the day, we have got some support from Honda and as we saw last year, the Type-R is probably going to be the car to beat in 2004.

"We're very excited we've been able to make this happen and hope we can add to the drama of the BTCC."

Kaye boosts the potential number of BTCC Touring class entries so far up to 13, with Vauxhall fielding their reigning champion James Thompson, Yvan Muller and pop star Mel C's brother Paul O'Neill, Honda Morrison, Matt Neal and Tom Chilton and Proton David Leslie and Phil Bennett, while MG are set to announce a three-car squad with Anthony Reid, Warren Hughes and Colin Turkington expected to be confirmed as the team's drivers.

Rob Collard, a former Production class rival of Kaye's, has confirmed he will contest the Independents Cup in his Collard Racing team's newly-acquired, ex-Aaron Slight/Barwell Motorsport Vauxhall Astra.

Gary Ayles Racing this week continued to test their 2002 Production class race-winner Gavin Pyper at Thruxton in one of two Astras that they plan to run in this year's championship.

Rumours also persist that MG will field at least one car in the Cup. Champions Vic Lee Racing have yet to reveal their plans.