Only half a dozen drivers have scored points in all six rounds of the 2005 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship that have been held so far this season – and that list includes all three SEAT Sport UK drivers. While race victory has so far eluded Jason Plato, James Pickford and Luke Hines this year, they aim to try and readdress that issue when Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the series takes place at Brands Hatch on Sunday 5th June.

The SEAT Sport UK team has a good chance of winning, as the Toledo Cupra’s superb chassis makes it a formidable racing car on tight tracks like the twisty Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, while all three drivers have won at the famous Kent track before.

Jason Plato clinched the BTCC Drivers’ title at Brands Hatch in 2001 and returned with SEAT Sport UK last year to win Round 23 of the 2004 BTCC before following team-mate Rob Huff home in a SEAT 1-2 in the very next race. He will also be race fit, having contested rounds of the FIA World Touring Car Championship at Silverstone and Imola since the last BTCC race meeting at Thruxton a month ago.

James Pickford has fond memories of Brands Hatch, having lined up on the second row of a Formula Renault Sport Championship grid alongside Kimi Raikkonen in 2000. In 2003 he won £20,000 by coming from last on the grid to finish 3rd in the SEAT Super Prix and last year he dominated the SEAT Cupra Championship meeting by qualifying on pole for both races and winning the opening round.

Luke Hines regards Brands Hatch as his home circuit and likens it to a big kart track because it has so many corners and overtaking places. He won Round 5 of the BTCC at Brands last year, which was his first major touring car race victory.

Against strong opposition, SEAT believes that the next three races could prove significant in its challenge for the BTCC Manufacturers’ title challenge, and everyone in the team will be working flat-out for race victories.

Jason said: “We’ve got to get back to winning races and I think we’ll do just that at Brands. It’s not going to be easy because the opposition is very strong and the nature of the circuit will ensure the racing is very close, but the Toledo Cupra works well around there and I’m really up for it. We’re only twenty points behind Vauxhall in the Manufacturers’ Championship and the objective at Brands will be to close the gap as much as we can. We have to close the gap in the Drivers’ and Teams’ categories as well, so we’ll be on a mission to try and out-score everyone else in every department.”

James said: “I’ve learned a lot in my first two BTCC race meetings and I’m looking forward to Brands because I’ve now settled into the race weekend format. Qualifying has been the most difficult so far because you only have two forty-minute free practice sessions to get used to the car on the circuit and then it’s straight into qualifying. Brands is the shortest circuit in the BTCC calendar so we’ll be able to get plenty of laps in during free practice and because of that qualifying should be a lot better. The Toledo Cupra has a great chassis so it should be good around Brands too, so without wanting to put too much pressure on myself I’ll be secretly aiming for my first BTCC podium finish.”

Luke said: “Brands is one of my best circuits because I always think of it as a big kart track – all corners and passing places! I also consider it my home circuit because it’s only an hour and a half away from where I live and I started racing at Buckmore Park kart track, which is just down the road from Brands. I won my first ever British Touring Car Championship race at Brands last year and having led at Thruxton last time out I think I’ve got a reasonable chance of winning there again. Whatever happens the racing is going to be very close and it’s going to be brilliant to watch because Brands is such a good circuit for spectators.”

The 30 minute qualifying session takes place on Saturday 4th June at 15.00, with three 24 lap races on Sunday, beginning at 11.30, 13.25 and 16.45.