Simon Blanckley, the Durham-based racing driver, will be competing in his first race in the country’s premier motorsport series, the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship, at Brands Hatch this coming weekend.

Having only formed his team – sibsport - less than two months ago and funding the majority of the project himself, which included selling his house, the preparation for the team’s first race is in full swing following a few familiarisation test days at Brands Hatch and Rockingham.

The first public appearance sibsport made with their car – a 2006 Honda Integra-R purchased from current champions Team Dynamics - was at the recent BTCC media day at Rockingham Motor Speedway, near Corby. With the public fans welcomed in during the afternoon, it soon became evident that Blanckley’s role wasn’t just on track, with much demand from autograph hunters and strong interest from the national media.

In the run up to his debut weekend, Blanckley describes his thoughts. “I can’t really explain how much I’m looking forward to the first event. I’ll be on the same grid as some of the best touring car drivers in the world, with many who are the peak of their careers. To be amongst them is a fantastic feeling. It is a dream that has become reality basically.”

Blanckley has fair reason to be confident for Brands Hatch. Speaking about the test session recently undertaken at Rockingham, he said: “Throughout the day, we got quicker and quicker. It was nice to set a time amongst the midfield when we were on old tyres and we hadn’t done as many laps as some of the other cars.”

“We know the car is good – it’s won the championship for the last two years – so we really couldn’t ask for a more competitive car. As well as being reliable, it’s also very quick once we’ve found the right setup.”

Although Blanckley won’t be eligible to win the championship due to a change in regulations governing cars raced built between 2001 and 2006, race results aren’t affected, so causing a few surprises is a definite possibility. However, as Blanckley explains, it is difficult to judge how competitive the car will be so early in the season: “Realistically we don’t know what result we will get at Brands as it’s difficult to judge outright pace on testing times, particularly as some teams have hardly run. It will be good to finish all the three races on Sunday, and we’re hoping to get into the top ten.”

“I’ve got to say a big thanks to all the sponsors who have come on board, especially AWD Chase De Vere. Many of our sponsors are North East based, and they have all helped me achieve my dream of getting on the BTCC grid – it’s a weekend I’ll never forget, and I want to gain positive results to thank those who have had faith in supporting sibsport.”