HAMPSHIRE'S Rob Collard, one of the unsung heroes of the British Touring Car Championship, looks set to have his best series after signing up for the successful West Surrey Racing team.

The 2003 Independents' champion will drive the fabulous MG ZS which Anthony Reid and Colin Turkington campaigned so successfully in 2004.

Collard has run his own one-car team in the BTCC for the last three years, pushing the powerful factory cars hard but never quite managing to make it to the podium. This year will be different though as he contests what promises to be one of the most open championships for years.

The Dunlop/MSA-backed series gets under way at Donington on Sunday with reigning champion manufacturer Vauxhall again on the grid with Yvan Muller and the newly signed Turkington but facing tough opposition from the likes of SEAT, spearheaded again by former BTCC champion Jason Plato.

Then comes Collard in the MG and Matt Neal in the Team Halford Honda Integra Type R. Neal has lifted the Independents Cup five times and, like Collard, is eyeing the outright title.

Another Hampshire-based driver, James Kaye, will have his third season for Synchro Motorsport in a Honda Civic. Kaye will be out to end his unenviable record as the driver with the most BTCC races starts, 233, without actually winning.

Collard has sold his rapid Astra Coupe to Mark Proctor, who has been a front runner in the UK based SCSA oval racing series.

Thruxton-based GA Motorsport have entered an Alfa Romeo 156 and there's a new entry from Speed Equipe who send out former Renault Clio Cup campaigners Richard Williams and Ian Curley in a pair of Lexus 1S200s in distinctive day-glo green.

Hampshire race fans don't have long to wait for the first look at the new BTCC line up. Thruxton stages three rounds on May 1.