TWO Hampshire drivers put their racing future on the line in Sunday's Formula Palmer Audi Championship finale at Thruxton.

Justin Keen and Sam Hancock are currently fifth and sixth in the series and the top four finishers will get a funded drive when the championship goes into Europe for the millennium.

Hancock, from Basingstoke, summed it up for both drivers when he said: "There are two races at Thruxton and still plenty of points to go for. From my own point of view I am looking at two wins - nothing more, nothing less.

"Thruxton is not only my home circuit, it's one of my favourites. I was an instructor there for six months so I know it like the back of my hand.

"I had a good test there a few weeks ago, we managed to get the car set up just right. Thruxton is the fastest circuit of the lot and that's the way I like it. It's vital to get some kind of funding for next season when the budget is going to be around £150,000. Without it I certainly can't tell whether I have a future in motor racing."

Hancock won his first FPA Championship event at Brands Hatch early in the season to indicate he might be one of the front-runners. But after a couple of fourth places and a third at Donington, it hasn't quite happened for the teenager from South Warnborough, who was furious when the last two rounds at Oulton Park were both postponed after accidents.

"I'd qualified third on the grid just 0.05 secs off pole and was in the middle of a battle for second place in the first race when the red flags came out. It was a great opportunity to make up some ground on the leaders but it was all thrown out the window."

Championship leader Richard Tarling is just three points ahead of Richard Lyons and the third and fourth men Damian Faulkner and Richard Mullen can still overhaul both of them, so the battle for the title is set for a thrilling climax.

Keen is 26 points behind Mullen with Hancock a further four points back from Keen and Hancock says: "The gap on the leaders is perhaps too much to make up, but there's still a chance of finishing in the top four."

The plan is for the Formula Palmer Audi Championship to go into Europe next year, and whoever wins this year's crown gets a 100 per cent funded drive, with 75 per cent going to second man, 50 per cent to third and 25 per cent to fourth.

Keen, from East Boldre in the New Forest, won at Snetterton and Donington and like Hancock, qualified strongly and was running high up in the ill-fated Oulton Park meeting.

"I had a bit of a form blip at Silverstone and Brands, but we have got the car running well again and we're ready to challenge for a good result at Thruxton," says Keen.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.