Hampshire racing driver Rob Collard has set his goals high ahead of the new British Touring Car Championship season.

Collard is currently driving for West Surrey Racing (WSR), behind the wheel of a BMW 125i M Sport, writes Brad Halcrow.

He first drove for WSR in 2003, a team which he has claimed 12 of his 14 wins with and took the Independents championship in 2003.

Collard won one race last season, in his home race at Thruxton, near Andover, which will again be hosting the third of the ten races when the BTCC returns to Hampshire on the weekend of May 19/20.

When asked about his aims for the new season, which will start on April 7/8 at Brands Hatch, Collard responded positively, saying his aim is “to win as many races as possible and help BMW win the team and drivers’ championships.”

WSR won the manufacturers’ championship last season so retaining it is the primary goal for the team this year

“To continue to work together to build a championship campaign to try and retain the team and manufacturers’ championships for the third year running,” says Collard.

The 49-year-old will once again partner his BMW teammates Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan, both of whom have won the championship before.

Turkington and Collard gathered 20 podiums between them last season, with Turkington finishing second and Collard fifth overall.

“It’s a fantastic feeling racing in the BTCC at a competitive level,” he continued.

“The BTCC is the absolute shop window for any driver and it’s a pleasure to work with such experienced drivers as Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan.”

He was ruled out of title contention last season after a crash in Silverstone, where he was an innocent victim, which led to him missing the last five races of the season. It was still the Eversley man’s best season to date.

The BTCC began 60 years ago and this year’s races will all be live in HD on ITV4.

The championship takes place at ten circuits up and down the country, with three races staged at each event. The most successful drivers have weight added to their car as a handicap, with reverse grids also used.

The BTCC is known for close wheel racing and the occasional contact.

“The unpredictable nature and closeness of the racing amongst all of the drivers means you must always err on the side of caution when overtaking them or going wheel to wheel,” added Collard, whose son Ricky competed in GT3 and DTM last year, as well as testing for West Surrey Racing himself.