Home, sweet home for local hope Matt

Matt Allison will experience the highlight of his career this weekend when he races in front of his local supporters for the first time in the British Touring Car Championship at his home circuit of Snetterton.

Allison heads to his local track buoyed from his best weekend yet in the BTCC after three top-10 finishes at the previous round at Donington.

"There are at least 10 drivers on the grid who have won races in the series so getting into the top 10 consistently is a tough task," he said.

"A good qualifying performance is the key to being able to consistently post strong race results."

The Money Centre Seat Toledo is looked after by Motorbase Performance, who were able to develop the car and move it forward prior to the previous round, a trend Allison hopes will continue this coming weekend.

"I think the team has had to contend with seven badly damaged cars already this season, which has put a drain on resources and limited development time," he added.

Allison's spectacular exit from the middle race at Thruxton was a case in point.

The team did a marvellous job that weekend, they even got the car back out for the final race, but in truth it was badly bent and needed a new body shell," he said.

Five retirements from six races in the mid part of the season have left the Norwich racer down in fifth place in the race for the Independents Trophy.

"My aim is to hang on to my current position as the top four are way to far ahead," he said. "It will be quite tough as Adam Jones is only a few points behind and is performing quite strongly of late."

Historically, Allison has raced well at Snetterton, but the pressure will be on from both sponsors and supporters.

"It's not a massive deal," he said. "It will mean I will be a little busier during the gaps, but when you start the engine that side of thing disappear and it's about the pressure you put yourself under to perform."