THE two Top Guns of the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship are preparing for a head-on confrontation at Brands Hatch this weekend.

Alex Deighton, of Green Hammerton, York, in action in a Vauxhall Vectra at Thruxton

Honda's James Thompson, from York, and Nissan's French ace Laurent Aiello share the championship's leading points with 52 apiece as they prepare for rounds seven and eight.

For Aiello the pressure could prove to be too much. He has won three of the last four races, and he stands to net £250,000 if he can also win this weekend's Sprint and Feature Race, a bonus offered by TOCO, the championship organisers, to any driver who can win four rounds on the trot.

There is no such pressure on Thompson, who had a poor return for his efforts at Thruxton two weeks ago, but is nonetheless determined not to finish eighth again.

"Thruxton was pretty much a damage limitation exercise, but Brands will be a different matter altogether. We were fastest on both days of testing in March and at the very least I expect to be back on the podium," Thompson said.

Both he and his works colleague, Dutchman Peter Kox, have this week been testing their Accords at Pembrey, and moved to Brands Hatch for the official testing on Friday.

"We have had a lot of problems this year and our development has not gone as smoothly as I would have liked," said Thompson, adding that new parts were also being tested in time for the weekend's competition.

Yorkshire's Paula Cook, in her D C Cook-sponsored Honda Accord, continues her challenge for the Michelin Cup for Independents, but has to contend with the likes of Matt Neal, the high-flying Nissan Primera driver who collected £250,000 at the start of the season after being the first independent driver to win a round.

Cook had a torrid time at Thruxton, but can look back at her winning streak at Silverstone a month ago for reassurances that she is in with a fighting chance. However, she has experienced too many early retirements and is still fourth in the championship.Incidentally, Vauxhall's John Cleland will chalk up another landmark in his 11-year career when he starts his 200th Championship race at Brands. In that time he has had 17 wins and two drivers' championships.

Green Hammerton single-seater race ace Alex Deighton will also be at Brands, but at the wheel of a Vauxhall Vectra SRi V6 competing in the Vectra Challenge series.

Deighton was invited by Vauxhall to take the wheel at Thruxton last week and turned in such an impressive performance, finishing sixth from a ninth spot on the grid, that he was asked to race again this weekend.

"I really enjoyed my first race and it's great I have been given another go. I am still on a learning curve when it comes to racing front-wheel drive saloon cars, but the more experience I get, the better I will be," he said.

The Vectra Challenge remains the only guaranteed route into the British Touring Car Championship, with the champion receiving the loan, for one season, of a Vectra touring car to compete in the Independents' division.

All the signals are good for an ever-improving Deighton, because he was fifth quickest at a test session earlier this week.

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