Banbury's Ford Team Mondeo drivers head to Brands Hatch for rounds 19 and 20 of the Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch circuit determined to stretch their lead in both the drivers' and manufacturers' cate- gories.

Alain Menu, Anthony Reid from Oxford, and Rickard Rydell all have high expectations as both Menu and Rydell will be carrying no success ballast, and Reid's confidence is high following his win at Donington Park three weeks ago.

The three occupy the first three places in the drivers' champion- ship.

Rival Vauxhall drivers Jason Plato, of Oxford, Yvan Muller and Vincent Radermecker are also eager to begin the final countdown to this year's championship battle which currently sees Frenchman Muller in fourth place on 131 points and Oxford-based Plato in fifth on 123. Although they will be racing on the shorter 1.22-mile Indy Circuit, they expect the Banbury-built Triple Eight Race Engineering-prepared Vectra to be just as competitive as on their last visit which saw the season-opening rounds take place on the 2.6-mile Grand Prix circuit.

Muller finished second and third respectively in the sprint and feature races on that first visit while Plato was first in the Feature Race.

Plato, 32, said: "I'm confident that the Vectra will be strong there. As for the circuit itself, we should be strong at Paddock Hill Bend, the hairpin (Druid's Bend) and also the Kidney section.

"However, if anywhere is going to be our Achilles heel, it is Clearways. If we can get that right, then we'll be looking good."