BRIAN O'CONNOR - pictured right - has underlined his potential in this year's Modified Ford Championship after finishing on the podium at Castle Combe.

The Blackburn-based racing driver is still coming to grips with his new rear-wheel-drive Ford Escort Cosworth, but is confident that a maiden victory is just around the corner.

He said: "We had a bit of a slow start to the season because the engine didn't arrive until March, but I'm happy with the progress we have made in the three races we have done so far.

"The car has huge potential, and I'm sure that we are on are way to unlocking it."

Brian's formidable machine features a 600bhp, turbocharged RS500 engine, mated to a rear-wheel-drive transmission and housed in an Escort Cosworth bodyshell.

Explained Brian: "The car runs in the same specification as the works Sierra Cosworth RS500s driven by Andy Rouse in the British Touring Car Championship in the early-80s.

"All the work has been done by myself, Dave Foye at Leyland Autodrome, and Paul Haywood at PAE Motorsport, Coppull.

"The car didn't turn a wheel in anger until the Marie Curie charity day at Oulton Park in March, and that was after working round the clock for three days and nights to get it ready." The team's first outing at Snetterton ended in disaster after Brian was T-boned out of the race by another competitor. But he gave a glimpse of the car's promise as a championship winner when he finished seventh and third respectively at Ty Croes and Castle Combe.

"The race at Castle Combe was the first time we had the car sorted properly and I was coming to grips with rear-wheel drive," said Brian.

"The Escort Cosworth I raced last year was four-wheel-drive, which requires a completely different driving technique, and 600bhp takes some getting used to!

"But I'm confident we'll start winning races by the end of the season, and be ready to mount a serious bid for the championship in 2000."

The team have now started a drive of another sort - for sponsorship.

"We had budgeted for the season, but our costs are running at twice what we planned, which makes it imperative that we find a backer."

Next outing is round four of the Modified Ford Championship at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire, tomorrow.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.