ROKiT Racing with iQuoto Online Trading's Nic Hamilton is a man on a mission as he chases down some BTCC points at Brands Hatch this weekend, and he's also excited to see the return of spectators – albeit in limited numbers under the current government guidelines.

“It’s been like a ghost town really over the past year or so, so it was really nice to get to see a crowd and to race in front of them at Snetterton," he said. "The turn out was amazing and it makes you realise how much you miss people being here. So it’s great to see fans back here at Brands Hatch too and get some normality!"

The young charger grabbed points last season in the older VW CC, but he's now hoping for more with the all-new Team HARD-run CUPRA Leon.

"The car is definitely better than last year’s car," he continued. "But then we still have a lot of work to do with it because obviously it is brand new, so there’s a lot of development work that goes into that.

"So, as a team I wouldn’t say we’re anywhere near the limit in terms of the capability of the car. We’ll get there, it’s only race weekend three, and the boys and girls at Team HARD did so well to get four brand-new cars built and prepared, it’s absolutely amazing. We’re just going to get stronger throughout the year.

"My target is always points, so top 15 onward is always my plan. You can see just from FP1, the times are just so close, two tenths is like seven places. We’re knocking on the door it’s just a tough championship and the more comfortable I get with the car underneath me, the more consistent I’ll be and the better I can get in terms of overall raw pace.

"I have no doubt that we’ll get into the top 15 at some point this year."

"Team HARD is a family-oriented team, it always has been, and I got that from the moment I walked into HQ when I got a massive warm welcome. There’s a lot of misjudgement around Team HARD, but I’m living proof that they’re a great team.

"They’ve got a lot of passion and they’re still learning, everyone makes mistakes, we’re only human. It’s great to have this brand new chapter with them with the Cupras and I think we’ll end up strong."

Qualifying for Round 7 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will take place at 1510 later today and will be streamed live via www.itv.com/btcc.

Tomorrow’s triple-header race day will be live on ITV3 from 1100.