Racing with Wera & Photon Group driver Paul Rivett embarks on his second race day of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship at Thruxton today (29 August), as the 43-year-old gets behind the wheel of the #20 Ford Focus ST once again.

Having previously contested the final six rounds of the 2020 campaign, the Motorbase Performance-backed squad announced Rivett would be taking the place of Andy Neate during the fifth and sixth events of the year, as Neate continues his recovery after suffering from COVID-19.

Four-time Renault Clio Cup UK Champion Rivett chatted with Alan Hyde in Hampshire yesterday:

“It’s just fantastic to be here, I’ve always wanted to be in the BTCC with a top team and here I am with Motorbase Performance. It really is a dream come true!

“Anybody that knows me knows I always struggle with budgets, and I can’t thank the people around me that made this happen enough. Without my sponsors, Racing with Wera & Photon Group and Motorbase, I wouldn’t be racing today. It’s just fantastic to be here.

“I thoroughly love this circuit and thoroughly love the car. Here it’s all about switching the car on quickly while the tyres are good, and of course, I had to learn the circuit and switch it on quickly, so I was quite happy with my run in FP1, to be honest. I’m not normally someone who would be happy with 21st, but I know that we’ve got big chunks to find from there and little bits of fine-tuning in the car. I definitely feel comfortable in there now though. I managed to sling it sideways all the way through Church at one point – nothing’s phasing me out there and I’m just looking forward to cracking on with it this weekend and seeing where we can get to.

“[Knockhill and Thruxton are] probably two of the hardest circuits to jump in and go quick at. But I’m just going to get in and do the best I can. What will be will be from there. But I do love Knockhill and I love it here at Thruxton as well. I worked with the race school here for many years and know it really well. So, my goal is to definitely be back here on the BTCC grid again.”

Rivett and team-mate Sam Osborne will next pilot their pair of Ford Focus STs during Round 16 of the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, starting at 1140, with ITV4's race day coverage broadcasting all of the action from 1110.