Seat hosts the clash of the 2007 BTCC support champions

The 2007 SEAT Cupra Champion, Jonathan Adam, is returning to defend his title this season - and will go head-to-head against Martin Byford, the 2007 Clio Cup Champion.

Having finished 3rd in 2006, Adam won nine races, recorded 17 podium results and set nine fastest laps on his way to the SEAT Cupra title last year. The 23-year old driver from Kirkcaldy in Scotland, who was Clio Cup Champion in 2005, knows his TCR-run Leon Cupra well, but has done no pre-season testing.

By contrast Byford, a multiple saloon car and single seater champion, has enjoyed an extensive pre-season test which saw him unofficially beat the Brands Hatch lap record on a cold February afternoon. The 35-year old driver from Colchester in Essex has quickly got to grips with his new Z Speed Racing-prepared Leon Cupra, and is expected to be right on the pace on his SEAT Cupra Championship race debut this weekend.

The mouth-watering Adam v Byford contest is part of an intriguing SEAT Cupra Championship line-up. Returnees Carl Breeze, Daniel Welch and Freddy Nordström are expected to be challenging for pole and race wins this weekend, while former Clio racers Robert Lawson and Andrew Herron have been very quick in pre-season testing.

Add in highly rated newcomers like Jeremy Gumbley, Daniel Rowbottom, Dan Stringfellow, James Appleby, Jamie Ackers, David Green and David Nye, and the 2008 SEAT Cupra Championship looks set to be a classic.

Scott Dennis, SEAT UK Motorsport Manager, said: "We are all looking forward to the start of the sixth SEAT Cupra Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend, as the blend of quality new drivers and top returnees will make it a very exciting and open series. We are delighted that so many drivers from other championships have come to SEAT, and once again the opportunity to race in a very professionally run series, and for a prize fund in excess of £250,000, has attracted drivers from both saloon car and single-seater backgrounds."