10/10/2003

Anthony Reid is one of the most experienced drivers in the British Touring Car Championship, and the MG racer is excited by the new changes announced to series in recent days. For 2004 there will be three rounds on each race-day, with the second race featuring a grid that has the top ten from the first race starting in reverse order.

Compulsory pit stops disappear from the series, while, and particularly important for Anthony, the Scottish circuit of Knockhill is back on the calendar after being absent in 2003. While MG have yet to make a decision to commit to the BTCC for 2004, Anthony is nonetheless in favour of the changes which he feels with make for even more exciting racing.

"Three races will be great," says Anthony, "as far as I am concerned more racing is just fantastic news. The reversed grid for the second race will be interesting though, there must be changes being made to the rules on ballast that we haven't heard about yet or the car on pole will be running light, while the car in tenth - who won the first race - will be 66kg heavier! However that will be made to work, it has to make races more interesting and exciting. You could have drivers getting very tactical in the first race to get a good starting position in the second.

"I'm also happy to see the pit-stops disappear. In the Super Touring days we had some high-tech kit that we used during the stops. Mistakes were rare, but the actual kit was very expensive. Now we use kit that is fairly rudimentary in comparison, though far cheaper, and mistakes do happen. The WSR team is one of the best in motorsport, and they still have problems every now and then, and as we have seen in races, these things can happen to anyone.

"Going back to Knockhill has to be great for the championship. I know it's something that the manufacturers wanted, and MG in particular. When we raced there last season we got a lot of coverage through my Scottish connections, with all the daily papers there featuring MG and myself. I have personal connections with the circuit, so I really pleased to be going back there.

"Overall I'm in favour of everything that has been announced so far - though there is obviously more to come regarding ballast etc. I'm hoping I will be out there with MG, they have gained so much from their involvement in the series in both publicity and raised profile."