James Nash will miss Brands Hatch’s Finals Day (Sun 4 Oct) but says he is 100 per cent determined to put together a full assault on 2010’s HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship.

Nash has made quite an impact in the five BTCC rounds he’s contested in 2009 at the wheel of an RML Chevrolet Lacetti. He crossed the line first at Snetterton only to be excluded for causing Airwaves BMW driver Robert Collard to crash out.

But he more than made up for his sins with a terrific third place behind the Racing Silverline Chevrolets of Mat Jackson and Jason Plato at Silverstone – the first Chevrolet 1-2-3 result in the BTCC since 1975.

The 23-year-old from Newport Pagnell said: “Regrettably I will not be racing at Brands Hatch and instead I will turn my focus to securing the budgets for a full 2010 campaign. I really cannot wait to return to the series.”

He added: “I hope my results over the past few months have proved that I am a serious racing driver and a strong contender for race wins. I entered the BTCC with the hope of showcasing my skills and ability and to reach out and capture the imagination of potential investors and partners. I hope my recent performance, in particular at Snetterton and Silverstone have aided this.”

RML team manager Paul Field was glowing in his praise of the youngster, commenting: “I speak for everyone at RML when I say that James has had a very impressive first season in the BTCC. For a new, up and coming driver it would be easy to find the series quite intimidating, especially with so many big personalities. What has impressed me most this year is how quickly he has adapted. He’s achieved a tremendous amount and certainly has a very bright future in touring cars.”