ꦇNicolas Hamilton will re-join the British Touring Car Championship grid for 2019 for his first full season in the series after securing a deal with Rokit-backing at Motorbase Performance Ford Focus RS.

Hamilton, brother of five-time F1 world🦩 champion Lewis, contested 12 rounds of the 2015 BTCC campaign and returns to the series this year for a full 30-round campaign.

𓄧The British ꧂driver, who has cerebral palsy, will race a specifically-modified Focus RS run by the Motorbase squad after securing backing from new Williams Racing F1 title sponsor Rokit and begins his pre-season testing programme this month in Spain.

“I cannot actually believe that I will be back ꧟on the BTCC grid this year,” Hamilton said having competed in the Renault Clio Cup UK series for the past two yearಞs.

“A lot of people assume that due𝓰 to my name, I wiജll have all of the funding in the world, but this could not be any further from the truth.

“I have been on my 🅰own for the past six years, grinding away, tryi🌊ng to get a full season under my belt with all of the support I need.

“I have not had a continuous careღer in motorsport that allows me to work on my foundation. I have just been testing at the races, doing a decent job due to𓄧 my funding level and experience, but getting judged on who I am related to.

“I am very proud that I finally get this chance to have a full crack at motorsport and to be doing it in the BTCC, driving for a competitive outfit such as Motorbase Performance, is unbelievable. It gives me great pride in knowing that, when I sit in my car this year, I did it all off my own bacꦉk and I ꦛcan't wait to get started.

“I am still very inexperiꦅenced and am just going to take it all in my stride, do as best as I ca🌠n, drive like I know I can, develop my craft and see where that takes me.”

Motorbase Performance team boss David Bartrum is eager to s✤ee Hamilton succeed with the team and feels he can be an inspirational character for the whole✱ squad.

“I'm looking forward to Nic joining us in the BTCC,” Bartru🔯m said. “He bringsꦛ a different type of journey for us to go on with him.

“He also brings with him a steely determination, a willingness to learn and a craving to succeed. From what I've of Nic so far, his approach is very professional and I would defy anyone to spend five minutes in his comp😼any not to be inspired by him.”