RAWDON'S Sam Tordoff has a crucial role to play in the final rounds of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) this weekend on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit.

His MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save team-mate Jason Plato may be in a battle for the title with leader Colin Turkington (ebay Motors) but a more realistic target for Plato and Tordoff is to win the team title for the first time from Honda Yuasa Racing, champions for the past four years.

Plato, the most successful driver in BTCC history with 87 wins, including two last time out at Silverstone, is 50 points behind Turkington with 67 points at stake.

The BTCC veteran said: "Realistically, the gap is too big for the drivers' title. Our focus now is to win the manufacturers' title for MG, and that means that both myself and Sam will have to finish all three races at Brands Hatch."

Tordoff, who is eighth in the drivers' standings with 207 points, finished fourth and sixth in the first two races at Silverstone in late September but didn't get off the grid in race three after his engine exploded on the start line.