BRITISH Trial and Rally Drivers' Association (BTRDA) Rally series regular Sam Bilham tackles his home event today in his newly-acquired Ford Fiesta ST.

Making the step up from a Rally First Nissan Micra, the Bingley teenager will use the Allfab EMS Ltd-backed machine at Trackrod Rally Yorkshire, the penultimate round of the REIS-Ravenol BTRDA Championship.

Bilham has had sporadic outings in the BTRDA Series this year in the 1400cc Next Big Step award Micra. But having secured a deal to contest the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship – Wales Rally GB in November, he will use the Pickering event to test the class N3 car ahead of his world debut.

With regular co-driver Graham Wild unavailable, Bilham has called on the services of Joe Cruttenden and the duo will concentrate on building Bilham's confidence in the car to ensure he is ready for the mammoth task ahead this winter.

The two-litre Fiesta will present a whole host of new challenges for MSA RSF Young Driver of the Year Bilham.

Not only will the jump from the lower-powered Micra take some getting used to, but the Fiesta is a left-hand drive – something 18-year-old Bilham has never used before.

"It's been a tough year for the team but finding myself having to get used to a Fiesta ST to enable me to contest Wales Rally GB is certainly a welcome challenge," he said.

"The M-Sport-built cars are very capable but it really is a long way from my Micra, so I will be looking to gain experience first and foremost.

"Looking at the times and results will not be a priority this weekend as I'll be concentrating on learning road position and set-up first."

Backed by Yorkshire Flocking Services, Bilham is looking forward to the somewhat tougher than usual Trackrod and the stages which are based around the Dalby Forest complex.

He said: "The stages in Yorkshire are fantastic but it's a tough place to learn something new like the Fiesta. I'll need to treat them with respect and getting round in once piece is the biggest priority this weekend.

"Time is ticking away until Wales Rally GB now, so seat-time will be an important factor on making that event a success for me. I can't wait!"