SAM Tordoff is doubling up this season.

The 25-year-old Rawdon man will not only be driving in the British Touring Car Championship with new team West Surrey Racing (WSR) but will also take part in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) for Essex-based JMW Motorsport.

Both Robert Smith and Tordoff joined the team at the end of 2014 for a test at Estoril, immediately impressing with their speed and both enthused at what the JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 had to offer!

Tordoff said: "I have wanted to get into GT (Grand Touring) racing now for a number of years, and this year the stars have aligned and it’s finally possible!

"I’d like to thank Jim (McWhirter) for having me on board. It is important for me to try and break the mould and show that I am not just a Touring Car driver. I believe with the right people and resources – that JMW have – I can have a successful GT career.

“The car is by far the best thing I have ever driven and certainly a big step up from what I have been driving up to this point.”

George Richardson, the third member of JMW Motorsport, finished third in the 2014 championship, while Tordoff will be joined by triple world champion Andy Priaulx MBE and Hampshire-based Rob Collard, for a sixth successive season, in a very strong line-up for the BTCC, with the Yorkshireman bidding to improve on his individual placing of seventh.

Although Guernseyman Priaulx has won the European and world (2005-7) titles, he has never claimed the BTCC crown, which he hasn't raced in since 2002.

Team principal Dick Bennetts said: “Rob has been a mainstay of WSR for a number of years and we’re extremely pleased to have him signed up for another season.

"It’s great to welcome the talents of both Andy Priaulx and Sam Tordoff into the team but we felt it was vital to have some continuity in our driving ranks."

Tordoff drove a MG KX Clubcard Fuel Save car in last year's BTCC but tweeted: "I needed a fresh start and WSR is perfect for me."

The first three rounds are at Brands Hatch on the Bank Holiday weekend of April 5-6 and, where there is a clash, such as the weekend of September 5-6, Tordoff, who has had a busy winter with qualifying as an accountant and preparing to run the London Marathon on Sunday, April 19, will race in the BTCC.

He has already been pre-season testing at Thruxton, which went excellently, for the BTCC, and Snetterton and Silverstone for the ELMS.