SWINDON racer Callum Burgess-Smith says he is on the hunt for sponsorship as he looks to compete in the Mini Racing series.

At the moment, the 26-year-old financial adviser is racing in the Hot Hatch category at Castle Combe, where he is ranked eighth in his class.

Burgess-Smith, who lives in Old Town says he wants to step up from his current setup, which is a Renault Clio as he aims to race in the Mini Racing Series.

However, finance is a major concern for the Swindon man, who has estimated he will need over £50,000 to realise his dream.

“As a next step, I’ve been in talks with the MINI Challenge series which is MINI’s single make series racing in a stripped-out race version of the car,” he said.

“The car will have 265 bhp 2.0litre Turbo engine, full racing slicks, adjustable suspension and sequential gear box. It’s pretty much a Mini touring car.

“The series races around the UK’s best circuits with eight rounds in 2018 and also shares some race weekends with the British GT championship as well.

Racing for me has quickly gone from being that dream and something I always wanted to try out, to me wanting to go as far as possible and really make more of a career out of it if I can.

“As with most sports, the professionals have been racing since they were kids so I’ve got a lot to learn to catch up, but the dream would be to race in a GT formula or even BTCC if I’m lucky or good enough! Biggest thing is finding the budget to progress and move up the ladder.

“The series also have TV coverage on Channel 4 and Motors TV so it’s great exposure for any potential sponsors.

“I’ve been in talks with a potential team and have been given a few costs as examples on racing on an Arrive and Drive basis, using their car, which is starting off in the region of £60,000+ Vat, plus Insurance and testing.

“It’s something that I could never do without sponsorship.

“An alternative option would be to race in the Ginetta G40 GT5 Cup, which again is a single make championship but following the BTCC but that’s still a good £40,000 plus VAT.

“I’d contribute as much as I can, but I’d currently only be able to do a couple of rounds in the season without backing.”

If you would like to sponsor Callum, you can get in touch with him on callum@cburgessracing.co.uk