SWINDON’S Simon Belcher heads into the fifth event of the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship year at Croft Circuit this weekend determined to sign-off the first half of the season in style as he bids for his second outright points finish.

It’s certainly been a season of ups and downs to date for the Handy Motorsport racer – the heights of a maiden top-15 BTCC points score during the championship's opening event at Brands Hatch in April tempered by a major accident in qualifying at Thruxton when his Toyota was hit at high speed.

Thanks to superb work by the Handy mechanics and their Speedworks Motorsport colleagues to repair and re-shell the car during the interim period between Thruxton and the most recent rounds at Oulton Park, Belcher was able to make a welcome return to action.

As a result of the substantial £40,000 investment required to repair the Avensis though, his season budget has been heavily impacted.

So, after next weekend’s outing at Croft, it looks likely that Belcher will stand aside from racing for three events before returning to the driving seat later in the year.

Belcher said: “Stepping aside from racing after Croft hasn’t been an easy decision to reach personally.

“We’ve discussed this at length as a team and bringing in another driver is definitely the best move for the immediate and long-term future of Handy Motorsport.

“I’m really looking forward to Croft. I’m determined to get back to where we were at Brands Hatch at the start of the year.”

In order to rebalance Handy’s position, the 41-year-old – who is also the team principal – is in talks with a number of experienced BTCC competitors to potentially take his place behind the wheel when the second half of the season begins at Snetterton in August.

As things currently stand, plans are in place to field a replacement driver at Snetterton, Knockhill and Rockingham, with Belcher due to return for the final two events at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

Notably, whoever is selected to pilot the Toyota will receive a part-subsidised drive thanks to Belcher’s long-term backers including Webb Garden Power Equipment and KÄRCHER.

“Our plan is to be in the BTCC for the long term and to grow the team, so it makes absolute sense to look at putting another driver – who can bring some budget – in the car for a few races while we rebalance everything,” added Belcher.

“We’re talking to a number of drivers and we’ll then need to get everything approved by TOCA. Ideally, we want to announce my replacement during the run-up to Snetterton after the summer break.”