O'Neill: Leggate could be a BTCC star.

While there may be female drivers competing on the Tocatour package, there has now not been a woman in the BTCC itself since Joanna Clarke raced a limited programme for Team B&Q back in 2001.

One person hoping to change that is Fiona Leggate, the young MG driver who has impressed on numerous occasions in both the Britcar series - where she races with BTCC Independents champion Anthony Reid - and in the MG Mayflower trophy.

When Reid was forced to miss the recent Britcar race at Silverstone due to his commitments with West Surrey Racing, Leggate was joined in the MG ZR by another BTCC star in Paul O'Neill as the former Vauxhall man continues his recovery from diabetes.

The duo scored a strong class victory, and a top six overall finish, leaving O'Neill impressed by his co-driver.

WSR boss Dick Bennetts is set to give Leggate a run in the MG ZS touring car before the end of the year, and O'Neill believes that she could go on to be a success in the series in the future.

"I think so," he told Crash.net when asked if Leggate was good enough to race in the BTCC. "To be honestI've been involved with Fiona for just over a year now and the first time I spoke to her I found she was in the same boat as me when I first started. She was at the back and learning the ropes but every step she made was a big step like I made when I started racing. It was good to be involved with someone who I felt mirrored me. I was just trying to give her help and to be truthful shes gone on and done very good things.

"The last test I did with her one on one was at Silverstone last year just before the season started and she was mega. I told some people and they were sceptical and though I was saying it as her instructor, but she has gone on to show everyone in the Mayflower Trophy and Britcar that she has got the speed.

"I think that she could do well given a few more years in front wheel drive, and then moving into touring cars I think she'd be really good."

Leggate currently leads the Britcar series with three rounds remaining.