Bell launches Cadwell crusade.

Martyn Bell has launched his own 'one man mission' to try and bring the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship to his local area after promoting Cadwell Park on his Geoff Steel Racing BMW 320i at Brands Hatch.

Throughout the course of the year, Bell has been enthusiastic in promoting Cadwell Park - set in the rolling Lincolnshire countryside and described as on it's own website as 'one of British motorsport's best-kept secrets' - to his fellow members of the BTCC paddock, but he took his passion for the circuit one step further during the penultimate round of the BTCC season when he carried the logo 'Try Cadwell Park' across the top of his windscreen.

"I'm really passionate about the circuit and it is part of my 'one man mission' to get the BTCC to Cadwell Park," Martyn said. "My sponsors Quayside Distribution allowed me to remove their sticker from the windscreen of the BMW and replace it with 'Try Cadwell Park' to try and promote the circuit, and it was really nice of them to allow me to do that. Cadwell is on my doorstep and I don't care what anyone else says, it is the best circuit in the country. If anyone hasn't driven round it, then they should, as they'd be in for a treat.

"It would be great to have the BTCC at Cadwell and the British Superbikes are already a huge success when they race there. It would be fantastic to see 25 touring cars going up the Mountain and through Hall Bends and there is a big catchment area for fans, who I'm sure would want to come along and watch. Plus I used to be an instructor at Cadwell Park so if we were able to race there, then I'd hope to be the man to beat!"

Cadwell Park is currently without a major car race on its calendar, although its round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship is regularly the best attended meeting of the season.

Although BTCC Series Director Alan Gow has admitted that the circuit currently lacks the infrastructure to host the championship, he hasn't ruled out the possibility of a race if the required work was carried out, and Jonathan Palmer - whose MotorSport Vision company owns the circuit - said he would welcome the BTCC with open arms.

"I'd love to see British Touring Cars race at Cadwell Park," he said. "Each year our British Superbike weekend there is the championship's biggest round of the season and it would be fabulous if we could have a similar event for car racing fans.

"Anyone who's visited Cadwell will agree that the sight of touring cars winding their way around the Woodland circuit or flying over the mountain would make a fantastic spectacle and attract thousands, although the circuit would need some work to make it possible.

"I have to thank Martyn for his enthusiasm towards Cadwell. It truly is a fabulous little circuit, often compared to the famous Nurburgring in Germany, and it's wonderful to see someone else so keen to see it host a major national car race."