CHRIS Stockton is looking forward to being on home territory for the latest round of his Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship adventure.

The jockey-turned-racing-driver from Malpas heads to Oulton Park this weekend as the BTCC reaches its halfway point.

Having learned to race at the Cheshire circuit, Chris will be looking to put his local knowledge to good use.

And he goes to the meeting in good form - just a fortnight after scoring his first point of the season with a 10th-place finish in his BTC Racing Lexus at Croft.

Chris, 38, said: 'We have put everything into our team and have come on so much since we first took the step up into the BTCC at the end of last season. To score a point at this level for a team the size of ours is a big deal and we're getting stronger all the time.'

As well as being his home circuit, Oulton Park is also one of his favourites.

He added: 'If you're going to learn, then Oulton is a great place to do it because it has everything - fast and narrow sections, blind brows, off-camber corners, trees and shadows. It's a massive challenge!'

Chris's BTC Racing team will be entertaining almost 100 corporate guests this weekend. Among the team's supporters will be Chris's wife, Polly, the successful three-day eventer.

The pair will arrive at Oulton Park fresh from a visit to Germany for Polly compete in an international event.

Chris, a former point-to-point jockey with experience of racing over the big fences at Aintree, said: 'It's going to be busier for me, although my main role as ever will be concentrating on my driving, working with the engineers and going through the telemetry to improve the car.

'Saying all that, there's nothing like a bit of local track knowledge to help you on your way.'

The BTCC reaches its halfway point at Oulton Park this weekend and, with just two points separating the top two drivers in championship standings, an exciting day's racing is in prospect.

This year's championship has been a fierce battle ever since it began at Brands Hatch in April, when Jason Plato made an ideal start to his title campaign with victories in two of the three races.

Since then the series has produced five different winners from 12 races, with former European Touring Car Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi and previous BTCC champion Plato heading the points table as the series heads to Cheshire.

* Tickets cost £27 on the gate on Sunday, while children aged 12 and under get in free to the race, paddock and the pit lane walkabout where they can meet all the drivers. Admission for tomorrow's practice session is £12 for adults.