Rob Austin Audi driver Hunter Abbott to miss Knockhill BTCC round

Abbott, whose best result so far this season was 10th during the opening round at Brands Hatch, will be absent as his first child is due to be born.

"I'm absolutely gutted to miss Knockhill as the Audi performs so well there, but I would be exponentially more gutted to miss the birth of our first child," said Abbott.

"Sod's law of course says the baby will be early or late so I could have made Knockhill, but being at the opposite end of the country and getting back in time is just too risky."

Team boss Rob Austin is looking for a replacement driver to race alongside himself at the Scottish circuit.

"This is a one-off for a driver of the right calibre and with budget to cover the race weekend and some testing prior to the event," he said.

"We wanted to get this offer out there as soon as possible to give ourselves the best possible chance to find the right driver for the job."

Austin said that his previous form at Knockhill in the team's Audi A4 made the vacancy "a fantastic opportunity".

"It's qualified on the front row of the grid in both the last two years [including pole position in 2013] and also taken four podium results out of the last six races there."