Bridgman signs for Hitech

Bridgman, managed by Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle's company MB2, won three races on his way to the BMW title despite running a privateer outfit and was a McLaren Autosport BRDC Award nominee in 2004.

"After winning the BMW title last year, it was my aim to break into Formula 3 in 2005 and I'm now in a fantastic position to be able to take the next step up the ladder," he said. "Obviously the goal this year will be to get the title, but F3 is hard to win in the first year, so I'll be looking to get as much experience as possible.

"That said, if you don't aim for the title, it's over before it starts!"

Hitech team boss David Hayle commented: "We were very impressed with Tim last season in Formula BMW.

"His 'do-it-yourself' attitude stood him out from the crowd, but at the end of the day, a driver has to drive the car, and drive it well. His results speak for themselves, and we hope he'll continue his winning streak this season."

Hitech won two races in last year's series with Lucas di Grassi at Thruxton and this year the will also run Nelson Piquet in the new GP2 series.