Priaulx eyes special win at Silverstone to mark return from illness

The three-time World Touring Car champion said the break had only re-enforced his passion, motivation and appreciation for racing, and says he returned more determined than ever this weekend.

That showed in qualifying, where despite having not sat in the BMW M3 since Le Mans in June he put the #56 second in class.

"My mental approach is a bit different you know," Priaulx said candidly. "Having the tumour removed gave me the chance to hit the reset button in my life, and helped me realise just how important and special racing is to me.

"The desire to get back into the car has been really strong. BMW were also fantastic to me during the illness, they were only worried about my health, and in a lot of ways it made me more positive about the relationship and even more determined to return something to them.

"If I can win, it would just be a fantastic way to come back. I'm happy I'm sharp, I've definitely got a lot of desire so let's hope that relates into a good race performance."

Despite having to re-acclimatise to the car and the Silverstone circuit - Priaulx has not raced here since 2005 - he said pole position had been a realistic target after a clever strategy by BMW.

"The plan was to wait until weather conditions were stable, and then qualify late - when the grip is high - on very low fuel. It worked well, and I did a nice banker lap o n my first flyer, and then I was up on my second when I got badly baulked by traffic.

"I'm definitely happy though - to be on the front row with a chance to win is enough for me. I love it here, it's where I made my name and it's a very special place. I'm just so excited to be racing again."