2019 BTCC field set as new MG squad names Sam Osborne second driver

The 26-year-old has previously raced in the Mini Challenge with Excelr8, and also contested some Radical events. He was 12th in the Renault UK Clio Cup standings last season and took a best result of fifth in the final race of the season at Brands Hatch.

Osborne will join Rob Smith for Excelr8's maiden campaign in the top flight, and has completed the series' 30-car line-up.

"During my racing career I've always looked for chances to move up the ladder, and the BTCC is the absolute pinnacle of saloon car racing in the UK," said Osborne. "It will be a privilege to be a part of it.

"I feel my time in both the Clios and Minis has prepared me well for the BTCC.

"My first test in the MG6 is coming up soon. There's obviously a lot more adjustability in the touring car, so we'll be learning about set-up a lot this year.

"I know Excelr8 well from my time in the Mini Challenge, and I've raced against Rob Smith for a few years too.

"However, the MG6 GTs will be a new challenge to both the team and us drivers. But we all work well together, so I expect us to be able to put together a solid debut season."

Excelr8, which acquired the ex-factory MG6 GTs from the AmD Tuning team at the end of last season, will begin its testing programme shortly.

Team manager Oliver Shepherd said: "Sam is a known quantity to us, and he showed great potential during his spell with us in the Mini Challenge.

"Between Sam and Rob we have two drivers we know well already, and we know they will gel with the team incredibly quickly, and I think that's a vitally important aspect when starting up in the BTCC from scratch."

2019 BTCC line-up

WSR BMW: Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant, Andrew Jordan
Team Dynamics Honda: Matt Neal, Dan Cammish
Power Maxed Racing Vauxhall: Jason Plato, Rob Collard
Motorbase Performance Ford: Tom Chilton, Ollie Jackson, Nic Hamilton
Speedworks Motorsport Toyota: Tom Ingram
Ciceley Motorsport Mercedes: Adam Morgan, Daniel Rowbottom
BTC Racing Honda: Josh Cook, Chris Smiley
Team BMR Subaru: Ash Sutton, Senna Proctor
AmD Tuning Honda: Sam Tordoff, Rory Butcher
Laser Tools Racing Mercedes: Aiden Moffat
Simpson Racing Honda: Matt Simpson
Team Hard Volkswagen: Mike Bushell, Carl Boardley, Bobby Thompson, Michael Crees
Team Parker Racing BMW: Stephen Jelley
Excelr8 Motorsport MG: Rob Smith, Sam Osborne
Trade Price Cars Audi: Jake Hill, Mark Blundell