Forster Motorsport are the new guy’s when it comes to the BTCC as 2010 will be their first encounter with the series but they’re certainly not new to motorsport as both driver’s come from a racing background from competing in the Mini Challenge and both being recent champions.

We caught up with Martin Depper and asked him a few questions about the team and their feelings towards the 2010 season.

Q: Forster Motorsport have been around for a while on the motorsport scene and you’ve seen quite a bit of success in the MINI Challenge. What made you make the step into BTCC?

Martin Depper: It’s the pinnacle of UK motorsport which we, like all other drivers, aspire to compete within. We are very pleased we now have the opportunity of making it a reality. We worked really well as a team in the Mini Challenge and had a great time, so taking that to the BTCC was the next natural progression.

Q: You’ll be driving a pair of BMW 320si’s next season. What were the deciding factors in choosing the car?

MD: For a new team to BTCC and new drivers in the series, we needed something that would aid us as opposed to making a more difficult transition, so the BMW with its pedigree was the clear choice.

Q: What other car’s were discussed before finally making the decision to choose the BMW?

MD: During the car selection process we had also looked at Integra’s and Chevys.

Q: During your test session, both you and Martin had excursions off the track and damaged the car. Has this not dented your confidence a little?

MD: Not at all, to be honest, it’s helped as we both were a little concerned about this expensive beast! Crashing it has made us realise that if we treat it with kid gloves we won’t get the best out of the car – so now we’re less precious about it and more confident about taking it to the next level in testing – although I’m glad Arthur did it first!

Q: What is your main aim for the 2010 BTCC season?

MD: To become known as a BTCC team and we have set ourselves the objective of finishing in Top ten. We know it wont be easy with such a accomplished and competitive grid, but we’re in it to compete, even if we are the new comers! Oh and we definitely aim to have fun along the way!

Q: Quite a lot of teams I have spoken to all talk about how difficult it is to find the funding. Have you found the funding you need for 2010?

MD: Funding is a huge hurdle for all teams, but we have been planning our entry for over twelve months and along the way have secured various support routes for our BTCC campaign over the next few years. There’s still work to do, but we’re confident we can achieve what we need.

Q: The season is still a long way away. Are you happy with the progress that the team is making early on?

MD: Yes were making good progress, we have been busy both on and off track and once we get Christmas out the way we have a heavy schedule planned for the new year.

Don’t forget to follow Forster Motorsport on twitter… @ForsterMSport.

Photo Credit: Martyn Oakley/www.motorsportsnaps.com

James Mappin is the editor-in-chief covering the British Touring Car Championship. You can contact him at james@btcccrazy.co.uk, on twitter @BTCCCrazy or on his personal twitter account @jamesmappin.