YORK speedster James Thompson is to spearhead Vauxhall Motorsports' push for British Touring Car Championship glory next season.

Vauxhall has confirmed its 2002 BTCC driver line-up as aces Yvan Muller and Thompson, with the Yorkshiremen teaming up with the Frenchman for the first time.

The 27-year-old Thompson is expected to feel at home with the Triple Eight Race Engineering-run team, having campaigned an Egg Sport Astra Coup in this year's championship.

He finished his season in third place overall with an equally impressive 19 podium positions. This will be Thompson's second season as an official Vauxhall driver having first raced with the team in 1996.

Continuing his long-standing relationship with Vauxhall, 32-year-old Muller joins the team for a fourth consecutive year. The Frenchman was runner-up in the 2001 BTCC having notched up 22 podium positions including ten wins and nine pole positions in his 2.0-litre BTCC Vauxhall Astra Coup.

Mike Nicholson, Vauxhall Motorsport operations manager, said: "There is no doubt we are going to have some staunch competition in next year's British Touring Car Championship and as reigning BTCC Manufacturers' and Teams' Champions we wanted to field the two drivers who we feel would work well together to defend our titles in 2002.

"Yvan and James have a wealth of experience between them and given their knowledge of our Championship winning Astra Coup, we have every confidence we will be starting next year's assault on the BTCC with a formidable duo."

Vauxhall Motorsport's two race-going Astra Coups will again be built and run by its existing race partner, Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Vauxhall's 2002 campaign takes the number of consecutive years that the Luton marque has supported the British series to 14.

Updated: 12:05 Tuesday, December 04, 2001