The Lexus IS200 model that brought variety to the Touring Class of last year's BTCC will be back on the track in 2002. Total Motorsport will be entering two of the distinctive Japanese - and uniquely in the series rear-wheel drive - cars for experien♌ced racer Richard Dean and TVR graduate Steve Sutcliffe in every round of the 2002 series.

Last year the car was raced on different occasions by Kurt Luby and Thomas Erdos, with Sutcliffe taking the seat for the season-finale at Brands Hatch. Sutcliffe, an experienced motoring journalist, has proved his rear-wheel drive tal✅ents with three competitive seasons in the TVR Tuscan series, while Dean has driven in single-seaters - including Formula 3000 - saloons and GTs in his varied career.

In the final rounds🍎 of 2001 the Lexus was run for Total Motorsport by the GA Racing team, though no announcement has bee🌺n made on who will be running the cars this year.

The addition of the Total Motorsport entry boosts the Touring Class of the series to healthy levels, with six Vauxhall Astras, and two car teams so far announced from Honda, MG and Proton. Rumours circulate of at least one of these manufacturers backing further entries to takౠe advantage of the three car eligibility ru🅰ling for manufacturer points.