British Eurosport has announced that double British Touring Car Championship🌟 title-winner John Cleland is to replace the late David Leslie in its World Touring Car Championship commentary team.

Leslie, who was one of five to die in a plane crash last month in Kent, had been part of the Eurosport commentary team for nearly a decade working alongside Martin Haven♕ on a range of series - with th♑e pair having commentated on the WTCC since its reincarnation back in 2005.

Cleland will now fill the void left by his fellow Scotsman from the next round of💜 the sea🐠son in Spain although the former Vauxhall factory driver admits that he has a big pair of shoes to fill.

"I knew David very well and competed against him on the track for many years," he told Yahoo Eurosport. ꦆ"He was a good driver, engineer and, latterly, commentator. He was only in his early fifties and that makes it even more tragic.

"David will be a hard act to follow, but I am looking forward to the season. I hope I can provi༒de viewers with a driver's view and a different slant."

Haven add𝔍ed that he was looking to forward to working alongside his new broadcast partner.

"John became a household name during the heyday of the BTCC in the 1990s and is 🌜still probably this country's most recoওgnised touring car driver," he said. "He should add extra spice to what is already shaping up to be a classic WTCC season."