THE motor racing arm of Wirral motor retailer, DC Cook, has secured the much sought after signature of Britain's leading female racing Paula Cook, for the forthcoming Auto Trader British Touring Car Championship.

In doing so, Paula becomes the first British woman to commit to a full season of the high profile Super Touring series, which visits Oulton Park in Cheshire.

Paula will drive a 1998 Honda Accord which both she and the reigning Touring Car Independent Cup Champions have been testing over the past few weeks. "I'm thrilled to be competing in the BTCC this year," said Paula. "It's going to be a fairly steep learning curve as this will be my first season in Super Tourers. Testing has gone extremely well though, and the team has worked extremely hard to prepare a competitive car. We are far from finished in our preparations but I am confident that the progress we have made away from prying eyes will stand us in good stead come race day. It is definitely one of the top three or four motor racing series' in the world and I am privileged to be a part of it."

The step up into the world famous BTCC ring will be Paula's first experience of front-wheel drive racing.

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