SWANLEY racer Tony Gilham won't enjoy too much of a home advantage later this month when he tackles the Volkswagen Racing Cup rounds at Brands Hatch.

Although Gilham, 26, has raced several times on his home track he's never before tackled the full 2.3- mile Grand Prix layout.

He said: "I've raced at Brands three or four times but never on the long circuit.

"I need to find out which way it goes before the meeting because I have a big crowd of supporters coming down."

Gilham, with a fresh engine installed in his Regal Autosport/GIAC Beetle RSi, achieved his first podium finish at Snetterton last month and is hopeful of even better things at Brands.

He said: "We had no time before Snetterton to set up the engine properly.

"Hopefully we will have a useful boost in power."

Gilham's chance to shine comes on Sunday.