Spanish rider David Garcia, winner of the European Championship last season, has signed for the Banbury-based Proton Team KR, as test rider for the three-cylinder lightweight MotoGP two-stroke.

Garcia will back regular team riders Jeremy McWilliams and Nobuatsu Aoki, testing the continual stream of technical innovations and improvements from the independent team's factory at Banbury.

"It is a fantastic opportunity for me," said the 23-year-old rider, who campaigned in the 250-GP class in 2000, but missed most of last year after an early injury to concentrate on a successful European Championship campaign.

"I was always too tall for a 250, so it is a chance for me to adapt to the bigger class, and to learn a lot while helping develop the machine," he said.

Proton Team KR manager Chuck Aksland said they would seek wild card entries for Garcia at selected GPs, while he will be first reserve for racing.

Pagid Performance Braking will sponsor Castle Combe circuit's popular saloon car championship after an absence of a year.

The series starts at the circuit's Easter Monday race day on April 1.

Team PSP is looking toward the first British Touring Car Championship official test on March 14 at Silverstone. David Wong, team principal of Team Petronas Syntium Proton, said: "It's a big milestone for us, and the first time our new Petronas-backed works Proton Impian BTCC challenger will be seen. So far, progress has been good."