Out of all the circuits he has raced on in his 20-year motor sport career, reigning HiQ British Touring Car Champion Fabrizio Giovanardi says Oulton Park in Cheshire ranks among his all-time favourites.

The Italian, rated by many as the world’s best touring car driver and also with test driving experiences for the Ferrari F1 team, will arrive at the historic Oulton track this weekend (30-31 May) for round four of this year’s BTCC.

Champion the past two seasons – to add to the seven other titles he’s racked up across Europe – the man from Modena has endured a tough start to his 2009 campaign, but believes Oulton is where he can make up lost ground to points leading Vauxhall team-mate Matt Neal.

The parkland circuit is famous for its high-speed swooping lay-out and is regarded as one of the most challenging on the calendar by the BTCC’s top drivers.

And Giovanardi told btcc.net: “I always smile when I come to Oulton. It is one of the best circuits I have raced on anywhere in the world. It is in my top six, maybe my top three.

“It’s a risky circuit and keeps you alert. If you go over the limit then you know you could have a crash and this is how it should be. I think in England you say ‘it sorts the men from the boys’ and this is what I like.

“It is the sort of circuit where the input from the driver can make a big difference. Some circuits you can make a good lap time but still not totally understand why. Oulton is different – there are some very hard corners and if you put them all together 100 per cent then you know the result is going to be good. You can be very inventive with your driving. You know here if you push the car to the limit that the result is going be good.”

The 42-year-old is known for his cool approach, although even he lost his temper in the most recent race at Donington Park after a clash with youngster Harry Vaulkhard. Giovanardi, though, is still sure he can fight back from 27 points behind and challenge for a third successive title.

He added: “It seems this year I have to suffer to maybe win the championship again! I just had some bad luck. At Brands Hatch I had a puncture and then Robert Collard and Stephen Jelley crashed into me. At Thruxton my car was never right after Jelley hit me in one of the practice sessions. At Donington I had the pole position taken away because of a problem with a cable in the car and that my weekend all trouble.

“I am still quite high even with all these problems. We are seven rounds – 21 races! – still to go so I don’t want to start thinking about points or numbers. I have nothing to lose at this moment.