A FORTH Valley racing driver has told of his hopes for the season after the sport returned post-lockdown.

Stock car man James Letford has set his sights on winning silverware after putting in the miles during the pandemic.

Letford, whose brother Kevin also competes in the class, returned to action this month for behind closed doors racing in Cowdenbeath.

"I had just left my job and was in the process of getting another when lockdown started," Letford said.

"Basically I didn't have had a job until about five weeks ago. Over that time I have been working on the first Saloon stock car that I had bought and have lightened it and basically that is the car that I intended to use this season.

"My brother Kevin used the car I raced last year at the first meeting of the season and he did alright. I had suffered a brake problem with the car and I had hoped that he would have sorted that out for me.

"I had a reasonably good season last year. I started from the blue grade and had a spell at the red grade but then ended the season in the blue grade.

"My car was a bit on the heavy side, around fifty kilos more than the old car, and towards the end of the races my tyres were suffering.

"The next time that I get to the red grade I hope to be able to stay there. I am an old-fashioned racer in that the red grade is where you aim to get to and be competitive from.

"I hope that I could win a championship but the Scottish means more to me than any of the others. That would be an amazing achievement – better than winning the World."

Racing returned to the Fife town on Saturday with Formula IIs, Saloons and Stock Rods all in action in Cowdenbeath.

"I will have my car ready to race within a couple of weeks and when the practice starts I will be there hoping to sort out the car," Letford, from Stirling added. "One item on the agenda is a more powerful engine.

"Just now I am using an engine from the scrap yards but Kevin is using an engine from Jim Cuthill so I might think about that."