Martyn Bell says he is hopeful of a strong finish to his time with the Arkas Racing team as the HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship heads to Brand Hatch this weekend for the final round of the year.

Team-mate Erkut Kizilirmak revealed earlier this week that he will not take part in the series next season, electing to race in Turkey due to ongoing business commitments before returning to British soil in 2010.

That leaves Bell looking at his options for the 2009 season but before thinking too much about next year, he said he was keen to try and secure a solid set of results on Finals Day – with his ultimate aim being to try and bring the lone Sunshine.co.uk-backed Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch home inside the points if possible; Erkut having switched to an Astra Coupe for the weekend.

“The support of my sponsors has been fantastic again this year and a lot of them will be coming along for the final weekend of the year,” he said. “They will ultimately decide my future in the BTCC going forwards, but I'm going to get Brands Hatch out of the way and then sit down and start discussing the options for 2009.

“I go into our second visit to Brands Hatch with high hopes. There is a lot to play for in the Independents' championship and we will be doing the best we can to ensure the team finishes as high as possible. The guys at the front have the title to fight for so I'll be keeping out of their way, but I have my own targets of who I want to beat and I'm confident that I can do it. I am really up for this weekend and I'm going for a top ten finish to finish the year; I feel we can do it.

“We'll be able to use the weekend as a bit of a measuring stick to see how I have progressed with front-wheel drive over the course of the season and I'm hopeful of a good weekend on my final outing in the Arkas Racing Astra.”