AFTER a long winter, Matt Flowers is itching to get back behind the wheel as he prepares for life in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge Championship.
The 24-year-old from Banstead is preparing for his debut season in the championship, which is a feeder series for the British Touring Car Championship and British GT Championship.
And having stormed to the Ginetta G20 Championship in 2012 with 18 out of 19 podium finishes, Flowers cannot wait for the season to start at Oulton Park this weekend.
He said: "I am really looking forward to it.
"It has been a long winter since I last had a race, but it will be nice to get back and I am itching to get going."
Flowers, a former Sutton Grammar School pupil who now works in London for an accountancy firm, has only had three or four days of testing in his new Academy Motorsport car.
However, he said he is ready for the challenge this season, with 21 races at seven different venues, including Spa Francorchamps (Belgium) and Britian's Silverstone, and Brands Hatch.
He said: "The car is much faster than what I am used to and it is a different driving experience [in a G40].
"This Championship will be a lot more competitive and there are a lot of quick young drivers.
"I will have to up my game and it is hard to know what to expect this year, but I know it will be a lot tougher.
"My aim is to try and get to the front as quickly as possible and then hopefully challenge for podiums and wins."
As for last year, Flowers said it was just one of those seasons where everything came together for him as he romped to the title with a 125-point advantage over his nearest rival.
"I had my fair share of luck and a quick car," he said modestly.
"It just all seemed to fall into place and if I could even get close to repeating that, it would be amazing."
But Flowers knows that this year will be a different kettle of fish for him, with his team-mates Will Burns and Oliver Basey Fisher among those fancied in what is considered to be an open battle for the Championship.
Add to that the emergence of Olympic cycling champion Jason Kenny in the sport and it is shaping up to be a good year for the Championship, which will be broadcast on Motors TV.
And while Flowers says that challenging for the title this year may be ambitious in his first year at the level, he is aiming to be battling for titles as soon as possible, with the ultimate ambition to move up to Touring Cars.