STOCK car racing driver Derek Fairhurst will aim to prove he is one of the sport's magnificent seven tomorrow.

The 51-year-old, from Harwood, will be racing in the final of the BRISCA F1 Stock cars World Championships in Coventry - and has set himself a target of finishing in the top seven.

"I will be disappointed if I don't finish in the top 10," he said. "And anything better than seventh would be brilliant.

"But it's going to be a quick race, so my aim has to be to get off to a good start and then try to open up a gap on the main field."

Derek has twice come fourth at the World Championship, and also has a sixth and a seventh-place finish to his name.

But he had to work hard to qualify for this year's final, after having to race on a track at Buxton which did not suit his car.

There are two types of track in F1 Stock Car racing - shale and tarmac - and the top competitors have two cars, one for each surface.

Derek only has a car for racing on shale at present, so was put at a huge disadvantage when he was drawn in the semi-final at Buxton - which has a tarmac track.

He was quick to pay credit to his back-up team - led by mechanic Bob Timperley - for carrying out technical work on the car in time for that semi-final.

"If you drive a shale car on a tarmac surface, it puts you at a big disadvantage," Derek explained. "We knew it would be a tough job up against drivers in cars built for racing on tarmac.

"We had to alter our car slightly, and we were helped by the rain, which slowed everybody down. In the end I finished 10th, which was enough to make the final."

Reaching the final was a sweet achievement for Derek, who is celebrating a quarter of a century as a stock car racer this year.

He got hooked on the sport when his then boss Barry Badland took him to watch a stock car race in Manchester.

Since then, he has risen to become one of Britain's top stock car drivers.

"It's an expensive sport," Derek said. "A top car costs between £15,000 and £25,000, and they are tremendously powerful. The buzz when you get behind the wheel is incredible."

Derek, who works as an HGV lorry driver, has been around the world as a racer, having travelled to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand this year alone.

And the father-of-three admits that he and his mechanic Bob - himself a former stock car racer - could not have enjoyed so much success with the support of their wives.

"My wife Suzzanne and Bob's wife Joan have been outstanding. They've given us so much support."

Derek is also grateful to a long list of sponsors, which include Bolton firms Crunch Motor Salvage, Tranzparts and Horwich Motorhouse.

He is now looking forward to going for glory tomorrow.

"I've never managed to get a top-three place, but I keep trying," he said. "I've been quite close to winning a couple of times, but it's a strong field this year. I just want to make sure I get a high placing."

For more details about Derek's racing exploits, visit his website - www.brisca218f1.fsnet.co.uk