New Malden’s Tom Onslow-Cole will be back in back in the British Touring Car Championship after being unveiled as Team Aon’s Tom Chilton’s team mate ahead of the new season.

The 22-year-old, who last enjoyed a full season in the competition in 2008, has been locked in talks with the West Sussex-based outfit all winter and confirmed his seat on Friday - a fortnight before the season’s start at Thruxton.

Onslow-Cole, twice a race winner with Vauxhall’s VX Racing alongside Chilton two years ago, joined Aon mid-way through last summer, but had a nervous wait to rubberstamp the new deal last week.

He returned to the series with two top-ten finishes and is expecting to be among the front runners again as his team become the first to run on Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) in this year’s championship.

”I can’t wait to take the new car out and see what it can do in a competitive environment,” said Onslow-Cole, who has recently returned from testing in Spain.

“We already know that LPG is a more environmentally friendly fuel than petrol, so if it also proves to be a race winner then I’m sure I’ll be driving a car powered by the fuel for the future for British motor sport.”

A win for an Aon Focus in 2010 would herald the first victory for Ford in the BTCC since 2000 and team boss Mike Earle, whose Arena International Motorsports company prepares the Aon Fords, believes his outfit is in good shape.

“We have looked at every aspect of the Focus and taken what was already a very good car and improved it,” he added.

“The decision to run with LPG was a logical one, but has presented us with additional challenges.

“Our aim is to produce the most competitive package possible and along with the engine and chassis developments we also need talented drivers and in Tom Chilton and Tom Onslow-Cole we have that as well.”