MOTORSPORT fans are set for a year of mouth-watering action after Croft Circuit announced its 2013 season schedule.

The venue, near Darlington, will play host to some of the most powerful and exciting cars around, including a stage of the star-studded MSA British Touring Car Championships, which brings its season to the North-East the weekend of June 22/23.

The likes of Jason Plato, Matt Neal, Gordon Shedden and Colin Turkington will battle it out around the circuit for the fifth stage of the competition, which will be aired live on national television.

There will also be a return of the MSA British Rallycross Championship finale and Grand Prix, while the ever-popular Roger Albert Clark Rally comes back for another year in November.

Several cars that will be competing at Croft throughout the year made an appearance at the circuit's media day this week, where fans were able to get a taste for what is in store.

And they won't have to wait long for the first piece of action, with the Northern Saloons and Sports Cars kicking off the season this weekend (28/29) with plenty of homegrown talent on show.

Croft will host many teams, which class the venue as their 'home circuit' and there is plenty of North-East teams battling it out for their respective titles.

Carl McKellar, the circuit's media officer, believes the continuous production line of great teams and drivers makes the region one of the best motorsport hubs around, and he believes teams from other areas are envious of the talent here.

"One thing you do find when you go around the UK to other motorsport venues, they won't admit it, but other teams and drivers from other areas I think are quite jealous of this region, because for some reason there seems to be something in the water that produces he said.

"There's four big headline events and that is the really big coup for us.

"We've got the British Touring Car Championships, the British Rallycross finale and Grand Prix again and then of course the Roger Albert Clark rally so it's going to be a great year.

"Underpinning all that is the club level events and we've made them even bigger and better this year.

"That's really important. Ninety per cent of people will watch Formula One and think that's motorsport and they don't see the real side to it. Ninety per cent of motorsport is club level, we've got big grids and really fascinating championships coming."

This weekend sees two sets of father and sons competing when Middlesbrough's Paul Gibson will face son Daniel, 33, in the BARC Clubmans series.

The two will go head-to-head in their self-built Nemesis machines, which can top 140mph on some sections of the track.

"There is a big rivalry there but we love it," Daniel said. "He hates it if I'm faster and it'll be his 60th birthday this weekend. If I'm in front coming out of the last bend I'll have to seriously think about waving past him as a present, but probably not."

Yarm father and son Bill and Martin Addison will be in action in the Darlington & District Motor Club's Northern Saloons & Sports Car Championship.

Bill was crowned outright champion last year in his class E2 Caterham, his son lifted the class D title in his Peugeot 106.