Jack Goff aims to be sipping champagne atop the Brands Hatch podium on Sunday when the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) kicks off.

The Stokenchurch racer, who confirmed in February that he would be driving for reigning constructors/manufacturers champions Triple Eight, is eyeing a place on the podium in the first three races of the season this weekend.

Goff is entering his third year in the championship having finished 17th and 15th in 2013 and 2014 respectively, and this time round he is aiming to add to the one top three finish he has so far accrued.

“We want to get out there and show we are fighting for a podium on the first weekend, it will show our intentions for the rest of the year,” said Goff.

“We know the car can do it and I know I can do it so it’s just about getting everything into place and things falling right.

“They want to win (Triple Eight), I want to win and we’re going out there with the intention of winning the championship and fighting for podiums. But with Touring cars you never know, and we’re going to take it weekend by weekend.”

The 24-year-old heads into the first race weekend of the season on the back of what looked like, from the outside, a positive testing session at Donington Park on March 24.

Goff clocked the fifth fastest time out of the 32 cars during the session in his MG6 GT and finished just a couple of tenths shy of touring car legend Jason Plato, who topped the standings, but it was not enough to satisfy the ambitious Bucks speedster.

He said: “We should have been in P1 (first position). I messed up on the last corner of my best lap, but if you take that last corner out of the equation and put my second best corner in there then we were P1 –we’d just pipped (Jason) Plato.

“I think that going into the weekend we’re looking quite strong but you never really know until the first weekend when qualifying comes round.

“You don’t know at all what anyone else is doing until qualifying. Even in free practice you don’t really know so we’ll see.

“You want to be on the front two or three rows – that’s where you need to be in qualifying. If we can get top six in qualifying I’ll be really happy and that gives you a platform to work on going into the races.”

If Goff is to become a regular feature on the podium this season he faces fierce competition from a field of driver which includes five former champions – one of which is his team mate Andrew Jordan.

“It’s brilliant for me to have him as a teammate because he’s won the championship with these regulations in place and these types of cars,” said Goff.

“I know full well that if I can compare myself to him and be quicker than or as quick as him then I’m doing something right as he’s won the championship in these cars. For me it’s a great benchmark and an opportunity to prove myself.”

Goff’s road to the BTCC has led him to Brands Hatch before and he hopes previous success at the track will stand him in good stead when he lines up on the grid on Sunday.

He said: “In 2012 when I won the Clio Cup it started at Brands Hatch as well and I won the first race there and we led the championship from that point onwards.

“I think going there and doing well on the opening weekend is really important, certainly for myself and my confidence. If we start with a good weekend that should hopefully lead to bigger and better things throughout the season.”