James Thompson takes a step into the unknown as he prepares to make his debut for LADA in the WTCC at Porto.

Thompson has a busy 2009 schedule with commitments in both the Danish and British national touring car series, but that has not stopped the two-time BTCC champion signing up for four WTCC outings with LADA.

The seventh round of the season will see the LADA team debut their new Priora car, with Thompson the only one of the team's three drivers to get the nod to drive the upgraded model.

Such is the rawness of both the car and Thompson's knowledge of the team, the Yorkshireman is keeping his expectations in check ahead of race day.

"It's a very exciting occasion and I'm really looking forward to driving the Priora in competition for the first time," said Thompson.

"We've obviously got a lot of development work ahead of us, but I am sure we will be able to learn plenty of important lessons as the weekend goes on.

"I've got no particular expectations as everything is so new, so we will just take everything as it comes."

Sunday's second race will be the 100th since the WTCC began in 2005, but the only celebrations the title-leading SEAT team will be wanting to enjoy will be those on the winner's rostrum.

SEAT were comprehensively outshone by BMW at the last round in the Czech Republic as Alessandro Zanardi and Sergio Hernandez claimed a double win for the German manufacturer's Italy-Spain team.

Championship leader Yvan Muller at least managed to salvage a second place from his Brno weekend, while nearest challenger and fellow SEAT driver Gabriele Tarquini had to settle for a best finish of third, although his 10-point haul from both races saw him reduce the gap to the leader by a point.

This weekend's race will be the first for the WTCC in Porto for two years, and as a result drivers will be given a 30-minute test session on Friday to re-acquaint themselves with the track, which has undergone a facelift at the paddock chicane.