EUROPEAN champion Jon Barnes has surprisingly not found a sponsor to develop his promising racing career.

So the young flier from West End is ready to grab a one-off drive in Thruxton's Porsche Carrera Cup with both hands on Sunday.

After impressively winning last summer's Caterham EuroCup, Barnes has been sought by several teams but hasn't been able to find the budget to seal the drive.

But he has been selected to race the Porsche Cars VIP entry with Team Autosport at the weekend and said: "I'm very grateful for the chance. It could be the only chance I get to race this year and it's a great opportunity to showcase my ability."

Barnes will be in a quality field including former touring car front-runner Tim Harvey and ex Formula 3 campaigner Richard Westbrook, who won both opening races at Donington.