A DRUMMER is hoping the rain doesn't fall on him this weekend when he lines up for a Hereford endurance motor racing team in the Silverstone 24 Hour Race.

Neil Primrose is a member of rock band Travis, best known for their 1999 smash hit Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

But for the past three or four years, he has been racing for Rotherwas-based Saxon Motorsport having met the team at the Nürburgring.

At Silverstone, he will line up with joint team owner Nick Barrow, who is also the proprietor of Tomhead Ltd, Clint Bardwell of CJ Bardwell Civil Engineers and Dave Robinson of Jaguar Land Rover.

However, Primrose may have to get a move on because he is travelling to Japan today for an event before rehearsing on Saturday.

"It was quite difficult for him to get a licence and he had to do three or four races with us in order to get one.

"Since then, he has had a couple of races with us and is doing Silverstone and then a couple of events later in the year.

"We will need a lot of luck with the race, but if everything goes right, then we have got a good chance."

Barrow's optimism is backed up by his team's recent successes in long distance races with their diesel-powered 1 Series BMWs.

This culminated in a convincing class win at the Barcelona 24 Hour race last September.

And, as well as Silverstone, Saxon Motorsport are planning on racing in France, Germany and Slovakia for the forthcoming season and are confident on winning the series.

the firm have also struck a partnership deal with Cotswold BMW and development work to both engines and chassis over the winter months has been encouraging in testing.