driver, with the team opting for Marc Gené instead. He also made his debut in the British GT Championship in 2000, driving for Cirtek Motorsport in a Porsche 911 GT3-R. His first race, the Thruxton Circuit event, where he drove alongside John Cleland, resulted in a fifth-place finish, whilst his second entry, at the Oulton Park round (this time partnering Adam Simmons) saw him fail to finish. 2001–03 In 2001, Hughes became a factory MG driver, with the MG teams being run by West Surrey Racing. His first event for the team came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans of that year, driving alongside Anthony Reid and Jonny Kane in the new MG-Lola EX257. It was not a successful debut for car and driver, however; the car lasted just 30 laps due to an oil pressure issue. Following that event, he drove the MG ZS in the British Touring Car Championship, alongside Reid. The team debuted their new car in the eleventh round of the season, held at Silverstone Circuit, where Hughes retired in race one, but finished fifth in the second race. The team were ineligible for points, due to their late entry, and that fifth-place finish proved to be Hughes' best result of the season, although Reid was able to take a victory at the penultimate race of the season, held at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, with Hughes taking the team's first pole position for the feature race. For 2002, MG entered the BTCC from the beginning of the season, with Gareth Howell and Colin Turkington hired for a two-team effort. Although Hughes won two races that year, one more than Reid, he was only able to finish sixth overall, two places behind Reid. None of the MGs were able to consistently match the works Vauxhall Astra Coupes, despite the Astra frequently suffering engine failures. Reid, Hughes and Kane also entered that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, but once more retired, this time due to gearbox failure after 129 laps. 2003 saw MG slim down to a three-car operation in the BTCC, with no 24 Hours of Le Mans entry, and Howell departed the team. Hughes slipped to seventh, with one win, behind Reid and ahead of Turkington, as the MG drivers finished sixth, seventh, and eighth, all with a win apiece. Following MG's withdrawal at the end of the year, Hughes was forced to