Liam McM🐬illan has been forced out of this weekend's HiQ MSA British Touring Car Championship meeting at Oulton Park after engine builder Orec🉐a failed to return any of his powerplants in time for the event.

The teenager has been beset by engine issues during his debut BTCC campaign, with a newly-build 16v engine for hi💖s SEAT Toledo failing at both Brands Hatch and Thruxton after limited running.

That has forced the Maxtreme driver to run an underpowered and older 20v unit in the events so far, despite the fact that the engine has now completed double the r♌ecommended amount of miles without having a rebuild.

However, Oreca has now failed to return all three of McMillan's 16🦋v engines in time for Oulton Park and as a result, he will be forced to sit out the event.

"I'm bitterly disappointed to be missing Oulton Park," he said. "We sent our engines away in good time and in good faith to be rebuilt by Oreca, but they haven't been returned. It hasn't anything to do with myself 🍷or the Maxtreme team, but there appears to be an outstanding issue between Oreca and BTC Racing, the team who raced the Toledos last year and who we bought the cars off.

"We seem to be stuck in the middle of an on-going dispute and our engines, which we own, appear to being held as ransom. We have done all we can, and now it's up to ot😼hers to do the honourable thing."