Series organisers of the British Touring Car Championship, TOCA, have confirmed further changes to its latest regulations ahead of the 2025 season.
Following the ground-breaking announcement that the UK’s premier motorsport series will introduce 100% sustainable fuel next year, a number of other amendments have now been ratified between TOCA and all competing teams.
As of April 1st 2025, a two-year engine freeze will come into effect, so that no further developments can be made to the homologated engines for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
This decision ensures that the highest-level of competitiveness of each engine will remain but will also significantly save costs to the teams over the next two years.
On the topic of tyres, it will now be mandatory for the three overall podium finishers in Race 1 to run the hardest Goodyear tyre compound available in Race 2 – as opposed to the previous top ten finishers.
A new safety car procedure will be also introduced to ensure a smoother, closer and safer restart to all sessions.
When the Safety Car lights are turned off – indicating it will accelerate away from the pack and return to the pit-lane – all cars must cease weaving, braking and/or accelerating and stay no more than two car lengths from the car ahead of them.
The race leader will be required to maintain approximately the same speed the safety car was using when it extinguished its lights, until the leader has passed the new ‘Restart Point’ – designated at each circuit by TOCA and to be positioned between the final corner and the start/finish control line – after which the leader can then accelerate up to racing speed.
In the battle for the coveted Jack Sears Trophy, drivers that have either previously won the competition or have scored more than one outright podium in the BTCC will not be eligible for the Jack Sears Trophy from next year.
Finally, the qualifying format has been looked at with the grid positions for cars that do not progress from both groups in the first Part of the Qualifying session undergoing a change for 2025.
Those from Group 1 who do not progress into Part 2 will line up on the even numbered side of the grid and those from Group 2 on the other side – thus preventing a change in track or weather conditions having an adverse effect on those groups and their subsequent grid positions.
“Of course, the introduction of 100% sustainable fuel has been the headlining change for the 2025 BTCC season, but we always look at every aspect of our championship each year to see what can be improved,” said BTCC Chief Executive, Alan Gow.
“I’m sure that these tweaks will all have a positive effect and will further add to the great racing that is the hallmark of the BTCC.”