Tag: BTCC

Thruxton Circuit played host to a hugely successful Dare To Be Different (D2BD) event earlier today, as over 100 schoolgirls got a first-hand experience of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

The Hampshire circuit teamed up with the pioneering charity to put on an action-packed day of activities designed to inspire more girls to get into motorsport.

Pupils from local primary schools were invited to Britain’s fastest racetrack ahead of this weekend’s BTCC event, taking part in garage tours and meeting star drivers such as Jason Plato, Tom Ingram, Josh Cook and Michael Crees.

D2BD, founded by former Williams F1 test driver Susie Wolff and Motorsport UK, is an initiative designed to inspire female participation and challenge preconceptions in a traditionally male-orientated environment.

And today’s event gave attendees a chance to get up close and personal with the BTCC through exclusive access to the Thruxton paddock, as well as developing their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills with a number of tricky engineering challenges.

The schoolgirls then tried a spot of presenting with ITV Sport journalist and D2BD Ambassador Louise Goodman, taking the place of the host, interviewer and interview subject to get an insight into motorsport media.

The group also tested their reactions and questioned engineers about their roles within the teams before getting their hands dirty with the Pirelli Pit-Stop Challenge.

Meanwhile, the F1 in Schools Programme was present to showcase its inspirational learning resources with D2BD aiming to ‘Drive Female Talent’ and highlight potential career paths within motorsport.

The day was rounded off with a prize giving ceremony in the stunning Thruxton Centre for the fastest pit-stop team and best media presentation.

Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing’s Jason Plato said: “They’ve had a fantastic time and hopefully it will light a candle in a few of their minds that motorsport is a great opportunity. Not just for driving the car, because there are many more things in motorsport than driving the car.

“I’ve been in this game a long time, and it was a male-dominated place when I started. It’s not now, and it’s a better paddock for it. It has changed massively, and I think the way the world is at the moment motorsport needs to be more inclusive.

“It’s a great initiative and it opens their mind up to all sorts of opportunities, whether they be science-based, sports-based, nutrition… there’s a million and one different offshoots in motorsport.”

ITV Motorsport presenter and D2BD Ambassador Louise Goodman said: “What a great event! I’ve been working with Dare To Be Different since it was set up and I just think it’s a brilliant initiative. I’ve spent pretty much my entire working life in motorsport and I have seen the numbers of women involved change, but if you look at the numbers its still not gone far enough.

“What Dare To Be Different is all about is working on the premise that you’ve got to see it to be it. It’s showing girls and importantly their parents and teachers that there are a whole range of career opportunities in motorsport. In F1 they don’t care if you’re male or female, they just want the best of everything. We’ve got to get more girls engaged in engineering and STEM activities with motorsport-orientated career options and subjects at the bottom level. It’s all about changing those perceptions.”

Thruxton Circuit Director Bill Coombs said: “It came about after a chance conversation with Alan Gow and we were fortunate to have Friday free of any testing but still had all the teams here, so it was an ideal opportunity for Dare To Be Different to come down and take advantage of everything else that is going on, and be hosted in our Thruxton Centre.

“We’re very pleased to be able to help out, and the initiative has been very well supported by all of the teams. We’ve had about 100 children here from different schools and they’re been around to all the teams, having a very full day of activity.”

The D2BD event took place on the eve of Rounds 7, 8 and 9 of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, which commences tomorrow at the Hampshire venue.

Tickets for the BTCC’s visit on 18/19 May can be purchased on the gate, starting at £17 for Saturday (qualifying) and £34 for Sunday (race day). Children aged 13-15 get in for £5 on Saturday and £10 on Sunday; accompanied children aged 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.

For further information, see https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/racing/btcc or call 01264 882222.

For more information on Thruxton’s race meetings and driving experiences, visit: www.thruxtonracing.co.uk/

Britain’s premier motorsport series meets Britain’s fastest race circuit this weekend (May 18/19) as the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship descends on Thruxton for Rounds 7, 8 & 9 of the 2019 season.

Providing a unique challenge like nothing else on the calendar, exhilarating high-speed thrills are set to take place at the home of the British Automobile Racing Club in front of a bumper crowd as it stages the first of two BTCC meetings in Hampshire – having gained a second event in August.

In what has already been another unpredictable and ultra-competitive start to the year, the opening six races of the new season has served up five different race winners.

Josh Cook, Andrew Jordan, Rory Butcher and Tom Ingram have all tallied one win whilst reigning champion Colin Turkington is the only man to score two victories following his Donington Park double last time out.

Despite the aforementioned winners it is 2017 champion Ashley Sutton who finds himself at the top of standings. Three podium finishes paired with a further three points scoring finishes leave the Adrian Flux Subaru Racing leading the way into the third event of the year.

Traditionally making a slow start, Sutton has come out the blocks fast this year but with his Subaru Levorg ladened with success ballast, the 25-year-old will likely look to play the long game in his bid of extending his advantage.

Whilst Sutton is the early leader, the battle for supremacy at the top of the standings however is fraught with the top five separated by just six points.

Cook, who is local to the circuit, leads the chase for Sutton with Turkington, Tom Chilton and Butcher all hot on his heels. Toyota GB-back Ingram rounds out the top six after his victory in the Corolla at Donington Park.

Down the years Thruxton has been a happy hunting ground for the Honda Civic Type R and whilst Cook will be one to watch in his BTC Racing machine, several others will be keen to come to the fore too.

Cook’s team-mate Chris Smiley was one to watch at the TOCA test last month whilst the Halfords Yuasa Racing pairing of Matt Neal and Dan Cammish can’t be discounted either. Throw into the mix the AMD Tuning duo of Butcher and Sam Tordoff and the Type R could well add to its impressive record this weekend.

Both the Mercedes Benz A-Class and Vauxhall Astra have enjoyed varying success down the years at Thruxton too so Adam Morgan, Aiden Moffat, Jason Plato and local man Rob Collard will be all worth keeping an eye on over the course of the weekend too.

Brands Hatch race winner Jordan found himself in the wars last time out and the 2013 champion will be battling hard to fight his way back into early contention around a circuit that he has always excelled at.

Throw into the hat a raft of other front-running contenders such as Jake Hill, Jack Goff, Stephen Jelley and more, and you begin to see why this weekend is set to be such a blockbuster event.

Tickets to Thruxton’s first BTCC race meeting of the season will be available to purchase on the gate. For more information on pricing head to http://thruxtonracing.co.uk/racing/btcc.

To find out more information on the event such as the full timetable as well as links to live timing, click here.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship arrives at Thruxton this weekend (May 18/19) for the first of its 2019 appearances at the high-speed Hampshire track, with the hugely popular series returning in the summer (August 17/18) for another bite of the cherry.

Thirty top-tier drivers have battled it out in the opening six rounds, producing five different winners from the Brands Hatch Indy and Donington Park race weekends. Reigning champion Colin Turkington is the only driver to win more than a single race so far in 2019, and his victories last time out were enough to propel him to third in the overall Drivers’ standings behind BTC Racing’s Josh Cook and Subaru’s Ashley Sutton. The latter currently leads the championship having not yet taken to the top step, though he has notched three podium finishes.

Closer than ever

The 2019 BTCC is as close as ever with the top eight drivers in the standings separated by fewer than 25 points, while a total of 13 different drivers have already visited the podium. The first two meetings have been full of surprises, with Cook taking the honours in the season opener, followed by victory for BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan in the second encounter of the year – just days after the new 3 Series’ build had been completed by West Surrey Racing. Donington Park wasn’t so kind to Jordan, though, with his participation in the weekend curtailed following a spectacular collision.

Rory Butcher and Tom Ingram took popular victories in the final races at Brands Hatch and Donington Park respectively, the latter in front of 4,500 Toyota employees and their families all there to cheer on Ingram in the new Corolla with the Japanese marque making its BTCC manufacturer return this season. This fantastic result for the Cheshire-based team, coupled with consistent top-ten results in the previous five races, catapulted the reigning Independents’ champion to sixth in the overall standings, just 12 points shy of the summit.

A whole host of other drivers have shown the pace and potential to win so far this season, and as is the norm in BTCC, they are queueing up to take to the top step at Thruxton. The most noteworthy has been championship leader Ash Sutton, who is yet to win a race despite his pole position at Brands Hatch and a flurry of podium finishes. Another driver to have reached the rostrum already this year is Hampshire’s own Rob Collard. Tom Oliphant is also one to watch after his third place at Donington Park, while a win-double for Turkington highlighted the BMW’s prowess throughout that weekend.

Testing, testing

A host of Honda Civic Type Rs showed their intent at Thruxton’s official BTCC Test Day back in April. As the grid looked to prepare for two 2019 visits to Hampshire, the top three positions were locked out by Hondas. Dan Cammish – who is yet to find himself at the sharp end so far this season – led the way for the Halfords Yuasa Racing works team, two tenths clear of anyone else. Chris Smiley (second) and Rory Butcher (third) joined Cammish at the top of timesheets closely followed by Sutton’s Subaru Levorg.

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class runners seemed to be there or thereabouts with Aiden Moffat in fifth and Adam Morgan in eighth. Turkington and Jordan in the BMWs also showed strong pace after posting the sixth and 11th fastest times respectively.

The top 11 drivers were less than a second apart, giving high hopes of some close racing and plenty of opportunities to capitalise at the Hampshire speedbowl for Rounds 7, 8 and 9.

“It’s a huge deal that we have two BTCC meetings at Thruxton this year,” enthused Thruxton Group Director, Bill Coombs. “It’s the biggest event of the year for us and to be able to have two of those over the course of the year is just fantastic.

“It’s a stunning weekend out, a real family event. There are plenty of trade shows and children’s activities to keep everyone entertained throughout the weekend. Due to the high-speed nature of Thruxton, the racing is probably the closest you will see in the UK, there’s always plenty of slipstreaming and overtaking so it’s very hard to pick a winner.”

“Thruxton is a very unique circuit, it’s not like any other on the calendar,” said Bath-based racer Josh Cook, who regards the Hampshire track as his home circuit. “We are coming here twice this season so that means it’s even more important to get the right setup during testing and practice, anything we can learn will benefit us at two race meetings.

“There’s really only two braking points on the whole circuit and then around the back section you’re at full power for the majority of the time. It is tricky – Church Corner is famed for its high-speed nature. It’s certainly a circuit that I love coming to.”

Tickets for the BTCC’s visit on 18/19 May can be purchased on the gate, starting at £17 for Saturday (qualifying) and £34 for Sunday (race day). Children aged 13-15 get in for £5 on Saturday and £10 on Sunday; accompanied children aged 12 and under will be admitted free of charge.

For further information, see https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/racing/btcc or call 01264 882222.

For more information on Thruxton’s race meetings and driving experiences, visit: www.thruxtonracing.co.uk/

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship produced three action packed races at Donington Park this past weekend (April 27/28), with Colin Turkington and Tom Ingram leaving the Leicestershire venue with a share of the spoils.

Following on from a pulsating season-opener at Brands Hatch, the second event of the 2019 campaign saw the top two from last year come to the fore and score their first wins in their respective new machines.

Ever-changing conditions in qualifying on Saturday made for a challenging battle for pole position but once the dust settled it was reigning champion Turkington that topped the times, claiming a maiden pole for the new 330i M Sport and his first since 2016.

Turkington converted his front row start into a commanding race one victory as drama ensued behind. A multi-car accident on the opening lap led to several retirements and heavy damage as Andrew Jordan’s BMW slid sideways after receiving contact exiting the Old Hairpin.

With nowhere to go, the Mercedes A-Class of Adam Morgan made contact with the side of Jordan’s car, whilst Ollie Jackson, Jake Hill and Matt Simpson were all caught up in the incident too.

Jordan was taken to hospital for precautionary checks but the crash caused significant damage to his 330i M Sport – ruling him out for the rest of the day.

Once the race restarted, defending champion Turkington served up a virtuoso performance to claim his first win of the season ahead of Adrian Flux Subaru Racing’s Ashley Sutton and his Team BMW team-mate Tom Oliphant – who scored his first podium in the series.

Turkington produced a carbon copy performance in the second race of the day under the flight path of East Midlands airport, once again dealing with two safety car periods. On both occasions the Northern Irishman made his escape on the restart and was never troubled as further drama took place behind.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal, 20 years on from his first-ever BTCC win at circuit, had kept his head down for most of the weekend until race two. Working his way through the order, the Honda driver dispatched Sutton with just two laps to go to take second place.

Sutton would hang on to third after producing yet another defensive masterclass, this time from Tom Chilton and Rory Butcher.

The all-new Toyota Corolla clinched a breakthrough victory in the reverse grid encounter as Ingram delivered a stellar lights-to-flag drive. In front of more than 4,500 Toyota members and their families, the Speedworks Motorsport ace was not to be denied a first win of the year – and it proved to be an emotional one at that.

Beginning the race on pole position, the 2018 runner-up scampered into the distance and was untroubled despite a brief safety car period. Behind, Rob Collard clinched his and Sterling Insurance with Power Maxed Racing’s first piece of silverware whilst Josh Cook rounded out the podium in his BTC Racing Type R.

Virtue of his two podiums at Donington Park, Sutton has moved to the head of the BTCC Drivers’ Championship however just six points cover the top five.

Honda remain at the summit of the BTCC Manufacturer/Constructor standings whilst Team BMW lead the Teams’ leaderboard. Chilton leads the way in the Independent Drivers’ however it is BTC Racing that continue to have a stranglehold on the Independent Teams’. AMD Tuning’s Butcher extended his advantage in the Jack Sears Trophy.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship now heads to Thruxton for the third event of the season on May 18/19.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will speed into Donington Park this weekend (April 27/28) for the second event of the 2019 season, and the battle for supremacy at the summit is set to only intensify.

An ultra-competitive opening weekend at Brands Hatch showed that the BTCC is set to be as fierce as ever this year with Josh Cook, Andrew Jordan and Rory Butcher scoring a win apiece, with a total of eight drivers scaling the rostrum across the three races.

With the early-season formbook making for intriguing reading, the annual trip to Leicestershire will be a pivotal one as the leading contenders bid to assert themselves towards the standings summit.

BTC Racing’s Cook arrives in Leicestershire leading the way after his Brands Hatch victory and the 1.95 mile track holds happy memories for the Honda driver after clinching a maiden BTCC pole position and victory there last year.

Ladened with maximum ballast, the Civic Type R driver will be in fighting form as he aims to extend his slender points advantage. Tom Chilton and Stephen Jelley each took on starring roles at round one, and the pair will be eyeing more silverware in a big to close the gap to Cook.

Off the back of claiming a maiden BTCC victory for both himself and the team, AMD Tuning’s Butcher is another driver to keep an eye on, with the Honda Civic Type R proving to be a potent weapon down the years under the flightpath of East Midlands airport.

Adam Morgan and Jake Hill were podium finishers at Brands Hatch and both shouldn’t be discounted from adding to their silverware hauls too. Hot on the heels of them are a trio of former champions in the shape of Ashley Sutton, Andrew Jordan and Matt Neal.

Sutton stormed to pole position at the season-opener whilst local man Jordan delivered a mesmerising drive to give the new BMW 3-Series victory on its competitive debut. Elsewhere, it has been 20 years since three-time champion Neal wrote his name into the history books by becoming the first Independent to win a race, and the Honda man will be keen to roll back the years and top the podium once more during the weekend.

Tom Ingram rounds out the top ten as it stands and the Toyota Corolla driver will be looking to feed off of the local support he’ll as 4,500 supporters, comprised of members and their families from Toyota Manufacturing UK, will attend Donington Park to cheer on the reigning Independents champion.

Beyond the top ten, current title holder Colin Turkington will be looking to bounce back from a challenging opening round, with the Vauxhall duo of Jason Plato and Rob Collard will be looking to do the same.

Aiden Moffat, Chris Smiley and Jack Goff, amongst many more contenders, have enjoyed varied success down the years too and will be worth keeping an eye on as the weekend progresses.

Rounds 4, 5 & 6 of the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will be available to watch on ITV4 this Sunday with build-up beginning at 10:40.

For more information on this weekend’s event such as the official entry list and timetable, click here.

British Touring Car Championship organisers TOCA have announced that it is inviting expressions of interest from companies to supply the hybrid system.

The introduction of the system is originally planed for the 2022 season, but with the previously started goal of being brought forward to 2021 if key parameters are met.

Over the course of the past nine months, TOCA has met with industry experts to clearly define the technical, performance, system specification, servicing and commercial requirements, with a comprehensive document available to those parties interested in tending.

The winning contractor will be required to a produce a light, cost effective, low-voltage hybrid system with proven durability. Once complete, the hybrid system will be incorporated into the current specification BTCC cars in addition to their two-litre turbocharged engines.

Those with an expression of interest should contact:

Peter Riches

BTCC Technical Director

richesst@aol.com

01953 797169

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship kicked off its 2019 season in entertaining style at Brands Hatch this past weekend (April 6/7) as Josh Cook, Andrew Jordan and Rory Butcher shared the spoils to take a win apiece.

In front of a bumper trackside crowds amid challenging and changeable conditions, Britain’s premier race series underlined why it remans the biggest and best tin top category with a pulsating three encounters.

Adrian Flux Subaru Racing’s Ashley Sutton was the man to beat in qualifying as he got the best out of his rear-wheel-drive Levorg in the damp conditions to clinch pole position ahead of former team-mate and double champion Jason Plato.

Sutton would be unable to convert his front row start into victory however as the conditions once again played their part, with drivers opting for different tyre tactics. As others switched to the wet Dunlop BluResponse compound, BTC Racing’s Josh Cook elected to gamble on dry tyres starting from tenth.

Dropping down the order in the early stages, the Honda driver soon became the man to watch as he set the fastest lap on lap five. Scything through the order, and bringing a number of other dry tyre runners with him, Cook was soon on the back of race leader Sutton and duly made his move with ease.

As Cook made his escape out front and onto a third career victory, the final podium places were also occupied with those that had stuck their neck out and opted to go against the grain. Jake Hill and Tom Chilton enjoyed similar charging drives to finish second and third respectively.

Changeable conditions once again played their part in the second race of the day, however unlike the first, all drivers opted for to run the dry compound. BMW Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan ensured it was a debut to remember for the all-new BMW 330i M Sport as he opened his account for the new season in emphatic fashion.

The early running saw a host of overtaking take place, with Jordan and Sutton making the most progress towards the front. Soon a three-way battle for the lead began as a ballast-laden Cook valiantly fended off the charging duo, although 2017 champion Sutton soon made a move stick with a daring late lunge under brakes heading into Graham Hill Bend.

Jordan followed Sutton through and was soon hounding the back of the Levorg, dispatching him to take the lead on the start-finish line. From there the West Surrey Racing driver was unchallenged as he pulled away to take victory, whilst Sutton withstood a barraging attack at the end to fend off Adam Morgan, Hill and Stephen Jelley.

Cobra Sport AmD Autoaid/RCIB Insurance’s Butcher clinched a maiden BTCC victory in the reverse grid encounter after Chilton was handed a post-race penalty.

Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher’s Chilton had taken the lead on lap 13 after contact with Matt Neal, and it would be that subsequent contact that led to Chilton being penalised by the stewards.

Having looked after his tyres in the early stages, Butcher became a man on a mission in the latter part of the race as he caught and passed the scrapping pair of Neal and Jelley. Contact between those two would lead to Neal suffering left-rear suspension damage on the final lap, which allowed Jelley to jump into third and take his first BTCC podium in nearly ten years.

For the full classification of results from all six BTCC sessions, click here.

Leaving Brands Hatch Cook and BTC Racing find themselves sitting atop of the BTCC Drivers’, Teams’, Independent Drivers’ and Independent Teams’ Championship standings.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship nows descends on Thruxton on April 17 for the customary TOCA test before the Rounds 4, 5 and 6 at Donington Park on April 27/28.

After several months of driver announcements and pre-season testing, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is primed and ready to roar back into life this weekend (April 6/7) for the opening event of the season at Brands Hatch.

Billed as Britain’s biggest motorsport series, 2019 boasts another competitive 30-car capacity entry list – including ten different marques and an impressive 12 models of car. In addition, this year’s grid includes five former champions and 18 BTCC race-winners – further underlining the strength in depth the series possesses.

Having kicked off the new season at Hever Castle and Brands Hatch last week, where more than 3000 laps were clocked by the entire field, the talking is set to stop on Sunday as Rounds 1, 2 & 3 kick off proceedings.

Reigning champions West Surrey Racing enter the weekend bidding to ignite their title defence as they debut the BMW 330i M Sport. The manufacturer squad fired out a warning shot in testing with Colin Turkington and Andrew Jordan both on the pace, and Tom Oliphant was not far behind either.

Toyota’s long-awaited return to the BTCC has set tongues wagging and both Speedworks Motorsport and Tom Ingram will see where they stack up with its Corolla whilst the Halfords Yuasa Racing duo of Matt Neal and Dan Cammish will be keen to score points early on.

Power Maxed Racing boast one of the most experienced driver line-ups, with Jason Plato and Rob Collard returning to front-wheel-drive to spearhead Vauxhall’s championship charge.  Elsewhere, Adrian Flux Subaru Racing have retained the services of 2017 champion Ashley Sutton and recruited race-winner Senna Proctor in a bid to regain their title.

Beyond the manufacturer entrants sits a raft of title contenders amongst the Independent ranks, with Motorbase Performance leading the way. Tom Chilton proved to be a worthy challenger in 2018 and will be keen to bounce back at the teams local circuit, with Ollie Jackson and Nicolas Hamilton also added.

BTC Racing have aligned themselves with Team Dynamics, secured to brand new Honda Civic Type Rs and signed Josh Cook to join Chris Smiley. If the cards fall their way, BTC Racing could become a force to be reckoned with over the course of the year.

Aiden Moffat, Adam Morgan and Daniel Rowbottom head up the Mercedes Benz A-Class entrants whilst Matt Simpson and Stephen Jelly will also be keen to move further up the order this year.

Team HARD. and AMD Tuning both class Brands Hatch as their local circuit and the two will be keen to make home advantage count. Both Sam Tordoff and Rory Butcher showcased what the AMD Hondas can do at last week’s test, with Tordoff topping the times under the official lap record. Jake Hill and former F1 racer Mark Blundell are also part of the AMD stable in a pair of Audi S3s.

Jack Goff, Bobby Thompson, Michael Crees and Carl Boardley have been selected to lead Team HARD and their quartet of Volkswagen CCs. Goff was the man to beat at the season-opener last year, storming to pole position and then victory.

Rounding off the grid this year will be Excelr8 Motorsport, who make their BTCC debuts with Rob Smith and Sam Osborne in the former race-winning MG6 machines.

With 30 drivers all geared up for the start of the new season, the stage is set for the BTCC to produce another unforgettable year of racing, with the fight to secure the UK’s biggest motorsport crown the focus of everyone.

ITV4 will once again screen every second of the season live with coverage for this weekend beginning on Saturday as qualifying takes place from 15:00 on itv.com/btcc. ITV4’s coverage on race day begins at 10:15.

For more information on this weekend’s opening event of the year, click here.

British Touring Car Championship Chief Executive Alan Gow has shared his excitement surrounding what lies ahead for the series in 2019, with a capacity entry list topping the headlines leading into the opening round at Brands Hatch.

Once again underlining its status as the UK’s premier motor sport championship, the BTCC will once again stage ten events and 30 races across the length and breadth of the country, with a car 30-car grid primed and ready to duke it out for supremacy.

Whilst the action is set to keep fans captivated on-track, those who can’t make it trackside will benefit from unrivalled television coverage via ITV4, whilst Kwik Fit join the fray as title sponsor.

 “We are delighted to present our full field of drivers, manufacturers, teams and cars for the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, as we head into yet another thrillingly unpredictable campaign in the UK’s biggest and best motorsport series,” Gow said.

“We have a potent line-up of champions, race-winners and emerging young talent, with a wide variety of cars and body styles represented on the grid. The two newest models – the BMW 3 Series and Toyota Corolla – are sure to cause quite a stir, and the commitment demonstrated by those two manufacturers in introducing new cars is testament to the championship’s rude health and enduring appeal.

“That is further endorsed by the confirmation that the BTCC is the only major motorsport series to benefit from extensive live, free-to-air UK coverage in 2019, which means fans unable to follow trackside won’t have to miss a moment of the thrilling doorhandle-to-doorhandle action.

“We have a new title partner in Kwik Fit, who are already looking to maximise their involvement in the greatest show in British motorsport.

“That is just one fascinating thread of what looks sure to be another captivating, drama-fuelled campaign – so whether you are following on television, online or soaking in the smells, sights and sounds at close quarters, strap yourself in and get ready to enjoy the ride.”

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship kicks off the new season at Brands Hatch on April 6/7. For more information, click here.

Britain’s biggest motor sport series, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, is primed and ready for another memorable year with series organiser TOCA announcing a capacity 30-car entry list for 2019 at its Season Launch.

Following on from a record-breaking 60th Anniversary campaign last year, the BTCC is set to scale new heights as the best tin-top drivers in the country battle it out for the most coveted prize in UK motor sport.

Topping the entry this year are five manufacturer-backed teams with a host of Independent entries further adding to the strength-in-depth the championship consistently has year-on-year.

BMW and West Surrey Racing will bid to retain their three titles from last year by introducing the brand new 330i M Sport to the series, with reigning champion Colin Turkington, Tom Oliphant and Andrew Jordan all behind the wheel and hungry for silverware.

After several decades away, Toyota makes a long-awaited return to the championship as a fully-fledged manufacturer entrant by teaming up with Speedworks Motorsport. After narrowly missing out on the crown last year, Speedworks and Tom Ingram will bid to go one better in the all-new Toyota Corolla.

Power Maxed Racing have put their faith in experience this year with Jason Plato and Rob Collard teaming together to spearhead Vauxhall’s championship charge whilst Adrian Flux Subaru Racing retain 2017 champion Ashley Sutton and gained Senna Proctor.

Following a maiden year with the new Honda Civic Type R, Halfords Yuasa Racing are expected to issue an all-out challenge for the title with Matt Neal and Dan Cammish remaining at the championship-winning squad.

Whilst it is set to be all to play for in the manufacturers, championship campaigns are set to come from the Independent ranks too. Tom Chilton and Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher came close to the crown last year and will be keen to better their performance. Motorbase Performance have added Ollie Jackson and Nicolas Hamilton to their ranks too.

A trio of Mercedes Benz A-Class’ will be on-track once more with Aiden Moffat, Adam Morgan and Daniel Rowbottom all bidding for glory. Elsewhere AMD Tuning have continued to develop over the off-season and will aid Trade Price Cars Racing in running Mark Blundell and Jake Hill in the Audi S3’s, whilst also running Sam Tordoff and Rory Butcher in Honda Civic Type Rs.

First-time race winners last year, Chris Smiley, Josh Cook and Matt Simpson will all be eyeing more success too as they hit the track in Honda Civic Type R’s – Smiley and Cook in brand new FK8’s for BTC Racing.

Team HARD meanwhile will run four Volkswagen CC’s once more with Jack Goff joining Bobby Thompson, Michael Crees and Carl Boardley after securing a last-minute deal to remain on the grid.

MG machinery has changed hands over the winter with new team Excelr8 Motorsport taking on the running of the cars. Series newcomers Sam Osborne and Rob Smith will take to the wheel as they bid to find their feet in the series.

Capping off the bumper entry list is Team Parker Racing, who have retained Stephen Jelley for a third successive season as they bid to move further up the grid with their BMW 125i M Sport.

With tweaks to the rules such as success ballast, an unprecedented 18 race winners, five champions and five rookies, as well as much more, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is set for another vintage year of competition.

2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship – Entry List

The opening round of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship takes place around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit on April 6/7. For more information, click here.