Tag: BTCC

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has confirmed that it will stage its official 2021 Season Launch at Silverstone on April 22.

All 29 cars will be in attendance at the Home of British Motor Racing as teams and drivers take to the track together for the first time this year for the only official pre-season test.

Six hours of testing will take place over the course of the day around the National Circuit in total, with the opening session between 10:00-13:00, before the afternoon segment runs from 14:00-17:00.

Official championship photography and ITV filming will be carried out at the venue, as well as other media interviews and activities.

Following the UK Government’s latest directives surrounding COVID-19, spectators will not be permitted to attend the event.

As of midday on February 26, Series Organisers TOCA have confirmed that the deadline for entries has closed, with all 29 participants signed up for the forthcoming 2021 campaign. The official BTCC entry list will be published either on or just before the Season Launch.

Goodyear Tyres and TOCA, Series Organisers of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, have confirmed that Goodyear will continue its long-standing partnership with the BTCC for a further five years, through to the end of the 2026 season and into the introduction of hybrid power.

This extended partnership for Goodyear brings with it a number of accolades including owning the bragging rights to entering a third decade of continuous partnership in 2025, as well as continuing its non-stop development of tyres. 

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “The BTCC having a strong technical tyre partner is a key component of our success. As well, being the first major touring car championship to confirm its pathway for introducing hybrid technology, Goodyear is a hugely significant part of it.

“This is a very exciting period for the championship, and I’m pleased that we will continue our partnership with Goodyear through to the end of 2026. Goodyear has been an incredibly proactive and engaged partner of the BTCC for so many years and their ongoing commitment will help the championship continue to thrive into the future.”

Ben Crawley, Director Motorsport Goodyear Europe, added: “We are thrilled to have signed yet another extension to our partnership with the BTCC, continuing as tyre supplier and retaining the naming rights to the championship. We were really drawn to the contract extension as we wanted to be part of the next exciting chapter of the championship.

“With the introduction of hybrid power, new demands will be put onto the tyres and we are able to bring a lot of knowledge and expertise to the programme thanks to our experience working with leading OEMs where we are shod on some of their hybrid and electric vehicles.

“The fact that this contract also brings us fantastic milestones, such as entering a third decade of partnership, makes us feel really proud as we reflect on all of the fantastic things we have done as a company to promote and develop the championship, not only for the teams and drivers, but also the fans. We look forward to entering this new chapter with the UK’s leading racing championship.”

 

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has announced a revised calendar for the forthcoming 2021 campaign.

In order to maximise the opportunity to have spectators and guests in attendance at events this year, a decision by Series Organisers TOCA has been made to push back the start of the season by five weeks.

The shift in the schedule means that Thruxton will now play host to the opening event of the season for the first time since 2010.

Snetterton will immediately follow before Brands Hatch Indy stages the third event on the calendar. Late July and August will see Britain’s premier motorsport series visit Oulton Park and Knockhill before Thruxton’s second race meeting of the year.

Back-to-back weekends at Croft and Silverstone follow in September before Donington Park welcomes the series to Leicestershire for the penultimate event of the 2021 season.

Brands Hatch’s Grand Prix circuit will hold the Season Finale – as originally planned – albeit at the slightly later date of October 23/24.

2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Calendar

May 8/9 – Thruxton

May 15/16 – Snetterton

June 12/13 – Brands Hatch Indy

July 31/August 1 – Oulton Park

August 14/15 – Knockhill

August 28/29 – Thruxton

September 18/19 – Croft

September 25/26 – Silverstone National

October 9/10 – Donington Park

October 23/24 – Brands Hatch Grand Prix

TOCA, Series Organisers of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, has announced that a maximum 29-car entry list has been confirmed for the 2021 season.

Following the entry approval deadline, the maximum number of TOCA BTCC Licences (TBLs) have been submitted by competing teams. Each team must hold a TBL for each car entered, with 29 being held between teams and a further three by TOCA.

As has been the case in recent years, TOCA has chosen not to allocate any of its TBLs to either existing teams or new entrants in keeping with its previously stated policy of wishing to gradually reduce the size of the BTCC grid.

Notable allocations amongst the grid include a second entry for Speedworks Motorsport, a third car for Laser Tools Racing and the return to three cars for West Surrey Racing.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “Although we are all going through this most incredibly gruelling period, it’s enormous testament to the strength and popularity of the BTCC that we have a full entry.

“Even more remarkable is the fact that a third of the grid will be new-build cars that have been constructed in the off-season. All of which means that we have yet another fabulous, and even more unpredictable, season in store.”

2021 TOCA BTCC LICENSE ALLOCATION

Aiden Moffat Racing – 1

BMR Racing – 1

Boardley Motorsport – 2

BTC Racing – 3

Ciceley Motorsport – 2

Excelr8 Motorsport – 2

Motorbase Performance – 4

Power Maxed Racing – 2

Speedworks Motorsport – 2

Team Dynamics – 2

Team HARD – 3

Trade Price Cars Racing – 2

West Surrey Racing – 3

Teams will announce full details regarding their respective entries (drivers, team names and sponsors) over the coming weeks and months, prior to the release of the finalised entry list for the forthcoming season in March.

The 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season is scheduled to begin at Brands Hatch on April 3/4.

Despite having to run behind closed doors and cram a nine-event, 27-race season into just over three months, the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship delivered another nail-biting year of entertainment in 2020 which culminated in Ashley Sutton being crowned champion for a second time.

Jam-packed with the usual twists and turns that fans have become accustomed to, the battle to lift the most coveted prize in British motorsport once again went down to the wire, with Sutton ultimately reigning supreme.

Rising to the challenge of staging a season in what has been an unprecedented year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the BTCC boasted bumper grids and in return served up a feast of tin top thrills and spills.

Making the switch to Laser Tools Racing and armed with a brand-new Infiniti Q50, 2017 champion Sutton underlined his credentials as a true touring car superstar by piecing together a sensational title challenge.

Going toe-to-toe with four-time champion Colin Turkington throughout the season, Sutton tallied no less than five wins as well as a further five podium finishes to topple the Northern Irishman and secure his second title in four seasons.

Some of the most memorable moments over the course of the year came from Sutton himself as he staged a number of stunning comeback drives to carve his way through the field and recover valuable points.

Overcoming a nine-point deficit on the final day of the season, Sutton mastered the challenging wet conditions to become the first Independent entrant to lift the title since Andrew Jordan in 2013.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish, Speedworks Motorsport’s Tom Ingram and Motorbase Performance’s Rory Butcher all staked their claim to the big prize during the year but none could ultimately stop Sutton’s charge.

Elsewhere, the quartet of Josh Cook, Ollie Jackson, Adam Morgan and Tom Oliphant were race winners along the way too.

The 2020 season also saw the history books rewritten as Jade Edwards became the first female driver to race in the series since Fiona Leggate in 2007. Edwards competed at Silverstone for Power Maxed Racing Jessica Hawkins made her BTCC bow at Snetterton.

In addition to clinching the biggest prize in UK motorsport, Sutton also wrapped up the BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship and helped guide Laser Tools Racing to a maiden BTCC Independent Teams’ Championship title as well.

Team BMW wrapped up the BTCC Teams’ Championship and BTCC Manufacturers’ Championship titles. BTC Racing’s Michael Crees meanwhile was the victor of the Jack Sears Trophy, much to his delight.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has confirmed a number of regulation and procedural changes ahead of the 2021 season.

Following on from an end-of-season meeting between Series Organisers TOCA and all participating teams, tweaks to the qualifying format, tyre options, success ballast and fan enhancements have all been ratified.

Having been trialled at Snetterton in 2020, the ‘Top Ten Showdown’ qualifying session will return next year; this time at Donington Park, Snetterton and Silverstone.

Those three events will see the traditional 30-minute session replaced by a marginally reduced window of 25 minutes for drivers to record their lap times. After a short five-minute break, the fastest ten competitors will then progress into a ten-minute session to determine the top ten places on the grid.

Competitors will use variety of tyre compounds during the season as well as the ‘Option’ tyre is phased back-in at four of the ten scheduled events.

Oulton Park, Croft and Snetterton will see the Goodyear soft tyre used as the ‘Option’ whilst the Goodyear medium compound is the selected ‘Option’ tyre at Knockhill.

Over the course of those four events the ‘Option’ tyre must be used in one of the three races. Teams do not have to specify which race they will use the compound in before qualifying, with all choices being declared upon the cars leaving the pit-lane on their way to the grid.

Events at Brands Hatch, Donington Park and Silverstone will see only the Goodyear medium compound allocated, whilst both visits to Thruxton will see only the hard compound used.

Success ballast will be increased for the forthcoming campaign with the maximum weight of 75kgs being reintroduced, an increase from the current 60kgs. Ballast will be issued throughout the top ten as follows for 2021: 75kgs-66kgs-57kgs-48kgs-39kgs-33kgs-27kgs-21kgs-15kgs-9kgs.

Finally, following the initiative’s successful introduction at Silverstone in 2019, pit garages will again be reversed for the benefit of fans at events at those venues where it is practical to do so.

Pit garages will face into the paddock area, rather than the pit-lane, meaning teams and drivers will carry out a majority of their preparation work in clear view of spectators and adding a further dimension to the fan experience during a race weekend.

The 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will commence at Brands Hatch on April 3/4.

Ashley Sutton has admitted that it is an ‘absolute dream’ to have become a two-time champion of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship after wrapping up the crown at Brands Hatch this past weekend.

The Laser Tools Racing driver had entered the season finale with ground to make up on Colin Turkington and he did just that as he powered his Infiniti Q50 to second place in race one before scoring an empathic win in race two.

Sitting in the box seat heading into the final contest of the campaign, the rear-wheel-drive ace battled his way to sixth place amidst the tricky conditions to seal the most coveted prize in UK motorsport for the second time, having previously won it in 2017 in a Subaru Levorg.

In addition, Sutton made it a year to remember by also clinching the BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship and helped guide Laser Tools Racing to a maiden BTCC Independent Teams’ Championship.

Commenting on his success, Sutton said: “Two-time British Touring Car Champion – what a feeling! This one feels even sweeter than back in 2017 and it’s an absolute dream; it’s been a while since an Independent team won the overall championship and huge credit has to go to everyone at Laser Tools Racing, BMR Engineering, all of the teams sponsors, my own personal sponsors, my family and friends – none of this would have been possible without them.

“They say that the second title is easier to win than the first but I can tell you that isn’t the case at all. We came into the weekend as prepared as we could have been and I was feeling confident we would be strong in those wet conditions – I love them.

“I said I was going to come all guns blazing and I did that to a point, however I’ve learnt the lesson at Croft and knew that we had to be smart. Scoring a podium in the first race was a great start and then the car came alive in race two, it surprised me a bit. In race three I wasn’t willing to make a move on Colin until he made a mistake or left the door open, which he did and I made the most of it. I’d like to think that we won the championship in that last race with the inner racer showing.

“Back in March at Media Day we rolled out this brand new car but because of the pandemic we basically had to put it back on the shelf. We’ve had our ups and downs but everyone has pulled together to achieve three titles is phenomenal; not bad at all for a first year.

“Standing on that podium wasn’t the same without the fans, they really make the BTCC what it is. Hopefully we’ve been able to put on a show for everyone this season during what has been a difficult year and fingers crossed we will be able to welcome them back trackside in 2021.

“We’ll savour this moment but I’m really looking forward to what lies ahead. I want to make my mark on the BTCC, keep racking up the wins, podiums, championships and achieve the sort of things like Lewis [Hamilton] has done in F1.”

As the dust settles on the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, Thruxton Circuit is already giving fans plenty to cheer about by putting tickets for its two 2021 events on-sale.

Coming off the back of an unprecedented season which saw Ashley Sutton crowned champion for a second time, Britain’s premier motorsport series will enjoy a double dose of touring car thrills around the fastest circuit in the UK next year – the first coming on May 8/9 before a visit later in the season on August 28/29.

With Christmas just around the corner, the Hampshire venue is offering fans a discount until the end of December that can see them save more than 30% compared to ‘on the gate’ prices.

In addition to the BTCC, tickets for the return of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship on June 4/5/6 are also now on-sale at special pre-Christmas prices.

Ticket options for all three blockbuster events can be found by visiting https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/news/1057/btcc-bsb-christmas-tickets-2021.

Should Thruxton be unable to have spectators at a race meeting in 2021, customers will have the option of either a full refund or to transfer their tickets.

Stringent measures are in place to ensure that Thruxton operates a COVID safe environment, ensuring that spectators remain safe whilst soaking up the on-track action.

To find out more information on Thruxton’s COVID protocols, as well as all of the latest information regarding its 2021 race meetings, head to https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/.

Ashley Sutton returned to the summit of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship mountain at Brands Hatch this past weekend (November 14/15) as the Laser Tools Racing driver was crowned champion for the second time in his career.

Heading into the season finale sitting second in the standings and needing to overturn a nine-point deficit to Colin Turkington, the Infiniti Q50 driver produced a superlative final day performance to become a two-time champion by 14 points.

In addition to clinching the biggest prize in UK motorsport, Sutton also wrapped up the BTCC Independent Drivers’ Championship and helped guide Laser Tools Racing to a maiden BTCC Independent Teams’ Championship title as well.

Bringing the curtain down on a dramatic season of tin top thrills and spills at the Kent venue, treacherous weather conditions played their part across both days – adding to the nail-biting spectacle.

Sutton kicked off his weekend in style during qualifying as he powered his way to third whilst Turkington could only manage eighth. Pole position though would go the way of Toyota Gazoo Racing with Ginsters’ Tom Ingram after a late surge to the top of the times in the session.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish produced one of the best drives of his BTCC career to-date in the opening contest on Sunday, moving from fourth on the grid in the extreme wet to chalk up his fourth win of the season.

Making his way to the front with a number of daring moves, Cammish never looked back once out front whilst Sutton took control of the standings as he followed the Honda man home, with Ingram third and Turkington splashing his way to ninth.

Sutton edged closer in his quest to be crowned champion in race two as he stormed to victory in a pulsating wet-dry penultimate race of the season. Opting to run slick tyres and starting second, the 2017 champion held position during the early stages whilst those on wets came to the fore.

A handful of laps later however, the slick-shod cars were in the ascendancy and rear-wheel-drive wasted no time in moving into the lead. Once out front, he powered his way to a commanding fifth win of the season whilst Ingram, Cammish and Turkington followed.

Three drivers – Sutton, Turkington and Cammish – went into the final bout of the year still in contention for the crown but as conditions deteriorated once again, nothing would stop Sutton earning a deserving second title.

Passing Turkington in the latter stages, the five-time race winner cruised to fifth place as Rory Butcher dominated proceedings up front, claiming an impressive victory on Motorbase Performance’s home turf.

In the end it was Sutton that lifted the most coveted prize in UK motorsport for the second time in his still short career with Turkington, Cammish, Ingram and Butcher rounding out the top five in the standings.

Team BMW concluded its campaign by wrapping up the BTCC Teams’ Championship and BTCC Manufacturers’ Championship titles. Michael Crees meanwhile was the victor of the Jack Sears Trophy, much to his delight.

To view the full classification of results from the final event of the 2020 season, click here.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will return in 2021, with the opening rounds scheduled to begin next April.

The 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is set for an unmissable season finale at Brands Hatch this coming weekend (November 14/15) as the destiny of this year’s title will be decided between five drivers.

In what has been an unprecedented year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Britain’s premier racing series has served up another vintage year of tin top thrills – all of which has been condensed into nine events over the course of the past three and a half months.

Now, the battle to be crowned King of the BTCC looks set to go down to the wire with three races around the Indy circuit on Sunday and a maximum of 67 points up for grabs.

Four-time and reigning BTCC champion Colin Turkington heads into the weekend in the box seat after reclaiming the points lead last time out at Snetterton. The Team BMW scored a double win and 60-point haul at the Norfolk venue to open up a nine-point lead over his nearest challenger.

No stranger to heading into the final round of the season in contention for the title, the West Surrey Racing ace will undoubtedly look to draw on all of his experience as he bids to clinch a record-breaking fifth championship.

Leading the chase for the Northern Irishman is Laser Tools Racing’s Ashley Sutton. Bidding to become a two-time champion, the Infiniti Q50 driver has been one of the standout performers of the season, scoring four victories and producing a string of superlative fightback drivers along the way.

Renowned for his never-say-die attitude, expect the 2017 champion to come out all guns blazing over the course of the weekend as he aims to take the fight to Turkington.

Halfords Yuasa Racing’s Dan Cammish has been Mr. Consistency once again this year and his relentless form sits him third and 25 points off the summit. The Honda man came within half a lap of glory last year and he will need to be on top form if he is to achieve the feat this time around.

For the fourth consecutive year, Toyota Gazoo Racing with Ginsters’ Tom Ingram are in with a shout of championship glory. Three wins and countless other podiums have been the backbone of Ingram’s campaign and the former Indie champion

Arguably viewed as the outsider in the battle for title supremacy, the Toyota Corolla driver has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The fifth and final contender for the biggest prize in UK motorsport is Motorbase Performance’s Rory Butcher. Enjoying an impressive maiden season with the all-new Ford Focus ST, the Scotsman has

Trailing Turkington by 63 points, Butcher is the real long shot but you can expect him to make his presence known towards the front of the field regardless.

Aside from the Drivers’ Championship, a host of other titles will be decided at Brands Hatch as well in the BTCC.

Team BMW sit on the cusp of wrapping up the Manufacturers’ and Teams’ titles whilst Sutton will look to help Laser Tools Racing clinch a maiden Independent Team’s crown. Sutton already has one title in the bag courtesy of having already secured an unassailable lead in the Independent Drivers’ Championship.

Michael Crees leads the Jack Sears Trophy whilst Turkington could be crowned the inaugural Goodyear Wingfoot Award winner, thanks to his outstanding qualifying performances so far.

To find out more information on this weekend’s unmissable BTCC season finale, such as links to live timing and commentary, click here.