The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship is one of the best-loved, iconic and prestigious motor racing championships in the world. Spanning more than six decades, only Formula 1 and NASCAR have longer histories and as time has progressed, the series has continued to evolve.
Established in 1958 as the British Saloon Car Championship, the series was renamed the British Touring Car Championship in 1987. Since its inception, saloon car racing has proven to be a smash-hit with some of the biggest named drivers from around the world competing in racing versions of their road cars.
That theme continues today as tens of thousands of spectators flock to some of the UK’s best venues to soak up the door-to-door thrills that the BTCC produces, in cars that are recognisable under the Next Generation Touring Car (NGTC) regulations where strict limits on modifications to the cars are designed to reduce costs.
Taking place across ten weekends, a total of 30 races are run during the season with grids of more than 30 cars all vying for supremacy – and edge-of-the-seat action is guaranteed as the title battle traditionally goes down to the wire.
Home to some of the most iconic saloons that compete under the Classic Touring Car Racing Club banner, the Everard Pre-66 Touring Cars is not to be missed.
Taking fans and competitors on a spirited trip down memory lane, the Pre-66 category is open to those competing in four-seater tin tops that were marketed before 1st January 1966.
Eligible cars are those complying with these regulations or any vehicle complying with the FIA Appendix K regulations for the current year and eligible for participation in the FIA Historic Touring Car Championship.
Popular machinery that can be found going wheel-to-wheel in the championship includes the Austin Mini Cooper, Hillman Imp, Morris Minor and Austin A40, amongst many more.
One of the cornerstones of the Classic Touring Car Racing Club, the Group 1 Pre-83 Touring Car Championship has proven to be a smash-hit down the years for competitors and spectators alike.
Open to those wishing to compete in Group 1 Touring Cars marketed before 1st January 1983 that have more than 5000 examples marketed in any 12-month period, the category is renowned for producing flame spitting, edge-of-the-seat entertainment.
Popular machines that can be found going wheel-to-wheel on-track include the Ford Escort Mk1, MG Metro, Triumph Dolomite Sprint and Chevrolet Camaro, amongst many more.
The LASER Pre-93 Touring Cars Championship is one of the most popular categories as part of the Classic Touring Car Racing Club’s ranks.
Open to cars marketed prior to 1st January 1993, the championship caters for two-wheel drive, four-seater saloon cars that have more than 5000 examples manufactured in any 12-month period.
Popular machines that can be found going wheel-to-wheel on-track include the BMW E36 M3, Honda Integra, Ford Escort RS2000, Jaguar XJ40 and Vauxhall Astra, amongst many more.
The Laser Tools Pre-93 Touring Cars Championship will often be found amalgamating grids with the Simply Serviced Pre-2003 Touring Cars Championship.
Home to the most modern machinery that competes under the Classic Touring Car Racing Club banner, the Burty Pre-03 Touring Cars Championship is a firm favourite year on year.
The series encompasses two-wheel-drive, four-seater saloon cars that were marketed between 1st January 1993 and 31st December 2002.
Popular machinery that can be found competing in the series includes the Honda Civic Type R, BMW E46 Compact and many more.
The Burty Pre-’03 Touring Cars Championship often amalgamates its grid with the Laser Tools Pre-’93 Touring Cars Championship.
For fans of all things Ford, the Burton Power Products Blue Oval Saloon Series is the place to be in the Classic Touring Car Racing Club.
Open to competitors participating in Saloon, Coupe, Hatchback or Estate cars manufactured by the Ford Motor Company, machines, all cars must be based on the standard production shell and to have been marketed before 1st January 2013.
Iconic models such as the Fiesta, Escort, Anglia and Mustang can be found going wheel-to-wheel during the course of the season, serving up a feast of unmissable entertainment along the way.
Home to some of the most monstrous machines in the Classic Touring Car Racing Club, the Edmundson Electrical Classic Thunder Championship delivers no-holds-barred, flame-spitting entertainment.
The Classic Thunder Championship is for competitors participating in Saloon, Coupe, Hatchback and Estate cars based on the standard fibreglass or steel production shell and designed to carry at least four people which were marketed before 1st January 2011 and Historic Thunder Saloon Cars marketed before 1st January 1983.
Notable machines you will be able to see going wheel-to-wheel include the Ford Falcon, Mazda RX8, BMW E46 M3, Toyota Starlet and Aston Martin V8 Vantage, to name but a few.
The Edmundson Electrical Classic Thunder Championship will often be found amalgamating its grid with the Burton Power Products Blue Oval Saloon Series over the course of the season.
The Classic Touring Car Racing Club expanded its portfolio even further in 2022 with a brand new category for Super Tourers.
Catering for the jaw-dropping machines that featured during the British Touring Car Championship’s boom period in the 1990s, the four-round Michelin-backed series is set to roll back the years to a golden era of tin top racing.
As well as the prolific Super Tourers, BTC and Super 2000 specification cars will also be eligible to compete.
Iconic machines such as the 1997 Vauxhall Vectra of double champion John Cleland and the 1998 championship runner-up Nissan Primera of Anthony Reid are just some of the cars that will be taking to the grid this year.
The VERTU MINI CHALLENGE JCW is one of the county’s leading tin-top, single-make categories and it continues to scale new heights as it forms an integral part of Britain’s biggest race weekends as part of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship support bill.
Aligning itself with the British Automobile Racing Club as well as the BTCC, the series provides a combination of class structure, cost effectiveness, professionalism and unrivalled exposure.
Attracting capacity grids and producing ultra-competitive racing, the CHALLENGE JCW Championship caters for the latest version of MINI’s 265bhp hot hatchback and it runs on Goodyear slick racing tyres; which all plays a part in serving up bag loads of entertainment along the way.
Billed as a unique stepping stone into the UK’s premier motorsport series; previous winners include reigning champion Sam Weller, Dan Zelos, Ant Whorton-Eales and Brett Smith.
Providing the perfect stepping stone up the tin top ladder, the Vertu MINI CHALLENGE Trophy Championship is the perfect place to begin your motorsport career.
Boasting capacity grids and producing ultra-competitive racing, the Trophy Championship uses a Cooper car that produces 130bhp and runs on Goodyear racing tyres.
The car best suits those new to motorsport, those with some karting experience, or those who just want ultra-close, fair racing on a high-profile stage with modest budgets.
Coming off the back of aligning itself with the British Automobile Racing Club in 2022, the one-make series can be found making appearances on the support bill of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship as well as several national race meetings.
Bridging the gap between karting and cars, the Junior Saloon Car Championship offers aspiring racers aged between the ages of 14 to 17 with the opportunity to get behind the wheel and compete at some of the best venues around in the UK.
Running for the first time in 2014 after taking over a championship the year before, the JSCC has become the perfect platform for teenagers to forge a career in motorsport at an affordable price.
Citroen Saxo’s are the car of choice for the JSCC and the wheel-to-wheel action the championship produces can’t be denied as being anything but entertainment, allowing the skills of the next generation to be honed.
Whilst the main championship is what all drivers set their sights on, aspiring racers can also take part in the JSCC Scholarship, where a career-starting prize of £35,000 is on offer to the winner.
In addition, the championship has adopted the Motorsport UK ‘Race ’N’ Respect’ campaign where drivers, teams and supporters are asked to abide by a racing code. The code is based on strong values of respect, fair play, self-control, sincerity and good manners.
The MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport with Airtec Motorsport is a club-level series for MINI racers and an affiliate to the hugely successful British Touring Car Championship JCW and Cooper classes.
Providing drivers with the opportunity to take their first steps onto the MINI CHALLENGE ladder, the Clubsport format is the brainchild of former racers Robin Austin and Tom Halliwell, and has the full support from Promoter Antony Williams.
The three classes within MINI CHALLENGE Clubsport will be Cooper S, Open and Cooper Am, with cars running together on track to create one bumper field.
The Cooper S class will be open to the R53 and R56 models of the MINI Cooper S at a tightly regulated level of tune, whilst the Cooper Am Class will be open to the R50 variant as used in the MINI CHALLENGE Trophy, but with a more flexible set of technical rules.
The Open Class is available to any MINI, with a maximum power-to-weight of 220bhp.