The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship returns to action after the summer break – with drivers ready to ignite the title tilting battle. Will it be Ash Sutton for a record-breaking fifth, or is Tom Ingram hoping to double-up his own crown count.

With plenty of points on offer, expect a whole host of drivers to claw their way into the fight and be in with a shout at the finale too. Croft always helps to shape BTCC the season. But why is it a special place? Let’s take a look back.

Croft is nestled in North Yorkshire – just a stone’s throw from Darlington. The former airfield is relatively flat – but does provide close, hard-fought racing on the technical circuit. The 2.127 mile venue first hosted the British Saloon Car Championship back in 1968 with the likes of Gordon Spice, John Fitzpatrick, Roy Pierpoint and eventual champion Frank Gardner doing battle.

That initial stint lasted until 1971, with a major Croft regeneration for competitors and spectators following in the seventies and eighties. To bring it in line with other venues, the circuit went through extensive work including investment in the pits paddock and circuit itself. With a deprived north of England tin-top following chomping for saloon car action – the return of the BTCC in 1997 was a hugely popular move.

Welcome Back

In the height of the Super Touring era – with eight manufacturers locking horns with each other, the championship made its way to Croft. Current ITV4 pundit Tim Harvey, who was driving for Peugeot in the 1997 season remembers the first meeting back fondly, talking to BARC a few years ago.

“It was certainly an interesting one. The one thing no venue can control is the weather, and Croft didn’t drain well back in those days – it’s much, much better now – but it’s testament to the circuit’s strength-of-character that the race meeting went ahead and went well, and Croft has remained a favourite on the BTCC calendar ever since.”

But why is it so popular with the drivers and spectators? “Croft always generates great action, with plenty of opportunities for overtaking and, dare I say it, incidents! It’s a difficult circuit to master; the first half of the lap is a high-speed challenge, before you get to the Complex, where you need to slow it all down. There’s a bit of everything, which is what the drivers really appreciate.”

That first meeting for the BTCC in 1997 saw a dominant display from Alain Menu – driving for the Williams Renault team. The Swiss ace put it on pole twice and won both races, oh… and captured the fastest lap in the second race. It was some performance from the Laguna driver, with only Gabriele Tarquini able to stop the clean sweep as the Italian punched in the fastest lap in race one for Honda.

Jordan joins the winners circle

Fast forward now to 2010. Manufacturers were still present in the BTCC with Chevrolet, Honda dominating the order, but a thorn in their side was a young Andrew Jordan who was constantly hounding the top spots in his Triple Eight run Vauxhall Vectra. The 2013 BTCC Champion took his first ever championship win in 2010 and backed that up with another win in 2014.

Subaru drivers simmer

In 2016, who can forget the clash between the two Subarus of Jason Plato and Colin Turkington. More on Colin shortly.The two character extremes came to blows after a coming together on track. A late lunge from Plato into Tower on Turkington held them both up, allowing the BMW of Rob Collard to nip up the inside and benefit from two position gains. It took a while for things to melt after that icy encounter between the Levorg drivers!
Sutton takes to the top step

Also in 2016 a star was born. In the MG6, a young Ash Sutton in his debut season got his elbows out in a rain soaked final race of the day to seal his first win in the demanding touring car championship. He has since gone on to win a further six races at the northern England circuit with further wins coming in the Subaru Levorg and more recently the NAPA Ford Focus.

‘King of Croft’ – Colin Turkington

Colin Turkington the undisputed King of Croft. The Northern Irishman has an incredible 15 wins with the first coming at the wheel of a front-wheel-drive Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch in 2005. Infact his first ever BTCC podium was at Croft in 2002 in the Atomic Kitten-backed MG. The Yorkshire circuit really does hold a special place for Colin, with the remainder of those victories coming in rear-wheel-drive machines – a drivetrain suited to the start-stop nature of the more technical sections.

A further 14 wins in Subarus and BMWs propelled him to the top of the all time winners list at the Yorkshire venue. His most recent coming only last year. Will Turkington return in 2026 or is that marker ready to be reeled in by Ash Sutton? If Sutton was to win all three races in a weekend it would take him another two and a bit seasons to pass another four-time champion! We will wait and see!

Who will be the King of Croft this weekend? Tickets are available on the gate or online at https://croftcircuit.co.uk/racing/btcc – you don’t want to miss out!