Tag: BTCC

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has revealed an unchanged calendar for its 2025 season.

Just a few days on from the opening rounds of the 2024 campaign, the UK’s premier motorsport series has released its schedule in record time following close co-operation between TOCA, ITV and all venues.

Donington Park’s National circuit kicks off the season at the end of April before the rolling into Brands Hatch Indy and Snetterton.

Thruxton and Oulton Park take centre stage in June before the series then takes its annual summer break, where the traditional Goodyear Tyre Test is expected to take place a yet-to-be confirmed venue.

The second half of season commences with a busy August courtesy of visits to Croft and Knockhill before then returning to Donington Park, this time to tackle the Grand Prix circuit.

Silverstone will host the penultimate meeting of the year in September before champions will be crowned on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in early October.

“It’s good news for our partners, stakeholders and fans that we can confirm next season’s BTCC calendar earlier than ever before, allowing for important planning to commence for all parties,” said Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive.

“The schedule has become a tried and tested formula in recent years and is universally backed. We are continuously pushing the boundaries on-track with new-for-2024 qualifying, hybrid and tyre regulations, so I am sure our teams will be happy with the continuity and consistency of our calendar.

“Of course, being able to agree our dates so early with our partners at ITV ensures we have locked in the primary slots for our continued all-day-live and free television coverage on ITV4. It also has a positive benefit for the rest of British motorsport, as other organisers can continue planning and scheduling their own events.

“Last year, I said we were unlikely to release our calendar any earlier than mid-May… I was wrong… and we are delighted to be able to announce this schedule earlier than ever before!”

2025 British Touring Car Championship Calendar

April 26/27 – Donington Park (National)
May 10/11 – Brands Hatch (Indy)
May 24/25 – Snetterton (300)
June 7/8 – Thruxton
June 21/22 – Oulton Park (Island)
August 2/3 – Croft
August 16/17 – Knockhill
August 30/31 – Donington Park (GP)
September 20/21 – Silverstone (National)
October 4/5 – Brands Hatch (GP)

Tom Ingram and Aiden Moffat made a winning start to the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season this past weekend (April 27-28) as they claimed victory at Donington Park.

Lifting the curtain on the new campaign after months of excitement and anticipation, the UK’s premier motorsport series blasted back into life in spectacular style with three high-octane contests around the 1.98-mile National layout.

On what proved to be a ground-breaking opening meeting – which saw each race broadcast live on TikTok as well as ITV4 – the 20-car entry kicked off proceedings with a frenetic qualifying session on Saturday, which was running under the new ‘Quick Six’ format.

Starting with the grid being split into two groups, the top six drivers from each segment progressed into Q2 where they then battled to move on to Q3, which saw the fastest six drivers ultimately battle it out for pole position.

Armed with more hybrid power this year, Ingram left it until the final moments to charge to pole position ahead of Ash Sutton by 0.051 seconds; while Colin Turkington, Jake Hill, Ronan Pearson and Andrew Watson completed the top-six.

Heavy rain battered the circuit on Sunday morning which led to substantial delays but when the action finally did get underway it was Ingram that emerged as the driver to beat as he claimed a comfortable lights-to-flag victory.

Withstanding a challenge from the fast-starting BMWs off the line, a lengthy safety car period to recover the crashed Ford Focus of Sam Osborne soon neutralised proceedings. On the restart, Ingram pulled clear and from there he was never challenged.

Behind him, reigning champion Sutton found a way past Hill in the closing stages to net second with the Laser Tools Racing BMW ace settling for third place.

Ingram doubled up in race two as he produced a fine late overtake on Hill to claim his second win of the weekend under the flightpath of East Midlands airport.

Hill took the lead as the lights went out and controlled much of the bout before Ingram and Sutton reeled him in. With four laps to go, the Hyundai ace found a way up the inside of Hill at the top of the Craner Curves to reclaim top spot.

Sutton wasted no time in following Ingram as he dived down the inside of him at the Old Hairpin a few moments later and he shadowed the 2022 champion home in what was a carbon copy podium from race one.

LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ’s Moffat then brought the curtain down on the opening weekend of the year with a superlative drive in race three to claim victory ahead of Turkington and Sutton.

On his debut outing for Speedworks Motorsport and Toyota, the Scotsman was wheel-perfect as he utilised all of his hybrid deployment to fend off the charging multiple champions at the end. Moffat made his way into the lead at mid-distance after overhauling his Toyota stablemate Rob Huff, who in-turn had taken the lead from Adam Morgan before that.

Leaving Donington Park, Ingram holds the advantage at the top of the Drivers’ Championship with Sutton and Hill completing, the trio blanketed by just 16 points at this early stage.

BMW lead the early going in the BTCC Manufacturer-Constructors Championship whilst NAPA Racing UK hold the early bragging rights in the BTCC Teams’ Championship. In the Independents’ category, Aron Taylor-Smith and Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing lead the way after the opening three rounds.

The Jack Sears Trophy – which is once again open to those drivers that have yet to score an outright podium in the series prior to the season starting – saw Mikey Doble edge out Nick Halstead to claim weekend honours.

To view the results of all BTCC sessions at Donington Park, CLICK HERE.

The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship continues at Brands Hatch on May 11/12; with Rounds 4, 5 & 6 playing out around the Indy layout of the Kent venue.

The British Touring Car Championship has announced the appointment of Global Media Properties (GMP) as its Exclusive Commercial Partnership Agency.

This partnership heralds a new era of strategic collaboration aimed at driving innovation, fostering new partnerships, and enhancing consumer experiences within the UK’s premier motorsport series.

In its capacity as the Exclusive Commercial Partner, GMP will spearhead the development and execution of a dynamic commercial strategy tailored to meet the evolving demands of modern businesses and audiences. This entails reimagining the BTCC’s commercial proposition to align seamlessly with contemporary content and ROI expectations while unlocking new avenues for growth and engagement.

Moreover, GMP will extend its expertise to BTCC teams, offering support in their pursuit of new partnerships and sponsorship opportunities, further enriching the competitive landscape of the championship.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “As we embark on this exciting journey with GMP, we are confident that their innovative approach and strategic insights will elevate the BTCC to new heights of commercial success and audience engagement.”

“Securing the BTCC as a client is a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation in the field of commercial partnerships,” added Greg Albrecht, CEO of Global Media Properties. “We are eager to collaborate with Alan and his team to unlock the full potential of the championship and deliver unparalleled value to commercial partners and consumers alike.”

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has officially launched its 2024 season with confirmation that a stellar entry list will go wheel-to-wheel for the biggest prize in UK motorsport. 

Boasting a grid that is packed with former champions, proven contenders and young challengers, the battle for supremacy across the 30-race campaign looks to be as competitive as ever this year. 

Headlining the entry is reigning champion Ash Sutton, who remains with NAPA Racing UK and the Ford Focus ST for a third successive season. Coming off the back of clinching a record-equalling fourth crown last year, the 30-year-old could make history this year by becoming the first-ever driver to win the coveted crown five times. 

Sutton – who will have the number one adorning his front-wheel-drive machine – is once again joined at the Alliance Racing-run squad by Dan Cammish, Dan Rowbottom and Sam Osborne. 

EXCELR8 Motorsport have named an unchanged driver line-up with former champion Tom Ingram spearheading the Hyundai charge as he aims to reclaim the title he lost to Sutton last year. He’s joined once again by Tom Chilton, Ronan Pearson and Nick Halstead. 

Jake Hill and Colin Turkington – who like Sutton is also gunning for a fifth crown – will lead West Surrey Racing with their revised BMW 330e M Sport. Joining the two likely title protagonists is Adam Morgan, with a fourth driver potentially still to come.

Speedworks Motorsport have expanded its operation to four cars and in-doing so, it has enticed former FIA World Touring Car Championship title winner Rob Huff to return for his first full campaign in the BTCC in two decades. 

Piloting a Toyota Corolla GR Sport, Huff will partner Andrew Watson on the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK side of the garage while Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat will run under the LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ for the factory-run outfit. 

In the fight for Independent Championship honours, Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing will enter the year as favourites as they stick with their trusty Vauxhall Astra and the capable duo of Aron Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble.

The front-wheel-drive pairing are set to face stiff opposition though from Restart Racing, who are new to the championship this year. Having acquired a pair of Cupra Leons, the fledgling team will run former race winner Chris Smiley and rookie ace Scott Sumpton. 

Completing the entry list is Unlimited Motorsport, who will field a Cupra Leon for Daryl Deleon.

The start of the new season will bring with it a host of revisions to the regulations including the new ‘Quick Six’ qualifying format and an increase in hybrid power that will be available for drivers. In addition, the series will also break new ground as it broadcasts every race live on TikTok. 

CLICK HERE for the full 2024 British Touring Car Championship entry list. 

The 2024 campaign officially commences at Donington Park on the 27-28 April.

TOCA – organisers of the British Touring Car Championship – has today (March 27) announced that every race of the 2024 season will be streamed LIVE around the globe via TikTok, thanks to a world-first agreement with its partners at ITV Sport.

This ground-breaking agreement is in addition to the BTCC’s expansive and existing UK television contract with the ITV network, which sees around eight hours of broadcast – live and free – from each event across ITV4 and ITVX, as well as the continued highlights and catch-up offerings across the network.

As the UK’s premier motorsport series continues to look to bring the championship to a new audience, an agreement has been finalised to ensure that EVERY race will also be streamed LIVE and IN FULL via the ITV Sport TikTok channel – both in the UK and globally.

The deal marks the first ever sport to be streamed live via TikTok by ITV Sport, and it is also thought that it is the first major sporting organisation to stream its entire competition all season across the giant social media platform.

The announcement is also fantastic news for the BTCC’s loyal global fanbase, as this agreement will see every race in the UK’s premier motorsport championship broadcast live right around the world for the first time in its illustrious 66-year history.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “This is a truly ground-breaking move for the BTCC. I’m incredibly proud that we will be the first major motorsport championship in the world to have its entire race season streamed live on TikTok. It’s the real ‘cherry on the top’ of our ongoing and vast UK coverage, which is live and free on ITV4 and ITVX.

“Most importantly, this agreement will introduce the BTCC to a massive new and completely different demographic – a younger and more diverse audience – which is exactly what we, and in fact all of motorsport, are looking to achieve. This is very big news for the BTCC, our teams and our partners as we cement the future of the UK’s most prestigious motorsport championship.”

Andrew Hill, Senior Producer at ITV Sport, added: “This is a hugely exciting and innovative development in ITV’s production of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship. Live streaming BTCC races on TikTok, alongside our regular ITV4 and ITVX coverage, will help us to reach a much wider audience and enable a new generation of fans to enjoy the thrills and spills of the number-one championship in British motor racing.”

TOCA and Cosworth Electronics have claimed first prize for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Motorsport Engineering for their application of Hybrid Technology in the British Touring Car Championship. 

The IMechE’s Automobile Division recently held its annual presentation of the Adrian Reynard Motorsports Medal, an award that recognises an individual or a team of people, working in the field of motorsports engineering, who have demonstrated an outstanding technical achievement or have made a significant contribution to the advancement of engineering in motorsports.

This year saw the award go to both TOCA – who are operators of the BTCC – and Cosworth Electronics Ltd for their joint effort on the implementation of hybrid power into the Championship.

Hybrid technology was introduced into the UK’s premier motorsport series in 2021, before its competitive debut the following season, which now sees each car provided with a certain amount of additional ‘boosts’ to use during qualifying and the races.

“We are extremely proud that TOCA – alongside its trusted partner in Cosworth Electronics – has been recognised for an outstanding achievement in the field of motoring engineering,” said Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive.

“It required a huge effort after announcing the project back in 2018 – becoming the first major touring car championship to do so – with everything that then happened in the world significantly adding to that challenge.

“The introduction of hybrid technology has been widely praised and a huge success and we are delighted that its engineering advances have also been rewarded today. Incorporating hybrid ensures the BTCC remains absolutely relevant to manufacturers, sponsors and the public, as well as further enhancing our great racing.

“It’s important that I acknowledge and thank the outstanding work from Cosworth, the teams, our suppliers and my TOCA Technical Team for playing their part in winning this fantastic award.”

Richard Woodgate, Lead Applications Engineer at Cosworth Electronics, added: “The requirements given by TOCA to Cosworth, to supply the first ever cost-effective Hybrid system for touring car competition was a huge challenge. 

“Using our expertise in the knowledge of drivetrain technology and electronics, we are thrilled to have achieved just that, a turn-key solution that could be used by any formula, with practicality, costs, ease of use and performance at the fore.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has announced the venue and date for its official 2024 Season Launch, as well as a total of three official test days ahead of the new season commencing. 

Donington Park will play host to the 2024 Season Launch on Tuesday 16th April, with the general public set to be granted free of charge access to the entire day from 10:00.

Television and photography obligations will take up the early morning activities at the Leicestershire venue before the grid embarks on a bumper day of testing made up of two three-hour sessions and a pitlane walkabout during the lunch break. 

Additional off-circuit media duties will take place at the circuit on Monday 15th April for the likes of the championship, ITV and Kwik Fit. 

Prior to the Season Launch, official testing for the ‘Class of 2024’ will begin at Brands Hatch on April 3 before the UK’s premier motorsport series move on to Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire on April 10. 

The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign begins around Donington Park’s National layout on April 27/28.

Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship organisers TOCA have today (December 15th) announced the confirmed TOCA BTCC Licence holders for the 2024 season. 

Following yesterday’s entry approval deadline – which had been originally extended by two weeks – the UK’s premier motorsport series is poised to stage an entry of 27 cars for the forthcoming campaign.

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 final entry list.

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “Given the background of potentially having up to six entries affected within just the last three weeks, the quantity and quality of our 2024 entry further underlines the phenomenal strength and resilience of the BTCC.”

2024 TOCA BTCC License Allocation

Alliance Racing – 4

EXCELR8 Motorsport – 4

West Surrey Racing – 4

Speedworks Motorsport – 4

Power Maxed Racing – 3

One Motorsport – 3

Restart Racing – 2

Aiden Moffat Racing – 2

CBM Racing – 1

The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign is scheduled to commence on April 27/28 around Donington Park’s National circuit. 

BARC (TOCA) Limited – more widely known as ‘TOCA’ – is the rights holder to the British Touring Car Championship (‘BTCC’).

In May 2020, TOCA entered into an agreement with Motorsport Gaming US LLC – an entity more widely known as ‘Motorsport Games’.

That agreement exclusively licensed Motorsport Games to produce interactive video gaming products relating to the British Touring Car Championship.

It is with regret that TOCA now advise that it has been forced to terminate that agreement forthwith, due to ongoing fundamental breaches of the agreement by Motorsport Games. Having been given sufficient latitude to rectify those contractual breaches, unfortunately Motorsport Games has failed to do so.

In order to protect the reputation and intellectual property of the BTCC, including those of its participants and partners, TOCA had been left with no option but to terminate the agreement and immediately withdraw all licensed BTCC rights that were provided to Motorsport Games under that agreement.

TOCA is aware that this news will come as a huge disappointment to our hundreds of thousands of fans, many of whom were eagerly anticipating the release of a new BTCC game… and we very much share that frustration, due to Motorsport Games being unable to fulfil its contractual commitments.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has announced that all cars will receive double the power via its hybrid-turbo boost system from next season onwards. 

Becoming the first touring car series in the world to introduce hybrid power back in 2022, the BTCC has meticulously evolved its deployment and have now decided to continue its development with a further focus on overall performance.

Known as the Hybrid Energy Management System (HEM), drivers have had the ability to deploy the hybrid-turbo for a dedicated amount of time per lap in qualifying and for a number of laps in races – all of which is dependent on their championship position and race finishing position on race day.

From 2024, drivers will have double the amount of power output, with increased power levels coming via a combination of both hybrid and turbo boost. The final figure being double of that available during the 2023 season.

As has been the case since its inception, drivers will control where and how much they choose to deploy the hybrid-turbo – via a button on the steering well – provided they have reached the minimum required parameters.

“With the hybrid system now proven to be extremely reliable, the time is right to further develop its overall performance,” said Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive. 

“As we said last week with the introduction of ‘Quick Six’ qualifying, we are always looking to bring further energy to the championship and this latest development quite literally does just that.”

The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season is set to begin at Donington Park on April 27/28.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has announced an exciting change to its qualifying format, which will be in operation at all ten race weekends of the 2024 season and beyond. 

Similar to what is currently being used in IndyCar, the format – titled the ‘Quick Six’ – will see qualifying feature three short segments and it’s expected to promote plenty of excitement for fans and competitors alike. 

Following Free Practice 2, cars will be divided into two groups. Those that finished FP2 in odd position numbers (one, three, five and so on…) go into one group and those that finished FP2 in even position numbers (two, four, six and so on…) go into the other group.

Qualifying 1

• Each of those two groups contest a separate ten-minute session
• The fastest six cars from each group advance to Q2 ‘Top 12’

Qualifying 2 

• The ‘Top 12’ cars qualify together in a ten-minute session
• The fastest six cars advance to the Q3 ‘Quick Six’ final qualifying

Qualifying 3 

• The ‘Quick Six’ qualify in a ten-minute session to set the top six grid positions

Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “We’re always looking to bring further energy to the championship, but it’s also important that the competitive integrity remains. 

“So, I believe our new ‘Quick Six’ format will bring a heightened blend of competitiveness and intensity to BTCC qualifying. As well, it helps the drivers by reducing the amount of cars on track during all three of the qualifying segments.

“I’ve long admired the way IndyCar use this system for its road courses – it’s ideal for the BTCC and in keeping with our policy of providing short, sharp and intense action. The pressure will certainly be on the teams and drivers, more than ever before, to quickly ‘nail’ their qualifying laps in each short segment.”

Ash Sutton has shared his delight at after being crowned champion of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship for a record-equalling fourth time at Brands Hatch this past weekend (October 7/8).

The NAPA Racing UK driver entered the final meeting of the season holding a commanding 45-point lead and victory in the opening encounter around the iconic Grand Prix circuit was enough for him to clinch the coveted crown.

With the title secured, the 29-year-old then went on to win the penultimate race of the season before concluding a quite incredible campaign with a points-paying finish in the finale.

Adding to the titles that he won back in 2017, 2020 and 2021, Sutton’s latest championship triumph has now seen him draw level with Andy Rouse and Colin Turkington on the all-time winners list – cementing him as one of the greatest ever touring car drivers.

In addition to tying the all-time record, the Ford Focus ST driver has also become the first driver in the series’ illustrious history to lift the biggest prize in UK motorsport in both front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive machinery.

Ashley’s path to a fourth championship has been nothing short of sensational with six pole positions, 12 wins and a further eight podium finishes being tallied over the course of the ten round schedule.

Along the way, the BRDC Member smashed a number of records including scoring the most wins, podiums, pole positions, fastest laps and laps led in a single season in the modern era. He also became the first driver since Alain Menu in 1997 to win four consecutive races in a season.

“It feels pretty surreal to be standing here as a four-time champion,” Sutton said. “At the moment the magnitude of what we’ve achieved hasn’t fully sunk in but I’m sure over the next week or so I’ll start to take stock of what this all means – it’s just phenomenal!

“For me personally, one of the biggest things I wanted to do was to become the first person to win the title in both front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive cars. To have done that is really something.

“This year is going to be hard to beat. My little boy Sonny arrived just before the season started and it’s been the best thing that has ever happened to me. Becoming a Dad changed my approach and I’ve just been focused on making both him and my fiancé Ellie as proud as possible.

“To have claimed the records that we have this season is a real testament to everyone at NAPA Racing UK and Alliance Racing. So much development has gone into the Ford Focus for this year; we opened every drawer and lifted out every tool to improve the whole package.

“It goes without saying that my engineer Tony (Carrozza) has been instrumental in all of this too. He’s really helped me to dial into the car and without him by my side this would have been hard to do as he is something special.

“I’ve made no secret that I want to go down in the history books as the one of the best-ever touring car drivers so the aim is clear moving forward; to come back and try to win more races and titles. We’ll enjoy this and then it’ll be about resetting and coming back in 2024!”