British Touring Car Championship
The British Touring Car Championship is a series of races for saloon cars which is held each year in the United Kingdom. The Championship was established in 1958. The championship was run with a mix of classes, divided according to engine capacity, racing simultaneously. After the domination of the Ford Sierra Cosworth in the late 1980s, the BTCC was the first to introduce a 2.0 L formula, in 1990, which later became the template for the Supertouring class that exploded throughout Europe. The BTCC continued to race with Supertouring until 2000.
Type of cars
Currently, the cars used are 2.0 L saloons, based on models from a variety of manufacturers, using technical regulations similar to the World Touring Car Championship. There are strict limits to the modifications which can be made to the cars, which are intended to reduce the cost of runing a competitive team, which has become prohibitive in the final years of the Supertouring rules.
The teams are a mixture of works teams from manufacturers (currently Vauxhall and SEAT) and independent teams such as West Surrey Racing, Team Dynamics, and Arena Motorsport.
The cost reductions have also seen a rise in "privateers" - individuals entering cars purchased from the manufacturer teams when they update their chassis. These so called "ex-works" cars have enjoyed some success.
The rules allow for a variety of different fuels in a bid to encourage more efficient cars. In 2004 an independently entered Liquified petroleum gas powered Peugeot 406 made an appearance, and in 2005 an ex-works Vauxhall Astra has been converted to run on bio-ethanol fuel. Several teams have shown an interest in running their cars on diesel, athough currently the remainder of the grid uses petrol.
Race Calendar
The races all take place on weekends during the British spring and summer. Previously there have been three-day Bank Holiday meetings, but for 2005 all of the events take place on a Saturday and Sunday.
In 2005 there will be ten racing weekends at nine different circuits, including Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Oulton Park in England, Knockhill in Scotland, and Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland.
Each round comprises three races, making a thirty round competition in total.
Race Format
On the Saturday of a race weekend there are two practice sessions followed by a 30-minute qualifying session which determines the starting order for the first race on the Sunday, the fastest driver lining up in pole position.
Each race typically consists of between 16 and 25 laps, depending on the length of the circuit. The result of race one determines the grid order for race two (ie the winner starts on pole). For race three the top 10 finishers are reversed (ie the winner of race two starts from 10th).
This "reverse grid" rule has polarised opinion: some fans enjoy the spectacle afforded by having unlikely drivers on pole position while faster ones have to battle through the field; others feel it detracts from the purity of the racing.
Points system
Points are awarded to the top ten drivers in each race as follows: 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
An extra point is awarded to the driver who sets the fastest lap of each race.
A bonus point is awarded to each driver who is classified as leading a lap, though no driver may collect more than one point per race no matter how many laps they lead.
A bonus point is also given to the driver who lines up on pole position after the qualifying session.
Previous Champions
- 1958 Jack Sears - Austin 105
- 1959 Jeff Uren - Ford Zephyr
- 1960 Doc Shepherd - Austin A40
- 1961 John Whitmore - Mini
- 1962 John Love - Mini Cooper
- 1963 Jack Sears - Lotus Cortina
- 1964 Jim Clarke - Lotus Cortina
- 1965 Roy Pierpoint - Ford Mustang
- 1966 John Fitzpatrick - Ford Anglia
- 1967 Frank Gardner - Ford Falcon
- 1968 Frank Gardner - Ford Escort
- 1969 Alec Poole - Mini Cooper S
- 1970 Bill McGovern - Sunbeam Imp
- 1971 Bill McGovern - Sunbeam Imp
- 1972 Bill McGovern - Sunbeam Imp
- 1973 Frank Gardner - Cheverolet Camaro
- 1974 Bernaard Unett - Hillman Avenger
- 1975 Andy Rouse - Triumph Dolomite
- 1976 Bernard Unett - Chrysler Avenger
- 1977 Bernard Unett - Chrysler Avenger
- 1978 Richard Longman - Mini
- 1979 Richard Longman - Mini
- 1980 Win Percy - Mazda RX-7
- 1981 Win Percy - Mazda RX-7
- 1982 Win Percy - Toyota Corolla
- 1983 Andy Rouse - Alfa GTV6
- 1984 Andy Rouse - Rover Vitesse
- 1985 Andy Rouse - Ford Sierra Turbo
- 1986 Chris Hodgetts - Toyota Corolla
- 1987 Chris Hodgetts - Toyota Corolla
- 1988 Frank Sytner - BMW M3
- 1989 John Cleland - Vauxhall Astra GTE
- 1990 Robb Gravett - Ford Sierra RS500
- 1991 Will Hoy - BMW M3
- 1992 Tim Harvey - BMW 318i
- 1993 Jo Winkelhock - BMW 318i
- 1994 Gabriele Tarquini - Alfa Romeo 155TS
- 1995 John Cleland - Vauxhall Cavalier
- 1996 Frank Biela - Audi A4
- 1997 Alain Menu - Renault Laguna
- 1998 Rickard Rydell - Volvo S40
- 1999 Laurent Aiello - Nissan Primera
- 2001 Jason Plato - Vauxhall Astra Coupe
- 2002 James Thompson - Vauxhall Astra Coupe
- 2003 Yvan Muller - Vauxhall Astra Coupe
- 2004 James Thompson - Vauxhall Astra Coupe
At the time of writing, with two race weekends remaining, Matt Neal (Honda Integra) is leading the 2005 championship with a 30-point margin over Yvan Muller (Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch).