Next in the spotlight is BTCC 2020 rookie, James Gornall.

While Gornall took the difficult decision to stand down from his seat with GKR TradePriceCars.com ahead of the final three race weekends of the campaign, the 36-year-old ended the season in the top 20 overall.

Despite unfortunately retiring from numerous races, Gornall was the most successful rookie of the year, having scored a hat-trick of points finishes at Brands Hatch during the second event of the campaign, including the highest placed finish of the novice BTCC drivers, with seventh in race three.

Driver Fact File

Today, the Official BTCC website starts a new Driver Spotlight feature where, up until 23 December, key stats alongside some of our favourite images from the 2020 season for each driver will be published for fans to peruse and re-live the latest campaign.

Up first, it’s Motorbase Performance driver Rory Butcher.

Having driven his new-for-2020 Ford Focus ST to a trio of wins and pair of pole positions, Butcher proved himself to be a contender for the crown in his latest Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign, scoring points in every round completed and even during Round four, for leading a lap, in a race which he eventually retired from.

Following his high-speed off at Silverstone, the squad did an impressive job to get the car back out for the next event, at Croft, as the #6 machine even went on to take the final victory of the season at Brands Hatch.

See our driver fact file below... one final point of note is that the opening race of 2021 will be his 100th in the BTCC!

Driver Fact File

Having heard from each of our 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship title-winners this week, it seemed only fit for Chief Executive Alan Gow to have the final word on the challenges faced and, most importantly, the tenacity and determination shown by everyone involved in the series to bring something exciting and entertaining to fans during an unprecedented year.

"The whole year has been difficult for everyone, but I'm really proud of how all our teams, commercial partners, sponsors, circuits, ITV, everyone put their shoulder to the wheel and got on with it.

"We've all missed the fans; you can't replace that atmosphere. The racing on-track has been as good as always, and ITV's coverage picks that up well, but there's just nothing like the fans on the spectator banks. We've really missed them."

Catch the full interview below...

Following Power Maxed Racing’s decision to field a single-car effort for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, the squad gave no fewer than six drivers the opportunity to climb behind the wheel of one of its race-winning Vauxhall Astras.

When it came to choosing the drivers, the team prioritised giving up-and-coming competitors the chance to get their foot in the door. In fact, Power Maxed funded a large percentage of the drives itself – testament to its long-standing pledge to nurture talent and provide people with opportunities they may not otherwise have had.

“It was a real privilege to drive in the BTCC under the Vauxhall marque,” said Mike Bushell, who took part in the rounds at Oulton Park and Knockhill. “I’ve been lucky enough to drive for several teams in the BTCC since my debut in 2013, and Power Maxed Racing are right up there with the best.

“We were plagued by bad luck in the two events I contested, but the car had so much raw potential which was evident from the practice, qualifying and race times.

“If I ever had the opportunity to drive the Vauxhall again, I would jump at it. It was one of the best cars that I have worked with from an engineering perspective and responded and gave feedback in all the right ways.”

With the injuries sustained in his race three incident at Knockhill ruling Bushell out of the following event at Thruxton, it was BTCC old-hand and friend of PMR, Rob Austin, who seized the opportunity to return to the track.

“To be honest, the weekend at Thruxton made me realise how much I miss the BTCC, and just how good a job Alan Gow and his team have done this year in what can only be described as exceptionally challenging conditions,” the 39-year-old reflected.

“I have nothing but positive things to say about both the team and the car they’ve put together. Considering I had only a run up and down a runway before getting out on-track after two years out of racing, to achieve what I did proves to me that the Astra is one of the strongest cars on the grid. Together with the professional and detailed way in which PMR come at everything, they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with next season, especially with Jason Plato in the car for a second year running.

“We bagged consistent points in every race and finished higher in the standings than some drivers that were in for the whole season so, considering my circumstances, I was over the moon with my weekend.”

Silverstone would see the first of the squad’s BTCC rookies take to the track, as Jade Edwards became the first female to contest a race in the series since 2007.

“Working with PMR was a pleasant experience from start to finish,” said Edwards. “They gave me the opportunity to live out a life-long goal and their professionalism, knowledge and understanding of how my sponsors work was second-to-none.

“PMR provided me with a great car and personnel to match – they’re certainly a team who have earned their position in the BTCC.”

Former Ginetta GT4 Champion Jac Constable was up next, but an unfortunately timed case of suspected appendicitis ultimately prevented him from taking part in the racing action, despite qualifying 21st at Croft.

“I must firstly say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone at Power Maxed Racing for the opportunity to drive in the BTCC at Croft and for their generous welcome, which wrapped me up within the team from the very first day I visited the factory,” he acknowledged.

“To be honest, it’s been seriously difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that I was too ill to race on the Sunday at Croft and it’s impossible to put into words how shattered I was to fall ill on the most important weekend of my racing life.

“In putting Sunday’s disappointment behind me, the memories of being one of the racers out there for the Saturday sessions will forever stay with me. Now I’m fully fit again, I’m raring to get back out there and only time will tell if I will be able to fulfil my dream of actually getting to race in the BTCC.

“It remains one of the best-loved and most celebrated motor racing championships, and the series continues to captivate millions of fans not only across the UK but from around the world. It’s my hope that Lady Luck is with us and we will see the fans back at the race circuits next year and if she has any luck left over, maybe I’ll be out there racing in front of them!”

Former MINI CHALLENGE Cooper Pro Class runner-up Jess Hawkins took on the longest circuit on the BTCC calendar – Snetterton’s 300 layout – during the penultimate race weekend of the year.

“I still can’t believe it’s happened, to be honest!” buzzed Hawkins. “I’ve been lucky enough to do some really cool stuff in my lifetime so far, but fulfilling the dream I’ve had since I was a little girl, to race a BTCC car blew my mind a little bit.

“The guys at PMR were awesome to deal with – they made me realise that there wasn’t pressure on me to win any races, but that the idea was for me to enjoy it and do as well as I could, with the limited testing we had. The guys helped me massively through the weekend at Snetterton, making sure I had all the ammo I needed to go out and get faster every session, which was my goal all along.

“The only problem now is that I’ve got the bug, and want more BTCC! The guys at PMR and I are still chatting and looking at some cool ideas, so don’t be surprised if you see me back on the grid in the future.”

For the season finale at Brands Hatch, it was Brad Philpot’s chance to race the Astra in Britain’s elite motorsport championship.

“The opportunity to work with Power Maxed Racing was really unexpected, but I’m proud we managed to build a project in such a short space of time and bring it to fruition at Brands Hatch for the season finale,” said Philpot.

“It was great to have an insight into the workings of a top BTCC team, and I’m grateful for the help and support PMR gave me during the process of learning everything I needed ahead of my debut.

“The team are clearly fantastic at what they do, and the car was engineered to an incredibly high standard. I’m happy to have had the chance to work with PMR and glad I managed to bring the car home in one piece after three exciting races.”

Already working hard on developing the Astra for the 2021 season, the squad is confident that having Jason Plato back in the car will put them back at the front of the grid from the off.

“This year has been hard for a lot of people, and it’s testament to the efforts of everyone involved behind-the-scenes that the BTCC has managed to run an almost full season, albeit behind closed doors,” concluded Team Principal, Adam Weaver. “What we decided to do commercially has given us the opportunity to meet some fantastic young drivers, as well as making some dreams come true, and hopefully helping propel people’s careers to where they deserve to be.

“We’re talking to some incredibly skilled drivers about the second seat for next season, and are looking for someone to work alongside us and Jason [Plato] in the long-term to get some trophies under our belts. Make no mistake, we are gunning for that title next year, and we won’t be pulling any punches to ensure we’re on that top step at Brands next October.”

The 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season finale at Brands Hatch saw Team Hard Racing-backed driver Carl Boardley finish runner-up in the Jack Sears Trophy standings, while a quartet of retirements marred the Volkswagen CC’s final outing in the series.

As the squad prepares to introduce at least two brand new Cupra Leons in 2021, here’s what Managing Director Tony Gilham had to say about the latest campaign…

“We came into this season with high hopes after a very successful test with our three Volkswagen CCs out in Spain pre-lockdown. The pace in the car on a hot day was very strong, and this was highlighted at Brands Hatch GP where Jack [Goff] secured both his and the team’s best results of the season, which included a front row start for the final race of the day. However, there was a lot less overtaking this season than previously and, with the team unable to unlock any extra performance in qualifying, we were always on the back foot.

“As the cooler autumn months descended on the championship, our race pace was still strong and our tyre management was exceptionally good, maintaining a consistent level of performance all the way through while others dropped off. However, this did further hamper our qualifying efforts towards the end of the season as we took longer than others to turn the Goodyear tyres on.

“Despite a tricky and incredibly unlucky season with failures outside of our control hindering our race days – sometimes before they even got going – we have to take heart that Carl Boardley in his BMW 1 Series had a very strong campaign and should be proud of his achievements, coming second in the Jack Sears Trophy and taking it down to the final event of the season at Brands Hatch. Carl has come on in leaps and bounds in 2020, and his performance at Knockhill was a particular highlight.

“As we look to 2021 and beyond, the future is looking very bright for the team with the introduction of our new Cupra Leons. Driver one has signed on the dotted line and is due to be unveiled in the not so distant future, and I think the fans will be really happy with this one!”

In its sophomore year in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship, and the Hyundai i30s maiden campaign, Excelr8 Motorsport left Brands Hatch’s highly-anticipated season finale fifth in the Independent Teams’ Standings, following a pair of exciting announcements for the upcoming campaign.

With long-term sponsors Draper Tools committing to another year with the Suffolk-based team, 2021 will see the squad join with Trade Price Cars Racing to field a four-car attack with a quartet of Hyundais.

Damp and dreary conditions welcomed drivers Senna Proctor and Chris Smiley for the season finale and, with only one free practice session to get their cars set up, both drivers settled into the top ten during the 50-minute period.

With the rain continuing into qualifying, a wheel on the grass at Druids saw Proctor skate into the barrier in the opening five minutes. Having caused the session to be red flagged, Proctor consequently lost his best time and was unable to rejoin the session, which saw him start race one from 27th on the grid.

As conditions continued to present challenges throughout the field, Smiley struggled to challenge the top ten, but sealed 15th during the truncated session.

Determined to make up for the undesirable result of Saturday, Smiley was up two places on the opening lap, continuing forward to scythe into 12th as the session entered a safety car period.

His run would be temporarily halted by Adam Morgan and Tom Chilton, as conditions became trickier. Crossing the line in 13^th, Smiley set himself up for a promising race two.

Similarly, team-mate Proctor worked through the field, gaining eight spots by the Safety Car’s appearance and maintaining his place to take 18th at the chequered flag.

After the rain of race one, the second race provided a new challenge, as the track started to dry and tactical tyre choice became a key player in the results. The Excelr8 drivers both opted for dry tyres, which proved to be a wise decision as the race played out.

Smiley made the most of a busy start, jumping four places in his #22 Hyundai to run ninth.

Proctor’s drive up the order was steadier, picking off his competitors one-by-one and by lap six, was on the tail of his teammate. By the end of the race, Proctor had gained an impressive 11 places, to finish eighth.

Smiley likewise was in a forward-thinking mood, finishing eleventh, which gave him the front row for the reverse grid.

Starting on the front row of a freshly doused grid, Smiley was determined to end the season on a high. Battling with polesitter Aiden Moffat, he found himself off wide at Graham Hill bend, dropping down the order.

The conditions were proving difficult for Proctor as well, who dropped outside the top ten, before losing his points position due to another incident.

Despite an attempt to re-enter the top ten, it was a 12th-place finish for Smiley, while Proctor took 19th.

At the conclusion of the day, it was fifth and seventh spots in the Independent and overall Teams’ Standings for Excelr8 Motorsport, a result the squad was delighted with and reflected the progress made throughout one of the most unique BTCC seasons to date.

“Thank you to everyone that has been involved with us this year, to see how the team has grown over the last 12 months is exceptional,” said Team Owner Justina Williams. “The hard work and dedication from our team has been key in developing the brand new Hyundais, and now we have had a chance to test them out at the UK’s premier motorsport venues, I’m eager for a new start as we head into 2021 with our partners.”

“We’ve been really proud of the work that our drivers have put in as well. Chris’ pace on Sunday in the last race, being the fourth quickest, proves how we could be easily battling for a win in the future, while Proctor’s overtaking was key to helping us secure fifth in the Independent Teams’ championship. I’m looking forward to the winter to get some testing under our belts and new season ahead.”

“We were really quick in that race three and could have been on the podium,” reflected Smiley. “We’ve made a lot of changes to that car and it’s really worked. My engineer has done a fantastic job having only started working with me the weekend before Brands. I cannot thank him enough.”

“We didn’t get the podium that we deserved, but I’m glad we got the points and we found a setup on the wet that works on the car, so it has certainly been a positive way to end the year. Thanks to all the sponsors that Justina has, as without them we wouldn’t be able to go racing and it’s a credit to all the team that have been working so hard this year.”

“It was fantastic to help the team achieve fifth place in the Independents’ standings as well as seventh in the overall Teams’ Championship,” concluded Proctor. “Qualifying and the rain did hamper the best running we had today, but my race one and two proved just how well this Hyundai can overtake when it matters.

"Without Draper Tools and all our sponsors investing in what we do, as well as the platform the BTCC provide for their marketing, it wouldn’t be possible to do what we do. Thank you to everyone who has been behind us this year.”

Today's Champions Audio comes from none other than the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Champion: Ash Sutton.

"It's the ups and downs that you experience through the year. We've been through so much as a team. We've had some bad races and some phenomenal comebacks and when you cross that line that's what comes through. Those memories flash up and you know that's all led to this... I just can't thank everyone involved enough."

Catch the full interview below...

Amid the Sunday evening celebrations at Brands Hatch's Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season finale, the Official BTCC website caught up with Team BMW Team Principal Dick Bennetts to discuss the 'great team effort from everyone' in the squad throughout the 2020 campaign, which resulted in clinching the Teams' and Manufacturers' titles.

Catch the latest Champions Audio interview below...

A collaboration between the BTCC, Cobra Seats and Schroth has resulted in the development of a seat net that provides optimum safety.

The need for seat nets in a racing car is often exhibited and was proven a number of times in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship earlier this year, most notably during Bobby Thompson’s dramatic barrel roll at Croft.

As Thompson’s Audi somersaulted several times before coming to rest, it clearly demonstrated how drivers experience a range of forces during such incidents, not just front to rear or side to side, but every angle in between.

The championship’s Technical Director, Peter Riches, was eager to introduce the use of seat nets, and this latest collaboration ‘squares the circle’ of providing optimum geometry in the car and optimum safety when needed most.

The process of finding a solution required discussion with Mark Dunsford, MD of Cobra Seats, a company which supplies over half of the seats to BTCC drivers, including eight of the last nine BTCC Drivers’ champions.

“Mark is the third generation of his family to run Cobra Seats,” explained Peter. “You could say that racing seats are part of his DNA and he has spent the last ten years developing seats for the BTCC, so he knows the drivers, knows the cars and really understood what we needed to achieve, both from a safety perspective and from the driver’s viewpoint.

“Furthermore, Cobra has a long established strategic technical partnership with Schroth who, themselves, are world leading manufacturers in motorsport and aerospace restraint systems.”

The result was a collaborative effort between the three parties, with Peter establishing the ‘wish list’ and analysing the results during development. Cobra developed and refined the solution, working with Schroth’s technical team to finalise a design which would pass the FIA’s stringent testing as well as technical appraisal to gain full approval.

The FIA Driver’s Guide advocates the use of head and shoulder nets, which offer significant advantages over window nets. While window nets are designed primarily to prevent an occupant’s limbs from being thrown out of the window in a crash, seat nets not only perform this function, but also provide further significant benefits.

The BTCC’s new seat net provides additional support to the head and shoulders in a crash, as well as guiding the occupant back into the seat. It prevents drivers arms from being thrown around inside the car and also offers greatly improved visibility compared to window nets.

Implementing the FIA recommendations in BTCC cars wasn’t straightforward, as existing seat nets didn’t provide a universal solution. Its design could only be adapted to certain cockpits and achieving the desired geometry was almost impossible in touring car cockpits where the front attachment point was effectively in the middle of the screen.

An innovative solution had to be found, which combined safety and practicality and which, vitally, would be equally effective for every car on the grid.

“Drivers nets represent a significant advance in motorsport safety,” explains Riches. “We knew that if we could develop a highly adaptable solution, which could be installed without any modification to seats and cages in competition cars, it could be a game-changer.”

After a huge technical challenge, the resulting product is a seat net that can be used inboard and outboard in any car, with almost any seat position, and allows the net to fully function to the optimum geometry, regardless of the available attachment points at the front of the car.

Engineered in accordance with the latest FIA 8863 – 2013 standard, the new seat nets have earned widespread praise for ‘squaring the circle’ of providing optimum geometry in the car and optimum safety when needed most.

Lancashire-based Ciceley Motorsport has today (25 November) announced one of the most significant developments in its history after making the decision to run a pair of BMW 3 Series’ in the 2021 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

The Carlube Triple R-backed outfit has campaigned the Mercedes A-Class with considerable success since 2014, but believes it is the right time to step up to multiple title-winning machinery.

Under the guidance of the manufacturer-backed West Surrey Racing, the new BMW 3 Series was first entered into the series for the 2019 BTCC season, and has since gone on to win five of the six major titles it has contested.

The car was part of the Drivers’, Manufacturers’ and Teams’ title successes in its first campaign, and then won the latter two again this season.

After considering a number of different models and configurations, the engineering team at Ciceley Motorsport chose the German machine as its best option to challenge for Drivers’ and Teams’ honours in Britain’s elite motorsport series.

Russell Morgan, Ciceley Motorsport Team Principal, said: “These are very exciting times for us all at Ciceley Motorsport, and we are delighted to be introducing the BMWs. This has been an incredibly hard decision, made even more difficult by the fantastic job our lead engineer Steve Farrell and Adam [Morgan] have done with the Mercedes this year. Our cars have been constantly improved and fastidiously maintained throughout their lifetime, and they are still eligible to run in the BTCC until 2023.”

Adam Morgan, Ciceley Motorsport Driver, said: “We have to look to the future. The hybrid era of the BTCC will be upon us before we know it and we must, as a team, be ready for the next challenge. Although our philosophy as a team is to enjoy our racing, we definitely enjoy it more when we’re winning! Next season will be yet another massive learning curve for us all, but we are still hungry for success. We now need to secure the services of a team-mate, who is able to complement the team and clinch the Drivers’ and Teams’ championships.”

The team’s title sponsors – Carlube Triple R and associate team partner Mac Tools – are also excited by this new and exciting chapter.

Peter Schofield, Tetrosyl Chairman, added: “It’s fantastic to be part of this historical moment for Ciceley Motorsport as they move to the BMW 3 Series. We have enjoyed great success with the Mercedes this season, which has been a difficult year for us all. For Tetrosyl and Carlube Triple R, this exciting change mirrors our aspirations and the level of quality we demand as a company and a brand. We wish everyone in our team the very best both on and off the track in 2021.”

The deal was concluded to purchase two new cars from multiple championship-winning squad WSR, led by the ultra-experienced and hugely successful Dick Bennetts.

Dick Bennetts, WSR Team Principal, said: “We’re very pleased that Ciceley Motorsport have become our first customer for the BMW 330i M Sport and will run two cars in 2021. They are a professional team with a strong engineering mindset, so the WSR-designed-and-built cars should give them everything they need to become title challengers.

“Since the 3 Series first turned a wheel in late March last year, we’ve won five titles out of a possible six and scored 48 podiums from 57 races, which shows the quality of the base machinery.”

Norman Burgess, Ciceley Motorsport Commercial Director, concluded: “Russell [Morgan] has made his mind up, we’re going for it! He has listened to both Steve Farrell and Adam [Morgan] and they have all decided together that the BMW is the best way forward, even though we will be sad to see the Mercs go. Carlube Triple R and Mac Tools have supported and stood by us through these unprecedented times and it’s imperative that we are in the best possible position to deliver them results, as well as repay Carlube Triple R for their unwavering belief in Ciceley Motorsport.”