For our penultimate #WinItWednesday, the official BTCC website recalls Ash Sutton's Round 29 victory in the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

Having achieved the first pole position of the year, Sutton’s 2019 campaign seemed to start promisingly; however, it wouldn’t be until the series' penultimate outing that the Hertfordshire-based driver would take his first and only win.

Race two on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix layout saw the former champion fire from 11th on the grid to lead the pack, clearly determined to recover from a less-than-ideal race one result.

With an average qualifying position of ninth, and having only finished out of the points in six of the 30 races, Sutton consistently built his tally to conclude the campaign eighth overall.

Click the image below to download…

Mark Blundell Motorsport (MB) will join the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship grid in 2020 after forming a strategic alliance with the series’ reigning Independents’ Champions.

The new partnership will see the experienced West-Thurrock outfit rebrand as MB Motorsport ahead of the new season of the UK’s premier racing series, with former Formula One driver and 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans winner, Mark Blundell, taking up a new role as the team’s Sporting Director.

Combining the race-winning, on-track operation of Team Owner Shaun Hollamby with Blundell’s three decades worth of experience at the highest level of international motorsport, MB Motorsport hopes to uniquely position itself to deliver results both on and off the track for both its drivers and its collection of high-profile partners.

No stranger to the BTCC paddock thanks to his maiden campaign in 2019, Blundell’s new role within the series comes as a result of the huge impression that the Championship left on him last year and is the realisation of a long-held ambition.

“I made no secret of how impressed I was with the British Touring Car Championship as a platform last year," said Blundell. "As I found out quite clearly, it is fiercely competitive, and if you ask anyone involved, it's that unpredictable race result that is a huge attraction.

“Last year, together with my team at our sports management and marketing agency, MB Partners, we proved the value that the series can have for a number of major global brands, and the forming of MB Motorsport this year will allow us to further these partnerships and build on those relationships.

“Having reached this stage of my career, I love being involved in motorsport and this opportunity is a new challenge for me and one that opens channels for our managed driver portfolio at MB Partners and many of our commercial partners. I have a huge amount of respect for Shaun and his team who run an excellent operation, so working with them and forming MB Motorsport together provides us with a huge platform to build from both on and off the track.”

Shaun Hollamby will continue to lead MB Motorsport’s on-track efforts in his role as Team Principal and the former BTCC racer shares in Blundell’s excitement at the potential of the new partnership.

“Working with Mark and MB Partners last year was of huge benefit to us as a team, and this announcement signals the start of a new and really exciting chapter of our time in the BTCC," said Hollamby. "Mark found out firsthand just how tough this Championship can be, but he brought with him a new level of detail, processes and the highest of standards to our operation.

“I have known Mark for a number of years, and we have always spoken about how we could work together - now we are finally getting the chance to do so formally. Our hope is that combining our pedigree within the BTCC, Mark’s experience and profile, and MB Partners’ commercial expertise can really take our whole operation to a new level and it is one we cannot wait to get started with.”

The rebranded team’s on-track efforts will be led by the new driving duo of Jake Hill and Sam Osborne, with major announcements and unveilings planned in the build-up to the official pre-season test day at Silverstone on the 17 March before the season begins in earnest on the 28/29 March at Donington Park.

BTC Racing Team’s Brackley headquarters became the scene of a fire and rescue training exercise recently, with teams from the Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service using the race-team workshops as the setting for a simulated firefighting mission. 
 
Crews from the Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Services attended the joint training exercise, which involved volunteers acting as missing persons for the search and rescue drill.
 
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship racing outfit has strong links to the local fire service, with team ‘truckie’ Tom Barton dedicating his time away from the team as a serving part-time firefighter with Northamptonshire Fire Service.
 
“We would like to thank OFRS and BTC Racing LTD for the opportunity and support in carrying out this realistic training scenario," said Ashley Tugby, Station Commander, Operational Effectiveness. “Using real buildings in this way gives us an invaluable insight into tackling different types of fires in realistic surroundings so we are very grateful to have been given this opportunity to practice our Fire Fighting actions and large buildings procedures in this way.
 
“We had multiple appliances in attendance and deployed Breathing Apparatus wears to carry out simulated Fire Fighting and search for persons reported missing.
 
“The exercise was extremely useful and all learning and good practices were captured through our Debriefing system.”
 
“We were delighted to be able to assist the Fire and Rescue service with this important training exercise," added BTC Racing Team Principal Bert Taylor. “These guys and girls risk their lives to keep us all safe, so anything we can do to help support them is a real privilege. We’re very proud of the fact that one of our team, Tom, is a local firefighter. They are all everyday heroes.
 
“It was a great insight to be able to watch the crews in action, and to see their professionalism in dealing with the demanding scenario.”

EXCELR8 Motorsport has today (10 February) announced the signing of race-winning driver Chris Smiley for its 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign, bringing a wealth of experience to the team, having raced in the series for four years.

After a successful debut year in the championship, EXCELR8 is delighted to welcome Smiley to the squad. It hopes to utilise the 27-year-old’s experience to guide the team over the coming season, particularly as the team develops its new Hyundai i30 N Performance duo.

Picking up his maiden win in 2018, Smiley took the honours at Rockingham, also recording the fastest lap of the race. His success would continue into 2019 where he racked up three podiums and a first pole position at Snetterton, proving his potential by dicing with former champions Ash Sutton and Jason Plato.

Having risen to prominence in 2013, winning the MINI Challenge JCW Class, Smiley joined the BTCC with TLC racing in 2016. His BTCC career would see him join BTC Norlin Racing the following year, where he became a regular points scorer.

“I’m very excited to be joining EXCELR8 Motorsport for the new season,” said Smiley. “It is going to be a good challenge to work with the team and bring Hyundai into the BTCC as a new marque.

“I know the team at EXCELR8 have made an incredible effort with the new car over the winter months and have strengthened their engineering capabilities and brought in some very talented people to work on the project. Developing a new car is always a great challenge, and to do it with a brand that has a tremendous passion for motorsport like Hyundai means this is a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved to create something really special.

“The BTCC is an ultra-competitive championship and being a race winner in the series I know that I can mix it at the sharp end of the series. I fully believe that this new project will allow me to do that, and I am more motivated than ever to make this new partnership a success – not just for one season but as a long-term plan for us both.”

“Chris Smiley alongside Senna Proctor, what a driver line-up,” said Team Principal Ollie Shepherd. “We now know that we have the drivers to win BTCC races, we have a superstar engineering team to be announced and we have new cars that are ticking all the right boxes during the development and build process. 2020 will be the year when we surprise the establishment! Overconfident? No way! Chris and Senna are two of the best young drivers in the BTCC and this year we will do our very best to give them the tools to get the job done.”

“I have known Chris since his days in the MINI Challenge, when he won the title that we should have won in 2013,” said Team Owner Justina Williams. “Back then, Chris was a dedicated and tenacious driver who never gave up, his recent seasons in the BTCC have proved that this was no one-off. He always gives it his all and the team and I are all looking forward to seeing him take on the grandee teams, weekend after weekend. 2020 will be the year when we show we are not just in the BTCC to make up the numbers, we are here to win. With our new Hyundai cars, two experienced and blisteringly fast young drivers in Chris and Senna, along with a star engineering signing (soon to be announced), we are sure to leap up the grid, though of course, time will tell!"

As the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship draws ever nearer, tickets are now available for every 2020 event.

See below for all the links to make sure you don’t miss out...

2020 British Touring Car Championship Calendar

Rounds	Date	Venue/Circuit
1,2,3	28/29 March	Donington Park (National)
4,5,6	11/12 April	Brands Hatch (Indy)
7,8,9	25/26 April	Silverstone (National)
10,11,12	16/17 May	Thruxton
13,14,15	13/14 June	Oulton Park (Island)
16,17,18	25/26 July	Snetterton (300)
19,20,21	15/16 August	Croft
22,23,24	29/30 August	Knockhill
25,26,27	26/27 September	Silverstone (International)
28,29,30	10/11 October	Brands Hatch (Grand Prix)

 

 

The official BTCC website caught up with the second half of AmD’s driver lineup, Sam Osborne, to discuss the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship and how he’s looking forward to adapting to a new car, new squad and new teammate.

"It’s going to be awesome: working with Jake [Hill], working with AmD, it should be really good," said the 27-year-old. "AmD have got the experience, Jake’s a really quick peddler and I’ve known him since we were little lads, so we go way back.

"I hope we can both bring something to the table and both progress. My goal is to keep up with and challenge Jake; the guy in the same car as you is your benchmark and you push from there. If I can get quite close to him, I’ll be doing quite well I think."

When asked about how he was planning on getting to grips with AmD's Honda Civic Type R, Osborne discussed a range of areas where this year will differ from 2019, but explained he's looking forward to adding to his experience and progressing.

"It’s a massive step, jumping from [the MG] into the Honda is going to be an eye-opener, I’ve not driven it yet. Following in the footsteps of [Mike] Bushell, Sam [Tordoff] and Rory [Butcher], that’s a big ask in its own, but they’ve proved the car can do it."

See below for the full interview…

With only three #WinItWednesdays left looking back at the 2019 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship victors, the spotlight turns to Team HARD Racing’s Jack Goff.

Goff’s triumph in race three at Silverstone was notably both his first win of 2019 and Team HARD’s first victory since joining the series in 2012.

An early gamble saw the number 31 Volkswagen CC switch to Dunlop BluResponse wet tyres, which resulted in the 28-year-old firing up the order to lead the pack, as the race quickly became a very damp occasion. While other drivers were left wondering what might have been, Goff's gamble saw him take to the top step of the podium for the 27th Round of 2019.

Click the image below to download…

Power Maxed Racing has today announced its long-awaited and much-anticipated driver line-up, with Mat Jackson joining Jason Plato for its 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship campaign.

The Warwickshire-based team has worked intensively to secure what is, statistically, its best driver pairing to date.

Coming as little surprise, Plato remains with the team for 2020. The former double champion, who has raced in the series for over two decades, waxed lyrical about the quality of both the car and team during the 2019 season, ending the year on a high with a convincing win in the final race of the year – and the decade – at Brands Hatch.

Plato will this year be joined by another fans’ favourite, in the form of multiple championship runner-up and race winner, Jackson. The Warwickshire-based driver returns to the BTCC after a two year absence and has been the subject of many rumours regarding a return to the series ever since.

“I may have been away from the series temporarily, but thoughts of winning the BTCC were never far away,” said Jackson. “I have unfinished business and it was critical for me to return with a top team, capable of mounting a consistent title challenge. I have received a number of offers during the last two years, but Adam [Weaver] has worked tirelessly to make my return possible with PMR. The team continues to grow in stature, and I have no doubt that this is the squad I need to be with, so when the opportunity came to join and partner with JP again, I was not going to miss out.”

This will be Jackson’s 13th season in the UK’s most popular championship, and with a number of podiums and exciting race wins taken, not to mention finishing second in the championship multiple times during his years of racing in the top flight, he’ll be aiming to deliver top of the podium results from the off.

“It has been a while since I was this excited for the start of the season,” said Plato. “I genuinely love my team at PMR; they work unbelievably hard to provide me with the very best car, but also have a lot of fun doing it; it’s a great place to be. Adam and Martin [Broadhurst] have put a very special group of people together that are focused on winning the championship, whilst sensibly making sure they are also building a stable future in the sport. This all helped me get my mojo back in 2019, and I want to reward them all with plenty more race wins. They will be the team I hit 100 wins with, I have no doubt!

“I am sorry to see Rob [Collard] leave, as last year was fun, but at the same time I’m very happy about working with Mat again, and really look forward to seeing what we can achieve by working together.”

With the Vauxhall partnership going from strength-to-strength, the team will once again be entering with Manufacturer backing. Not only this, but Vauxhall is set to increase its support of the team this year.

The upcoming season will mark the second within which the drivers have been teammates; previously having raced under the same banner in 2009. Both Plato and Jackson will be hoping to build on the success of over a decade ago, where they concluded the campaign in second and fifth respectively, and on a partnership which saw the pair rocket their RML ran Chevrolet Lacettis to 11 victories.

The driver pairing will take to the track at the upcoming Season Launch test day, which sees the BTCC take to the Silverstone International layout for the first time, on 17 March.

The official BTCC website caught up with Stephen Jelley to discuss how Team Parker Racing is hoping to use its experiences from 2019 to come back stronger for the 2020 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship.

See below for the full interview…

 

Reigning Independents’ Trophy Champion Rory Butcher will return to the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship grid this season at the wheel of a Motorbase Performance Ford Focus.

The 32-year-old Scot made a huge impact in last season’s competition, taking fifth in the overall standings. He claimed three outright wins and six podiums on his way to the privateers’ trophy.

The rising BTCC star said the decision to rejoin Motorbase, the team where he made his tin-top debut in 2017, was a dream come true.

“David Bartrum and Motorbase launched me on my British touring car journey,” said Butcher. “It feels like ‘coming home’ to go back to the team.

“There are some very exciting plans for the 2020 season and to be on the ground floor of those developments really motivates me. I have tasted glory in the Independents’ Trophy, which was a huge achievement, but my sights are set higher. I want more wins, and the overall championship is my aim.

“I know that I might not have the touring car experience of some of the guys out there but I am working relentlessly to absorb all the information I can and push myself, and Motorbase, forward to go for the biggest prizes we can reach.”

Motorbase will enter its ninth season with the Ford Focus and Butcher’s signing, alongside that of returning driver Ollie Jackson, puts the Kent-based team on a firm footing for the 2020 campaign.

“I’m delighted to welcome Rory back for 2020,” said Team Principal David Bartrum. “We have worked with Rory in GTs in the past and saw his abilities then, which lead to us giving him his BTCC debut in 2017.

“We’ve obviously kept a very close eye on his progression since then. Over the last two seasons, he’s learnt a lot and has matured into a driver capable of a championship challenge.

“With Ollie and Rory, we have a great pairing to work with and we’re confident going into the new season. I have quoted on a couple of occasions that Rory was only ever ‘on loan’ and would be back with us one day.

“This year that has proven to be the case and we’re all ready to put the hard work in to make 2020 a great season for Motorbase.”

Both drivers will kick off their campaign in the opening meeting of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season at Donington Park on March 28-29.