ULTRA-COMPETITIVE FIELD BOASTS A MULTIPLE OF CHAMPIONS AND RACE WINNERS  

The 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has been officially launched at Donington Park (15/16 April), with the UK’s premier motorsport spectacle confirming a stellar line-up for the campaign ahead. 

The potential race for a record fifth drivers’ title, a returning world champion, significant increases to the hybrid, a new qualifying format and tyre regulations, plus an enhanced broadcasting strategy have headlined the off-season proceedings.

Three former champions, 13 race winners and no fewer than 15 drivers who have reached the rostrum in the BTCC will take part in the most competitive championship in the UK, so the race for the coveted title is set to provide unmissable action.

Official media duties commenced at Donington Park yesterday, prior to further photography this morning, before the cars took to the track in front of thousands of fans for the final pre-season test session.

The BTCC season officially gets underway here at the same venue on 27/28 April, before setting off on its annual nationwide tour, comprising 30 races across ten events.

Race for the title

Consistency throughout many teams in the BTCC has been one of the main features in recent years with the likes Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK), Tom Ingram (Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS), Colin Turkington (Team BMW) and Jake Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport) all competing with their respective outfits for at least the last three seasons.

Sutton’s all-conquering campaign in 2023 means he is now a record-equalling four-time BTCC Champion, alongside fellow tin-top legend Turkington… setting up an intriguing battle that could result in the first ever five-time champion.

Certainly, the likes of Ingram and Hill will have something to say about that with the former looking to reclaim his crown, whilst the latter targets his first BTCC title.

While continuity may have paid off for some of the big guns, Speedworks Motorsport has chosen to take a different route for 2024, with the squad announcing one of the most exciting line-ups in memory. 

It’s an all-new four-car entry for Speedworks with returning World Champion Rob Huff and reigning Jack Sears Trophy Champion Andrew Watson heading up TOYOTA GAZOO Racing UK’s challenge, whilst multiple race winners Josh Cook and Aiden Moffat make the switch to the Corolla with LKQ Euro Car Parts with SYNETIQ.

NAPA Racing UK was the standout outfit of 2023, taking the treble of Drivers’, Manufacturers’/Constructors’ and Teams’ titles and the squad has unsurprisingly announced an unchanged line-up, as Sutton is joined by Dan Cammish, Dan Rowbottom and Sam Osborne – all with trophy aspirations of their own.

Team BMW has maintained its line-up of Turkington and Adam Morgan – the latter will be looking to mount his own challenge during his second season with the squad, whilst a potential third WSR entry could yet be confirmed.

The consistency theme continues at Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS with Ingram being joined once again by Tom Chilton, Ronan Pearson and Nick Halstead.

Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing enjoyed an impressive 2023 – both Árón Taylor-Smith and Mikey Doble stay with the team this season in the chase for outright and Independents’ honours.

Two new squads have also joined the fray – ensuring the popular Cupras remain on the grid – with Restart Racing signing series returnee Chris Smiley and debutant Scott Sumpton, whilst Daryl DeLeon will contest his first full BTCC season with Unlimited Motorsport.

BTCC powers up

BTCC organiser – TOCA – has introduced a number of exciting new regulation changes including the doubling of hybrid boost and a new qualifying format, whilst Goodyear’s option tyres are also set to further spice up the action in 2024.

The BTCC became the first touring car series in the world to introduce hybrid power when it was officially launched in 2022 and this season sees a further focus on overall performance.

The Hybrid Energy Management System (HEM) provides drivers with the ability to deploy the hybrid for a dedicated amount of time per lap in qualifying and for a number of laps in the races – depending on their championship position (for qualifying) and their race finishing position on race day. 

Now, from 2024 that same push of the button will have double the amount of power output through a combination of both hybrid and turbo boost, which will provide a whole different complexion to race strategy and performance. 

Additionally, the BTCC’s newly introduced ‘Quick Six’ qualifying will feature a number of short ten-minute segments, creating further interest for fans in attendance and the hundreds of thousands more that will be able to watch every qualifying session and race live via ITV Sport.

The format – similar to the one successfully used in IndyCar – will see the cars divided into two groups for the opening qualifying session.

The fastest six from each group will go through to make a 12-car second segment of competition. The top six from that next session will proceed to the grand finale of qualifying each weekend – Quick Six – a final ten-minute dash to determine pole position and the top six grid positions.

Goodyear’s option tyres have also been revised with tyre choice during the races adding a further tactical element to proceedings, whilst the top ten of race 1 at each event will be forced to use the hardest available tyre compound in their next race – making successive victories on a weekend even harder to achieve.

Going global

As the exciting news continued during the off-season, TOCA also announced that every race of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will also be streamed LIVE around the globe via TikTok – in full-screen horizontal mode – 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.

It is 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.

Following its launch in 2016, TikTok has since become one of the world’s most popular online platforms, now reaching more than one billion active monthly users worldwide, with some 45% of those in the 18-34 age group, whilst women make up around 57% of all users – further highlighting ways in which the BTCC will be brought to a new, younger and more diverse demographic.

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: “It has arguably been one of the busiest off-seasons in recent memory with several on-track and off-track innovations and announcements set to bring further excitement to the BTCC.

“We have a grid that is firmly focused on a real depth of quality, with so many potential race winners and an ever-growing number of likely title contenders. 

“These driver announcements from the teams – combined with the new hybrid-turbo boost, qualifying and option tyre regulations – look set to be the perfect recipe for a hugely competitive and entertaining year ahead.

“I’m also incredibly proud of our ground-breaking move in ensuring that the BTCC will be the first major motorsport championship in the world to have its entire race season streamed live on TikTok around the globe, alongside our fantastic ongoing and absolutely vast UK coverage, which is live and free on ITV4 and ITVX.

“This will introduce the BTCC to a massive new and completely different demographic – a younger and more diverse audience whose engagement is vital for the future of our sport.

“I always look forward to the start of a new season, but this one feels a bit special – I really believe we have a cracking championship ahead of us.”

Click Here to view our 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship Entry List.

Nick Halstead will hope to make steps forwards in his second season in the British Touring Car Championship after a positive start to pre-season testing in his new-look Team Bristol Street Motors Hyundai.

Halstead revealed a striking new livery on his car in a special event at Donington Park last month having agreed a new major partnership deal with Razor, the company behind the Crazy Carts that he introduced to the BTCC paddock last season.

The launch event not only saw the covers come off the 'Crazy Cart XXXL' design on the Hyundai but also gave fans in attendance the chance to experience a series of Crazy Cart races involving Halstead and a number of his BTCC rivals - offering a taster for what to expect during the 2024 season.

Pre-season running kicked off at Brands Hatch where Halstead was able to lap nearly half a second quicker than he had done during the corresponding race meeting last season, despite running without hybrid in operation on his car.

Moving on to Croft, Halstead then had the opportunity to run the new-for-2024 levels of hybrid for the first time and whilst changeable conditions prevented him from setting a truly representative lap time, confidence is now high going into the final pre-season test scheduled for the annual launch event at Donington Park.

"It was fantastic to take the covers off the Crazy Cart livery at Donington Park and the reaction from the fans has been overwhelmingly positive, which is exactly what we hoped for," he said.

"Testing so far has been productive although like everyone else, the weather hasn’t been on our side, particularly at Croft where I didn’t manage to get my laps in when the circuit conditions were at their best.

"Saying that, I’ve been pleased with the pace I’ve shown and I’m feeling comfortable in the car already, so hopefully when we now head to Donington Park for the season launch test, we can get a full day of dry running to really set us up for the opening round.

"I’ve said over the winter that I felt the additional hybrid power would spice up the action. Having now had the chance to try it on track, I’m even more certain that that will be the case - and I think fans are in for a treat when the racing action kicks off!"

The final pre-season test before the 2024 season kicks off is at Donington Park on the 16th April.

EXCELR8 Motorsport's Ronan Pearson set the overall pace during the second official Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship pre-season, with the #14 Hyundai's morning lap time holding sway throughout the day at Croft.

With wet conditions setting in for much of the afternoon running it was NAPA Racing UK that enjoyed the best of the tricky conditions as Ash Sutton topped team-mate Dan Rowbottom in the order, albeit several seconds off Pearson's ultimate pace.

Toyota Gazoo Racing's Andrew Watson was third quickest in the wet, whilst Tom Ingram bounced back from an earlier fire in his Hyundai to take fourth in the afternoon.

It was Pearson, however, who stole the show with his 1:22.243s flier taking top spot from the WSR-run BMWs of Jake Hill and Colin Turkington.

The afternoon proved more difficult, however, with Hill's Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport’s crashing into the barrier while on a quick lap through the Sunny In/Sunny Out section.

Josh Cook was another likely title contender that ended his day early after the Bath driver also had an off-track moment.

The NAPA Racing UK trio of Dan Cammish, Sutton and Rowbottom were fourth, fifth and sixth overall, thanks to their morning efforts, as the squad proved the pace of the Ford Focus in both wet and dry conditions.

Tom Chilton’s #3 EXCELR8 Motorsport Hyundai was next up, ahead of a Speedworks-run treble of Robb Huff, Josh Cook and Watson rounding out the top ten.

Now the BTCC moves to Donington Park for the Official 2024 Season Launch and the final test session on Tuesday 16 April.

A full timing classification of the BTCC test at Croft can be found here.

EXCELR8 Motorsport's Ronan Pearson set the pace during the morning session at Croft Circuit today (10 April), before rain brought a premature halt to proceedings.

The young Hyundai driver set an impressive pace as the #14 held off a gaggle of BMWs and Fords on the timesheets.

Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport's Jake Hill and Team BMW's Colin Turkington were second and third, as the Bavarian marque continues to show its winter improvements following impressive runs for both Hill and stablemate Adam Morgan at Brands Hatch last week.

The NAPA Racing UK trio of Dan Cammish, Ash Sutton and Dan Rowbottom were third, fourth and fifth respectively, as we begin to get a glimpse of the likely competitiveness in the 2024 BTCC field.

Tom Chilton's #3 EXCELR8 Motorsport Hyundai was next up, ahead of a Speedworks-run treble of Robb Huff, Josh Cook and Andrew Watson – the latter not only setting a solid lap time, but also experiencing an off midway through the session, which brought about one of a few red flag periods during the morning running.

2022 Champion Tom Ingram was one of the drivers who didn't set a competitive lap time during the session, and that opportunity was completely taken away when rain descended onto the North Yorkshire circuit in the final hour of the morning.

The action gets back underway this afternoon and you can follow live timing here.

A full timing classification of the BTCC test at Croft can be found here.

Jake Hill finished the first official test of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship pre-season on top of the timesheet after a day of mixed conditions at Brands Hatch.

The Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport driver made the most of the ever-improving conditions in the afternoon session to make his mark in the #24 BMW.

The track was still damp from the morning rain as the afternoon session got underway, and it was Josh Cook in his Speedworks-run Toyota leading the way early on, with EXCELR8 Motorsport's Ronan Pearson a close second.

Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing's Árón Taylor-Smith was next in the order as the times started to tumble throughout the afternoon. Cook's consistency was clear to see in his new Toyota, as the Bath racer set several competitive lap times.

Reigning champion Ash Sutton was never far from the action as he continued to place himself third in the standings through both the opening hours. NAPA Racing UK's #1 ended the day just outside the top five in sixth.

The last 30 minutes were where the lap times were coming in thick and fast as the day drew to a close. Hill topping the times with a 47.868 second lap with series returnee Rob Huff taking second for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK and, the morning-session's fastest man, Adam Morgan less than a tenth behind in his Team BMW machine.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship now moves on to Croft for its second test on 10 April, before the final run at Donington Park on 16 April.

Click here for the full classification from today's test at Brands Hatch.

Team BMW's Adam Morgan set the pace during the opening morning of the first official pre-season BTCC test at Brands Hatch.

The 2024 testing programme got underway today, 3 April, with Morgan setting the benchmark in the drying morning session.

Track action was limited as the lights went green. With only the BMWs of both Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport's Jake Hill and Team BMW’s Colin Turkington taking to the track as conditions were less than ideal during a spell of heavy rain.

Soon after the on-track action ramped up as the rain had settled. A repeat of 2023 took place early on as reigning champion Ash Sutton (NAPA Racing UK) topped the timesheet come the end of the first hour. Hill and Tom Ingram (EXCELR8 Motorsport) followed behind to start 2024 with the same top three of last season.

The rain continued to pour throughout the opening hours as Andrew Watson, new Toyota Gazoo Racing UK driver, topped the times at the end of hour two. 

Watson’s ex-team-mate Árón Taylor-Smith (Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing) was among the drivers climbing the timesheet in the second hour, breaking into the top five before moving to the summit at the end of the third hour.

Conditions improved late on as the track began to dry for the first time of the test. Taylor-Smith's time would see him in tenth as the track was drying and Morgan set his time late on to put his BMW top of the timesheet. Closely followed by Dan Cammish for NAPA Racing UK and the Toyota Gazoo Racing UK of Watson.

"The time is obviously not important at this stage but I feel good in the car and I'm excited about my second season with WSR," said Morgan.

"Seeing what the team has done over the winter is phenomenal. It's incredible to see that every aspect of the car has been looked at and improved."

British Touring Car Championship fans’ favourite Bobby Thompson will join WSR for this week’s official series test on the Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on Wednesday, 3 April.

The 28-year-old from Hornchurch, Essex, will drive a BMW 330e M Sport at the Kent track as WSR continues to evaluate options for the fourth car for the coming season.

Bobby has started over 100 BTCC races and achieved his best finish of second at last year’s Brands Hatch round in May.

He will join WSR’s three confirmed race drivers for the season; Colin Turkington, Adam Morgan (both Team BMW) and Jake Hill (Laser Tools Racing with MB Motorsport) at the Brands Hatch test, which is open for race fans to attend.

The BTCC season starts at Donington Park, East Midlands, on April 27-28.

Bobby Thompson said:

“I’m thrilled to test the BMW 330e M Sport at Brands Hatch and I have to thank everybody involved who has worked so hard to create this opportunity. I’ve never had the opportunity to drive a championship-winning car in the BTCC so this will be a first for me and I really hope it can lead to a race seat for the 2024 season. I’m working incredibly hard with my partners to put together a package for this year, but we’re still a bit away from where we need to be in order to make the dream a reality. The BTCC is about to enter a new era with a ground-breaking global broadcast deal with ITV Sport and TikTok, which should be a game-changer in what the series can do to promote a commercial sponsor, and there’s honestly nowhere else I’d rather race. I hope this can be a first step towards something really special.”

Dick Bennetts, WSR Team Principal, said:

“Bobby’s one of a group of talented drivers who have come along in the past few seasons, ruffled a few feathers and achieved some very good results when both the machinery and circumstance have allowed it. He’s one of the drivers right now who has built an incredibly loyal fanbase and someone who definitley enhances the BTCC just by being there. He has plenty of rear-wheel-drive experience, albeit not in a touring car, so this test will focus on getting him comfortable in the BMW and seeing what we can do as a group. This is just a test at this stage as we continue to push very hard to make sure our fourth BMW is on the grid this season, but we’re well aware of Bobby’s determination to race and hope we can play a role in making things happen.”

Following two hugely successful seasons together, NAPA Racing UK is proud to also announce that it has agreed with reigning British Touring Car Champion Ash Sutton a deal that will see him continue to race in NAPA’s iconic colours until the end of 2026. Ash joined forces with NAPA Racing UK ahead of the 2022 season having just secured his third BTCC title, making him the youngest driver to achieve the feat.

Despite having to adapt to the switch back to front-wheel drive for the first time since his rookie campaign in 2016, Ash put his Ford Focus ST on the podium during the opening weekend of the season at Donington Park and would go on to score three wins as he finished the season second in the standings. Ash would also play a key role in helping NAPA Racing UK secure the Teams’ Championship title in its first year as part of Britain’s premier race series. That would be the precursor to a frankly astonishing 2023 season as Ash scored a record-equaling fourth title in stunning fashion - becoming the first driver in series history to win the title in both front-wheel and rear-wheel-drive machinery. Along the way, he equalled Alain Menu’s long-standing record of twelve wins in a season as well as James Thompson’s six pole positions, whilst his 446 points is the highest scored by a driver in a single campaign. The new deal between NAPA Racing UK and Ash will run through to the end of the 2026 season, giving ample opportunity for the 30-year-old to further cement his position as one of the greatest drivers in the long history of the championship. 

Ash Sutton, NAPA Racing UK, said:

“After an incredible two years with the team already and the latter being a record-breaking year claiming my fourth title, this now means I am fully focused to go after more. Let’s get 2024 underway"

The 2024 season will get underway at Donington Park in late April, with NAPA Racing UK again committed to running a multi-car programme as it bids to maintain the high standards set in 2023 and challenge for more championship silverware.

The NAPA Racing UK name will continue to chase top honours in the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship until the end of 2026 at least after an extension of the ultra-successful partnership between NAPA Auto Parts and the Alliance Racing team. 

NAPA Racing UK first appeared on the BTCC grid in 2022 after a commercial partnership was agreed between the famous automotive parts brand and what was then known as Motorbase Performance, fielding two cars in Britain’s premier racing series for multiple champion Ash Sutton and proven race winner Dan Cammish.

In what would be a successful start to the new partnership, both drivers would make it onto the top of the podium during the season, with Sutton ending the year second in the standings and NAPA Racing UK beating Team BMW to lift the Teams’ Championship.

That would only be a taster for what was to come, with records tumbling as NAPA Racing UK’s expanded four-car programme emerged as the dominant force in 2023. 

A stunning season on track saw NAPA Racing UK romp to championship glory on three fronts, with Sutton taking a record-equalling fourth Drivers’ title, and the team not only defending the Teams’ Championship, but also ending BMW’s run of success in the Manufacturers’ / Constructors’ standings.

Along the way, there were no fewer than 16 race wins, 32 podium finishes, 13 fastest laps and a scarcely believable nine pole positions out of ten; a reflection of the astonishing work put in by Alliance Racing’s ace engineering squad to transform the team’s Ford Focus ST into one of the most complete packages seen in the series in recent memory.

The announcement of a new three-year agreement between NAPA Racing UK and Alliance Racing is a reflection of the strong bond formed between the two parties, and comes at an exciting time for the team, which is in the process of relocating to new headquarters in the Midlands in preparation for the 2024 season.

Pete Osborne, Team Owner, Alliance Racing, said:

“This is a fantastic day for everyone involved in Alliance Racing. Since forming a partnership with NAPA, over 2 years ago, we have worked together to deliver success both on and off the track. We are excited to commit to 3 more years together and continue to grow from strength to strength for all our staff and sponsor partners.  

“I wish to thank everyone involved with our team, their hard work and dedication is what make this partnership so successful. It has been fantastic to witness the growth of the NAPA brand in the UK and Europe through their support of UK motorsport. Especially the most prestigious series of them all, the British Touring Car Championship. 

“We can’t wait to see NAPA Racing UK back on the grid in 2024.”

Steve Richardson, Managing Director, NAPA Racing UK, said:

“The signing of this agreement marks the next step in the evolution of NAPA Racing UK and our partnership with Alliance Racing. From the outset, Alliance Racing have proved to be the perfect platform for the NAPA brand and share our ethos of continuous growth & improvement. 

“We’re delighted that the partnership will continue for at least the next 3 years. We’ve broken records and achieved significant success to date and look forward to seeing where the journey forward takes us.”

Team BMW has today (26 March) launched its challenge for the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship by confirming the continued presence of both Colin Turkington and Adam Morgan in its line-up of BMW 330e M Sport race cars. 

The BMW 3 Series, which will once again wear the famous M colours synonymous with unprecedented success in global motorsport for more than 40 years, will be prepared and run by 16-time BTCC champions WSR. 

Featuring revised front and rear-end styling inspired by the latest BMW 3 Series production model, the hybrid racing car features aerodynamic, cooling and chassis upgrades aimed at enhancing looks and performance across for the 30-race series. 

The hybrid 330e M Sport will be powered by a UK-supplied 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine, with the latest technology to improve emissions and using 20% sustainable fuel as BMW seeks a record-breaking tenth BTCC Manufacturers’ title.  

Working hand in hand with BMW’s engine-manufacturing facility at Hams Hall, BMW’s engine-manufacturing facility in Warwickshire, a number of different engine types were analysed before preparation for the BTCC regulations was completed by Neil Brown Engineering (NBE). 

Northern Irishman Colin is one of the BTCC’s most successful drivers with 67 wins, 181 podium finishes and a record four overall championships and five Independents’ crowns to his name as well as an FIA World Touring Car Championship victory. 

Having made his BTCC debut in 2002 with WSR, he now embarks on an eighth-straight season with Team BMW as he chases a record fifth title. 

Adam Morgan joined Team BMW for the 2023 season and scored a podium finish on his debut weekend with the Sunbury-on-Thames team on his way to ninth in the standings. 

Adam, from Blackburn, has 11 wins and 41 podiums to his name and is the most recent driver to have taken a WSR-designed and built BMW to victory for an independent team. 

Details of a fourth WSR-run BMW will be provided in due course. 

Pre-season testing is due to begin at Snetterton this week with the 2024 BTCC beginning at Donington Park, East Midlands, on April 27-28 for the first of ten triple-header rounds at circuits across the UK. 

Colin Turkington said: “I’m extremely pleased to be a part of Team BMW for the 2024 season and to race the BMW 330e M Sport. This will be my 18^th year with WSR and you couldn’t ask for a better team to be a part of. The team have worked incredibly hard over the winter to enhance the performance of our BMWs and I’m focused on being the best, most competitive version of myself I can be when so that we can put ourselves in the hunt for podiums and wins right from the season-opener at Donington.” 

Adam Morgan said: “It’s going to be my second year with Team BMW and I’m raring to go after what’s felt like a very long winter. In 2023 we scored a podium at our first weekend together but now the target has to be getting that first win with WSR and making sure we’re in the hunt for victories and podiums at every event. If we do that then we’ll be in for a very good season and Colin and I will have a strong shot at winning the Teams’ Championship for Team BMW. I’m looking forward to trying out the upgraded BMW and to see what we can do this season.” 

Dick Bennetts, Team Principal, said: “The new season is nearly upon us and it’s once again an honour to represent BMW in the UK’s leading motor racing championship. The target is to add to the 16 overall championships won by WSR in the BTCC and in Colin and Adam we have two first-rate drivers at Team BMW to help us achieve this. We’ve worked on several areas of the BMW 330e M Sport over the winter, all aimed at improving overall performance and we must thank the team at Hams Hall for their help with our first UK-supplied engines since becoming part the BMW family and to NBE for making them race-ready. I say it every year, but the level of competition keeps on increasing so once again we have to make sure we perform better than ever if we’re to achieve our goals this year.”